Majestic Prince - 1969 Preakness Stakes (Full Race)

[711ATOM]

Arts and Letters terrific jockey Braulio Baeza never gotten over losing this one; as he said "I should’ve won that Preakness. Majestic Prince fouled me twice. It took the stewards a very long time to decide. They never take horses down in the Preakness."

[drfager01]

people need respect SECRETARIAT lets appreciate him for his immeasurable victories, ones likely never to be seen again i dont understand the ignorance of some people who are in the miniscule minority, and have the odacity to denegrate SCRETARIAT and question his HEART, the problem with these individuals are, they refuse to accept that SECRETARIAT is one of the 3 greatest horses that ever raced if not the greatest.

[BE109]

No disagreement at all, what I was saying was when he wasn't right he was susceptable. When he was himself(meaning no abcess, no low grade fever,etc.) he was a pure steamroller. We agree on this issue,I promise not to bring up Dr. Fager(just a little joke!).

[cf1970]

No worries; I just wanted to make my position clear. I love Dr. Fager; the case you make for him has been eminently fair, and you've done so without denigrating other horses. The fact that you DON'T denigrate is very much appreciated.

Have a great day.

[BE109]

CONT: In the Woodward, he wasn't origionally going to run. Riva Ridge (his stablemate was) was supposed to run. The track came up wet, Riva didn't handle offgoing at all. So Secretariat stepped in without those "zinger" workouts designed to open his pipes. Thus he wasn't 100% percent. source- Bill Nack, who wrote a book on Secretariat.

[cf1970]

Precisely! That's what myself and others have said all along. I have that book, and the explanations are totally logical. We have only offered the facts, they are not "excuses" as many cynical critics of Secretariat would like to believe. I wish they could accept those facts.

Thanks for posting that pertinent information.

[BE109]

You are correct,they are not excuses. He wasn't unbeatable. But when he was on song (which was most of the time), he was incredible.

[cf1970]

That's right, not excuses; but as far not being unbeatable, that's where I'm going to have to respectfully disagree; I truly believe Secretariat WAS unbeatable when totally right. That's always been my contention, without debating it any further. I really don't have the time or energy to get into yet another debate. No offense.

We each have our favorites, and that's certainly good enough for me.

Take care, and thank you for your many comprehensive comments in the videos! You know your stuff!

[BE109]

CONT: He lost the Whitney to Onion,Secretariat had lost training time battling a low grade fever. What you saw was what is called a "short Horse". Meaning short on conditioning,Secretariat thrived on very fast WO's,usually that saps a horse,not him it opened his pipes.

[BE109]

CONT: Turcotte was distraught after his 1st workout for the Derby(he still had the abcess),when he worked the 2nd time for the Derby, turcotte was relieved because Secretariat was back to his old self. Right after the 1st WO, the groom told him about the abcess.

[BE109]

Secretariat evidently didn't like the letter W. Seriously, he had an abcess in his mouth(causing severe discomfort with rhe bit being in his mouth, it was kept secret from Turcotte) during the Wood Memorial.

[mfpbamos]

This race was even better than I remembered. Chic Anderson was sure on his "game" that day. Great CBS footage, especially when switching to that lower angle in the stretch. I know some horsemen believe that the Prince's Preakness and Ky Derby wins were the sort of races Secretariat didn't win. Had Arts and Letters roared up alongside Secretariat, would the chestnut have been able to fend him off?

[cf1970]

Charles David Anderson is my favorite caller of all time. With his understated, yet professional style, you just KNEW that the excitement and drama in his calls was something to be taken VERY seriously, and was music to the ear. I greatly miss him, and I'm sure the racing world does as well. More...

[cf1970]

The horsemen that critiqued, and still critique Secretariat's losses just flat-out refuse to acknowledge that he wasn't right in those races. Big Red's greatness didn't diminish in the least because of those defeats, IMHO. When he was at his best and right, Secretariat was, and still is, the greatest racehorse of all time. More...

[cf1970]

As for Arts & Letters, while a great horse in his own right, he wasn't quite in the same league as Secretariat. He wouldn't have had a chance to roar up beside him. Even if he had, Secretariat's finishing kick was so devastating, no horse in history has ever matched it in it's consistency and power.

Thanks for your comments and for viewing.

[mfpbamos]

Arts and Letters was no chump horse...Horse of the Year in 1969. As great as Secretariat? No. Could he have beaten him? Maybe. Especially if he came up on him. Remember, Secretariat lost 3 of his last 9 races, unless you want to count that "Invitational" at Arlington, which would make it 3 losses in his last 10...

[mfpbamos]

Let me retract my other Arts and Letters statement just a bit, because he was in Secretariat's class. Anyone who doubts can look at the 1969 Jockey Club Gold Cup at 2 miles, and every other race after the Preakness in 1969. He beat older horses every time he faced them, and was the only horse to ever beat Majestic Prince. Arts and Letters' career ended at the 1970 Californian at Hollywood Park, when he suffered a career-ending injury in a race won by the underrated Baffle...

[mfpbamos]

Secretariat was much like a great KO puncher (think George Foreman in his prime), and he indeed blinked those few times he got hooked up in a stretch drive vs. Onion and Prove Out(he would NOT have run if anything was seriously wrong). But Secretariat was collared those few times a horse was astride him, and he never won a stretch drive duel like the Majestic Prince's 1969 Ky Derby or Preakness, or Affirmed's '78 Belmont...

[cf1970]

I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. I for one, will take the word of the jockey (Turcotte) of Secretariat over speculation of whether or not "he would NOT run if anything was seriously wrong." No offense intended. Lucien Laurin, may he rest in peace, was known as a notoriously stubborn man, and he WILLINGLY made mistakes leading to Big Red's defeats. I just wish people could accept that fact. With a level-headed trainer, SEC likely would have lost only his maiden, IMHO. Take care.

[mfpbamos]

...and the point is? That's racing. And Damascus probably would have won the TC in '67 had it not rained at the Derby, likewise Riva Ridge in '72 at the Preakness. Did Secretariat ever win when he wasn't 100%? "Not right" was Majestic Prince in the '69 Belmont, hurt during the race (somewhat justifying Longden's reluctance to run), never to race again. But it's indisputable that Secretariat, great as he was, lost the only times he was eyeballed in the stretch, vs. Onion and Prove Out...

[mfpbamos]

The "excuses" for Secretariat's losses were weak (mouth abcess, a common horse malady, in Wood; supposed low-grade fever in Whitney; and no real excuse in Woodward, except some believe Laurin didn't have him ready for 1 1/2 miles...although he won at 1 1/2 miles in the MO'W 9 days later). By late in '73, Prove Out might have been the best horse in the country. He was sure better than Secretariat in the Woodward. Yes, Secretariat was great. Why are his fans reluctant to accept his defeats?

[cf1970]

Look, I can accept his defeats with no problem, that's not the issue I have. The issue I have is WHY I believe he lost. I've stated my case, you've stated yours. Again, we'll just have to agree to disagree.

Take care.

[mfpbamos]

Another outstading Chic call was in the muddy 1970 Belmont. Calm and understated as usual, Chic just let the race set itself up, then began to amp it up around the far turn just as the crescendo of the crowd in the abckground began to rise. He lined those horses up in the stretch, didn't overshout like many track announcers, and as always complemented the action rather than detract from it. He was a true artist...

[cf1970]

Totally agree. Chic was the master of the understated, professional call. I really liked Marshall Cassidy in his prime as well. Excellent in his tone, pace and clarity of voice. I have the '70 Belmont with Fred Caposella kicking around here somewhere. I'll have to post that soon.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you!

[davemock]

Great clip, cf1970. And boy, Chic Anderson, like Majestic Prince, was "full out" on the call too, from the beginning.

[cf1970]

Thanks, Dave. I'm glad you like it. Chic's call and enthusiasm were spot on.

Have a good weekend!

[JettRink50]

I really thought he would win the triple crown.

I'm lucky I got to meet him.

[cf1970]

I agree. I think he certainly would have had a big chance to win it. I just wonder how the battle with Arts & Letters would have turned out though over 1.5 miles. It would have been a great one!

I'm very envious of you, but am absolutely glad for you that you met him.

[Jazzgirl8888]

Great video!Thank you for posting cf1970!

[cf1970]

Thanks Jazz! You are most welcome!

[ruffian72]

His name suited him,Majestic thats for sure!

[cf1970]

True, you are EXACTLY right!

Thanks for watching!

[gfn02]

Wow, that Majestic Prince was sure somethin'! I enjoy watching him.

[cf1970]

I'll second that!

[gfn02]

A real battler; there were a couple times in that race where he could've just packed it in, but he dug his heels in and fought 'em off!

[cf1970]

Yep, he was truly a legend! It takes a TON of heart to keep on fighting the good fight!

[gfn02]

It's really unfortunate he wasn't sound for the Belmont because he was certainly worthy of winning the Triple Crown.