This is without a doubt the GREATEST day in horse racing I remember this day June 9, 1973 I was only 10 at the time and was watching with my Father who was a horse racing fan still gives me goosebumps even now and nearly 40 years later no horse has even come close to doing what Secretariat has done and I beleave no one ever will; Truely breathtaking!!!!!
Recalling the moment Secretariat’s heart was uncovered, Swerczek said, "We just stood there in stunned silence. We couldn’t believe it. The heart was perfect. There were no problems with it. It was just this huge engine." Swerczek did not weigh the heart but estimated it at 22 lbs. A few other horses with big hearts Shame 18 lbs, Phar Lap and Eclipse both at 14 lbs.
It explained how he was able to do what he did in the Belmont Stakes – a mile and a half race (Secretariat won by 31 lengths in track-record time). You would have to have a large heart to do what he did. It would be impossible for a horse with a small heart to do that."
"I have done thousands of autopsies, and I had noticed differences in heart size in horses before we did Secretariat," Swerczek said. "I had picked up the difference in the male and female hearts and noticed that some were bigger than others.
"But I didn’t pay much attention until Secretariat came along. He was completely out of everybody else’s league. Looking back at what he had done, it was easy to put a connection to it. The heart was what made him able to do what he did. Cont.
@tonic740 He was fed monster workouts before each race. Laurin realized this colt was different, and needed to be really pushed in training, otherwise he wouldn't perform well - before the Whitney he was flat in his workout due to an illness, and lost. It turned out Laurin was right with his methods, as an autopsy on Sec's death revealed that he had a huge, perfect engine of a heart, inherited from his dam's side on the X chromosome. The X-Factor - that's why he was a freak!
Yes, Prince Rose was the great grandsire, and one of the great sires in Europe My point was actually the sad story that Prince Rose was killed by military gunfire in 1944. It was indeed wonderful that Princequillo was taken along with his Dam through enemy lines and brought to the United States. And so through that pedigree we were fortunate to have had Secretariat.
I have been looking for a 'Dream' horse that could run a 1 1/2 mile dirt race running fractions for the half in 46.1, The 3/4 in 1:09.8, the mile in 1:34.1 and the 1 1/4 mile in 1:59 flat without hitting the wall. I have found 'ONE'. His name was 'Secretariat'. I the ask myself the question if Man 0' War, Easy Goer or A.P. Indy if ran these fractions would they have hit the wall. Then I thought. None of these had ever ran a 1:59 flat from the chute. So that answered my question.
DISTANCE - underrated factor - needs to be seriously considered when doing the form , some horses are champs over 6f and chumps over 7f , but most punters don't understand the importance of distance.
The pace of the race can also have an affect on whether a horse can get the distance - a slow pace for a frontrunner wiil help it, but if it hasn't got the stamina required and the pace is solid or fast, this horse will hit the wall before the finish. The Racing Analyst:
About the only two things I can think of that even come close are Bob Beamon jumping 29' 2.5" in 1968 and Jason Lezak splitting 46.06 in 2008 to overtake the world record holder and endure 8 golds for Phelps.
"He is moving like a tremendous machine" this video proves that anything is possible and that Secretariat is the most amazing race horse that ever lived. He is the best race horse to ever step on any race track!! :)
The race was the Woodward Stakes and Kelso carried 126 lbs and was a 4 yr, old, Everyone may know this might be the reason Seattle Slew and Spectacular Bid never ran a 2 minute or under 1 1/4 mile race on any east coast track.. You gotta go to California to do that for most of the great horses. Like Whitney said Belmont is no the fastest track in the world.
disputed by old hands, who claim Whisk Broom's manual timers mistakenly stopped their watches before the winner crossed the finish line). In modern times only one other horse, Tom Fool, has covered a mile and a quarter at Belmont in less than 2:01.
Whitney Tower quote: Belmont is not the fastest race track in the world, so Kelso's time of two minutes fiat (after Divine Comedy's early fractions of 23[1/5], 46[1/5] and 1.10 for six furlongs and 1:34[4/5] for the mile) makes this one of the most remarkable races ever run in New York. It tied a 48-year-old track record set by Whisk Broom II (a time, incidentally, that is still being
Everyone knows that Secretariat went by the 1 1/4 post in 1:59 flat in this race and still another 1/4 mile to go. I will post a piece of information by SI Whitney Tower article titled: 'Best Race Horse In The World' dated Oct., 9, 1961. He was talking about the great Kelso with Arcaro up..It will give you a little idea just how great this horse Secretariat really was on a 'BELMONT' race track.. Also Remember he also ran a 1:57 4/5 '1 1/4 mile Pulling Up' in the Marlboro race at 'BELMONT'.
@rscarbro100 Thanks again for finding an interesting article. In Excess (IRE) has the Belmont record of 1:58.33 for 1-1/4 mile set July 4, 1991, however the 4 year old was carrying only 119. The best 1-1/4 mile Belmont run that I remember was Cigar's 1995 Breeders' Cup which was won in a stakes record 1:59.58. It was an awesome performance but of course it was a 1-1/4 mile race and Cigar was 5!
I just read about the grandsire of Secretariat, Prince Rose. What a sad story! He was killed by military fire in 1944. Prince Rose was the leading sire in Europe.
@415hammie I think Prince Rose was Secretariat's great-grandsire. Princequillo was his grandsire. The latter sired Secretariat's dam, Somethingroyal by Imperatrice.
@kwgrid Checked on it. Princequillo was out of Prince Rose and Cosquilla. Princequillo and Imperatrice produced Somethingroyal. Somethingroyal and Bold Ruler produced Secretariat. So Prince Rose was Secretariat's great-grandsire.
He broke the Kentucky Derby record, and has not been broken since. Preakness he won, but the timer was broken and we will never know if he broke that record. The fact alone that Secretariat won this race (after the race it was measured he won by a record 31 lengths) and broke the record and NO one has broke it since, means, that he has not only won this race, but all the races before him and, since.
I still get goose bumps.....at 1:59 you hear the crowd start to acknowledge the performance, the greatness....as he comes down the stretch it was no longer a horse race, it was history! Fans were cheering, raising hands and voices the like Belmont has never heard or has since...just an incredible day in racing history
It doesn't look like it, but Secretariat is actually slowing down as he runs away from the rest of the field. Do the simple math. The first half of the race was covered in 1:09 4/5ths from a standing start. Secretariat covered the last half in 1:14 1/5th. Sham pretty much walked the last half of the race.
@bailinnumberguy - What's your point? Any horse running a 1:09-4/5 6 furlong sprint would typically finish the final 6 furlongs in 1:18 to 1:19 in change...history proves that since the closest dirt time for 1-1/2 miles is 2:25-4/5 by Prove Out in the 1973 Woodward when he bested SEC. Don't you realize Secretarit averaged to "the beat of 12's" for 12 furlongs - a supernatural performance. I just wonder how much faster he could have run had he been pushed the final 1/4 mile...God only knows!
@Dannykeith46 My point was nothing more than that a strong closer/finish is a kind of optical illusion when it appears that the horse is speeding up when he's actually slowing down. It had nothing to do w/ Secretariat's remarkable performance.
@bailinnumberguy - My bad and sincere apology! Your point is well taken which is why what SEC did in the Kentucky Derby defied logic. SEC actually DID speed up from start to finish, posting quarter fractions faster than the previous quarters right to the finish! In fact, his final or 5th quater fraction was an incomprehensible 23 seconds (some say it was 22-4/5 seconds!). To me, that is his most supernatural accomplishment -mammals are NOT supposed to be able to speed up over a mile distance!
I have seen the belmont stakes video, not only this one but the one with the pre race coverage and have watched Secretariat in all the shots and i have come to the conclusion that this horse knew! What needed to be done that day. This horse not only run fast but was smart as hell, watching him on his other races you can totally see strategy there. R.I.P Secretariat! Wherever you are i hope and im sure you still running fearless.
Time to put the rumors to REST that Secretariat, used and kind of performance enhancing drugs.
Its a FACT, after each race the horses are taking back to the barn for a sample of their saliva and urine. Had Secretariat, been tested postive for drugs during any of his wins they would have stripped him of his trophies including the Triple Crown.
Does anyone know Sec's time in the MC from 1/4 mile to 3/4 mile? Considering the average time, over the entire race, per furlong...the 3/4 fraction of 1:09 and 1/5 to RR with Sec 1/2 length behind...and the fact that Sec got off to a slow start...I bet that 1/2 mile was run in under 46 seconds.
@bbmtge Big Red was 5 lengths back of Onion at the 1/4 pole which was ran in 22 3/5. So the greatest ran the 1st quarter in about 23 4/5 time. So Secretariat ran Approx.a 45 2/5 from the 1/4 mile to the 3/4 mile.
@brutusbro - "Engage your brain before you engear your mouth"! Secretariat posted SIX...I repeat SIX world and track records in 1973 including the Kentucky Derby, Marlboro Cup, Man o' War Stakes, and Gotham Stakes...NOT JUST THE BELMONT! Why do people have to accuse great athletes and/or horses of utilizing performance enhancing drugs with absoluitely ZERO proof. Whats next...Mickey Mantle, Bobby Orr, and Mchael Jordan took some form of Steroids...SEC was simply the best...case closed!!!!
That horse is the most amazing one that history will ever see. :)
And to any doubters- his autopsy revealed an incredibly enlarged heart, if I recall correctly. Tell me if I'm wrong, but steroids make things like that worse, not better. This horse was built to run, run fast, and run for a long time. The ultimate race horse!
did it ever accrue to any of you that secetariat knew this was important and got competitive. i asure you they tested that horse for any and all kinds of enhancements after that race, cause that has never been seen or done before every ones first thought would be steroids. but no the horse was clean. good blood has a good deal in this race but the will of that very horse is what made it go that far. learn about horses before you post stupid comments like these people.
@brutusbro- Where do you get off accusing SEC of taking performance enhancing drugs? Is EVERY athlete who exceeds the standards at their sport guilty of utilizing steroids? Mantle hit a baseball 565 feet-must be drugs, Bobby Orr set the standard for speed on ice-must be drugs, Nadia Comaneci scored perfect 10's in the Olympics-must be drugs, 11 year-old Jackie Evancho has a miraculous angelic singing voice-must be drugs. Pathetic assholes like you simply can't appreciate God's greatest gifts!
@brutusbro I guess to you last to first in the first turn and breaking a track record isn't otherwordly or incredible (since no other horse had been able to do that). Again look at his physical appearence and anatomy when he was put down. Heart would have been hardened and atrophied from disuse of steroids NOT!! perfect. Same with other muscles, they would have shrunk.
Fact is, my friends, it's just another lying fool trying to get people upset with his stupidity. Probably one of the idiots coming in under a different screen name. Laughable and stupid beyond reason.
@bbmtge - You have to laugh at these anti-SEC haters! I love the line "the track was rolled to make it extra fast"..yeah..right..and were the "OTHER" horses including the great Sham racing in Australia? If a fast track was the determining factor for SEC's awesome performance, the other horses would have been closer. Also, think about the fact that "My Gallant" & "Twice a Prince" were engaged in a furious battle for 2nd place down the stretch & SEC was widening on them..18..22..25..31 lengths!
@Dannykeith46 Yes, I agree. To me, it boils down to the illogic, the irrational. The mental thought process that accuse with no foundation. The concept of "it must be what I say it is, forget the facts". It's nothing but stupidity and ignorance. when challenged, that type of person then shirks any accountability for their comments. In the ned, they are left with themselves...and...their putrid waste of a brain.
@bbmtge: Many years ago a world renowned physcologist (the name currently escapes me) wrote an article relating to why a myriad of people are JEALOUS of the perfection that resides OUTSIDE OF THEIR PATHETIC LIVES. Using the New York Yankees as a classic example, he stated people tend to build up a zealous hatred towards perfection (you either love or hate the Yankees...no middle ground). Secretariat's irrefutable unparalleled ability clearly places him in this scenario!
@Dannykeith46 Excellent point. Great info. You know, Sec is my favorite. I was fortunate enough to see his TC on television.. I also believe him to be the greatest racehorse ever born based on his performances. However, I know folks who prefer Kelso, for example. Some prefer MOW. In my opinion, do your research, be open-minded, listen to other viewpoints. But...the crap that some folks come up with a la the "jealousy of perfection" you so aptly put shows their complete ignorance and stupidity.
@bbmtge - Thx! Once again I will stand behind the philosophy that "The Greatest Horse Ever" title belongs to the horse that accomplished unfathomable feats & NO HORSE including Kelso & MOW came close to the feats of Secretariat. Think about it....420+ TC races, 140+ years & 3,500+ horses and ONE horse owns all 3 records! Yet, his GREATEST feat of all just may be running each KD quater mile fraction faster than the previous ones. Mammals were not made to accelerate over 1-1/4 mile distances!!!
@Dannykeith46 Truly amazing stuff. 1:59 flat while on cruise control at 10 furlongs in the Belmont. Unheard of. I think the MC was one of the greatest races ever what with the credentials the field carried, the fractions and the fact that Sec was not yet in top form. The list goes on. Absolutely superb.
@bbmtge - Speaking of the Marlboro Cup, SEC not only posted a 1-1/8 mile world record time of 1:45-2/5, but he miraculously "galluped" the last 1/8 of a mile in 12-2/5 seconds to complete a 1-1/4 mile distance at 1:57-4/5, unofficially tying Spectacular Bid's dirt track world record! That justifies just how great SEC was...he "GALLUPED" to world records incl. the 1-5/8 dirt mile when he broke Swaps record after his 1/8 mile gallup in the Belmont Stakes...who else "gallups" to world records?????
@Dannykeith46 Lets not forget he broke records in his workouts racing against only himself and also broke records pulling up in his workouts. A week before the Whtney he ran a mile workout in "MUD' in fractions of 45 2/5, 1:09 1/5, 1:21 3/5 and 1:34 flat for the mile. Gallop out in 1:47 3/5.. That right he done this in 'MUD'. Most great stakes horses never did accomplish this in a race much less a workout.. Not as a 3 yr. old nor any great horse ever done that time in 'MUD for a mile..
@Dannykeith46 As you may or might not know Big Red ran through the 1 3/16 post pulling up in the M.C. in 1:51 3/5 time and passed that mark in the Belmont in 1:52 3/5. The world record is 1:52 2/5 for that distance set by Riva Ridge. Yelp, thats the horse he beat in the M.C. Lets also remind many he set that 1:57 4/5 pulling up like you said but the Bid did his as a 4 yr. old on a lightning fast Santa Anita track from the chute that is slightly downhill.
@rscarbro100 - Great additional info! Bottom line is SEC's official and "unofficial" myriad of world class times are MORE THAN SUFFICIENT FACTS supporting his title as "the greatest horse ever". All other claims are based on emotional "BS" such as "he was so graceful", "what a dominating horse"...etc., etc., etc. SEC claims the "best ever" title SOLELY on STATISTICAL FACTS with his incredible and seemingly countless list of jaw dropping racing feats/times "undebatable"!!!!!!!!!!!!
@Dannykeith46 Your so right my good man. I could not have said it better. Charles Hatton said laurin never could get to the bottom of him. I am so amazed as well as Secretariat looked like a weight lifter amongst Pee Wee Hermans. May 27 column 1973 Charles Hatton printed a set of statistics comparing the sizes of Secretariat, Man 0' War & Gallant Fox. MOW: Height 16 hands, 1 3/8", girth 71 3/4, weight 1,050 lbs. Gallant Fox: 16 hands 1", girth 73", & 1,125 lbs. Cont.
@Dannykeith46 Secretariat: Height 16 hands 2" tall, girth 75 1/5" and a whopping 1,160 lbs. Secretariat was larger than the other two horses in all particulars and he'd not yet turned three by the calendar. I do not know how big his girth was by the time he retired but he was gaining weight before the Preakness. They had to buy a larger belt for him before that race.
@brutusbro For someone your age, you have a very flawed thought process. I'll say it again. #1 You made a false statement about Sec performances. #2 This false comment preceded, and blindly attempted, to support your claim of drugs. #3 When a person makes a false statement, they show complete ignorance. when they further make a false claim, they have to be considered a liar. The onus is on you to be able to support your claims. Fact is, you can't because are lies.
@brutusbro To continue the comment that "it is about Sec" simply shows your attempt to absolve yourself of responsibility for your comments. Feel free to keep up the ignorance. I guess you have a right to be a liar and a fool.
@brutusbro Right, all Secretariat haters deny they are Secretariat haters. You fit the profile like the rest, Big Brown Derby win does not come close to Secretariat Derby nor Sham. Guess Sham was on steriods as well. Running every quarter faster than the previous; Unheard of. No horse has ever done it. I would say that was a over worldly performance. He broke records in his workouts. That was unbelievable. Stand like a man and admit it that you are a Secretariat hater. We all know you are.
@rscarbro100 I may be wrong, but I think the closest (win) to Secretariat's KDerby was Barbaro's (Of course, I could be wrong). It was TRAGIC that Barbaro was injured in the Preakness; he was a stunning, intelligent racehorse. But brave Barbaro's body couldn't sustain his drive & heart - Barbaro was SUCH a courageous racehorse. It's VERY significant that Secretariat had the physical capacity AND intelligence to complete win Trip Crown so dramatically. Sec remained healthy/sound for future races.
@brutusbro I have read many of post from the Secretariat haters. Almost everyone of them use these two excuses to down-grade his Belmont performance. 1. He used steriods and 2. the surface was lightning fast and hard as cement. They cannot prove from any reliable source and spare me the DRF variant of .05. It is just a figure suggesting but not proveing how fast the track was running. Crist, Beyer and Watchmaker said it was a .09 & that variant was used figuring his 139 speed figure.
@brutusbro The Genius of horse racing are the names of Charles Hatton, Woodie Broun, Hollie Hudges and can name hundreds of more. All the old time track horseman alive in 1973 were there at the Belmont. I have never read or hear from any of them that Secretariat must have taken steriods or some kind of a stimulus to put in a unbelievable performance like he did that day in the Belmont. Have you? We all know your one of those johnnycomelately's Secretariat haters plain and simple.
@brutusbro Simply dismissive, and predictable, dribble. It IS about you. YOU made the false statement followed by an accusation. Try to stay focused!!! As stated, demonstrate the methodology used. Prove your accusation. Quit shirking responsibility for you words, though it's not surprising you did just that.
I wonder how Dave Johnson would have called the stretch run:
"Down the stretch he comes! Secretariat is no longer racing this field! He's racing the ghosts of Man O' War, Seabiscuit, Count Fleet and Citation...Winning the Belmont Stakes By A Record 25 Lengths and with it, the Triple Crown!!
How many times did Secretariat run a race that was super ( otherworldly ) ?
I assert he only did that once and that was in the Belmont Stakes.
But why only once?
If he was a super horse then it is reasonable to think he would have proven that more than once.
Call it steroids or what other name you want to use, I wonder if Secretariat used performance enhancing substances in the Belmont, like Big Brown did in some of his races....
@brutusbro Yes you are being unreasonable - and you are showing your severe lack of knowledge on anything to do with Secretariat. Go do some research.
@brutusbro You, obviously, know nothing about Sec or, more important, horse racing, to make the comment relative to racing performance. Thus, the first part of your statement, as a meager attempt to justify the second part, is erroneous, false, etc.As for the second part, when a person makes an accusation, the responsibility falls on their shoulders to prove their point; demonstrate the actual method that asserts a degree of certainty. Try starting with that and I'll take it apart from there.
@brutusbro I think what you're overlooking here is that the Belmont was one of the very few races where Secretariat took the lead early instead of dropping back and circling the field later. If you then consider the track records he set after "circling the fields" at the Derby, Preakness & Marlboro against horses like Forego, Sham & Riva Ridge, then it should be absolutely no surprise that he was fully capable of setting an untouchable world record with a rails run and no horses to circle.
@eckythimble - That is such an accurate point! He typically ran 2/3 wide the entire race. Scary to think what his record setting Kentuck Derby and Marlboro Cup times would have been had he been on the rail most of the way!
@Dannykeith46 Nack estimated he would have ran 1:59 flat in the Derby; I imagine he would have at least equalled the current mile and 1/8 world record (set on a faster west coast track) at 1:45 1/5 in the Marlboro. ps> A coincidence I just noticed: Secretariat ran his LAST mile of the Derby and his FIRST mile of the Belmont in exactly the same time: 1:34 1/5 seconds.
@eckythimble - Forget that...running EACH quarter mile faster than the previous one in the Kentucky Derby including an incomprehensible 23 second LAST 1/4 mile plus "galluping" to TWO World Records for the 1-1/4 and 1-5/8 mile distances AFTER 1/8 mile post-finish line "gallups" in the Marboro Cup and Belmont Stakes just may be SEC's most miraculous accomplishments! NO HORSE CAN COMPARE TO HIS UNPARALLELED ACHIEVEMENTS!!!!!
@Dannykeith46 THOROUGHBRED RACING / BILL CHRISTINE : Not So Fast, Cigar: Actual Time of Breeders' Cup Split Corrected
November 03, 1995|BILL CHRISTINE
1973 Triple Crown champion Secretariat, whose estimated time for the last quarter-mile of the Kentucky Derby was also 22 4/5 seconds, on a fast track. Secretariat's come-home time for the Derby is not exact because the time for the first mile was for Sham, who led Secretariat by 1 1/2 lengths at the quarter pole.
@Dannykeith46 Cigar time in the Breeder Cup was corrected. He ran a 23 4/5 last quarter not a 22 4/5. This is a very interesting article by Bill Christine. The teletimer did not read 100th of a second in 1973. Secretariat possibly could had ran a 22 3/4 last quarter.
@rscarbro100 - Thanks for the info my good friend, but I'll settle for the 23 second figure, which concluding a 1-1/4 mile distance is already "jaw dropping"!
@Dannykeith46 I will not settle with the 23 flat as long there was possibility that he did run it in 22 4/5.(smile) Their is no doubt he could had or better if pushed to do so. Once down the strecth he was not hit once. If beaten liike Sham was I just could not imagine how fast he could have ran that last quarter mile. He already blew the lights out on the tote board with his offical time.
@Dannykeith46 No arguments from me on your last statement. Still it was a peculiar coincidence I thought. Reading numerous web sites the top 5 world horses of all time appear to be: 1. Secretariat 2. Man O War 3. Sea Bird 4. Ribot 5. Phar Lap; although I think a large gap between #1 and positions #2 - #5.
@brutusbro I suppose anything is possible? HOWEVER, If perf enhancing drugs were used, WHY WOULD SEC be the ONLY horse in the 73 Trip Crn with access to these drugs? Wouldn't any other owner/trainer use the same drugs? But IMHO your position is Irrelevant/unfounded. Take a look at his PREAKNESS!
@brutusbro His only performance enhancing drug was his heart. All 22 pounds of perfectly shaped and perfectly functioning heart. Like Dingerz says, go do some research.
@brutusbro Yes, you're being unreasonable. He set the track record at the Kentucky Derby that still stands. He set the track record at the Preakness that was negated due to a problem with the clock. And he set the record at the Belmont for the mile and a half that hasn't even been approached in the 40 years since. What more do you need?
@buckfan1969 - I'll say it ONCE AGAIN....the Triple Crown races cover 420+ races, over 140 years and 3,500+ horses and Secretariat owns or shares (Preakness w/two horses) the record for ALL 3 races. Throw in more record settig performances in the Gotham, Marlboro Cup, Man o' War stakes and a myriad of other supernatural fractions/accomplishmenets and what does that add up to....he was the greatest of them all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@brutusbro It's called he had a heart that was 2.5 X larger than an "average" thoroughbred's heart. Think of it like a V-12 in a race with all V-4's. Is that too difficult of a concept for you?
@brutusbro - You are joking right? Kentucky Derby record (1:59-2/5) in which he ran EACH quarter mile faster than the previous one including an unheard of 23 second final 1/4 mile! Marlboro Cup 1-1/8 mile world record, galluping to tie the 1-1/4 mile world record! Gotham Stakes/Aqueduck 1 mile track record - 1:33-2/5! Man o' War Stakes/Belmont track record on turf - 2:24-4/5! Preakness record (tied with 2) - 1:53-2/5! 2 world records/4 track records/2 unofficial world records via gallups!
Okay, but Secretariat never ran an otherworldly ( super ) race like he did in the Belmont .His other races were great sometimes but not otherworldly ( super ) . Neither did any of his offspring....
I think it is reasonable to wonder if he used performance enhancing drugs in the Belmont Stakes.
Compiled by Leigh Nichol under the direction of the Indiana Horsemen’s Coalition. This is the name of the article you must read. The Steriod rumor mostly came from the Secretariat haters. Go to this article and read it all. If Secretariat used it and help him perform better why did they not use it on the other horses? The claim is bogus, It was the large heart he got from his mother the X factor.
@brutusbro He broke the 1 1/8 mile record in the Marlboro Cup by 4/5 of a second with only 4 workouts in 2 wks coming off a serious illness. And Beyer said he was not in peak form. If he ran the rail in that race he would have broken the record by a second or more, He was clocked by the DRF clockers for the 1 1/4 mile in 1:57 4/5 pulling up in that race. Some will make every excuse why he ran them races so fast but have nothing to prove their claim.
@brutusbro It would reasonable to wonder if you had a grasp of the facts. If SEC. had only run one fantastic race as you state, which is not true, than that would indicate that no drugs were used. How could that account for one single performance, do you know the history of thes drugs how they work? No one can do that today. As for SEC's offspring Risen Star ran the then second fastest Belmont of all time and 1990 Kingston Rule set the Melbourne Cup record, a record that still stands.
@711ATOM - And let's not forget the fantastic daughter of Secretariat, the gray philly "Lady's Secret" who captured the 1986 "Horse of the Year"!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@Dannykeith46 (Pt.1) Wait a second Danny, I've been thinking about brutusbro methodology for discovering Sec.'s steroid use, and you know, he's right! Lady's Secret managed to 45 races by the time she was 5 - the only answer, steroids; Kelso, steroids; Buckpasser, steroids; Damascus, steroids; Dr. Fager, are you kinding, DEFINITELY steroids! Brigadier Gerard - an English horse - need I say more; as we all know Queen Elizabeth and the entire house of Windsor are bunch of drug pushers (conti.)
@Dannykeith46 (Pt.2) It's a fact, Lyndon LaRouche says so! The Queen was in on it with the Trilateral Commission and the Zionist bankers who faked the moon landing to distract us from the fact the Sasquatch is really an alien controlled robot that descended to Earth on a chariot of Gods; we would have been all destroyed if it hadn't been for Steve Austin the 6 million dollar and his faithful side kick Grizzly Adams! (conti.)
@Dannykeith46 (Pt.3) I got all straight from Francis the Talking Mule; don't believe me, talk to Mr. Ed. And rscarbro100, he's one of them! He engineered the Dick Cheney-Halliburton Hurricane machine to destroy New Orleans and stop the investigation into the 9-11 "bombings" which are all part of Corporate America's plot to induce globe warming, thereby gaining control of our precise bodily fluids. See - it all lead back to Secretariat!
@brutusbro Secondly, if Secretariats achievements were produced by performance enhancing drugs in 1973, why haven't they been reproduced? Since Oscar Barrera's wild rid in the 1980's, many trainers became convinced the only way to win was with drugs; there are drugs available now that make Dianabol look like a joke. A scum bag like Rick Dutrow would have injected rocket fuel into Big Brown if he thought it would make the horse run faster; Secretariat could even use Lasix
@brutusbro (to continue) Some considered the Preakness his MOST brilliant/strategically executed TC race - did you see him BLAST past the entire pack of horses heading into the 1st TURN?He also strategized his own win @ KD, and broke the Track Record - NO HORSE has yet bested his KD & Belmont TIMES YET! And he remained SOUND! Finally - take a look @ his last race (Woodbine). It was Deja Vu all over again.....
I was a teenager watching big red run, 2:24 and 31 lengths at this race. looked like the other horses were in reverse at the end :-) when secretariat passed away they did an autopsy before the burial. they found he had a larger heart and greayer lung capacity than most thoroughbreds. Absolutely amazing creature to watch. There's been other great triple crown winners, but this one set the bar so high he will always be talked about.
@brutusbro I doubt it with confidence. Racing is inherently a conservative sport, like baseball; baseball players were at least 15yrs behind football players when it came to steroid use. I don't think in 1973 Lucien Laurin would have known what you were talking about. If the use of steroids was well understood at the time, the NY race officials would not have been stunned by trainer Oscar Barrera sudden success in 1982. It them 2yrs to stop him. Look up Oscar Barrara, it will tell you a lot.
@brutusbro On second thought, I think it must have taken much longer than 2yrs for NY to stop Barrera; his one and only drug suspension must have come in 1988 because it wasn't until 1989 when his race record crashed. I think it must be fans younger than me to understand, but people were really baffled by what Barrera was doing, he would pick up claimers and not only win with them, he would run them 2 or 3 times a week. It took about 2yrs for the alarms to really go off.
I read on Secretariat website called ask Penny, someone asked her if she ever felt any resentments towards Angle Light, Sham, Prove Out and Onion? Do you think they won because Secretariat, was having an off day (like the time he had an abscess) or because the horse proved to be better?
Penny, response racing is basically about competition so I never resented any horse that beat one of my horses on a given day. They were simply better in that race, not necessarily superior overrall. Secretariat beat Onion in the Marloro Cup, 9/15/73. Hever never raced against Prove out, a second time.
@gracwalk Penny also knew on those given days he lost was for a reason. She must had to be ashamed to answer why she ran him in those races if asked. He was not fit to do so as Steve Haskins said in his article 'The Unbeatable Horse'. They trained him for those T.C. races like no other with 6 workouts between races. Like Nack said he was the fitess he ever seen a horse the day of the Belmont. What are we going to see today he quoted. We all found out soon enough did we not?
@rscarbro100 - Tweedy should be ashamed of herself! She was well aware SEC should have been scratched for BOTH the Wood & Whitney. 1.)Many of her $6M investors showed up for the Wood so she would have raced SEC with only 3 legs. 2.)The Whitney was televised on network TV so SEC's fever could have been 104 and she wouldn't have cared! 3.)Imagine racing a horse in a 1-1/2 mile dirt race with no dirt workouts for 2 weeks KNOWING 8 days later he has to run in another 1-1/2 mile race on turf!
@Dannykeith46 Richard Cardenas quote: As not even Allen Jerkins could comprehend, Prove-Out, over a muddy track, ran a spectacular event finishing first while opening a lead of 4 1/2 lengths over Secretariat at the finish. In finishing second, Secretariat opened a lead of 11 over Cougar. Prove-Out's finishing time was an astonishing 2:25 4/5s, the second fastest recorded for the distance at Belmont Park. His time today still holds that position, second only to Secretariat's Belmont. Cont.
@Dannykeith46 Secretariat crossed the finish 3/5s of a second later for a time of 2:26 2/5s, a mark that again bested Gallant Man's record of 2:26 3/5s set in the early summer of 1957 End of quote.Source from Summary of Findings-Man 0' War/Secretariat revisted by Richard Cardenas.
@Dannykeith46 Your so correct my good man. You gotta look a little further than a won/loss record. Many good horses lost for some good reasons. Examples: MOW vs. Upset, Citation vs. Saggy, Slew vs. Exceller, Dr. Patches & maybe J.O. Tobin. And there were many others. When Big Red was sound and fit his times proved he could have beaten any horse at any distance. He also never was driven out when he was sound and fit. Like Eddie Arcaro said he was the best & fastest horse he ever seen.
@rscarbro100 - As INTELLIGENT sport experts comprehend - Babe Ruth stuck out a myriad of times, Michael Jordan missed many shots, Sandy Koufax was beaten by inferior teams and Secretariat lost a few races. It is the WAY YOU WIN/DOMINATE that secures your place in history & NO HORSE comes even close to the way Secretariat won races! In fact, BECAUSE HE WAS SO SUERNATURAL, that is why Penny and Lauren thought SEC could overcome illness & poor training..SEC was a victim of his unparalled ability!
@Dannykeith46 A good horse can dominate over poor competition but it takes a great horse to dominate over other champions. Man 0' War no doubt was head and shoulders better than the competition he ran against during his times. But take a look at the competition he ran against. Sir Barton was washed up hoof and all when he ran against him so said the great trainer Hollie Hudges. Far as I know Sir barton was the only older horse & champion horse he ever ran against.Cont.
@Dannykeith46 Over half of Man 0' War races as a 3 yr. old he ran against only one horse. And I believe he was sound & fit in every race he ran. Hoodwink wouldn't even be consider an allowance horse in modern times. The only champion older horse Citation beat as a 3 yr. old was Armed. He was 7 yrs. old at the time in 1948 and never won a stakes race during that year. The horses Count Fleet beat in the Belmont were all allowance horses.
I will post Secretariat furlong fractons again in case anyone missed it when he ran the Belmont. 12 1/5, 11 2/5, 11 2/5, 11 1/5, 12, 11 3/5, 12 1/5, 12 1/5, 12, 12 4/5, 12 1/5 and 12 4/5. Incredibly, none of them is slower than 12 4/5 seconds.
no horse could stand up to SEC period. numbers dont lie and he raced every horse there was for him to race at any distance. you never saw afleet alex race smarty jones or winning colors race sunday silence or easy goer. secretariat raced and beat the 3yr old champion from 72. the only race slew wouldve had a chance in versus sec wouldve been the preakness. anything else wouldve been a route by big red.
Secretariat went through the 1 3/16 post in the Belmont in 1:52 3/5. Went 1:51 3/5 'Pulling Up' in the Marlboro Cup. and went real wide in the last turn as well doing it. He was not touched with the whip in either race. Slew was hit several times in the Preakness when he ran a 1:54 2/5 time. Don't believe Slew would not had a chance against Big Red no matter what the distance my friend IMHO.
@bclark5423 Interesting! I had read that P Tweedy considered Sec's Preakness his 'genius' race, based on Sec's decision to go from last to the front at the first curve - I think it was characterized as his 'suicide move' because he accelerated so quickly while completing the first tight curve - he ACCELERATED GOING INTO THE CURVE! Seattle Slew is also a facsinating racehorse - Slew seems to be characterized as a fierce & dominant competitor. It would be fabulous to see all the 'GREATS' race!
Anabolic steroids cause enlarged hearts in humans and test animals.
Some people get upset if you suggest Secretariat was on steroids. When they autopsied Secretariat, his heart weighed 22lbs. The next largest heart they ever found was 18lbs. The average thoroughbred has a heart that weighs 8.5 lbs.
The horse had a massive heart, which allowed it to pump large volumes of blood through it's muscles, that's what made it great.
the fact is if you look very closely at the strides of sham and secretariate -big red's is a looonnnnggg stride shams is short but quick. for every stride of big red's sham took two
It would be extremely difficult to classify SEC as the greatest race horse of all time. Especially when you have to consider Man O' War and Citation in that conversation. But what Big Red did in those 5 weeks in 73" has never been matched. He is the greatest Triple Corwn winner of all time. Hands Down and No Ands Ifs Buts About it. It has been 38 years and no horse has even come close to matching Big Red in 73. It is almost considered impossible. Yes I said impossible. RIP Red
@Cowgirl11223 listen to the coverage after the race he said "it could conceiveably have been more..." and "that it was too difficult to count lengths..." after he went so far ahead it took film review to get the "official" margin of victory
This is without a doubt the GREATEST day in horse racing I remember this day June 9, 1973 I was only 10 at the time and was watching with my Father who was a horse racing fan still gives me goosebumps even now and nearly 40 years later no horse has even come close to doing what Secretariat has done and I beleave no one ever will; Truely breathtaking!!!!!
MAA8772 1 day ago
yes he was the greatest iv ever seen and his son kingston rule won the bigest race in australia ,the 1990 melbourne cup ??
kevy69a 1 day ago
I wish Chick called my honeymoon, "He's moving like a tremendous machine!"
DexterHaven49 1 day ago
goose bumpsss..alll the way!!!
MsRebel53 2 days ago
Turcotte didn't even use his whip..... Amazing performance. The animal was a gift from god. The closest thing to a real life Pegasus
GorillaBlack06 3 days ago
Recalling the moment Secretariat’s heart was uncovered, Swerczek said, "We just stood there in stunned silence. We couldn’t believe it. The heart was perfect. There were no problems with it. It was just this huge engine." Swerczek did not weigh the heart but estimated it at 22 lbs. A few other horses with big hearts Shame 18 lbs, Phar Lap and Eclipse both at 14 lbs.
rscarbro100 1 week ago
It explained how he was able to do what he did in the Belmont Stakes – a mile and a half race (Secretariat won by 31 lengths in track-record time). You would have to have a large heart to do what he did. It would be impossible for a horse with a small heart to do that."
rscarbro100 1 week ago
"I have done thousands of autopsies, and I had noticed differences in heart size in horses before we did Secretariat," Swerczek said. "I had picked up the difference in the male and female hearts and noticed that some were bigger than others.
"But I didn’t pay much attention until Secretariat came along. He was completely out of everybody else’s league. Looking back at what he had done, it was easy to put a connection to it. The heart was what made him able to do what he did. Cont.
rscarbro100 1 week ago
he was a great racehorse to win by 31 lengths cant beleive he beat them by that distance
casper47100 1 week ago
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SOMEONE IS SPREADING THE RUMOR THAT SECRETARIAT USED STEROIDS TO WIN!
ITS NOT TRUE!
dickran2142battle 1 week ago
what did he feed that horse ? jesus ...
tonic740 1 week ago
@tonic740 He was fed monster workouts before each race. Laurin realized this colt was different, and needed to be really pushed in training, otherwise he wouldn't perform well - before the Whitney he was flat in his workout due to an illness, and lost. It turned out Laurin was right with his methods, as an autopsy on Sec's death revealed that he had a huge, perfect engine of a heart, inherited from his dam's side on the X chromosome. The X-Factor - that's why he was a freak!
SECby31 1 week ago
Doing some research to see if Princequillo's Dam came with him. There is conflicting information.
415hammie 2 weeks ago
Yes, Prince Rose was the great grandsire, and one of the great sires in Europe My point was actually the sad story that Prince Rose was killed by military gunfire in 1944. It was indeed wonderful that Princequillo was taken along with his Dam through enemy lines and brought to the United States. And so through that pedigree we were fortunate to have had Secretariat.
415hammie 2 weeks ago
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"That was the day he felt terrific! He ran because he was loving it." - Penny Chenery
"No one knew that was going to happen, not the rider, not the trainer, not the owner, and, I think, probably not the horse." - Penny Chenery :D ♥
kwgrid 2 weeks ago
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kwgrid 2 weeks ago
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I have been looking for a 'Dream' horse that could run a 1 1/2 mile dirt race running fractions for the half in 46.1, The 3/4 in 1:09.8, the mile in 1:34.1 and the 1 1/4 mile in 1:59 flat without hitting the wall. I have found 'ONE'. His name was 'Secretariat'. I the ask myself the question if Man 0' War, Easy Goer or A.P. Indy if ran these fractions would they have hit the wall. Then I thought. None of these had ever ran a 1:59 flat from the chute. So that answered my question.
rscarbro100 2 weeks ago
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rscarbro100 2 weeks ago
DISTANCE - underrated factor - needs to be seriously considered when doing the form , some horses are champs over 6f and chumps over 7f , but most punters don't understand the importance of distance.
The pace of the race can also have an affect on whether a horse can get the distance - a slow pace for a frontrunner wiil help it, but if it hasn't got the stamina required and the pace is solid or fast, this horse will hit the wall before the finish. The Racing Analyst:
rscarbro100 2 weeks ago
They say that god whispered in his ear
happy51593 2 weeks ago
The second fastest Belmont ever run , would lose by...................13 lengths
Jabatu1 2 weeks ago
About the only two things I can think of that even come close are Bob Beamon jumping 29' 2.5" in 1968 and Jason Lezak splitting 46.06 in 2008 to overtake the world record holder and endure 8 golds for Phelps.
GA51456 2 weeks ago
"He is moving like a tremendous machine" this video proves that anything is possible and that Secretariat is the most amazing race horse that ever lived. He is the best race horse to ever step on any race track!! :)
1vballsetter 3 weeks ago
"He is moving like a tremendous machine" is the greatest line from any horse race.
melshorse 3 weeks ago
"He is Moving Like a Machine !! "
555Breyergirl 3 weeks ago
THE HORSE WAS A FUCKING LEGEND. AMAZING :D
Breathtaking<3
binibibo 3 weeks ago
The race was the Woodward Stakes and Kelso carried 126 lbs and was a 4 yr, old, Everyone may know this might be the reason Seattle Slew and Spectacular Bid never ran a 2 minute or under 1 1/4 mile race on any east coast track.. You gotta go to California to do that for most of the great horses. Like Whitney said Belmont is no the fastest track in the world.
rscarbro100 1 month ago
disputed by old hands, who claim Whisk Broom's manual timers mistakenly stopped their watches before the winner crossed the finish line). In modern times only one other horse, Tom Fool, has covered a mile and a quarter at Belmont in less than 2:01.
rscarbro100 1 month ago
Whitney Tower quote: Belmont is not the fastest race track in the world, so Kelso's time of two minutes fiat (after Divine Comedy's early fractions of 23[1/5], 46[1/5] and 1.10 for six furlongs and 1:34[4/5] for the mile) makes this one of the most remarkable races ever run in New York. It tied a 48-year-old track record set by Whisk Broom II (a time, incidentally, that is still being
rscarbro100 1 month ago
Everyone knows that Secretariat went by the 1 1/4 post in 1:59 flat in this race and still another 1/4 mile to go. I will post a piece of information by SI Whitney Tower article titled: 'Best Race Horse In The World' dated Oct., 9, 1961. He was talking about the great Kelso with Arcaro up..It will give you a little idea just how great this horse Secretariat really was on a 'BELMONT' race track.. Also Remember he also ran a 1:57 4/5 '1 1/4 mile Pulling Up' in the Marlboro race at 'BELMONT'.
rscarbro100 1 month ago 2
@rscarbro100 Thanks again for finding an interesting article. In Excess (IRE) has the Belmont record of 1:58.33 for 1-1/4 mile set July 4, 1991, however the 4 year old was carrying only 119. The best 1-1/4 mile Belmont run that I remember was Cigar's 1995 Breeders' Cup which was won in a stakes record 1:59.58. It was an awesome performance but of course it was a 1-1/4 mile race and Cigar was 5!
711ATOM 16 hours ago
The '73 Belmont is one of my favorite sports memories. And the call by Chick Anderson makes it even better.
I never get tired of watching it.
"Secretariat is widening now! He is moving like a tremendous machine!"
"But Secretariat is all alone!"
Goose bumps man.
markadresslar 1 month ago 13
Goosebumps every time? You're danged right! There will NEVER be another horse like this one ever again!
TheStarbull 1 month ago
@TheStarbull I agree; I wish Secretariat was still with us.....these are tough time; people need to see something exceptional and inspirational.
nin12dog 2 days ago
goosebumps, every time. <3
breyersnstuff 1 month ago
I'd like to see a goat race
rrip1 1 month ago
He was something else alright.
rrip1 1 month ago
I just read about the grandsire of Secretariat, Prince Rose. What a sad story! He was killed by military fire in 1944. Prince Rose was the leading sire in Europe.
415hammie 1 month ago
@415hammie I think Prince Rose was Secretariat's great-grandsire. Princequillo was his grandsire. The latter sired Secretariat's dam, Somethingroyal by Imperatrice.
kwgrid 2 weeks ago
@kwgrid Checked on it. Princequillo was out of Prince Rose and Cosquilla. Princequillo and Imperatrice produced Somethingroyal. Somethingroyal and Bold Ruler produced Secretariat. So Prince Rose was Secretariat's great-grandsire.
kwgrid 2 weeks ago
thats a lot of yeyo
esssssssification 1 month ago
He broke the Kentucky Derby record, and has not been broken since. Preakness he won, but the timer was broken and we will never know if he broke that record. The fact alone that Secretariat won this race (after the race it was measured he won by a record 31 lengths) and broke the record and NO one has broke it since, means, that he has not only won this race, but all the races before him and, since.
sparklingmichele 1 month ago
I still get goose bumps.....at 1:59 you hear the crowd start to acknowledge the performance, the greatness....as he comes down the stretch it was no longer a horse race, it was history! Fans were cheering, raising hands and voices the like Belmont has never heard or has since...just an incredible day in racing history
Doogle927 1 month ago in playlist Favorite videos
my god what an awesome animal
emmettlee3 1 month ago
It doesn't look like it, but Secretariat is actually slowing down as he runs away from the rest of the field. Do the simple math. The first half of the race was covered in 1:09 4/5ths from a standing start. Secretariat covered the last half in 1:14 1/5th. Sham pretty much walked the last half of the race.
bailinnumberguy 1 month ago
@bailinnumberguy - What's your point? Any horse running a 1:09-4/5 6 furlong sprint would typically finish the final 6 furlongs in 1:18 to 1:19 in change...history proves that since the closest dirt time for 1-1/2 miles is 2:25-4/5 by Prove Out in the 1973 Woodward when he bested SEC. Don't you realize Secretarit averaged to "the beat of 12's" for 12 furlongs - a supernatural performance. I just wonder how much faster he could have run had he been pushed the final 1/4 mile...God only knows!
Dannykeith46 1 month ago
@Dannykeith46 My point was nothing more than that a strong closer/finish is a kind of optical illusion when it appears that the horse is speeding up when he's actually slowing down. It had nothing to do w/ Secretariat's remarkable performance.
bailinnumberguy 1 month ago
@bailinnumberguy - My bad and sincere apology! Your point is well taken which is why what SEC did in the Kentucky Derby defied logic. SEC actually DID speed up from start to finish, posting quarter fractions faster than the previous quarters right to the finish! In fact, his final or 5th quater fraction was an incomprehensible 23 seconds (some say it was 22-4/5 seconds!). To me, that is his most supernatural accomplishment -mammals are NOT supposed to be able to speed up over a mile distance!
Dannykeith46 1 month ago
@Dannykeith46 You and bbmtge needs to vist the video Top Ten Thoroughbreds of the 20th Century.
rscarbro100 1 month ago
@Dingerz Thank you...and...thank you for posting your TB videos!!!
bbmtge 1 month ago
I have seen the belmont stakes video, not only this one but the one with the pre race coverage and have watched Secretariat in all the shots and i have come to the conclusion that this horse knew! What needed to be done that day. This horse not only run fast but was smart as hell, watching him on his other races you can totally see strategy there. R.I.P Secretariat! Wherever you are i hope and im sure you still running fearless.
Subypowa 1 month ago
@brutusbro On autopsy it was found that Secretariat's heart was almost three times the size of a normal thoroughbred.
evenstar7139 1 month ago
stunning aand they nailed the movie!
CamJar99 1 month ago
This performance is reminiscent of Usain Bolts 100m performance at 08 olympics...simply stunning
mattolla 1 month ago
Time to put the rumors to REST that Secretariat, used and kind of performance enhancing drugs.
Its a FACT, after each race the horses are taking back to the barn for a sample of their saliva and urine. Had Secretariat, been tested postive for drugs during any of his wins they would have stripped him of his trophies including the Triple Crown.
gracwalk 1 month ago
Does anyone know Sec's time in the MC from 1/4 mile to 3/4 mile? Considering the average time, over the entire race, per furlong...the 3/4 fraction of 1:09 and 1/5 to RR with Sec 1/2 length behind...and the fact that Sec got off to a slow start...I bet that 1/2 mile was run in under 46 seconds.
bbmtge 1 month ago
@bbmtge Big Red was 5 lengths back of Onion at the 1/4 pole which was ran in 22 3/5. So the greatest ran the 1st quarter in about 23 4/5 time. So Secretariat ran Approx.a 45 2/5 from the 1/4 mile to the 3/4 mile.
rscarbro100 1 month ago
@brutusbro - "Engage your brain before you engear your mouth"! Secretariat posted SIX...I repeat SIX world and track records in 1973 including the Kentucky Derby, Marlboro Cup, Man o' War Stakes, and Gotham Stakes...NOT JUST THE BELMONT! Why do people have to accuse great athletes and/or horses of utilizing performance enhancing drugs with absoluitely ZERO proof. Whats next...Mickey Mantle, Bobby Orr, and Mchael Jordan took some form of Steroids...SEC was simply the best...case closed!!!!
Dannykeith46 1 month ago
"He's moving like a tremendous machine!" It gives me chills.
SmokeNLark 1 month ago
FYOI...mritaliano is at Sec last footage and making a fool of himself.
bbmtge 2 months ago
@bbmtge - Thanks for the update...I'm heading over there right now to "light him up" one more time!
Dannykeith46 1 month ago
FUCK ME! I knew he won but I never knew it was by that far!!!
happy51593 2 months ago
That horse is the most amazing one that history will ever see. :)
And to any doubters- his autopsy revealed an incredibly enlarged heart, if I recall correctly. Tell me if I'm wrong, but steroids make things like that worse, not better. This horse was built to run, run fast, and run for a long time. The ultimate race horse!
ShadowCatsKey 2 months ago
711ATOM...great stuff...lol.
bbmtge 2 months ago
did it ever accrue to any of you that secetariat knew this was important and got competitive. i asure you they tested that horse for any and all kinds of enhancements after that race, cause that has never been seen or done before every ones first thought would be steroids. but no the horse was clean. good blood has a good deal in this race but the will of that very horse is what made it go that far. learn about horses before you post stupid comments like these people.
moonlightnightfall2 2 months ago
@brutusbro- Where do you get off accusing SEC of taking performance enhancing drugs? Is EVERY athlete who exceeds the standards at their sport guilty of utilizing steroids? Mantle hit a baseball 565 feet-must be drugs, Bobby Orr set the standard for speed on ice-must be drugs, Nadia Comaneci scored perfect 10's in the Olympics-must be drugs, 11 year-old Jackie Evancho has a miraculous angelic singing voice-must be drugs. Pathetic assholes like you simply can't appreciate God's greatest gifts!
Dannykeith46 2 months ago
@brutusbro I guess to you last to first in the first turn and breaking a track record isn't otherwordly or incredible (since no other horse had been able to do that). Again look at his physical appearence and anatomy when he was put down. Heart would have been hardened and atrophied from disuse of steroids NOT!! perfect. Same with other muscles, they would have shrunk.
schnucklefutz 2 months ago
Fact is, my friends, it's just another lying fool trying to get people upset with his stupidity. Probably one of the idiots coming in under a different screen name. Laughable and stupid beyond reason.
bbmtge 2 months ago
@bbmtge - You have to laugh at these anti-SEC haters! I love the line "the track was rolled to make it extra fast"..yeah..right..and were the "OTHER" horses including the great Sham racing in Australia? If a fast track was the determining factor for SEC's awesome performance, the other horses would have been closer. Also, think about the fact that "My Gallant" & "Twice a Prince" were engaged in a furious battle for 2nd place down the stretch & SEC was widening on them..18..22..25..31 lengths!
Dannykeith46 2 months ago
@Dannykeith46 Yes, I agree. To me, it boils down to the illogic, the irrational. The mental thought process that accuse with no foundation. The concept of "it must be what I say it is, forget the facts". It's nothing but stupidity and ignorance. when challenged, that type of person then shirks any accountability for their comments. In the ned, they are left with themselves...and...their putrid waste of a brain.
bbmtge 2 months ago
@bbmtge: Many years ago a world renowned physcologist (the name currently escapes me) wrote an article relating to why a myriad of people are JEALOUS of the perfection that resides OUTSIDE OF THEIR PATHETIC LIVES. Using the New York Yankees as a classic example, he stated people tend to build up a zealous hatred towards perfection (you either love or hate the Yankees...no middle ground). Secretariat's irrefutable unparalleled ability clearly places him in this scenario!
Dannykeith46 2 months ago
@Dannykeith46 Excellent point. Great info. You know, Sec is my favorite. I was fortunate enough to see his TC on television.. I also believe him to be the greatest racehorse ever born based on his performances. However, I know folks who prefer Kelso, for example. Some prefer MOW. In my opinion, do your research, be open-minded, listen to other viewpoints. But...the crap that some folks come up with a la the "jealousy of perfection" you so aptly put shows their complete ignorance and stupidity.
bbmtge 2 months ago
@bbmtge - Thx! Once again I will stand behind the philosophy that "The Greatest Horse Ever" title belongs to the horse that accomplished unfathomable feats & NO HORSE including Kelso & MOW came close to the feats of Secretariat. Think about it....420+ TC races, 140+ years & 3,500+ horses and ONE horse owns all 3 records! Yet, his GREATEST feat of all just may be running each KD quater mile fraction faster than the previous ones. Mammals were not made to accelerate over 1-1/4 mile distances!!!
Dannykeith46 2 months ago
@Dannykeith46 Truly amazing stuff. 1:59 flat while on cruise control at 10 furlongs in the Belmont. Unheard of. I think the MC was one of the greatest races ever what with the credentials the field carried, the fractions and the fact that Sec was not yet in top form. The list goes on. Absolutely superb.
bbmtge 2 months ago
@bbmtge - Speaking of the Marlboro Cup, SEC not only posted a 1-1/8 mile world record time of 1:45-2/5, but he miraculously "galluped" the last 1/8 of a mile in 12-2/5 seconds to complete a 1-1/4 mile distance at 1:57-4/5, unofficially tying Spectacular Bid's dirt track world record! That justifies just how great SEC was...he "GALLUPED" to world records incl. the 1-5/8 dirt mile when he broke Swaps record after his 1/8 mile gallup in the Belmont Stakes...who else "gallups" to world records?????
Dannykeith46 2 months ago
@bbmtge - Think about this: - 1 mile/Gotham (1:33-2/5) Aqueduct Track Rec; 1-1/8 mile/Marl Cup (1:45-2/5) - previous WORLD REC (only broken by 1/5 second); 1-1/4 mile (1:59-2/5) - Kent. Derby Rec; 1-1/4 mile/Marl Cup (1:57-4/5 after 1/8 mile gallup)-ties Spec. Bid WORLD REC); 1-3/16 mile (1:53-2/5) - Tied for Preakness Rec; 1-1/2 mile/Belmont (2:24) - WORLD REC; 1-1/2 TURF Mile/Man o' War Stakes (2:24-4/5)-Belmont Track Rec; 1-5/8 mile/Belmont (2:37-3/5 after 1/8 mile gallup)-Unoff. WORLD REC!
Dannykeith46 2 months ago
@Dannykeith46 Lets not forget he broke records in his workouts racing against only himself and also broke records pulling up in his workouts. A week before the Whtney he ran a mile workout in "MUD' in fractions of 45 2/5, 1:09 1/5, 1:21 3/5 and 1:34 flat for the mile. Gallop out in 1:47 3/5.. That right he done this in 'MUD'. Most great stakes horses never did accomplish this in a race much less a workout.. Not as a 3 yr. old nor any great horse ever done that time in 'MUD for a mile..
rscarbro100 2 months ago
@Dannykeith46 As you may or might not know Big Red ran through the 1 3/16 post pulling up in the M.C. in 1:51 3/5 time and passed that mark in the Belmont in 1:52 3/5. The world record is 1:52 2/5 for that distance set by Riva Ridge. Yelp, thats the horse he beat in the M.C. Lets also remind many he set that 1:57 4/5 pulling up like you said but the Bid did his as a 4 yr. old on a lightning fast Santa Anita track from the chute that is slightly downhill.
rscarbro100 2 months ago
@rscarbro100 - Great additional info! Bottom line is SEC's official and "unofficial" myriad of world class times are MORE THAN SUFFICIENT FACTS supporting his title as "the greatest horse ever". All other claims are based on emotional "BS" such as "he was so graceful", "what a dominating horse"...etc., etc., etc. SEC claims the "best ever" title SOLELY on STATISTICAL FACTS with his incredible and seemingly countless list of jaw dropping racing feats/times "undebatable"!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dannykeith46 2 months ago
@Dannykeith46 Your so right my good man. I could not have said it better. Charles Hatton said laurin never could get to the bottom of him. I am so amazed as well as Secretariat looked like a weight lifter amongst Pee Wee Hermans. May 27 column 1973 Charles Hatton printed a set of statistics comparing the sizes of Secretariat, Man 0' War & Gallant Fox. MOW: Height 16 hands, 1 3/8", girth 71 3/4, weight 1,050 lbs. Gallant Fox: 16 hands 1", girth 73", & 1,125 lbs. Cont.
rscarbro100 2 months ago
@Dannykeith46 Secretariat: Height 16 hands 2" tall, girth 75 1/5" and a whopping 1,160 lbs. Secretariat was larger than the other two horses in all particulars and he'd not yet turned three by the calendar. I do not know how big his girth was by the time he retired but he was gaining weight before the Preakness. They had to buy a larger belt for him before that race.
rscarbro100 2 months ago
@bbmtoe-
It is about Secretariat, not me....
You need to stay focused....
By the way, have you ever heard of Big Brown? Did you see his amazing performance in the Kentucky Derby?
brutusbro 2 months ago
@brutusbro For someone your age, you have a very flawed thought process. I'll say it again. #1 You made a false statement about Sec performances. #2 This false comment preceded, and blindly attempted, to support your claim of drugs. #3 When a person makes a false statement, they show complete ignorance. when they further make a false claim, they have to be considered a liar. The onus is on you to be able to support your claims. Fact is, you can't because are lies.
bbmtge 2 months ago
@brutusbro To continue the comment that "it is about Sec" simply shows your attempt to absolve yourself of responsibility for your comments. Feel free to keep up the ignorance. I guess you have a right to be a liar and a fool.
bbmtge 2 months ago
@ rscarbro 1100-
I am not a Secretariat hater. I do find it interesting that Secretriat's only otherwordly performance was in the Belmont....
I wonder if....
brutusbro 2 months ago
@brutusbro Right, all Secretariat haters deny they are Secretariat haters. You fit the profile like the rest, Big Brown Derby win does not come close to Secretariat Derby nor Sham. Guess Sham was on steriods as well. Running every quarter faster than the previous; Unheard of. No horse has ever done it. I would say that was a over worldly performance. He broke records in his workouts. That was unbelievable. Stand like a man and admit it that you are a Secretariat hater. We all know you are.
rscarbro100 2 months ago
@rscarbro100 I may be wrong, but I think the closest (win) to Secretariat's KDerby was Barbaro's (Of course, I could be wrong). It was TRAGIC that Barbaro was injured in the Preakness; he was a stunning, intelligent racehorse. But brave Barbaro's body couldn't sustain his drive & heart - Barbaro was SUCH a courageous racehorse. It's VERY significant that Secretariat had the physical capacity AND intelligence to complete win Trip Crown so dramatically. Sec remained healthy/sound for future races.
nin12dog 2 days ago
@brutusbro I have read many of post from the Secretariat haters. Almost everyone of them use these two excuses to down-grade his Belmont performance. 1. He used steriods and 2. the surface was lightning fast and hard as cement. They cannot prove from any reliable source and spare me the DRF variant of .05. It is just a figure suggesting but not proveing how fast the track was running. Crist, Beyer and Watchmaker said it was a .09 & that variant was used figuring his 139 speed figure.
rscarbro100 2 months ago
@brutusbro The Genius of horse racing are the names of Charles Hatton, Woodie Broun, Hollie Hudges and can name hundreds of more. All the old time track horseman alive in 1973 were there at the Belmont. I have never read or hear from any of them that Secretariat must have taken steriods or some kind of a stimulus to put in a unbelievable performance like he did that day in the Belmont. Have you? We all know your one of those johnnycomelately's Secretariat haters plain and simple.
rscarbro100 2 months ago
@brutusbro Simply dismissive, and predictable, dribble. It IS about you. YOU made the false statement followed by an accusation. Try to stay focused!!! As stated, demonstrate the methodology used. Prove your accusation. Quit shirking responsibility for you words, though it's not surprising you did just that.
bbmtge 2 months ago
I wonder how Dave Johnson would have called the stretch run:
"Down the stretch he comes! Secretariat is no longer racing this field! He's racing the ghosts of Man O' War, Seabiscuit, Count Fleet and Citation...Winning the Belmont Stakes By A Record 25 Lengths and with it, the Triple Crown!!
altfactor 2 months ago
@ everybody-
How many times did Secretariat run a race that was super ( otherworldly ) ?
I assert he only did that once and that was in the Belmont Stakes.
But why only once?
If he was a super horse then it is reasonable to think he would have proven that more than once.
Call it steroids or what other name you want to use, I wonder if Secretariat used performance enhancing substances in the Belmont, like Big Brown did in some of his races....
Am I being unreasonable?
brutusbro 2 months ago
@brutusbro Yes you are being unreasonable - and you are showing your severe lack of knowledge on anything to do with Secretariat. Go do some research.
Dingerz 2 months ago 7
@brutusbro You, obviously, know nothing about Sec or, more important, horse racing, to make the comment relative to racing performance. Thus, the first part of your statement, as a meager attempt to justify the second part, is erroneous, false, etc.As for the second part, when a person makes an accusation, the responsibility falls on their shoulders to prove their point; demonstrate the actual method that asserts a degree of certainty. Try starting with that and I'll take it apart from there.
bbmtge 2 months ago
@brutusbro I think what you're overlooking here is that the Belmont was one of the very few races where Secretariat took the lead early instead of dropping back and circling the field later. If you then consider the track records he set after "circling the fields" at the Derby, Preakness & Marlboro against horses like Forego, Sham & Riva Ridge, then it should be absolutely no surprise that he was fully capable of setting an untouchable world record with a rails run and no horses to circle.
eckythimble 2 months ago
@eckythimble - That is such an accurate point! He typically ran 2/3 wide the entire race. Scary to think what his record setting Kentuck Derby and Marlboro Cup times would have been had he been on the rail most of the way!
Dannykeith46 1 month ago
@Dannykeith46 Nack estimated he would have ran 1:59 flat in the Derby; I imagine he would have at least equalled the current mile and 1/8 world record (set on a faster west coast track) at 1:45 1/5 in the Marlboro. ps> A coincidence I just noticed: Secretariat ran his LAST mile of the Derby and his FIRST mile of the Belmont in exactly the same time: 1:34 1/5 seconds.
eckythimble 1 month ago
@eckythimble - Forget that...running EACH quarter mile faster than the previous one in the Kentucky Derby including an incomprehensible 23 second LAST 1/4 mile plus "galluping" to TWO World Records for the 1-1/4 and 1-5/8 mile distances AFTER 1/8 mile post-finish line "gallups" in the Marboro Cup and Belmont Stakes just may be SEC's most miraculous accomplishments! NO HORSE CAN COMPARE TO HIS UNPARALLELED ACHIEVEMENTS!!!!!
Dannykeith46 1 month ago
@Dannykeith46 THOROUGHBRED RACING / BILL CHRISTINE : Not So Fast, Cigar: Actual Time of Breeders' Cup Split Corrected
November 03, 1995|BILL CHRISTINE
1973 Triple Crown champion Secretariat, whose estimated time for the last quarter-mile of the Kentucky Derby was also 22 4/5 seconds, on a fast track. Secretariat's come-home time for the Derby is not exact because the time for the first mile was for Sham, who led Secretariat by 1 1/2 lengths at the quarter pole.
rscarbro100 1 month ago
@Dannykeith46 Cigar time in the Breeder Cup was corrected. He ran a 23 4/5 last quarter not a 22 4/5. This is a very interesting article by Bill Christine. The teletimer did not read 100th of a second in 1973. Secretariat possibly could had ran a 22 3/4 last quarter.
rscarbro100 1 month ago
@rscarbro100 - Thanks for the info my good friend, but I'll settle for the 23 second figure, which concluding a 1-1/4 mile distance is already "jaw dropping"!
Dannykeith46 1 month ago
@Dannykeith46 I will not settle with the 23 flat as long there was possibility that he did run it in 22 4/5.(smile) Their is no doubt he could had or better if pushed to do so. Once down the strecth he was not hit once. If beaten liike Sham was I just could not imagine how fast he could have ran that last quarter mile. He already blew the lights out on the tote board with his offical time.
rscarbro100 1 month ago
@Dannykeith46 No arguments from me on your last statement. Still it was a peculiar coincidence I thought. Reading numerous web sites the top 5 world horses of all time appear to be: 1. Secretariat 2. Man O War 3. Sea Bird 4. Ribot 5. Phar Lap; although I think a large gap between #1 and positions #2 - #5.
eckythimble 1 month ago
@brutusbro I suppose anything is possible? HOWEVER, If perf enhancing drugs were used, WHY WOULD SEC be the ONLY horse in the 73 Trip Crn with access to these drugs? Wouldn't any other owner/trainer use the same drugs? But IMHO your position is Irrelevant/unfounded. Take a look at his PREAKNESS!
nin12dog 1 month ago
@brutusbro His only performance enhancing drug was his heart. All 22 pounds of perfectly shaped and perfectly functioning heart. Like Dingerz says, go do some research.
Thereisonlythetruth 1 month ago
@Thereisonlythetruth Well said.
riotracer 1 month ago
@brutusbro Yes, you're being unreasonable. He set the track record at the Kentucky Derby that still stands. He set the track record at the Preakness that was negated due to a problem with the clock. And he set the record at the Belmont for the mile and a half that hasn't even been approached in the 40 years since. What more do you need?
buckfan1969 1 month ago
@buckfan1969 - I'll say it ONCE AGAIN....the Triple Crown races cover 420+ races, over 140 years and 3,500+ horses and Secretariat owns or shares (Preakness w/two horses) the record for ALL 3 races. Throw in more record settig performances in the Gotham, Marlboro Cup, Man o' War stakes and a myriad of other supernatural fractions/accomplishmenets and what does that add up to....he was the greatest of them all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dannykeith46 1 month ago
@brutusbro It's called he had a heart that was 2.5 X larger than an "average" thoroughbred's heart. Think of it like a V-12 in a race with all V-4's. Is that too difficult of a concept for you?
onasnowynight08 1 month ago
@brutusbro - You are joking right? Kentucky Derby record (1:59-2/5) in which he ran EACH quarter mile faster than the previous one including an unheard of 23 second final 1/4 mile! Marlboro Cup 1-1/8 mile world record, galluping to tie the 1-1/4 mile world record! Gotham Stakes/Aqueduck 1 mile track record - 1:33-2/5! Man o' War Stakes/Belmont track record on turf - 2:24-4/5! Preakness record (tied with 2) - 1:53-2/5! 2 world records/4 track records/2 unofficial world records via gallups!
Dannykeith46 1 month ago
@Dannykeith46 why did you try to suck Secretariats cock when he was at Claiborne farm?
petermacket 2 weeks ago
@ 71ATOM -
Okay, but Secretariat never ran an otherworldly ( super ) race like he did in the Belmont .His other races were great sometimes but not otherworldly ( super ) . Neither did any of his offspring....
I think it is reasonable to wonder if he used performance enhancing drugs in the Belmont Stakes.
I hope not but I wonder?
brutusbro 2 months ago
@brutusbro According to an article by Dr. Barbara
Forney, a veterinarian practitioner and author, there is no research evidence that supports
anabolic steroids use as a ‘performance enhancing drug.’
Race Horse
Research has shown that anabolic steroids have done little to improve both humans and
horses. “There’s a tendency to look for an external agent as a magic bullet, a magic pill that’s
going to help us perform better. The truth is there isn’t any,” states Dr. Laskowski from the
Mayo Clinic.
rscarbro100 2 months ago
@brutusbro Anabolic Steroids in Horse Racing
Compiled by Leigh Nichol under the direction of the Indiana Horsemen’s Coalition. This is the name of the article you must read. The Steriod rumor mostly came from the Secretariat haters. Go to this article and read it all. If Secretariat used it and help him perform better why did they not use it on the other horses? The claim is bogus, It was the large heart he got from his mother the X factor.
rscarbro100 2 months ago
@brutusbro He broke the 1 1/8 mile record in the Marlboro Cup by 4/5 of a second with only 4 workouts in 2 wks coming off a serious illness. And Beyer said he was not in peak form. If he ran the rail in that race he would have broken the record by a second or more, He was clocked by the DRF clockers for the 1 1/4 mile in 1:57 4/5 pulling up in that race. Some will make every excuse why he ran them races so fast but have nothing to prove their claim.
rscarbro100 2 months ago
@brutusbro It would reasonable to wonder if you had a grasp of the facts. If SEC. had only run one fantastic race as you state, which is not true, than that would indicate that no drugs were used. How could that account for one single performance, do you know the history of thes drugs how they work? No one can do that today. As for SEC's offspring Risen Star ran the then second fastest Belmont of all time and 1990 Kingston Rule set the Melbourne Cup record, a record that still stands.
711ATOM 2 months ago
@711ATOM - And let's not forget the fantastic daughter of Secretariat, the gray philly "Lady's Secret" who captured the 1986 "Horse of the Year"!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dannykeith46 2 months ago
@Dannykeith46 (Pt.1) Wait a second Danny, I've been thinking about brutusbro methodology for discovering Sec.'s steroid use, and you know, he's right! Lady's Secret managed to 45 races by the time she was 5 - the only answer, steroids; Kelso, steroids; Buckpasser, steroids; Damascus, steroids; Dr. Fager, are you kinding, DEFINITELY steroids! Brigadier Gerard - an English horse - need I say more; as we all know Queen Elizabeth and the entire house of Windsor are bunch of drug pushers (conti.)
711ATOM 2 months ago
@Dannykeith46 (Pt.2) It's a fact, Lyndon LaRouche says so! The Queen was in on it with the Trilateral Commission and the Zionist bankers who faked the moon landing to distract us from the fact the Sasquatch is really an alien controlled robot that descended to Earth on a chariot of Gods; we would have been all destroyed if it hadn't been for Steve Austin the 6 million dollar and his faithful side kick Grizzly Adams! (conti.)
711ATOM 2 months ago
@Dannykeith46 (Pt.3) I got all straight from Francis the Talking Mule; don't believe me, talk to Mr. Ed. And rscarbro100, he's one of them! He engineered the Dick Cheney-Halliburton Hurricane machine to destroy New Orleans and stop the investigation into the 9-11 "bombings" which are all part of Corporate America's plot to induce globe warming, thereby gaining control of our precise bodily fluids. See - it all lead back to Secretariat!
711ATOM 2 months ago
@brutusbro Secondly, if Secretariats achievements were produced by performance enhancing drugs in 1973, why haven't they been reproduced? Since Oscar Barrera's wild rid in the 1980's, many trainers became convinced the only way to win was with drugs; there are drugs available now that make Dianabol look like a joke. A scum bag like Rick Dutrow would have injected rocket fuel into Big Brown if he thought it would make the horse run faster; Secretariat could even use Lasix
711ATOM 2 months ago
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711ATOM 2 months ago
@brutusbro There is a typo in my comment, Secretariat couldn't use Lasix (banned and tested for in NY).
711ATOM 2 months ago
@brutusbro (to continue) Some considered the Preakness his MOST brilliant/strategically executed TC race - did you see him BLAST past the entire pack of horses heading into the 1st TURN?He also strategized his own win @ KD, and broke the Track Record - NO HORSE has yet bested his KD & Belmont TIMES YET! And he remained SOUND! Finally - take a look @ his last race (Woodbine). It was Deja Vu all over again.....
nin12dog 1 month ago
@brutusbro Bottom line: Sec had what it took physically & intellectually to demolish the competion: he DESTROYED the field when he won...
nin12dog 1 month ago
I was a teenager watching big red run, 2:24 and 31 lengths at this race. looked like the other horses were in reverse at the end :-) when secretariat passed away they did an autopsy before the burial. they found he had a larger heart and greayer lung capacity than most thoroughbreds. Absolutely amazing creature to watch. There's been other great triple crown winners, but this one set the bar so high he will always be talked about.
schnucklefutz 2 months ago 3
Was Secretariat using steroids like Big Brown did in his K Derby?
What is the simple truth?
brutusbro 2 months ago
@brutusbro I doubt it with confidence. Racing is inherently a conservative sport, like baseball; baseball players were at least 15yrs behind football players when it came to steroid use. I don't think in 1973 Lucien Laurin would have known what you were talking about. If the use of steroids was well understood at the time, the NY race officials would not have been stunned by trainer Oscar Barrera sudden success in 1982. It them 2yrs to stop him. Look up Oscar Barrara, it will tell you a lot.
711ATOM 2 months ago
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711ATOM 2 months ago
@brutusbro On second thought, I think it must have taken much longer than 2yrs for NY to stop Barrera; his one and only drug suspension must have come in 1988 because it wasn't until 1989 when his race record crashed. I think it must be fans younger than me to understand, but people were really baffled by what Barrera was doing, he would pick up claimers and not only win with them, he would run them 2 or 3 times a week. It took about 2yrs for the alarms to really go off.
711ATOM 2 months ago
2 & 3 fifths. Thats 13 lengths. Wonder if we will ever see it again?
IMA60SKID 2 months ago
This gave me chills. Truly one of the most amazing horses that has ever lived!
kisskisshorsegirl 2 months ago
I never tire of watching this. A true champion.
mycatpeanut 2 months ago
amazing horse
HorseGirl2111 2 months ago
I read on Secretariat website called ask Penny, someone asked her if she ever felt any resentments towards Angle Light, Sham, Prove Out and Onion? Do you think they won because Secretariat, was having an off day (like the time he had an abscess) or because the horse proved to be better?
gracwalk 2 months ago
@gracwalk, Continuation:
Penny, response racing is basically about competition so I never resented any horse that beat one of my horses on a given day. They were simply better in that race, not necessarily superior overrall. Secretariat beat Onion in the Marloro Cup, 9/15/73. Hever never raced against Prove out, a second time.
gracwalk 2 months ago
@gracwalk Penny also knew on those given days he lost was for a reason. She must had to be ashamed to answer why she ran him in those races if asked. He was not fit to do so as Steve Haskins said in his article 'The Unbeatable Horse'. They trained him for those T.C. races like no other with 6 workouts between races. Like Nack said he was the fitess he ever seen a horse the day of the Belmont. What are we going to see today he quoted. We all found out soon enough did we not?
rscarbro100 2 months ago
@rscarbro100 - Tweedy should be ashamed of herself! She was well aware SEC should have been scratched for BOTH the Wood & Whitney. 1.)Many of her $6M investors showed up for the Wood so she would have raced SEC with only 3 legs. 2.)The Whitney was televised on network TV so SEC's fever could have been 104 and she wouldn't have cared! 3.)Imagine racing a horse in a 1-1/2 mile dirt race with no dirt workouts for 2 weeks KNOWING 8 days later he has to run in another 1-1/2 mile race on turf!
Dannykeith46 2 months ago
@Dannykeith46 Richard Cardenas quote: As not even Allen Jerkins could comprehend, Prove-Out, over a muddy track, ran a spectacular event finishing first while opening a lead of 4 1/2 lengths over Secretariat at the finish. In finishing second, Secretariat opened a lead of 11 over Cougar. Prove-Out's finishing time was an astonishing 2:25 4/5s, the second fastest recorded for the distance at Belmont Park. His time today still holds that position, second only to Secretariat's Belmont. Cont.
rscarbro100 2 months ago
@Dannykeith46 Secretariat crossed the finish 3/5s of a second later for a time of 2:26 2/5s, a mark that again bested Gallant Man's record of 2:26 3/5s set in the early summer of 1957 End of quote.Source from Summary of Findings-Man 0' War/Secretariat revisted by Richard Cardenas.
rscarbro100 2 months ago
@Dannykeith46 Your so correct my good man. You gotta look a little further than a won/loss record. Many good horses lost for some good reasons. Examples: MOW vs. Upset, Citation vs. Saggy, Slew vs. Exceller, Dr. Patches & maybe J.O. Tobin. And there were many others. When Big Red was sound and fit his times proved he could have beaten any horse at any distance. He also never was driven out when he was sound and fit. Like Eddie Arcaro said he was the best & fastest horse he ever seen.
rscarbro100 2 months ago
@rscarbro100 - As INTELLIGENT sport experts comprehend - Babe Ruth stuck out a myriad of times, Michael Jordan missed many shots, Sandy Koufax was beaten by inferior teams and Secretariat lost a few races. It is the WAY YOU WIN/DOMINATE that secures your place in history & NO HORSE comes even close to the way Secretariat won races! In fact, BECAUSE HE WAS SO SUERNATURAL, that is why Penny and Lauren thought SEC could overcome illness & poor training..SEC was a victim of his unparalled ability!
Dannykeith46 2 months ago
@Dannykeith46 A good horse can dominate over poor competition but it takes a great horse to dominate over other champions. Man 0' War no doubt was head and shoulders better than the competition he ran against during his times. But take a look at the competition he ran against. Sir Barton was washed up hoof and all when he ran against him so said the great trainer Hollie Hudges. Far as I know Sir barton was the only older horse & champion horse he ever ran against.Cont.
rscarbro100 2 months ago
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rscarbro100 2 months ago
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@Dannykeith46 Over half of Man 0' War races as a 3 yr. old he ran against only one horse. And I believe he was sound & fit in every race he ran. Hoodwink wouldn't even be consider an allowance horse in modern times. The only champion older horse Citation beat as a 3 yr. old was Armed. He was 7 yrs. old at the time in 1948 and never won a stakes race during that year. The horses Count Fleet beat in the Belmont were all allowance horses.
rscarbro100 2 months ago
@4:27: Secretariat asks his handler: hey did I pass the Belmont test of champions?
eckythimble 2 months ago
I will post Secretariat furlong fractons again in case anyone missed it when he ran the Belmont. 12 1/5, 11 2/5, 11 2/5, 11 1/5, 12, 11 3/5, 12 1/5, 12 1/5, 12, 12 4/5, 12 1/5 and 12 4/5. Incredibly, none of them is slower than 12 4/5 seconds.
rscarbro100 2 months ago
no horse could stand up to SEC period. numbers dont lie and he raced every horse there was for him to race at any distance. you never saw afleet alex race smarty jones or winning colors race sunday silence or easy goer. secretariat raced and beat the 3yr old champion from 72. the only race slew wouldve had a chance in versus sec wouldve been the preakness. anything else wouldve been a route by big red.
bclark5423 2 months ago
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rscarbro100 2 months ago
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@bclark5423
Secretariat went through the 1 3/16 post in the Belmont in 1:52 3/5. Went 1:51 3/5 'Pulling Up' in the Marlboro Cup. and went real wide in the last turn as well doing it. He was not touched with the whip in either race. Slew was hit several times in the Preakness when he ran a 1:54 2/5 time. Don't believe Slew would not had a chance against Big Red no matter what the distance my friend IMHO.
rscarbro100 1 second ago
rscarbro100 2 months ago
@bclark5423 Interesting! I had read that P Tweedy considered Sec's Preakness his 'genius' race, based on Sec's decision to go from last to the front at the first curve - I think it was characterized as his 'suicide move' because he accelerated so quickly while completing the first tight curve - he ACCELERATED GOING INTO THE CURVE! Seattle Slew is also a facsinating racehorse - Slew seems to be characterized as a fierce & dominant competitor. It would be fabulous to see all the 'GREATS' race!
nin12dog 2 days ago
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Anabolic steroids cause enlarged hearts in humans and test animals.
Some people get upset if you suggest Secretariat was on steroids. When they autopsied Secretariat, his heart weighed 22lbs. The next largest heart they ever found was 18lbs. The average thoroughbred has a heart that weighs 8.5 lbs.
The horse had a massive heart, which allowed it to pump large volumes of blood through it's muscles, that's what made it great.
ALLinALLgood 2 months ago
Who dislikes this? Sorry they didn't have HD in '73
thezdbailey 2 months ago
Secretariat, the greatest horse ever. The greatest! :-)
branagh 2 months ago
the fact is if you look very closely at the strides of sham and secretariate -big red's is a looonnnnggg stride shams is short but quick. for every stride of big red's sham took two
clmco 2 months ago
..to this day, this clip still gives me chills!
Doogle927 3 months ago
God Bless you Secretariat!
LastTree 3 months ago
You can argue about the greatest thoroughbred of all time, but no horse would've beaten Secretariat in this race, wouldn't have been anywhere close.
bailinnumberguy 3 months ago
@bailinnumberguy You got that right. No horse has even been close. In all honesty it will probably never be broken. NEVER!!!!
stephen39217 3 months ago
amazing.unbeliable.impossible.incredible.
secretarait was all of them
gameboygamer100 3 months ago
This race brought me to tears. Unbelievable.
horsepower13579 3 months ago
It would be extremely difficult to classify SEC as the greatest race horse of all time. Especially when you have to consider Man O' War and Citation in that conversation. But what Big Red did in those 5 weeks in 73" has never been matched. He is the greatest Triple Corwn winner of all time. Hands Down and No Ands Ifs Buts About it. It has been 38 years and no horse has even come close to matching Big Red in 73. It is almost considered impossible. Yes I said impossible. RIP Red
stephen39217 3 months ago
@stephen39217 i think he's the greatest.....
nin12dog 3 months ago
i just watched the movie version with diane lane, awesome movie. i never thought i would ever see the original footage of that majestic horse.
h8tingit 3 months ago
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If that race doesnt lite a fire in your heart..i dont know what will.
Westboundkennels 3 months ago
If that race doesnt lite a fire in your heart..i dont know what will.
Westboundkennels 3 months ago
Gives me goose bumps every time I watch this. Totally unbelievable. There will never be another horse like the great Secretariat.
bermuda9608 3 months ago
I thought Secretariat won by 31 not 25 lengths.
Cowgirl11223 3 months ago
@Cowgirl11223 listen to the coverage after the race he said "it could conceiveably have been more..." and "that it was too difficult to count lengths..." after he went so far ahead it took film review to get the "official" margin of victory
caliwaters88 3 months ago