The Kentucky Derby and Great Horses
Oh my, its been a while since I've posted. I have been busy working on my classes and my reading list for the summer so I can do my comps in the fall. It's an intimidating list, but at least its mostly been approved.
This weekend is the Kentucky Derby, and I have to admit that though I don't spend much time paying attention to horse racing during the year, the Triple Crown is special. My good friend H is a Kentucky Derby fanatic, as her mother was from Louisville, and she would always have a big party. But I must say: I hate mint julips. That drink just sucks.
Anyways, I thought I would come back to the blog by listing my top 5 favorite race horses from my memory. Note that this is not from all time, just my memory. If you doubt my choices, go to youtube and see the races for yourself. I'll go in reverse order.
5) Barbaro.
I know it's recent, but how could you not be impressed by Barbaro's victory in the Kentucky Derby last year? And what an expectation for the Preakness and the Triple Crown? But then there was his breakdown in the Preakness and the long, terrible wait for his eventual euthanasia. A true tragedy. What could have been.
4) Affirmed.
Affirmed could go much higher. A great horse that was locked in the greatest rivalry maybe ever in horse racing. In any other year, Alydar may have won the Triple Crown. But in 1978 he was locked against Affirmed. The Belmont Stakes that year was a classic to make all classics, with the two horses (Alydar had finished second in both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes) running nose to nose all the way down the massive Belmont home stretch. I must admit that the moment the race happened, I was bowling in the state championships (I was 10). Later, when I saw the highlights, I was transfixed. I thought Alydar was finally going to win. Oh, man. What a race.
3) Seattle Slew.
I loved this horse. Still, to this day, the only horse to win the Triple Crown undefeated. And, they didn't stop racing him, like they do today. The Slew kept racing well into his fours, as did Affirmed and Secretariat. Shame they don't do that anymore. Race horses have become too fragile due to inbreeding and stud money. Barbaro ran something like 6 races. Seabuscuit ran something like 100. We are creating a fragile creature that won't be able to do anything before too long.
2) Secretariat.
Big Red. Maybe the best horse of all time. At the time of his death, the autopsy showed that his heart was four times larger than the ordinary horse heart. That would explain his power and stamina. Who can ever forget that 31 length win at the
Belmont in 1973 to win the Triple Crown? This was a powerhouse. A special horse.
1) Ruffian.
But for me, the greatest horse I remember, even better than the epic Secretariat, was the awesome Ruffian. And also one of the greatest tragedies of all of racing. Ruffian was a filly, a beautiful dark brown, almost black, filly. And she was CRAZY when it came to winning. She had never been beaten. Not only that, she had never been HEADED. She toyed with the fields she ran against. So, after she won the filly Triple Crown, in the spirit of the times in 1975, when the "battle of the sexes" was the big thing, a match race was set up between Ruffian and Kentucky Derby winner Foolish Pleasure.
You don"t see Match Races anymore, and for good reason. They demand that horses run all out for an entire race, and horses today can't do that. And the Ruffian match race had a lot to do with that as well.
At Belmont that day, the match race started on the back stretch. After being close for a while, Ruffian took the lead by a head, as she usually did. Then, her leg snapped. What was even more awful is that Ruffian was such a competitor that she kept running. It took forever for her jockey to stop her. By then, her bones were dust. They did surgery, but Ruffian couldn't deal with the restraints (unlike Barbaro) and thrashed around. The next morning, they euthanized her. Crazy sad.
This weekend is the Kentucky Derby, and I have to admit that though I don't spend much time paying attention to horse racing during the year, the Triple Crown is special. My good friend H is a Kentucky Derby fanatic, as her mother was from Louisville, and she would always have a big party. But I must say: I hate mint julips. That drink just sucks.
Anyways, I thought I would come back to the blog by listing my top 5 favorite race horses from my memory. Note that this is not from all time, just my memory. If you doubt my choices, go to youtube and see the races for yourself. I'll go in reverse order.
5) Barbaro.
I know it's recent, but how could you not be impressed by Barbaro's victory in the Kentucky Derby last year? And what an expectation for the Preakness and the Triple Crown? But then there was his breakdown in the Preakness and the long, terrible wait for his eventual euthanasia. A true tragedy. What could have been.
4) Affirmed.
Affirmed could go much higher. A great horse that was locked in the greatest rivalry maybe ever in horse racing. In any other year, Alydar may have won the Triple Crown. But in 1978 he was locked against Affirmed. The Belmont Stakes that year was a classic to make all classics, with the two horses (Alydar had finished second in both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes) running nose to nose all the way down the massive Belmont home stretch. I must admit that the moment the race happened, I was bowling in the state championships (I was 10). Later, when I saw the highlights, I was transfixed. I thought Alydar was finally going to win. Oh, man. What a race.
3) Seattle Slew.
I loved this horse. Still, to this day, the only horse to win the Triple Crown undefeated. And, they didn't stop racing him, like they do today. The Slew kept racing well into his fours, as did Affirmed and Secretariat. Shame they don't do that anymore. Race horses have become too fragile due to inbreeding and stud money. Barbaro ran something like 6 races. Seabuscuit ran something like 100. We are creating a fragile creature that won't be able to do anything before too long.
2) Secretariat.
Big Red. Maybe the best horse of all time. At the time of his death, the autopsy showed that his heart was four times larger than the ordinary horse heart. That would explain his power and stamina. Who can ever forget that 31 length win at the
Belmont in 1973 to win the Triple Crown? This was a powerhouse. A special horse.
1) Ruffian.
But for me, the greatest horse I remember, even better than the epic Secretariat, was the awesome Ruffian. And also one of the greatest tragedies of all of racing. Ruffian was a filly, a beautiful dark brown, almost black, filly. And she was CRAZY when it came to winning. She had never been beaten. Not only that, she had never been HEADED. She toyed with the fields she ran against. So, after she won the filly Triple Crown, in the spirit of the times in 1975, when the "battle of the sexes" was the big thing, a match race was set up between Ruffian and Kentucky Derby winner Foolish Pleasure.
You don"t see Match Races anymore, and for good reason. They demand that horses run all out for an entire race, and horses today can't do that. And the Ruffian match race had a lot to do with that as well.
At Belmont that day, the match race started on the back stretch. After being close for a while, Ruffian took the lead by a head, as she usually did. Then, her leg snapped. What was even more awful is that Ruffian was such a competitor that she kept running. It took forever for her jockey to stop her. By then, her bones were dust. They did surgery, but Ruffian couldn't deal with the restraints (unlike Barbaro) and thrashed around. The next morning, they euthanized her. Crazy sad.
posted by cc at
8:53 PM
9 Comments:
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From the Left Coast...(cant remember my password to log in under the kenaitroller moniker)
Ah, horses. The sport of kings! Always been a favorite of mine and my Kentucky Derby memories have a Collins beginning... Whether you remember or not, I used to babysit you from time to time and one of those times (i think actually it was probably two years), was the first saturday in May. Your mother bought pizza, you slept, and I had the opportunity to experience the greatest two minutes in sports, in all its pomp and glory. Don't remember who won those races, but do fondly recall my introduction to the sport.
Since then my fascination has always been with the ponies. When we lived in Cypress, Los Alamitos Race Track was a couple miles away; and the group of friends I hung out with tended toward hanging at the track, especially when we all turned 18. Had the opportunity to see Seattle Slew get beat for the first time at Hollywood Park (J.O. Tobin if i recall), even have a losing parimutuel ticket and program from that race somewhere. Anyway, because of television, the majestic beauty and awesome speed of these animals is lost. To see these animals in person, to hear the hoof beats, the snorting, the flared nostrils, etc. is an amazing thing to behold - most would be suprised that these animals are sometimes going near 40 miles per hour! I would implore anyone who has never seen a race live to do so, its a great experience....thanks for the post.
Good to see you're back at it and making progress to your comps.
H. will debate you on your placement of Secretaaaariat;)
Lisa
Hey Dave,
I remember watching the '78 Derby with you when you were living with us. If I remember, you had Alydar that day. Oh well. Still some great racing that year.
yeah, Lisa, H is pretty obsessed with that horse. I remember her going hysterical when a horse beat 2 minutes a few years back.
steve
Hey, Dave, I just saw a youtube about Seattle Slew and you are right. You got the horse right who beat the Slew.
Pretty cool you were there.
steva
i think i might even have pictures, and come to think about it, that was probably my first 'mosh pit'experience - me and 50,000 of my closest friends, right down on the finish line.
very cool list. i know next to nothing about the history of horse racing and/or the history of the racing industry, but this entry makes me want to read some more. any good books on the subject you might recommend?
-brent s.
Good stuff, Steve. Like Brent, I'll happily read any suggestions you might have on horse racing, or anything else you might care to post on the matter.
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