Reliving Secretariat

[Bassetluv]

A while ago I happened to mention Secretariat inthe word association game, and ever since, memories of him have been onmy mind. So I did some searching and discovered that members of YouTubeactually uploaded videos of this great horse's triple crown win. Foranyone who was around to see this as it happened in 1973, you'll knowwhat I'm talking about when I say that even thinking about it stillbrings me to tears. There was something about Big Red that was beyonddescription...he defied the odds, he was everyman's hero.

Here are links to two of his races: the Preakness and the Belmont. Thequality is grainy, but the emotions have been forever captured...justwatch as he makes his move in the Preakness, coming from behind thepack...and then watch the Belmont...his performance was so incrediblethat therace announcer - Chic Anderson - seemed to almost notbelieve what he and thousands of others had just witnessed.

The Preakness:

[ame=http://youtube.com/watch?v=rEOlWDz2KBw&mode=related&search]http://youtube.com/watch?v=rEOlWDz2KBw&mode=related&search[/ame]=

The Belmont:

[ame=http://youtube.com/watch?v=z9Hn-6DsQXk&mode=related&search]http://youtube.com/watch?v=z9Hn-6DsQXk&mode=related&search[/ame]=

I was 15 when I sat and watched all 3 of the Triple Crown races on tv.When I first saw Secretariat, I actually thought there was somethingwrong with him as he walked onto the track; his gait seemed odd. Ilater found out that it was an illusion...his body was so heavilymuscled compared to the other thoroughbreds that it made his gait lookdistorted. The final call on the Belmont was that he'd won by a record25 lengths; after watching the playback and measuring, track officialsdetermined that the actual winning margin was 31 lengths. He even set aworld record as he was slowing down after the race was won...anunimaginable feat. And even more unimaginable, they also discoveredthat he'd run the entire Belmont speeding up...his time for eachfurlong run was faster than the previous....until that moment, it wasfelt that this was an impossibility.

When I learned of Secretariat's death in 1989, Ihad beentalkingon the phone with my sister. The tv was on and thesports announcer broke the news that Big Red had been euthanized aftera long and painful bout of laminitis...when I heard this, disbelief setin, and then I broke down and cried. This horse, who had touched me sodeeply from afar, had also touched millions of others. And notsurprisingly, when the veterinarian did the routine autopsy on him,they discovered that Secretariat's heart was an incredible 3 timeslarger than an ordinary horse's heart...not due to inflammation ordisease, but due to genetics...approximately 21 lbs compared to a morenormal 7 or 8 lbs.

So here's to you, Red...it's been over 33 years since you ran yourrace, but your memory lives on forever. May your pastures, wherever youare, be lush and green, and may you run free for eternity.

 

[Aina]

Wow! He certainly was amazing. I can't imagine what it would be like to ride him.

 

[jordiwes]

Wow, what a touching story.

Thanks, Di.

 

[Bassetluv]

It was said that when Secretariat made his movein the Preakness so early on, Lucien Laurin (Secretariat's trainer) waswatching the race and was yelling, 'Oh my God...what areyoudoing Ronnie?!?' He wasextremely upset because he thoughtTurcotte (the jockey) had guaranteed a loss in the racewithhim getting Secretariat to burn up so much track so soon into it....butapparently it was Secretariat who'd made the choice to go, and go hedid!And in reminiscing about the Belmont, Turcotte said thathe could feel Secretariat wanted to run, so he just gave him his headand let him go. He never used his whip, never prompted him to gofaster...he just went along for the ride. Turcotte commented, 'Imaginehow fast he might have gone if I'd encouraged him!' Penny Tweedy(Secretariat's owner) was in the stands praying as she watched, andsaying, 'Don't fall off Ronnie...just don't fall off...' LOL

I'm just so glad I was around to see him run...even if it was on tv...

 

[m.e.]

You know, I wasjust thinking about Secretariat today. I had passed a new developmentcalled "Secretariat Estates". I knew he was a great racehorse, but Ihad never seen his run in the Preakness. Wow! What an amazinganimal.

Watching those racespiqued myinterest and Ifound some linkstoshare...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretariat_%28horse%29

http://www.secretariat.com/index.html

 

[TinysMom]

How fascinating. Even thoughI knew how the racewould end - it was still so much fun to watch and then to follow upwith the other links...

thanks for sharing!

Peg

 

[Bassetluv]

m.e. wrote:

You know, I was just thinkingabout Secretariat today. I had passed a new development called"Secretariat Estates"

LOL...isn't it funny how someone thinks of something and then it showsup, either as a sign or someone else writing (or speaking) about it. Iwas on my way to work this morning and was listening to the radio, andone of the dj's on the morning show was talking about a local Senator'shockey game. The other dj said that she'd gone to the game, and she sawsome things that were up for auction. One of them was a framed portraitof Secretariat, signed by jockey Ron Turcotte, and some otherSecretariat memorabilia with it (racing form, etc.). She went on and onabout Secretariat for about 15 minutes, how she'd loved him when shewas a kid, how he was her hero, etc (much to the chagrin of the otherdj, who thought she was bonkers). I found it so funny that in talkingabout Secretariat here, after not thinking about him for so many years,that someone started talking about him on the radio. Thanks for thelinks, m.e.!

Oh, Peg, I could watch his races over and over again. Actually, I havethe video tape that ESPN made of him (The Life and Times ofSecretariat), and have watched it a few times, though I haven't seen itnow in the past few years...I should get it out and watch it again. Ithasthe Triple Crown races as well as a few others on it,andlots of commentary from the people who surroundedhim.Seeing him run those races is just so spellbinding; Iguess there's just something about that one person or animal who standsout from all others that gives us so much awe and admiration.Secretariat is definitely one of my heroes.

 

[maherwoman]

Wow...that was amazing to watch. Brought tears to my eyes seeing him do something so incredible!!

My six-year-old daughter, who I don't think quite understood theconcept behind a horse race, was squealing and yelling just like Iwas! It was so exciting to watch!!

So wonderful...thank you so much for posting that...