The Legacy Of Secretariat

TruthSeeker56

Silver Member
Jul 19, 2011
2,899
488
98
New Hampshire
I'm sure most of you have at least heard of Secretariat, and some of you are old enough to remember 1973 and Secretariat's road to horseracing's Triple Crown.

Secretariat's accomplishments were revisited when the movie "Secretariat" hit the theatres a couple of years ago. It was a wonderful movie, and although many important facts were omitted or "embellished", it was very well-done.

Over the years, I have read just about every book ever written about Secretariat, and have amassed a nice collection of Secretariat memorabilia and horse racing memorabilia in-general.

Most of you will say that Secretariat was "just a racehorse", and he was no big deal. Some of you will say, "What about Seattle Slew or Affirmed? They also won Triple Crowns in the 1970s, after Secretariat."

What makes Secretariat so very special to many people, is where this country was in 1973, and how badly this country needed a HERO in 1973. Who would have ever imagined that the HERO this country needed would end up being a HORSE?

1973 was a year that started with Nixon and Watergate and the Vietnam War and an American economy in distress and many other social and national issues. People needed SOMETHING to put a smile on their face, SOMETHING to be proud of again, SOMETHING to cheer for, and SOMETHING to admire.

That "something" was Secretariat, and that "something" became the greatest racehorse in the history of thoroughbred racing. Secretariat turned into a "rock star". He was beautiful. He was muscled. He was fast. He was intelligent. He LOVED the attention he received. He was the most dominant horse in Triple Crown history.

Secretariat's Kentucky Derby and Belmont race times are STILL records, almost 39 years after he ran in them. Secretariat won the Belmont Stakes by 31 (thirty one) lengths. The words of announcer Chic Anderson describing Secretariat as "moving like a tremendous machine" as he pulled away from the other horses, still echo in my ears. Secretariat became the first Triple Crown in 25 years.

Secretariat was the PERFECT horse, who arrived at the PERFECT time in American history. I only wish I had had the chance to see him in-person.

Secretariat only raced in 21 races, and was retired to stud at Claiborne Farm in Kentucky, after his 3-year-old season. He was syndicated for over $6 million, a record at the time. We will never know how great he would have been had he been allowed to continue racing. For the next 16 years, over 10,000 admirers a year came to Claiborne Farm to just SEE "Big Red", and maybe get a chance to touch him.

Secretariat contracted laminitis in all four of his hooves, and was euthanized in October of 1989, at the age of 19. He was buried, intact, at Claiborne, and to this day, his grave is visited by thousands of people every year.

I would love to hear from those of you who remember Secretariat, and share your thoughts. I'll also be happy to answer any questions anybody might have about Secretariat and "behind the scenes" stuff about Secretariat and the people who were closest to him.
 
Last edited:
A horse is a horse of course of course...

When I read biographies, I like people biographies. I have two on Margaret Thatcher, two on Disraeli, three on Kipling, two on Menken, three on Bismark......

Cool you like horses. I think it kind of odd you would read the life story of one, let alone several.
 
How do you look at Secretariat vs Man o War who won 20 out of 21 races?
 
A horse is a horse of course of course...

When I read biographies, I like people biographies. I have two on Margaret Thatcher, two on Disraeli, three on Kipling, two on Menken, three on Bismark......

Cool you like horses. I think it kind of odd you would read the life story of one, let alone several.

It's not just about horses. It's about the people who take care of the horses, their relationships, the love they have for the horses, and the love the horses have for the grooms and the hot walkers and the practice riders and the jockeys and the trainers and the owners. Horses have personalities. Horses have emotions.

I would rather be around horses and dogs more than I would 99.999% of all human beings.
 
How do you look at Secretariat vs Man o War who won 20 out of 21 races?

That will ALWAYS be the biggest question in horseracing history. The Secretariat and Man O' War comparison. Who was better?

Secretariat and Man O' War were similar physically. The only "fair" comparisons that can be made would be their race times, using the common denominators in those races...........same distance, same (or as close as possible) track conditions, same (or very close) carrying weights, etc.

From everything I have read and researched, Secretariat was the greatest thoroughbred racehorse of all time. I can only submit the fact that his race times in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont have never been equaled in the almost 39 years since.

There have been so many great racehorses over the years, but Secretariat stands alone.

Thanks for the question. So what is your opinion?
 
Last edited:
How do you look at Secretariat vs Man o War who won 20 out of 21 races?

That will ALWAYS be the biggest question in horseracing history. The Secretariat and Man O' War comparison. Who was better?

Secretariat and Man O' War were similar physically. The only "fair" comparisons that can be made would be their race times, using the common denominators in those races...........same distance, same (or as close as possible) track conditions, same (or very close) carrying weights, etc.

From everything I have read and researched, Secretariat was the greatest thoroughbred racehorse of all time. I can only submit the fact that his race times in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont have never been equaled in the almost 39 years since.

There have been so many great racehorses over the years, but Secretariat stands alone.

Thanks for the question. So what is your opinion?

It is difficult to compare athletes from different generations. Different science, different training, different track surfaces

It was 50 years between the horses and they said there would never be another Man o war. It is almost 50 years since Secretariat...are we due for another super horse?
 
How do you look at Secretariat vs Man o War who won 20 out of 21 races?

That will ALWAYS be the biggest question in horseracing history. The Secretariat and Man O' War comparison. Who was better?

Secretariat and Man O' War were similar physically. The only "fair" comparisons that can be made would be their race times, using the common denominators in those races...........same distance, same (or as close as possible) track conditions, same (or very close) carrying weights, etc.

From everything I have read and researched, Secretariat was the greatest thoroughbred racehorse of all time. I can only submit the fact that his race times in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont have never been equaled in the almost 39 years since.

There have been so many great racehorses over the years, but Secretariat stands alone.

Thanks for the question. So what is your opinion?

It is difficult to compare athletes from different generations. Different science, different training, different track surfaces

It was 50 years between the horses and they said there would never be another Man o war. It is almost 50 years since Secretariat...are we due for another super horse?
I've only read about Man 'O War of course but remember Secretariat from my childhood, not quite 40 years ago. Some factors to debate: tracks, training, owners, money....but in the end, both were products of their times and faced horses with the same advantages and disadvantages.
 
That will ALWAYS be the biggest question in horseracing history. The Secretariat and Man O' War comparison. Who was better?

Secretariat and Man O' War were similar physically. The only "fair" comparisons that can be made would be their race times, using the common denominators in those races...........same distance, same (or as close as possible) track conditions, same (or very close) carrying weights, etc.

From everything I have read and researched, Secretariat was the greatest thoroughbred racehorse of all time. I can only submit the fact that his race times in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont have never been equaled in the almost 39 years since.

There have been so many great racehorses over the years, but Secretariat stands alone.

Thanks for the question. So what is your opinion?

It is difficult to compare athletes from different generations. Different science, different training, different track surfaces

It was 50 years between the horses and they said there would never be another Man o war. It is almost 50 years since Secretariat...are we due for another super horse?
I've only read about Man 'O War of course but remember Secretariat from my childhood, not quite 40 years ago. Some factors to debate: tracks, training, owners, money....but in the end, both were products of their times and faced horses with the same advantages and disadvantages.

Believe it or not, training methods have not changed much at all. What racehorses are fed has not changed much at all. Some medications are available, and/or allowed, today that were not available 50 or 100 years ago. The best racetracks in the United States have not changed that much, as far as surface conditions, except for the new artificial surfaces that are now in use at some racetracks.

What has really changed a lot are the number of races that horses run today, as compared to 50 or 75 or 100 years ago. Today's horses don't run anywhere near as many races as horses from yesteryear. That is probably the biggest reason why we haven't had a Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978. Today's horses don't have the experience and "racing maturity" that yesterday's horses had.
 
Last edited:
That will ALWAYS be the biggest question in horseracing history. The Secretariat and Man O' War comparison. Who was better?

Secretariat and Man O' War were similar physically. The only "fair" comparisons that can be made would be their race times, using the common denominators in those races...........same distance, same (or as close as possible) track conditions, same (or very close) carrying weights, etc.

From everything I have read and researched, Secretariat was the greatest thoroughbred racehorse of all time. I can only submit the fact that his race times in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont have never been equaled in the almost 39 years since.

There have been so many great racehorses over the years, but Secretariat stands alone.

Thanks for the question. So what is your opinion?

It is difficult to compare athletes from different generations. Different science, different training, different track surfaces

It was 50 years between the horses and they said there would never be another Man o war. It is almost 50 years since Secretariat...are we due for another super horse?
I've only read about Man 'O War of course but remember Secretariat from my childhood, not quite 40 years ago. Some factors to debate: tracks, training, owners, money....but in the end, both were products of their times and faced horses with the same advantages and disadvantages.

Man o War won 20 out of 21 races. His only loss was he came in second by a neck to a horse ironically named........Upset
 
Seattle Slew wasn't any chump either.

Won the Triple Crown UNDEFEATED, which Secretariat didn't.

Won each TC race convincingly -got overshadowed by Sec and (lucky) Affirmed.

Historic few years even though I have never been to a horse race in my life.
 
Seattle Slew wasn't any chump either.

Won the Triple Crown UNDEFEATED, which Secretariat didn't.

Won each TC race convincingly -got overshadowed by Sec and (lucky) Affirmed.

Historic few years even though I have never been to a horse race in my life.

I'm with you, ginscpy. "The Slew" was a great horse............very underrated.

Every one of Secretariat's losses (5) can be attributed to unforeseen circumstances.

1. Secretariat came in 4th in his first race, because he got absolutely MUGGED at the start. He got knocked around by two other horses at the starting gate, and almost fell down. The race was only 5-1/2 furlongs, so Secretariat simply didn't have enough racetrack to make up the time he lost at the start.

2. Secretariat won the Champagne Stakes, but was disqualified to 2nd place because he (supposedly) bumped a horse too hard during the race. Turcotte stated that it was a ridiculous decision by the track stewards.

3. Secretariat lost the Wood Memorial (3rd place) due to a quarter-size abscess inside of his upper lip that bothered him greatly. Some of the Secretariat "handlers" (the grooms, exercise riders, and the track veterinarian) knew about the abscess, but Lucien Laurin, Penny Tweedy, and Ron Turcotte had no idea. The assistant trainer was notified about it, but never passed the word along to any of the three people who really needed to know. "Big Red" wasn't eating right, was in pain, and after treating the abscess with hot compresses for many days, it finally broke and healed shortly before the Kentucky Derby.

4. Secretariat lost the Whitney (2nd place) due to a low-grade fever that clearly bothered him. Ron Turcotte knew about the fever, told Lucien Laurin that he didn't think Secretariat should run in the race, but Laurin insisted that Secretariat run the race anyway.

5. Secretariat lost the Woodward (2nd place) because he had not been "properly" trained for the race (he was a replacement for Riva Ridge, who was supposed to run in the Woodward but the track was a muddy mess and Riva Ridge hated "off" tracks.

By the way, Secretariat and Seattle Slew were very closely related, on both the sire and dam sides. Seattle Slew's pedigree was just as impressive as Secretariat's.

Once we move into our new home, my new "man cave" (which is currently in boxes) will contain mostly horseracing memorabilia, and some football "stuff".

I've had the honor and pleasure of meeting Ron Turcotte, and he signed several items for me. He has a big heart, and he was the perfect jockey for the perfect horse at the perfect time in the history of American horseracing.
 
Last edited:
I also remember young Steve Cauthen and the Affirmed- Alydar match ups. Those were some great races. A lot of excitement in horse racing back then
 
Also, Secretariat didn't just win those races, he spanked all of his competition.

I get chills everytime I watch one of the 1973 clips.

An extraordinary beast, to be sure.
 
Also, Secretariat didn't just win those races, he spanked all of his competition.

I get chills everytime I watch one of the 1973 clips.

An extraordinary beast, to be sure.

I've seen all of Secretariat's races, on film of course, and you are absolutely correct that he seemed to be toying with the other horses in the races that he won. He would have been a MONSTER as a four-year-old. It's a shame that he was forced into retirement after his 3-year-old season, because of the breeding syndication deal.

I watched the movie "Secretariat" yesterday, for the third time. Amazing how the producers took so many liberties with the facts, and literally invented a lot of things that never happened or happened differently.

Riva Ridge was never even mentioned in the movie, and it was Riva Ridge who actually saved Meadow Farm from financial ruin, then Secretariat came along a year later.

Secretariat and Riva Ridge were stablemates for MANY years. They both went to stud at Claiborne Farm, and they both died at relatively "young" ages.

Penny Tweedy (Chenery) had a big soft spot for Riva Ridge, because RR was not the stereotypical "champion" racehorse, and he was always the "underdog". He had a small, narrow head, he wasn't particularly muscular, and he didn't have the big stride like Secretariat. Penny Tweedy always said that Riva Ridge ran more like a deer than a racehorse.

I also found it VERY odd that the producer/director spent so much time with the "Tweedy daughter is involved in anti-war protest movement" theme. What the hell did that have to do with a movie about a horse? I hate it when politics gets injected into movies that have NOTHING to do with politics.

Some of the casting was very odd, too. John Malkovich playing Lucien Laurin was a very odd choice. Lucien was a short and portly guy. Malkovich is neither. Diane Lane did a good job as Penny Tweedy, but the actor who played Eddie Sweat was way too tall. I like accuracy in movies that are based on true events, like the very accurate portrayals of the real life people in the movie "Titanic" (except for the phoney DiCaprio/Winslet plot).
 
Last edited:
To put everything into perspective, head-to-head, based on their Belmont Stakes times, Secretariat beats Seattle Slew by 28 lengths (OK, I'll give Slew a break because he ran the Belmont on a muddy track) and Secretariat beats Affirmed by 14 lengths (on a fast track).
 

Forum List

Back
Top