Secretariat’s great race in the Belmont or his great leap forward in the Preakness or even his record breaking Kentucky Derby can’t ever diminish Man O’ War’s great legacy.
Can you provide evidence that Secretariat spit his bit. Usually that means the horse doesn’t want to run. That was not Secretariat.
Hey, he wasn’t bad, but he did not win every single race.
The Wood, contrary to schoolgirl Bill Nack’s stories about an abscess that did not appear until Tuesday, had no real reason for the loss. Even the exercise rider beforehand thought he was a bit off, and Ray Wolfe’s fact-filled Sec book covers it with nary a mention of a sore mouth.
The Whitney...a fever? Maybe, but it didn’t show till some time later. How many are affected by an infection much until the actual onset of symptoms?
The Woodward is another. “Wasn’t ready”. Oh please. You know your prime horse Riva doesn’t like rain and it’s probably going to rain, so Sec must be on deck. And he didn’t prepare him? Not buying that. Another 119 lbs of equal or less weight but couldn’t pull it off.
IOW, except for the possible fever after the fact, there is no solid evidence Sec had good excuses for these races.
The good news is he still was great, did very well even so, and did set now 6 records that season, half the races.
But greatest of all, no question? Some have better evidence. For me, I think I believe he may be the 2nd greatest, at least American.