The abscess in nonsense. Another Bill Nack fantasy.
At least as far as timing. There was a YouTube film of the vet at Churchill talking how he found that abscess Tuesday after the Wood - no one found it on Wood day. AND more telling is NO PUBLICATION PRINTED ABOUT AN ABSCESS, likely for a year (my ‘74 Racing Form Hatton article mentions it). Look up Sports Ill and DRF all the way through summer ‘73, you will find “it’s a mystery why he lost the Wood”.
Nack is behind a lot of nonsense especially with Secretariat - he’s a schoolgirl with him. Used to be people called not only his book on Sec “the bible” but ALSO Raymond Wolfe - which is a GREAT book with wonderful photos and FACTS/data, not poetic prose. NOT ONCE does the Wolfe book mention any abscess.
I’m glad you don’t see the Woodward and Whitney as well excused - like Hatton above, who complains of a mysterious fever and “not being trained” because Riva Ridge was scratched from the Woodward for rain - nonsense. If you enter a horse, you better train it reasonably.
But the abscess if you start looking into it, was never mentioned for almost a year or so (I had an on-line fan friend who had done a college paper on Secretariat at the time - and said she could not find anything herself as time went by until at least a year). Why would they not bring out that excuse during the season for the sports writers and fans? Were they hoping for better prices on bets?
I don’t want to be argumentative, but now you’re focusing in one one race.
You’re still ignoring the fact he set records that are still standing in all three TC races. He ran on turf just as well as he ran on dirt. And he was HOTY two years in a row, while racing against class competition. None of those things have to do with Bill Nack or Raymond Wolfe.
Your original point was that he was mostly a one-hit wonder and had multiple chinks. Perhaps I am reading this incorrectly and by chinks you mean losses rather than flaws.
I get it, you’re a student of racing history. But there are many, including myself, who don’t agree with your original premise... if I translated it correctly.