SECRETARIAT - great - BUT the LADY who owned him STILL GREATER!!
Just come back from seeing the new movie out - Secretariat.
Yes the famous race-horse of 1973.
The movie opens with:
There was a man many thousands of years ago, whom God spoke to
saying, "Have you given the horse its strength? Have you clothed
his neck with thunder? Can you make him afraid as like a grasshopper?
The golry of his nostrils is terrible! He paweth in the valley, and
rejoices in his strength. He goes on to meet the armed men. He
mocks at fear, and is not frightened; neither turns he his back from
the sword. The quiver rattles against him, the glittering spear
and shield. He swallows the ground with fierceness and rage: neither
believes it is the sound of the trumpet. He says among the trumpets,
ha,ha; and he smells the battle a far off, the thunder of the captains,
and the shouting."
That is taken from Job 39:19-25.
Truly the horse is mighty and strong. Used by man for the farm and for war,
over many millennium ages. He was used in the first great world war of
1914-18. He is still used by some police forces as he can be trained to be
indeed fearless in battle so to speak.
The movie about Secretariat or Big Red as some called him; a great race horse
movie for the family yes. First horse to win the famous USA triple crown in
25 years. A horse with talent indeed. BUT the movie is as much about, even
really more about, the remarkable lady that came to own him. I will tell you
no more, for the movie I recommend you see, and take your children with you.
The lady behind Big Red .... well what a gal. A lady of grit, determination,
wisdom, and huge globs of VISION and INSPIRATION she dug up from her father
and went for it, as they say you should at times, and her time had come,
and she shows and inspires you to do the same, when all seems to dictate
you should fold up and quit.
Yes this is really the story of one heck of a lady, who so happened to have
a pretty good race horse - a triple crown race horse.
Some want to say Secretariat was the greatest race horse ever. In my opinion
that is a little overboard. On an overall life of racing, I say there can be
no doubt Sea Buscuit of the late 1930s was the greatest race horse of all time.
He raced till he was 10; injured and looked like his days were over, then a
year later came back to be the best once more.
Most have never heard of Ruffian - she was a gal - never lost a race - that
movie shows she was every bit the equal of Big Red, and the trainer of
Big Red (Secretariat) in that movie says she was better than the triple crown
winner.
One race Secretariat is the most famous for was the 3rd leg of the Triple
Crown at Belmont - one and a half miles - one by 31 lengths, and set a dirt track record of 2.24.00
He was 3 years old and it was 1973. He carried a weight of 126 lbs.
But the turf track record of one and a half miles goes to a horse called Hawkster -
3 years old. Carried a weight of 121 lbs. That was in 1989 at Santa Anita Park.
He did the distance in 2.22 and 4/5.
From the Website horsehats.com that gives all the thoroughbred records, Secretariat
still hold the dirt record for 1 and 1/2 miles. BUT the WORLD record goes to
Hawkster at 2.22 and 4/5
Now that may be the only fame Hawkster ever did - a one time super good day for the
best time ever by a horse over 1 and 1/2 miles. But real fame for the greatest
race horse ever surely must belong to a horse that holds no records today on the
books, but for a life of ten years of racing and winning all the big ones, including
beating the Triple Crown winner by 4 lengths in their match race, must go to the
little horse (barely 15 HH) known as Sea Buscuit.
See the movie Secretariat for it is the story of one remarkable gal. I tip my
hat to you lady - a true inspiration!
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