Secretariat's 3yo losses

[DrugSalvastore]

I have all but one of Secretariat's 21 lifetime races on tape, from gate-to-wire. I also have his lifetime pp's. So, if anyone cares, while I have nothing else to do now, here are my thoughts on his 3yo losses...

I've always found it amusing how these romantic excuses have to pop up when a great horse losses. "Big Red's" loss in the '73 Wood Memorial was blamed on an "undiscovered tooth abscess." My own personal opinion is that the loss had as much (likely more) to do with the circumstances of the race, than it did with his toothache.

The winner Angle Light was allowed to gallop easily on an uncontested lead. Second place finisher Sham was 2nd all the way around the track. Secretariat, on the other hand, was hung up four wide the entire way around the first turn in next-to-last place. He made a four wide rally around the 2nd turn, but lost his punch late and finished 3rd to a pair of horses with incredibly easier trips.

Despite the miserable 4-wide on both turn, close nicely into a slow pace trip, he still beat Champagne Charlie by 1.5 lengths. A horse he had beaten by 3 lengths and 4 lengths in his prior two starts. The Wood was Angle Light's only lifetime stakes win--but it did come at the expense of Sham, and a "Big Red" who had to suffer through a dreadful trip with that toothache.

The loss in the Whitney to Onion was a black mark on "Big Red." Onion is a horse who raced 54 times in his career--and his only lifetime stakes win was the Whitney!..over Secretariat for crying out loud! This loss at 1-to-10 odds is by far the hardest to excuse. Yes, "Big Red" got a bad ride, he was moved quite prematurely by Turcotte, through a narrow seem inside of Onion. He didn't seem comfortable at all running in tight, and was never able to get on even terms with Onion. He got tired very late, and almost lost 2nd. Still, Onion is the kind of horse he should have for breakfest. After this loss, Turcotte will make a point to keep Secretariat very wide in his remaining dirt races.

The third loss was in the Woodward, and it had to be one of the worst rides in the history of horse racing. Prove Out leads through a slow half in 50 flat, Secretariat is sitting right off of him, for some reason Turcotte starts pumping hard on Secretariat. He quickly overwhelms Prove Out with just under a mile left to run in the 12 furlong Woodward---and opens up a two length lead while under a brisk hand ride. He's basically letting the horse go full steam down the BROBDINGNAGIAN Belmont Park backstretch. He runs a 23.40 third quarter! This idiotic ride gets even worse! Turcotte keeps the horse five-to-six wide through the far turn, unless there was some evidence of a dead rail bias, I'll never understand that move! Jorge Velazquez keeps Prove Out inside of Secretariat on the far turn (you could have driven three semi's through the opening!) and blows by the 1-to-5 favorite off the turn, and draws off to a 4.5 length win...while carrying 7lbs more than Big Red.

Prove Out ran 39 times in his life, he won three stake races, and seven races overall. Secretariat was incredibly brilliant at times---but three 3yo losses to some pretty unspectacular horses, at 1-to-5, 1-to-10, and 1-to-5 hurt his claim to the throne as greatest race horse ever. It's hard to ignore the brillance of ten or eleven of his lifetime wins, wins that were breathtaking, but I would cast a vote for Spectacular Bid as the greatest horse ever---based on what I've seen on film from 'Bid. Still, anyone who thinks Ron Turcotte rode Secretariat well is crazy, he put four HORRIBLE rides on this horse---and even his ride in the Belmont Stakes was really a lousy tactical ride. He didn't need to engage Sham in a speed duel that day. The only way he could have lost the Belmont was if he burned the horse out--but as hard as Turcotte tried, nothing was going to burn him out on that day.

[highnote]

Thanks. Very interesting.

[classhandicapper]

In Steve Davidowitz's book he said the rail was dead the day Secretariat lost to Onion.

[toetoe]

Drugs,
Thanks for taking a fresh look at sacred Secretariat. I still must put Red and Affirmed above SBid, but it is worthwhile deconstructing the Sec phenomenon. Beyer and/or Davidowitz have written that the Onion race was kinda excusable, but that Prove Out could beat Kelly Reno and the Black Stallion that day, that it was comparable to Sec's Belmont, I guess. I definitely DO want to give credit to Onion and PO, but I just think Sec didn't fire 100% those days. The Wood Memorial is easier to take. I think he had been off his feed, and was coming back to his best gradually. This year's Wood reminded us of how 'biased', 'weird' or call-it-what-you-will AQ becomes, at times. Turcotte rode some bonehead races, but the rides alone couldn't beat him. Oh, yeah. Davidowitz' big thing was a 3-y-o giving weight in August to elders. Generally, a super-solid, steadfast rule, but again, not enough by itself to beat mighty Sec. Hey, if not for an offtrack in the 1972 Preakness, maybe Meadow Stable, Laurin and Turcotte would have TWO TC's in a row. '74 sees Forego starting to crank up. '75, Foolish Pleasure, Avatar, Wajima, et al. '76, Bold Forbes, Honest Pleasure. '77, S. Slew, '78 Affirmed and Alydar, '79 SBid, whew. Those were heady days.

[rokitman]

I always thought the Belmont was a grossly prematurely move that he got away with, to say the least. Maybe that's where Stewart Elliot got the idea on Smarty Jones. If you recall, "the next Secretariat" talk had started prior to the Belmont. I don't buy that the other riders cost him that race. Elliot rode him like he was "the next Secretariat" and he wasn't.

[Turntime]

Interesting analysis on the trips of Secretariats 3 losses as a 3yo. There were other circumstances surrounding those losses from what I remember.

I have to believe that Sec's loss in the Wood Memorial was mostly due to the abcess ( or as toetoe says he was off his feed) only because of how brilliant he was only 2 weeks later in the Derby - granted his trip didn't help. In the Whitney I believe it was discovered after the race that Secretariat had a viral infection, which could help explain his rather poor effort. In the Woodward, if my memory is correct, Secretariat was a last minute entrant in place of Riva Ridge due to the off track and was not trained properly for the race. He was also coming off a world record run in the Marlboro 2 weeks earlier and may have suffered a bounce (an unheard of term in those days).

I was there at the Belmont and it's something I'll never forget. He seemed to be able to do things that were beyond the physical capabilities of a racehorse.
His losses only serve to remind us of the limitations of flesh and blood.

[Skanoochies]

Does he not still hold or is tied with the three records of the triple crown? Worth noting IMO. He`s still my favorite of all time. :)

[highnote]

Does he not still hold or is tied with the three records of the triple crown? Worth noting IMO. He`s still my favorite of all time. :)

I think he set the track record at CD for 10f. He set the track and world record in the Belmont for 12f.

The timer malfunctioned in the Preakness. By using the film footage it was estimated that he set the track record in the Preakness, too.

[kev]

See now when a good horse nowdays win and is talked up, people will knock their wins they will say the pace was this or the outside of the track was the place to be, but now it's Big Red he had a reason why he lost. Here's my take, I was looking at this about 2 weeks ago, soon as he started running with the older's he started to lose some, maybe it was due to the hard races in the TC or just maybe something else. Ok the turf races, turf is another ball game ( but the fact he won a G1 on it is great ) he lost 2 out of 3 vs older. Now I don't know if those races had many older horses in there or what. The record breaking for 12F will stand forever, they don't run many at that distance do they, so sad?? Maybe someone could answer this, I heard it from someone just wanted to know if there is a way of telling. The horses he beat in the Belmont, done of them ever came back to win?? Was they that weak or did he make them feel like sh*t for the rest of their life's??

[toetoe]

Kev,

I admit he beat absolutely nothing in the Belmont. Sham was a shell of his former self, stubbornly sent hard in the Belmont and put away wet. Sham at his best came within 2 1/2 lengths of Sec in the KD, and with the exception of Linda's Chief was clearly the second best soph of '73.
I also know that Seattle Slew beat up on horses that belonged in M. Ali's Bum-Of-The-Month Club, with the exc. of Cormorant, maybe. Not every champ has someone like Alydar to flatter him. Alydar beat older by TEN that summer of '78. I would love to see Afleet Alex vs. older; sparks would fly. Lost In The Fog? They're taking their time, but it seems they will go vs. elders in the BC Sprint. Funny, but that may be the easiest Gr.1, assuming a good trip, for a classy speedball. Good luck to him.

[46zilzal]

I have been lucky enough to have seen, first hand, many a great human athlete who were really impressive, but on Novermb 5, 1985 on a cold afternoon, I witnessed PALPABLE greatness in just being around the greatest (then) living athlete I could hope for. Dr. George Pratt called him a "mountain of muscle" and if stated that if you entered his abilities into a biomechanical program "smoke would come out the back." He was in the FIRST stall at Claiborne where his father had stood, and was led out into his paddock and it was as if looking at a horse God he was so amazing. When he finally came back my way so that I could take his photo, I actually felt the hair stand up on my neck. THAT NEVERED HAPPENED around any of the other good ones I ever visited (Slew, Bid, Mr. Prospector, Exceller, In Reality, Damascus, Nijinsky, Cougar, ACK ACK, ETC.)

If this guy had won just a few races, his Triple would forever have elevated him to the status of a horse immortal in my book.

NOT another like him

[Ron]

It's too bad there isn't a horse running today that we'll talk about like this years from now.

[kingfin66]

And thanks to you, 46, for the picture of Secretariat that is proudly displayed as my wallpaper. A great picture of a great champion.

[DrugSalvastore]

Maybe someone could answer this, I heard it from someone just wanted to know if there is a way of telling. The horses he beat in the Belmont, done of them ever came back to win?? Was they that weak or did he make them feel like sh*t for the rest of their life's??

The horses behind "Big Red" in the Belmont never did much of anything after that. The 2nd place finisher (beaten 31 lengths!) was a horse named Twice A Prince. Twice A Prince was 3-for-23 lifetime, never won a stake race, and made just over 90K in his life. Not exactly a superstar!

Who he beat in the Belmont is pretty pointless, it was the way he did it that matters.

[DrugSalvastore]

Spectacular Bid, on film, is the best horse I've ever seen. Here's why.

* A 24-for-24 lifetime record between the distances of 7 furlongs to 1 1/4 miles. That includes 14 Grade 1 wins, 7 track records, at 15 different race tracks over an exceptionally deep collection of real good horses. Let's not forget the overwhelming majority of top dirt races today are run between 7 furlongs and 1 1/4 miles.

A big distinction I want to make between 'Bid and Big Red---Secretariat lost races, to some pretty unimpressive horses, when things went against him. Spectacular Bid overcame some horrible trips, to beat some pretty nice horses, in efforts that left an impression suggesting nothing could ever beat him.

I am FAR more forgiving than most when it comes to Spectacular Bid's two embarassing losses at the distance of 1 1/2 miles. It's where the pedigree nut in me comes out.

The Bid's female family was mainly Northern Cal sprinters, his mother and a sibling of hers set a track record at fair circuits, at distances of 5.5 furlongs, in Northern Cal. He did get stamina (and more speed) from his sire, who was a son of Bold Ruler, but overall, you can't expect a horse bred like that to do anything at 12 furlongs.

From the look of his female family, you would think his breeding was better suited to quarter horse racing, than to 12 furlong racing against world class opposition.

Let's not forget that this horse had more raw speed than Secretariat, and NO ONE ever passed this horse in his 28 lifetime starts in races of 1 1/4 miles or less. If you assume Big Red would beat this horse, than you must assume he will do it by circling around 'Bid. I just don't see that.

The trip Franklin gave 'Bid in the Florida Derby was amusing! The Preakness is another story though--Angel Cordero Jr. should have been fined for his ride in the Preakness--that one wasn't Franklin's fault. Cordero floated Spectacular Bid out about 15 paths early on in that race. Out of the first turn, and down the backstretch, Bid was much closer to the outside fence than he was to the rail. That was dirty and MUCH worse than what Bailey did on Eddington. The Bid still won the race anyway...and he did it in faster offical time than Slew, Affirmed, or Secretariat did.

[classhandicapper]

Let's not forget that the 2nd time Bid lost at 12 furlongs it was to Affirmed (another super champion), the pace was extremely slow, Affirmed had the jump on him, the rail was bad, and Shoemaker moved inside of Affirmed.

[ezpace]

the bid at 25 enjoying life last year..

http://oldfriendsequine.com/images/bid.jpg


also Drugz.... Giant killer Jerkens trained 2 of those horses tha beat BIG RED fwiw. Also track condition was factor in one correct??

[Observer]

Sadly Spectacular Bid died at the age of 27 on June 9, 2003.
:(

Spectacular Bid (http://horseracing.about.com/cs/famoushorses/a/aa061003a.htm)

[toetoe]

Cute little coincidence --- Procne, the dam of Flying Paster, ran at least once in alw/clm ranks against Spectacular, dam of SBid, in SoCal. Breeders must always see the next superbroodmare around the corner. Keeps 'em young.

[rokitman]

Sadly Spectacular Bid died at the age of 27 on June 9, 2003.
:(

Spectacular Bid (http://horseracing.about.com/cs/famoushorses/a/aa061003a.htm)

That's an impressive list of track records.

[delayjf]

My only problem with the Bid was he never really beat anybody. The one great horse (Affirmed) he raced against, he was beaten by. Who did he beat on the West Coast?? Flying Paster

[falconridge]

My only problem with the Bid was he never really beat anybody. The one great horse (Affirmed) he raced against, he was beaten by. Who did he beat on the West Coast?? Flying Paster
While I believe delayjf's assertion (about Spectacular Bid's not having beaten much in his otherwise illustrious 30-race career) to be generally true, the two examples he cites compel me to speak up on Bid's--and at least one of his opponents'--behalf. In the Jockey Club Gold Cup, where Bid met the undeniably great Affirmed, the Harbor View chestnut, in the prime of his career, held a decided--even critical--tactical edge over Bert Firestone's year-younger grey, and, as great horses do, exploited it to the full. Moreover, the Bid had a bit of a rough trip that day, perhaps the only one he had to suffer once Bud Delp made the long-overdue switch from the inept Ronnie Franklin to the masterful Bill Shoemaker.

As regards Flying Paster, I feel as strongly now as I did during the early months of his and Bid's four-year-old season that the Gummo colt was as unlucky as a race horse could be to have reached the career pinnacle of his form just when Bid was at his best. In the San Fernando, Paster came up just a length and a half short to the colt that would go undefeated in nine starts and garner every vote cast in the Horse of the Year balloting. B.J. Ridder's charge prepared for the "rematch" in the Strub two weeks later by drilling a mile in a head-spinning 1:33 2/5--faster than the Santa Anita record for the distance. As he had in the San Fernando, the Cal-bred bravely challenged the Marylander in the Strub, but again to no avail. My impression when I saw those races was that no other horse then in training could have resisted Flying Paster's late kick. Spectacular Bid did so with apparent ease.

Though he raced into his five-year-old season and banked well over a million dollars (one of only a very few Cal-breds to have amassed seven-figure earnings at that time), Flying Paster compiled a career race record that doesn't begin to show what an exceptional horse he really was--or what he might have become. But for the Bid, the Paster might yet be remembered not only as one of the greatest Cal-breds ever, but as one of the elite runners of the modern era. True, he didn't long maintain the exceptional form of the early months of his four-year-old season, but I suspect that any horse who had given his all only to fall to the Bid four times in a row would show the effects of a broken heart. Whatever else, or however little else, Spectacular Bid may have beaten, he whipped an awfully good colt when he tussled with Flying Paster.

--Falconridge