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"He is moving like a TREMENDOUS MACHINE!"
Posted on 5/17/14 at 8:16 pm
Posted on 5/17/14 at 8:16 pm
Every year (especially in years with potential Triple Crown winners), my thoughts can't help but wander to the greatest horse of all time, Secretariat.
ESPN Sports Century - Secretariat (LINK)
Secretariat - Kentucky Derby 1973 (LINK)
Secretariat - Preakness Stakes 1973
Secretariat - HE IS MOVING LIKE A TREMENDOUS MACHINE! Belmont Stakes 1973
I was 10 years old in May/June of 1973 and, like almost the rest of the entire country, I was fascinated by the big red horse. The hype that surrounded Secretariat was HUGE. After his 2-year old year (where he won Horse of the Year as a 2-year old, a very rare achievement), Secretariat was syndicated (in which shares were purchased for breeding rights) for a then-record $6.08 million. This was BEFORE he ever ran a single race as a 3-year old.
The pressure on the Secretariat team because of that, like I said, was HUGE.
But Secretariat was a different animal. And his performances in the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes in 1973 was an utter joy to behold. And it gives me chills to this day to re-watch this unique athletes performances to this day.
- In the Kentucky Derby, besides running the 1-1/4 mile faster than any horse in history and since, he also did what no other horse had done before him and since: he ran each quarter mile of the race faster than the one before it. Of each of the 5 quarter miles in the race, he accelerated and got faster as he ran. He *never* slowed down. His quarter mile splits in the '73 Derby were 25 1/5, 24, 23 4/5, 23 2/5, and 23. When he crossed the finish line he was STILL accelerating. His time for the mile and a quarter was 1:59 2/5 which remains a record to this day.
- For many years, Secretariat was not credited with the fastest Preakness time, though the vast majority of professional race people knew that he broke the record in 1973. The Preakness's electronic timer malfunctioned for the '73 race. The infield timer posted 1:55. The Maryland Race Commission, however, recognized a hand-time of 1:54 2/5 from the Pimlico Race Course clocker. The Daily Racing Form at that time claimed a time of 1:53 2/5. But the Maryland Racing Commission let the hand-time stand for years (the track record was 1:54 by Canonero II in 1971). After a special appeal by Penny Chenery (Secretariat's owner in 1973) in 2012, companies were hired to conduct forensic reviews of the tapes of the 1973 race. Those reviews revealed that Secretariat ran the 1973 Preakness Stakes at a now-official time of 1:53 establishing him (23 years after his death) as holding the fastest ever time for the Preakness Stakes.
- Secretariat then went on to win the Belmont Stakes by the widest margin of victory in Belmont history... 31 lengths. His time in this race is still a record at 2:24.
ESPN Sports Century - Secretariat (LINK)
Secretariat - Kentucky Derby 1973 (LINK)
Secretariat - Preakness Stakes 1973
Secretariat - HE IS MOVING LIKE A TREMENDOUS MACHINE! Belmont Stakes 1973
I was 10 years old in May/June of 1973 and, like almost the rest of the entire country, I was fascinated by the big red horse. The hype that surrounded Secretariat was HUGE. After his 2-year old year (where he won Horse of the Year as a 2-year old, a very rare achievement), Secretariat was syndicated (in which shares were purchased for breeding rights) for a then-record $6.08 million. This was BEFORE he ever ran a single race as a 3-year old.
The pressure on the Secretariat team because of that, like I said, was HUGE.
But Secretariat was a different animal. And his performances in the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes in 1973 was an utter joy to behold. And it gives me chills to this day to re-watch this unique athletes performances to this day.
- In the Kentucky Derby, besides running the 1-1/4 mile faster than any horse in history and since, he also did what no other horse had done before him and since: he ran each quarter mile of the race faster than the one before it. Of each of the 5 quarter miles in the race, he accelerated and got faster as he ran. He *never* slowed down. His quarter mile splits in the '73 Derby were 25 1/5, 24, 23 4/5, 23 2/5, and 23. When he crossed the finish line he was STILL accelerating. His time for the mile and a quarter was 1:59 2/5 which remains a record to this day.
- For many years, Secretariat was not credited with the fastest Preakness time, though the vast majority of professional race people knew that he broke the record in 1973. The Preakness's electronic timer malfunctioned for the '73 race. The infield timer posted 1:55. The Maryland Race Commission, however, recognized a hand-time of 1:54 2/5 from the Pimlico Race Course clocker. The Daily Racing Form at that time claimed a time of 1:53 2/5. But the Maryland Racing Commission let the hand-time stand for years (the track record was 1:54 by Canonero II in 1971). After a special appeal by Penny Chenery (Secretariat's owner in 1973) in 2012, companies were hired to conduct forensic reviews of the tapes of the 1973 race. Those reviews revealed that Secretariat ran the 1973 Preakness Stakes at a now-official time of 1:53 establishing him (23 years after his death) as holding the fastest ever time for the Preakness Stakes.
- Secretariat then went on to win the Belmont Stakes by the widest margin of victory in Belmont history... 31 lengths. His time in this race is still a record at 2:24.
This post was edited on 5/18/14 at 11:00 am
17
Posted on 5/17/14 at 8:19 pm to beatbammer
Probably had a huge dick too
Posted on 5/17/14 at 8:30 pm to beatbammer
quote:
"He is moving like a TREMENDOUS MACHINE!"
Most goosebumps I've ever experienced from a sporting event.
Posted on 5/17/14 at 8:31 pm to beatbammer
Cliff notes?
Posted on 5/17/14 at 8:36 pm to beatbammer
Similar thread last week, but love talking about the greatest racehorse ever.
My favorite Secretariat moment: Going into the 1st turn at Pimlico in the Preakness he was dead last. When the came out of the turn he was charging into 1st and never looked back. The fastest move I have ever seen. The true GOAT!
My favorite Secretariat moment: Going into the 1st turn at Pimlico in the Preakness he was dead last. When the came out of the turn he was charging into 1st and never looked back. The fastest move I have ever seen. The true GOAT!
Posted on 5/17/14 at 8:40 pm to beatbammer
There will never be another horse as good as Secretariat.
Posted on 5/17/14 at 9:06 pm to kywildcatfanone
quote:
My favorite Secretariat moment: Going into the 1st turn at Pimlico in the Preakness he was dead last. When the came out of the turn he was charging into 1st and never looked back. The fastest move I have ever seen. The true GOAT!
Outside of the 31-length win at Belmont, maybe the most astounding thing to watch.
He was passing them like they were standing still.
Posted on 5/17/14 at 9:33 pm to beatbammer
Posted on 5/17/14 at 9:52 pm to kidbourbon
Yeah, whomever doped that hose was wayyyy ahead of their time.
Posted on 5/17/14 at 9:57 pm to beatbammer
It is so fascinating, even personally, how a horse like Secretariat or the many others who have tried to take his crown, get people so emotional. 
Posted on 5/17/14 at 10:05 pm to beatbammer
quote:
Secretariat then went on to win the Belmont Stakes by the widest margin of victory in Belmont history... 31 lengths. His time in this race is still a record at 2:25.
Posted on 5/17/14 at 10:07 pm to beatbammer
I guess I didn't realize just how fast secretariat was in comparison to other horses...man, he destroyed that shite...
Posted on 5/17/14 at 10:09 pm to Spankum
I am not sure if there has been ANY more dominant feat in sports history...............
Posted on 5/17/14 at 10:32 pm to dukke v
quote:
I am not sure if there has been ANY more dominant feat in sports history...............
I agree. The longer the race the stronger he got. You won't ever see anything like that again.
Posted on 5/17/14 at 10:37 pm to beatbammer
quote:
In the Kentucky Derby, besides running the 1-1/4 mile faster than any horse in history and since, he also did what no other horse had done before him and since: he ran each quarter mile of the race faster than the one before it.
Of each of the 5 quarter miles in the race, he accelerated and got faster as he ran. He *never* slowed down. His quarter mile splits in the '73 Derby were 25 1/5, 24, 23 4/5, 23 2/5, and 23. When he crossed the finish line he was STILL accelerating. His time for the mile and a quarter was 1:59 2/5 which remains a record to this day.
That is incredible.
Posted on 5/17/14 at 10:37 pm to beatbammer
quote:
For CBS Television, Anderson authored the two most famous calls in horse-racing history—and two of the most famous sportscasts in TV history—the Triple Crown clinchings in the Belmont Stakes of 1973 and 1978.
He was behind the CBS Television mic on June 9, 1973, when Derby and Preakness Stakes winner Secretariat tried to become the first horse in a quarter century to win the Crown. A stunned Anderson punctuated Big Red's powerful move on the final turn of the '73 Belmont this way, focusing on Secretariat while still keeping tabs on the other horses' positions:
quote:
They're on the turn, and Secretariat is blazing along! The first three-quarters of a mile in 1:09 and four fifths. Secretariat is widening now! He is moving like a tremendous machine! Secretariat by twelve, Secretariat by fourteen lengths on the turn! Sham is dropping back. It looks like they'll catch him today, as My Gallant and Twice a Prince are both coming up to him now. But Secretariat is all alone! He's out there almost a sixteenth of a mile away from the rest of the horses! Secretariat is in a position that seems impossible to catch. He's into the stretch. Secretariat leads this field by 18 lengths, and now Twice a Prince has taken second and My Gallant has moved back to third. They're in the stretch. Secretariat has opened a 22 length lead! He is going to be the Triple Crown winner! Here comes Secretariat to the wire. An unbelievable, an amazing performance! He hits the finish 25 lengths in front! It's going to be Twice a Prince second, My Gallant third, Private Smiles fourth, and Sham, who had it today, dropped back to fifth.
A few minutes later, reviewing the videotape of Secretariat's stretch romp, Anderson humbly admitted it was hard to count lengths as Big Red raced toward home. "I said twenty-five," Anderson said. "It could conceivably have been more."
In fact, the champion's winning margin was fully 31 lengths—a distance it took careful examination of videotape and trackside photographs to measure. Secretariat was so far ahead when he crossed the finish line that the TV camera operator had to pan to the left to pick up the rest of the field, in lieu of leaving an "empty" track in the viewer's line of sight for a few seconds.
This post was edited on 5/17/14 at 10:39 pm
Posted on 5/17/14 at 10:42 pm to Hat Tricks
Was the most incredible and dominate performance ever.
Period.
Period.
Posted on 5/17/14 at 11:23 pm to beatbammer
quote:
He was passing them like they were standing still.
Yeah, and it was early in the race too, not like he was catching him when they were tiring. When you see him come into the picture on the far turn, he is 5th, and about 10 strides later, he is first and leaving them.
Unreal.
Posted on 5/17/14 at 11:42 pm to kywildcatfanone
At the time of Secretariat's death, the veterinarian who performed the necropsy, Dr. Thomas Swerczek, head pathologist at the University of Kentucky, did not weigh Secretariat's heart, but stated, "We just stood there in stunned silence. We couldn’t believe it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretariat_(horse)#Death
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretariat_(horse)#Death
quote:
A necropsy revealed his heart was significantly larger than that of an ordinary horse.
quote:
The heart was perfect. There were no problems with it. It was just this huge engine." Later, Swerczek also performed a necropsy on Sham, who died in 1993. Swerczek did weigh Sham's heart, and it was 18 pounds (8.2 kg). Based on Sham's measurement, and having necropsied both horses, he estimated Secretariat's heart probably weighed 22 pounds (10.0 kg), or about two-and-three-quarters times as large as that of the average horse.
Posted on 5/17/14 at 11:55 pm to beatbammer
P.S. For those who want to read a fantastic book about Secretariat, try "Secretariat: The Making of a Champion" by William Nack.
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