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Secretariat - Belmont Stakes 1973
https://youtu.be ^ | June 25, 2012

Posted on 06/09/2018 11:24:10 AM PDT by NKP_Vet

Secretariat’s historic 1973 Belmont Stakes victory.


TOPICS: Miscellaneous; Reference; Sports
KEYWORDS: justify
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45 years ago today.

“He’s moving like a tremendous machine.”

1 posted on 06/09/2018 11:24:10 AM PDT by NKP_Vet
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To: NKP_Vet

Tonite, one of the networks should have scheduled a re-showing of that really good movie. Every time I’ve seen it, I end up cheering as that magnificent horse runs from the pack, the jocky looking like he is astride a HARLEY.
Maybe one did and I’ll surely have to check early to see what is on. So seldom is that anything worth the time.


2 posted on 06/09/2018 11:29:49 AM PDT by CaptainAmiigaf ( i)
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To: CaptainAmiigaf

Makes me cry every single time. I even cried at the movie version.


3 posted on 06/09/2018 11:32:19 AM PDT by freepertoo
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To: freepertoo

31 length victory, beating the record time by over 2 seconds. What a horse. What a champion!


4 posted on 06/09/2018 11:37:01 AM PDT by ReleaseTheHounds ("The problem with Socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money." M. Thatcher)
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To: freepertoo

Have you seen War Horse? Big time tear jerker.


5 posted on 06/09/2018 11:38:09 AM PDT by FrdmLvr
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To: freepertoo
"I even cried at the movie version."

Ahh, the movie was excellent! It really captured the personality of the horse.
45 years ago - I was 15 and the world was still fresh and new. Secretariat stormed the stage with brute strength and grace. An awesome time.

6 posted on 06/09/2018 11:38:47 AM PDT by Psalm 73 ("I will now proceed to entangle the entire area".)
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To: NKP_Vet

I saw Secretariat win the KD in person! Then I went back and saw him up close. He was huge - tall. Never forget that experience.


7 posted on 06/09/2018 11:39:49 AM PDT by Karoo
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To: ReleaseTheHounds

They said as he was being lead on the track he would stop and stare at the crowd an nod at them.


8 posted on 06/09/2018 11:40:26 AM PDT by Dog (..."I'm just a cook....")
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To: Karoo

WOW, can I touch you? That is cool.


9 posted on 06/09/2018 11:40:40 AM PDT by freepertoo
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To: NKP_Vet

Thanks for posting! I was 12. I remember that race. No doubt in my mind the greatest horse ever. Horses like Secretariat only come along once in a lifetime. What a joy it was to watch that race again!


10 posted on 06/09/2018 11:41:07 AM PDT by usconservative (When The Ballot Box No Longer Counts, The Ammunition Box Does. (What's In Your Ammo Box?))
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To: NKP_Vet

Just like 45...


11 posted on 06/09/2018 11:41:20 AM PDT by crusher2013
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To: Dog

I read that Justify does the same thing with the photogs and the crowds. The article also said that other horses know he’s the boss. Seabiscuit used to have a tactic when he ran of putting his ears back and intimidating the other horses. He never did the triple crown, but his story is amazing, too.


12 posted on 06/09/2018 11:41:55 AM PDT by freepertoo
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To: Karoo

Im jealous....we will never see a horse like him again


13 posted on 06/09/2018 11:42:09 AM PDT by Dog (..."I'm just a cook....")
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To: Psalm 73

I was 14 back then... and an equestrian to boot... man what a truly magnificent creature he was.

Go Big Red!


14 posted on 06/09/2018 11:42:18 AM PDT by AFreeBird
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To: NKP_Vet

like a tremendous machine.

At his autopsy they found he had an enlarged heart by twice the size of normal not good for people but okay for horses. One of the most beautiful animals and athletes ever.


15 posted on 06/09/2018 11:43:22 AM PDT by Jolla
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To: usconservative

My family and I watched it on television (at that time, at the ripe age of 16, I was a budding artist, and I’d done an oil painting of the famous magazine cover). I still remember my whole family, including the non-horse lovers, losing our minds, screaming ‘til we were hoarse, jumping up and down, when he took that lead. I will never, ever forget it.


16 posted on 06/09/2018 11:43:40 AM PDT by freepertoo
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To: Jolla

Sham’s heart was large, too. Another great horse. Did you notice how hard Sham was working his legs at the Belmont, though? Secretariat almost looked like he was strolling.


17 posted on 06/09/2018 11:44:22 AM PDT by freepertoo
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To: freepertoo

I read a few days ago that most race horses these days have Secretariat in their blood lines. I believe that Justify does, and American Pharoah (can never spell that word correctly, apologies!) was a great-great grandson. Seems his fillies do better than his colts, though.


18 posted on 06/09/2018 11:46:19 AM PDT by freepertoo
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To: freepertoo
Yeah, I tear up every time I see it. It's the most amazing race and show of strength and athleticism of modern times, something that happens only once in a thousand lifetimes.
 
19 posted on 06/09/2018 11:46:25 AM PDT by Governor Dinwiddie (MAGA in the mornin', MAGA in the evenin', MAGA at suppertime . . .)
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To: NKP_Vet

Appearance and conformation

Equine anatomy
Secretariat grew into a massive, powerful horse said to resemble his sire’s maternal grandsire, Discovery. He stood 16.2 hands (66 inches, 168 cm) when fully grown. He was noted for being exceptionally well-balanced, a big, powerful horse described as having “nearly perfect” conformation and stride biomechanics. His chest was so large that he required a custom-made girth, and he was noted for his large, powerful, well-muscled hindquarters. An Australian trainer said of him, “He is incredible, an absolutely perfect horse. I never saw anything like him.”

Secretariat’s absence of major conformation flaws was important, as horses with well made limbs and feet are less likely to become injured. Secretariat’s hindquarters were the main source of his power, with a sloped croup that extended the length of his femur. When in full stride, his hind legs were able to reach far under himself, increasing his drive. His ample girth, long back and well-made neck all contributed to his heart-lung efficiency.

The manner in which Secretariat’s body parts fit together determined the efficiency of his stride, which affected his acceleration and endurance. Even very small differences in the length and angles of bones can have a major effect on performance. Secretariat was well put together even as a two-year-old, and by the time he was three, he had further matured in body and smoothed out his gait. The New York Racing Association’s Dr. M. A. Gilman, a veterinarian who routinely measured leading Thoroughbreds with a goal of applying science to create better ways to breed and evaluate racehorses, measured Secretariat’s development from two to three as follows:...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretariat_(horse)#Appearance_and_conformation

It was estimated that his heart weighed 22 pounds.


20 posted on 06/09/2018 11:49:46 AM PDT by trisham (Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.)
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