Billy Silver

[redshoesgirl]

great song and i too wonder whatever happened to billy silver.

[redneckracehorse01]

I think Billy Silver deserves a Breyer Model, I wish there was more information on this beautiful boy!

[redshoesgirl]

a fine song! did you ever find out what happened to billy silver?

[redshoesgirl]

a fine song! did you ever find out what happened to billy silver?

[LesPaulCustom79]

Billy Silver was the only buddy Secretariat would allow in his stall other than Sweat, his groom. Billy Silver slept with Secretariat in a double stall sometimes.

[BigRedTC73]

I wonder what year Billy Silver died ? When I think of Secretariat, I think of Billy Silver.

[brucerigby]

thanks for this, nice job, Billy Silver was a familiar face to Big Red, Lucien must have felt there was an importance for Big Red to have this horse as a regular, just as Ron, Eddie, Charlie, and the rest of the team.

[farfieldacresracing]

If you watch "Big Red's Last Race Part 1" they talk about Sec's relationship with Billy Silver for a few seconds. (:

[carlykaiser]

Listening to it again, I really think this is your best song :)

[oktahahorses]

Many thanks! Been trying to catch up. Been having modem problems, and the modem finally quit a week ago Monday. Just got a new replacement this past Monday.

[Anna110112]

great video...I like it!

[VictoryWreath]

All hail the American workhorse! Great tributes and history!

[animexobsessed]

Hehe, I'm reading Nack's Secretariat Bio, and it mentions Billy Silver, apparently, the pony was quite infatuated with Secretariat. ^^ What a cutey! <3

[SymphonySwirl]

wow thats great!!!!

[artful78555]

Great song and story. You know who deserves their own song? Lady's Secret! Big Red's sprinter filly foal.

[funnyrun07]

omg he looks soo like my pony!! the colouring!!!

[frieda406]

absolutely wonderful video, billy silver was great. so kind of you to write a song and create a video about him. thank you. i love it.

[OneStar3Day]

Yes, First Secretary was Secretariet's first foal out of the nurse mare Leola, owned by manager of Claiborne Farm, where S first stood. Leola was a test as S had low sperm count. FS was 16.2, Chestnut, with a white blanket. Died at age 19, same as his father. Stood his last years in Maryland. I owned one of his sons for many years. An AWESOME event horse, and still is! Competed just this weekend in KY. He is now 16 years old and still going strong. SOOOOO brave. HUGE STRIDE!!

[shellpen10]

That is terrific....Give him an extra carrot from PA --from me....

[rockyfan2]

Found one - Thanks - that's terrific!

[szhooper]

I don't know if many people know this, but Secretariats first foal was ALSO an Appaloosa. He was bred to several test mares (as are many TB stallions) to check fertility and the first one that foaled was an Appaloosa mare who foaled a chestnut colt with a white blanket and his sires trademark chrome. The resulting foals name was "First Secretary" and he appears in many Appaloosa Sporthorse pedigrees today.

[oktahahorses]

Yep, it's true. When I was still competing in distance riding back in the 80's, I knew someone who bred their mare to First Secretary. A contact in New Zealand, not too far from where Phar Lap came from, believes there is a son of First Secretary still alive there.

[eejaysee]

Thanks for posting the poetic lyrics. Makes the song much clearer. Really dug the tune and its driving beat!

[oktahahorses]

Thanks! I was really pleased, and actually surprised at how it sounded when I mixed it down. That's actually a programmable rythym machine, with me picking on the resonator in my normal style, and hammering out chords on my acoustic.

[carlykaiser]

Ok, also... is the lyirc "Billy Silver where you've gone?" ?

[oktahahorses]

Not quite; Billy Silver where've (as in where have) you gone? Another line that might be confusing, at least for those who aren't familiar with race terms, is in the last verse; "No silks or number on your back", which almost sounds like "suits." I didn't want the 3rd verse to be a complete repeat of the 1st, so I changed a couple of lines. :)

[oktahahorses]

Verse 1:

Another day at an oval track

But you never get to run

There are no cheering crowds for you

For another race you've won

No jockey perched upon your back

As you fly around that old race track

But you wear colors all your own

Billy Silver where've you gone?

[oktahahorses]

Verse 2:

You've walked beside some racing greats

But you never share their fame

(The) stats are checked and (the) bets are placed*

But no one knows your name

Your pedigree is quite obscure

And know one really knows for sure

But Penny thinks that you died young

Billy Silver where've you gone?

*words in () are optional

[oktahahorses]

Verse 3:

Another day at an oval track

But you never get to run

There are no cheering crowds for you

For another race you've won

No silks or number on your back

As you pony down the earthen track

But you wear colors all your own

Billy Silver where've you gone?

I hope that helps, and I hope YouTube posts these in the proper order, LOL :^)

[carlykaiser]

What do you mean he, died young?

[oktahahorses]

While doing my research, I ran across a question and answer forum where fans sent in questions to Penny C, and she would post an answer. Someone asked her what ever happened to Billy, and she answered she didn't know, but that she heard he died at an early age. Now that Jim G has sent me his message, maybe I'll know sometime more definate after the first of the year.

[carlykaiser]

I've seen him in alot of Sec's photos and wondered why it was that same appaloosa. Thanks!!

[oktahahorses]

Jim Gaffney sent me an note after watching this video, saying that he will be seeing Charlie Davis, the rider on Billy Silver in most of these pics, early next year, and will ask him if he knows whatever happened to Billy.

[bon1042]

Hi, according to Woolfe's book,"Where Are They Now" Billy Silver was retired fm racetrack, went to pvt farm to live out his life as a beloved member of his owner, Mary D. Arthur of Richmon, Kentucky and her family.

[oktahahorses]

Oh cool! I'll have to look into that. Thanks!

[LastTree]

Did you ever find Mary D. Arthur and family and find out about Billy S.?

[oktahahorses]

No, nothing yet. Been playing catch-up. Just got a new modem last Monday. The old one had been acting up for sometime.

[oktahahorses]

While I never had a chance to see if I could contact those people, I'm passing that info along to the ApHC would contacted me for any info I had on him. They want to make sure Disney includes an Appaloosa in the movie they are planning about Secretariat. Thanks again. :)

[bon1042]

Hi, Wow, yes and we should assume that Woolf's book is just one reference they'd refer to. It's in back of book in Where Are They Are Now reference. I hope they don't "Hollywood" the movie to detriment of story. Just read in Turcotte's autobio Will To Win 1992, that he cancelled contract on his story, they wanted to change the truth a lot.