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***GDG--40 Years Ago Today--PERFECTION!!--GDG**

8K views 52 replies 30 participants last post by  duk4me 
#1 ·


How many saw it?
How many cheered and had a tear in your living room??

If it doesn't bring a tear to your eye now, somethin' is wrong!!!!!


The GREATEST of ALL TIME!!!
 
#4 ·
sorry Stan.
I was 8
family had 1 black and white in the living room and 3 channels came in.
Well 2 if I was not holding the rabbit ears.
when we wanted to see horses run we looked out the north door when Granpa would fire up the D-8
but gosh that 1 horse ran so much faster than the rest. Hardly seemed fair! He musta been on drugs;-)
 
#5 ·
I saw it. As was said before of another "great", (Man 'O War) Secretariat was racing his shadow. I do not believe there will be another. Racing is a dying sport with the only players out for the quick score. The planning for breedings like this takes generations of devotion.

What is sad, is that in any other year Sham would have been a legend. In the 1973 Belmont, a big heart was broken.
 
#6 ·
It was truly an amazing performance!

Though someone evidently hates horses.............
 
#8 ·
......Though someone evidently hates horses.............
well, not hate.........
every dairy farmers little girl has a horse.
every one of my friends, and I, worked on dairy farms.
Having shoveled at them from the front and away from them in the back.
Hosed them brushed them kicked and bitten by them.
we have agreed not to like each other.
if God ment us to ride horses he would not have made the Honda CR125M!
That is what teenage farmboys in my hood rode in the late '70's :cool:
 
#12 ·
I was only 6 years old when that race was run and I did not see it, but the first time I did see that video I was in awe. I just showed it to my daughter yesterday. We have a grandson of Secretariat (retired race horse) on my dad's farm and I had told her (she's 9) that he is a grandson of Secretariat, but she didn't know who that was. She does now. After I showed her the Belmont footage she wanted to see the Derby and Preakness as well, which we also watched on YouTube. I would like to see another Triple Crown winner, but there will never be another Secretariat IMO. Did you know he set the record in all 3 races of the Triple Crown and still holds all 3? Also still holds the track record at Churchill Downs for any race of 1.25 miles.
 
#13 ·
Not only that but his Belmont win is the fastest 1.50 miles ever run in America. Probably in the world but that is a hard one to substantiate. He ran the 1.50 miles in 2:24 this years was run in 2:30.7. A rule of thumb but not highly accurate is 5 lengths per second. So he would roughly have been 33 lengths ahead of this bunch.

At his autopsy they measured his heart. I don't recall the measurements but it was considerably larger than the average tbred. His heart was huge in more ways than size though.:)
 
#14 ·
Sham ran from the pack and closed hard in the shorter Derby and Preakness races, as I recall. The trainer tried a different strategy of getting out and running with the big horse in the Belmont, and clearly that was a mistake. The small field for this race was due to not many wanting to run for 3rd behind the horse of the decade and as 2tall mentioned, a horse that would have won the triple crown most other years.
 
#15 ·
Truly a great race, unfortunately for the rest of the field one great horse showed up! After all the years it still makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck.
 
#17 ·
I was 8 and remember watching it. Didn't realize how impressive it was at the time, but glad I remember it. I was at my grandparents house watching on black and white. Don't remember our family being that into horse racing and had no idea why everyone was for Secretatiat.
 
#20 ·
I do remember seeing it and being excited as we were all pulling for him. Did not realize till a long time later how special that performance was. Still gives me goose bumps just thinking about it. One of the most amazing athletes of all times.
 
#21 ·
I watched it, still do every year they replay it during Derby week, and whoever posted about the great horse Sham, in any other year he would have been a Triple Crown winner himself...I liked the movie the did about Secretariat with Diane Lane cast as Penny Chenery, almost as good as the Seabisquit movie
 
#25 ·
I'm sure patriotism play's a part ?..a truly memorable event for those that associate,much like discussing the best boxer of all time or times of those that are either patriotic or in the know?
Australians I her argue that black caviar was the best ever!! Better than Frankel ?,but then I say 'Maybe we have not seen the best ever-Yet'?
 
#26 ·
Black Caviar was a great sprinter, Frankel an incredible grass horse named after an incredible trainer, and Secretariat was a great 3 yr old that could do it on all surfaces and distances. Secretariats 6 furlong split was 1:09 and he still had six furlongs to run in the Belmont. Incredible. Oh and don't leave out Black Ruby she was a hell of a race mule.

I'm not a fan of comparing equine or human athletes that perform in different events. Its like comparing Edwin Moses to Usain Bolt. It simply cannot be done. Lets celebrate all of their accomplishments.
 
#30 ·
Hey' duk4me,
Horses for courses.. Then lets include Sea The Stars!!! Never lost a race over 6, 7 furlongs.. A mile mile 1/4. Mile & 1/2 mile & 3/4... So if its various distances & surfaces that makes the best ever!!! Than it must be him!!! I not a great historian but I ask the yanks if they have ever had 1 like this???
 
#34 ·
Yes any horse that wins the Arc, argueably sp the most prestigious race in the world, deserves mention.

This isn't a pissing contest merely a celebration of a great moment in American Turf history. Interesting though Sea The Stars pedigree is about as international as it gets. Ireland, Germany, and USA. A great horse. Actually he did lose a race. He was 8 of 9 if I recall correctly.
 
#32 ·
I remember watching Secretariat on TV in all 3 of his Triple Crown races, but didn't realize how spectacular his Belmont run was until later. It's still amazing to watch 40 years later. About 20 years ago, I sold a horse farm for the heirs of the deceased owner, who'd been a small time Thoroughbred breeder. They let me have a jockey's bat autographed by Ron Turcotte. I have no idea if it was ever actually used on any horse, much less Secretariat, it was far too clean looking to have been used much if at all. But I never used it when I was riding regularly. However, when I found it about 6 or 7 years ago in a box in my tackroom, I started using it as a heeling stick for the dogs. Just noticed this wk. the autograph is wearing off....maybe I should put it back on display. FYI jockey bats make fabulous heeling sticks and most are gaudy enough they'd be hard to lose.
 
#33 ·
I watch the videos of this race on YouTube two or three times a year. There is another video fifteen minutes long that shows all the drama leading up to and after the race.

I was alive and remember the race well. I have studies the history of this race. There is so much I could tell you. The first thing that comes to mind, did you notice how tired the horses were at the finish of the Belmont this weekend? Secretariat was still accelerating past the finish line; he ran the tenth past the finish line in record time.

Also, watch his head along the backstretch, right before he goes into turn three and is just passing Sham. I swear I see him turn his head just a little and look at the track ahead into the turn, and then he begins to dig hard. Incredible horse. Greatest ever.
 
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