"A horse like Secretariat...That will never happen no more."

[schnucklefutz]

I know it's been said before, but what amazes me about this creature is the very few times the jockey went to the whip it was just a few light taps. Belmont he never even touched him. :-)

[HeartXPure]

i love the movie they made about him either that poem in your discription realy touches me

[hockaday2fer2]

The word NEVER useuly cant be used,except in 2 cases,there will NEVER be a greater horse than Secretariat,or college running-back than Hershel

[schnucklefutz]

I was lucky enough to be old enough to realize what I was witnessing when this occured. What must have been going through the other hockeys minds when he was pulling away. Even though jockeys are extremely competetive, there had to be an admiration watching big red pull away like that.

[mjcamck]

LENGUA92 - Not only is the posting appreciated, but we major Secretariat fans are also grateful for the concise career summary of his stellar career. The fact that he did not come in first in every race demonstrates that one can be GREAT without be perfect. You're RIGHT - there will never be another Secretariat!

[80cathryn]

There likely isn't anyone alive who saw MOW race to share their appreciation for such magnificence; but God must have thought we needed a reminder of what perfection looks like in Sec; hopefully we as a species have the ability to recognize perfection when we witness it. Is there really an argument for what we saw on May 9, 1973?

[cmf4321]

@80cathryn Small correction. It was June 9, 1973

[agenthelios1]

YES....Secretariat...THE greatest horse in the history of the sport. HE electrified crowds. If I was at the Belmont I would have gone insane, such a performance has never been seen since and will never beseen again!

[slownoman]

Simple: the greatest racehorse who ever lived. By far.

[kwgrid]

*goosebumps* ♥ 

[rscarbro100]

Some johnnycomelaetly asked Steve Haskins from Bloodhorse talking horses did he think Big Brown will break Secretariat Belmont record. He laughed and said that would be to much to ask of any horse.

[ickiepooo]

"He's moving like a tremendous machine. . . " one of the most famous calls in sports history.

[NDRonin1401]

No doubt it was a special horse, a true champion, as it's record shows.

But the legend of being the best ever is (and I'm sorry to say this, really) your typical American hype.

If any of you so-called experts would know a little more of the history of the sport, and of the sport beyond the US, you would realise what fools you made of yourselves.

The best horses in the world run in Europe, and in this case , racing on the flat, you have to be in France.

[cmf4321]

@NDRonin1401 So please explain to all of us Americans why Sec still has the fastest time in the WORLD that still stands almost 40 years later for the mile & a half. And please share with me any horse, or human, that speeded UP throughout an entire race to break a track record. Google all u want...ONLY Secretariat defied the laws of nature & did the supernatural with his performance in the Belmont (&KD). He is the ONLY athlete in HISTORY to distinquish himself with that accomplishment.

[NDRonin1401]

@cmf4321 compare the Kentucky Derby times between Big Brown and Secretariat: only two seconds diff, Sec won on a dry grassy surface, going full out till the end, while BB swam through a mud puddle and jogged the last 100m.

When it comes to heavy grounds, your American dirt tracks on a rainy day, American horses can compete with anyone, pure speed races on grass, not so much.

Peace

[rscarbro100]

@NDRonin1401 You call 2 sec. not very much? Hell that tells everyone that knows anything about horse racing you don't know jack shit. Thats no secret with jealous Europeans.Those horses never set World Records at anything. American horses set all the standards in horse racing. Not only that Americans set the standards for Europe and every other country in this world that is made. Quit copying off us you jealous nip shits.I lived in Europe for 4 yrs and know all about them. Dumb asses for sure.

[NDRonin1401]

@rscarbro100 jealous Europeans? what an ignorant person are you anyway?

Copying from the US?

Every single thing about horse racing in the US is a copy of Europe!

Hell, the whole US is a miserable copy of Europe.

And 2 seconds is very little, when you take in the difference in weather and ground.

[rscarbro100]

@NDRonin1401 My good man, you not telling me every race in Europe is on tracks much slower than American tracks. Is that the reason your saying the European horses never broke world records like the American horses? I have never read or heard any old time track horseman make the statement the horses in Europe slow times are due to slower tracks.I truly believe thats the excuse you came up with to defend their slow times and no world records. I jusr cannot buy that.

[rscarbro100]

@NDRonin1401 You said every single thing about horse racing in the U.S. is a copy of Europe and then you say the racing tracks are totally different. Your speaking with forked tongue my good man. Don't you know every country looks at the U.S. for most everything because we lead the free world. Were not perfect by no means but we always take the lead and you know it.

[rscarbro100]

@NDRonin1401 What race on grass your talking about Secretariat going all out? He won the Man 0' War with a hand ride. Never driven out in any of his vitcories, Check out the offical DRF charts. Who in the hell is this BB? Guess you didn't know Secretariat ran a early morning 1 mile workout in 1:34 flat in 'MUD. Lost to Prove Out not trained in 2 weeks and still ran that sloppy track in 2:26 2/5 time. Ran at Woodine in mud up to your ass with freezing temps, high winds & was 4/5 sec, off record.

[NDRonin1401]

@rscarbro100 You are right there, I messed up this discussion with one about different racing surfaces in Europe and America. I was talking about the Kentucky Derby, so you should have known it was a mistake..

[cmf4321]

@NDRonin1401 U may want to watch BB when he lost in the Belmont..the longest of the 3 races.The end made him look like he was going in slo-mo. Sec was speeding up. Also BB's 2 sec diff. in KD doesn't even place him as 2nd in history. He broke no records in the TC races. Like MANY before him & after. Spitz set Olympic records & then Phelps came along & matched him (1 race did not break a world record). Not 1 horse in history of TC races has matched what occurred in the 1973 TC races. Never again.

[cmf4321]

@NDRonin1401 BTW, I want to share one fact with you that you may not know. The day at the 1973 Belmont when Secretariat set the fastest time in history...it was over 90 degrees at the race track that day. And he was running a mile & half speeding up throughout the entire race. It was truly a supernatural performance. We'll never know what he was capable of...he was retired before he peaked in age. And yet he still holds these records is completely mind blowing. You can't duplicate a miracle:-)

[NDRonin1401]

@cmf4321 What's your point with the 90°? Heat is not as big a drawback as heavy ground.

But I'll admit, Secretariat was exceptional (at that time, horses have since evolved a bit, today he would not be that spectacular)

[cmf4321]

@NDRonin1401 What makes a legend is by the records he sets. I look at athletes differently than you. Clocks don't lie...nor have opinions. His record performances still stand. 33 years of NON Triple Crown winners..since 1978. All the other race horses are just competing against each other...and never raising the bar.What I find interesting is that you think that's an improvement. Secretariat still holds 2 of those records & one is still the world record. Even MOW makes today's horses look lame.

[derynirose]

@NDRonin1401 So I am confused. If there are horses, and English horses that are more "evolved" can you tell my why Secretariat still holds the record? Surely your sense of questionable logic ought to tap you on the head occasionally and tell you that you say things only to be argumentative and not because you have a clue.Clearly and with logic you don't know a thing

I love this horse. He is helping to remind me of whence we all came.

[Beachrunner333]

@NDRonin1401 .....Evolved a bit? They race 8 times now and are retired...if anything the breed has been weakened

[Beachrunner333]

@NDRonin1401 ...Big Brown??? couldn't you find someone better to compare Derbies with than Big Brown??

[gipper1066]

@NDRonin1401 Total BS.... The Best Horses Races are run in the States and the Experts of the World will defy you every time you utter such nonsense. The US Triple Crown is known as the hardest test of any horse in the World, bar none. You seriously need to just get over yourself, tool...

[gege131313131313]

Wow

[Wondermouth1]

This music totally captures the hauntingly beautiful spirit of this horse!

[dinoarmas]

The Guardian Suite - Trevor Rabin is the song

[mrsrichardpeck]

thanks for sharing. the ball of light (at :25 or so,) says it about Secretariat. He was following his own muse. So very special.

[Millie9509]

I've not seen that close up shot of him finishing the Belmont before... He didn't even look leg weary! Nice vid

[MelC54]

People do not feel the same every day and neither do horses. Yes, Secretariat lost races but the horse can't tell you when he isn't ready to run... He can't call in sick. He just does the best he can do on that day. I am certain that if he had run the Derby, Preakness and Belmont like he ran the Wood, Whitney and Woodward we would probably be talking about Sham right now. He destroyed Onion in a rematch, and where was Prove Out on that gray cold day in Canada? And where is Prove Out's 2:24?

[sassybreyers]

Secretariat is the best and his records are NOT gone witch is cold hard PROOF

Check your facts whennif

[sassybreyers]

Secretariat is the best and his records are NOT betten with is cold hard PROOF

Cheak your facts whennif

[TheProfessorOfLife]

Secretariat is the greatest racehorse ever. End of debate. Look at his winning times. Look at the money he commanded at stud. He was hardly a stud "dud". Check his offspring and especially his grands and great-grands. Being ignorant is not a virtue. Check your facts before inserting your foot in your mouth, "whennif".

[sexymonimone]

@TheProfessorOfLife Not so sure about the greatest ever thing since all is relative.But i really like his dam sire line with AP Indy coming via Slew/ Weekend Suprise pairing and most notably Storm Cat through his daughter the brilliant sprinter Terlingua. Risen Star, General Assembly and Lady's Secret assure that it is ludicrous to ever consider him to have been a dud as a stallion.

[bon1042]

@sexymonimone well said.... reading you learn Sec took after maternal grandsire, the magnificent Princequillo who gave large heart gene to his dam SomethingRoyal. In Bill Nack's unbelievable biography of S, you read that "blue hens", the valuable and best broodmares of a breeding operation are it's foundations. Secretariat produced several as you point out. Wayne Lucas, the guy who bought Terlingua said the same thing. He wanted her, S was his favorite colt as was Crimson Saint her dam.

[whennif]

bbmte....Can you point out any of the facts I stated as wrong?.......You can't......You may think he was the greatest horse and that is fine. At least I gave you facts as to why I think he is not.....

[bbmtge]

@whennif Actually, I can!!! He lost 5 times, not 4. The devil, however, is in detail. That is a place where people like you don't want to, and can't, go. Why??? Detail NEVER supports the hater. Sec losses as a 2YO never enter oncversation anymore due to to fact that they had nothing to do with the horse. With respect to his overblown reputation; I lived in that time period and the notion that Sec came along at a bad time is way overblown. It is great for present day nostalgia. (con).

[bbmtge]

@whennif The real issue is that not many believed we would EVER see another TC winner as racing had become too competitive. Not only was it not believed, nobody could have ever expected a horse to what Sec did in the TC. He actually surpassed the hype surrounding him through his performances. As for your comments about Prove Out, only a fool would say such things as you obviously know nothing about the WW, Prove Out or Sec...IN DETAIL. As always, please write back and get stung by the detail.

[bbmtge]

@whennif Looking over some old posts. I see you ran away when confronted with detail Quite fitting.

[mshobohorse]

Sadly some believed Secretariat never had a chance as a 3 year old, but they saw how he proved him wrong. I am in love with the big red horse, and there is no telling to whether or not we shall see the likes of his grace and stamina again.

[RAV52]

Well if the video tape evidence wasn't here for all to see, I doubt anyone would believe that such a spectacular horse ever existed... I mean, I've seen it with my own eyes and I'm still having trouble comprehending what I saw with Secretariat!!

[winalddonovan1927]

27 seconds ago

Every once in a lifetime there is an opportunity for mankind to experience a divine spectacle sent to us by God. Secretariat was truly a blessing and something divinely special. His presence gave mankind the humbling opportunity to mingle with a divine messenger. Secretariat delivered the message of greatness -- through his Triple Crown act -- in the most resounding manner. Yes... indeed... it's as if God did make the perfect horse and bestowed him upon us

[cmf4321]

This horse is my God on earth. We'll never see this miracle of nature again. God made only one creature genetically & physically perfect...and with heart, intelligence and confidence that no human could ever achieve on his own. This God-like perfection came once...his name was Secretariat. I will always think of him as the "supernatural" being. I will always be in awe of what true perfection can do for the human spirit...in the form of a horse.

[gotch09]

I thought he made Time magazines top 10 athletes of the 20th century as well, didn't he? And out of curiosity who were the other 9 on the list? Anybody out there wants to help me with this one?

[gotch09]

What is the music? It sounds almost like the music from the movie "Titanic".

[gotch09]

No one has ever answered a question that I've had about Secretariat. I know they said he was "16 hands" tall, but how tall is that in feet and inches. And why is a horse measured in "hands" anyway.

[jkmooreelle]

@gotch09 one hand equals 4 inches. Which would make Big Red 64 inches. The measurement is taken at the withers which is right at the start of the horses back. Why they use hands? Dont really have an answer. Hope that helps

[gotch09]

@jkmooreelle Thanks for clearing that up for me. I always wondered what they meant by x-amount of hands tall.

[rscarbro100]

@jkmooreelle Measuring devices were hard to come by back in the days & using body parts like a hand was simply the best way to do it & it became a standard. Secretariat was actullay 16 hands & 2 inches tall & weighred 1175 lbs in his racing prime.

[ldsunwind]

A 'hand' was the size of an average man's hand.

[cmf4321]

This greatness will never be seen again on this Earth...Secretariat was the chosen one. No man, or horse, has or ever will rival this miracle of nature. Supernatural is the understatement of what we all witnessed with Secretariat.

[cmf4321]

BTW, lengua92...loved the musical background:-)

[cmf4321]

If Secretariat came back to Earth, I'd give my last dime to see the true miracle of nature that God put on this Earth....Secretariat. This perfect "10" was a gift from GOD. He was perfect aesthetically, athletically & his personality. He had a level of confidence, intelligence & free will that no man on Earth can ever match. God gave us a chance to see what perfection would embody. Secretariat was supernatural and a true miracle of nature. God gave us what humans couldn't

achieve ...perfection.

[sugarscoop]

Very nice editing and beautiful music (is it Irish?). Thank you.

[lengua92]

Thanks for the compliment. The music is from the movie "The Guardian"

[whennif]

The most overrated horse of any generation.....Lost four times in a very brief career. Lost to Onion and Prove Out, two former claimers. Never carried over 126 pounds. Bred to the best of the best and a "dud" at stud.....Not saying he wasn't a very good horse but came about at a very bad period in America. This along with the age of television and horse racing on television enhanced his way overblown reputation......

[bbmtge]

@whennif A most STUPID statement. You obviously know nothing about horse racing with those comments. However, congratulations on making a complete ASS of yourself. Please write some more. Can't wait to see you be an idiot, again.

[justice008a]

@bbmtge you don't know anything about anything..... doesn't seem to stop you from talking shit at other people. Hold on, I apologize -- you are the foremost authority on displaying low intellect, homosexuality, immaturity and stupidity. You're very talented at all those things -- a natural. Helps that you're a natural and very fond of other men as well as horses; not in a good way either

[bbmtge]

@justice008a I missed this post, somehow. I see you cant help yourself in "following/chasing" me through youtube. Actually, what is really funny, beside your stalking, is that you make a comment about talking shit...and then...YOU TALK SHIT!!! Great stuff, very predictable but great.

[moomb99]

@whennif What facts? That he was fallible? Won 16 of 21 races? List the horses with better winning percentages in 21 or more races. Name the horses that have beaten his times. We'll wait. Better yet you miserable tool, find something you can be proud of and spout off about that. Moron.

[mdubs216]

Absolutely amazing video. 5/5

What was the music used? It was beautiful.

[rcherasaro]

big red..i loved him saw him work once..still gives me the chills..i don't lnow we could be looking at his female counterpart in rachael..she is the closest thing i have seen since the 70's that even comes close

[sierraharms]

@rcherasaro I agree, Ruffian was also amazing. If Rachel continues to improve, watch out. I hope she becomes as good as we all think she can.

[rcherasaro]

i too loved ruffian..i have been very reticent to compare rachel to her..but the horse with the broken blaze has earned that right!

[StreetSense16]

why does everyone always 4get Affirmed 1978 triple crown winner who one 14 grade 1s i dont see many videos of him anywhere......

[blackcloudipoy]

SS, no one has forgotten Affirmed, I can assure you! Affirmed had to earn his triple crown like no other horse. He had a tremendous heart and will to win! Great courage that horse!

[bon1042]

Nice comment about beautiful Affirmed... he did have to earn his TC like no other horse. Some people think Secretariat didn't have to earn his because they think he had no competition to speak of, except Sham. Yet he set records in all 3 races and in context of grueling 5 wk period and being only hand ridden except for a couple of whacks on last Derby turn. 2 records not yet broken and one only tied twice. And if that's not astounding enuf, he never raced at more than 85-90 % of capacity.

[bon1042]

Have you typed Affirmed in here? There are videos.

[rcherasaro]

affirmed was a worker for sure and one of the greats.big red had the extra something you do not often see.a belmont for the ages..records were set that still hold.he made the hair on the back of your neck stand straight up!

[artful78555]

Ever consider doing a tribute to John Henry? My second fave after Secretariat.

[lengua92]

I suppose that at some moment i will. I have many tributes to make yet. To name just a few horses: Affirmed, Holy Bull, Skip Away, John Henry, Ruffian

[CasperFriendly1]

@lengua92: Please don't leave out the great champion Dr. Fager who won at all kinds of distances, on all kinds of surfaces, carrying all kinds of weight, not to mention setting the world record for one mile. Definitely among the absolute best.

[rscarbro100]

@CasperFriendly1 We will not leave out the Dr.` but was no Secretariat as you should know. The doctor own jockey did not say he was the best ever. He was one of his favorites he ever rode but said Buckpasser the best he ever rode. He called Secretariat a Super, Super horse. What else I can say or he could say?

[SuperNikki1]

@lengua92 It would be nice if you made a tribute to a great racehorse and the greatest sire of the 20th century The one and only Northern Dancer.

[sugarpuppy137]

Man, I love your videos! Great music btw, fit perfectly =]

[artful78555]

Excellent.

[melc1949]

Nicely done. The horse was awesome. Good choice of music. Cheers.