Risen Star - 1988 Belmont Stakes (Dave Johnson's ABC-TV Call)

[@rebeldiamond601]

"Risen Star takes the Belmont just like his daddy Secretariat did!"

[@ScotchIrishTarheel]

Risen Star was a star indeed. With any decent trip in the Kentucky Derby he would have won, perhaps going away. Great Preakness run. But his Belmont was spectacular. A worthy son of Secretariat. But to those who note he ran the final 1/4 mile 1/5th second faster than his father . . . that was after Secretariat had run the preceding 1 1/4 mile a full 13 lengths faster than Risen Star had. Risen Star beat the field by 18 lengths, but Secretariat would have crushed Risen Star by 12 lengths in this race. Risen Star was an exceptional horse. Secretariat was Pegasus.

[@nin12dog]

Risen Star - you made your Dad Proud! what a race! He was a big, beautiful Son of Sec!

[@itshiho]

The more time goes by the more impressive that Secretariat time of 2:24 is. The closest to that are Easy Goer 2:26 and Risen Star 2:26 2/5 and those aren't even close. That just might the greatest performance in the history of sports.

[@MAA8772]

Seen this race in 1988 just like the one in 1973 gives you that same feeling of suspense toward the end an unbeleavable finish!!!

[@tomandsuehunter1]

"And down the stretch they come!" Ya just have to love Dave Johnson and his calling of these great races.

[@bbmtge]

Excellent point. As far as the Belmont, Risen Star looked like he was out for a Sunday morning jog. He made the time and the distance look incredibly easy. A lot of gas in the tank.

[@latinostallion94]

I love how the announcer says Risen Star looks like his daddy 2:52

[@Jazzgirl8888]

I love watching this video!Great race and I love to hear Dave Johnson say" He looks like his Daddy at this point!"Thanks for posting!

[@Jazzgirl8888]

I never get tired of watching this race cf ! Watching Risen Star and listening to Dave Johnson's call in this thrilling race absolutely makes my day :) I want to thank you again for giving us the opportunity to watch this excellent footage :)

[@westxlcr]

Making his dad proud!! Awesome!!

[@redbird97]

Like father like son.

[@pjny21]

He really did look like his sire, similar build and speed. Wow.

[@nin12dog]

well said! He sure looked like his Daddy as he powered down the stretch!

[@samsmith3968]

"He looks like his daddy at this point" ❤

[@chipmillard5043]

RE: The large heart gene - Princequillo (himself an excellent race horse), Secretariat's damsire (maternal grandfather) and Risen Star's great-grandfather, was also Sham's damsire; Secretariat and Sham were half-cousins. Both Secretariat and Sham had extraordinarily large hearts (Secretariat's was estimated at 22 pounds, while Sham's was weighed at 18 pounds. An average thoroughbred has about an 8 pound heart.) I remember watching the 1988 Belmont live, and when Risen Star pulled way away from the field down the stretch, I thought it must have been a little like Secretariat in 1973. (I wasn't old enough to remember watching the '73 Belmont live.)

[@Kostly]

WOW! WHat a performance. Unreal.

[@BackstretchUnderdog]

It's a terrible shame that this guy didn't get on the top 100 list. He never finished out of the money in eleven starts!

[@twoking10]

In many ways the race looks like his father's race, albeit not winning by the same margin, but still a large margin, and just pulls away from the field towards the end. Shame he got boxed in at the Kentucky or we could have had another Triple Crown winner, and to be the son of the great Secretariat, what a great story that could have been! Risen Star, largely overlooked in talk of the best of all time. By the way, the SECOND fastest in Belmont history... and the great one's son, go figure, lol.

[@jm1657]

Can you imagine how very proud dad Secretariat was? For sure he must have been watching this race & the Preakness on TV, from his home at Claiborne Farm! And how happy Penny Chenery must have felt as well. What a thrilling Triple Crown Series this was. I was sooooo conflicted! Being a female, I of course was cheering on Winning Colors. But, since I’m a a huge Secretariat fan…

[@THE0591301]

I love the way Sports Illustrated described this race. It said Risen Star won this race in "the swashbuckling style reminiscent of the old man himself." The day before this race Risen Star galloped a mile and finished off the last 3/8 mile in 33 3/5, the fastest last minute zinger ever recorded at Belmont Park at that time.

[@711ATOM]

Steven Crist in the New York Times (July 5, 1988) wrote "The drama surrounding Risen Star these days is a familiar one, a set piece played in four acts: Horse gets good. Horse gets syndicated. Horse gets hurt. Horse gets retired." Injury didn't end Risen Star's career, the ankle problem was one for which the prognosis was good, it was syndication that did the horse in. Racing needs heroes to succeed and retiring top horses at 3yrs has severely hurt it.

[@jackgotlucky]

great call by davey johnson...

[@Jude74]

He was totally undervalued as a sire, his name is all over the pedigrees of the most recent big name sires and stakes winners.

[@kathleenharris3403]

How much I love this horse I am amazed how he just laid back, toyed with the others then poured it on when he was asked to...no disrespect on Winning Colors, she took the Derby, a notoriously hard race to navigate, it's to her credit and maturity she ran it so flawlessly. RiP Star and Winning Colors ♥ ❤

[@gashrocks1]

man this is insane...m getting goosebums

[@BE109]

Correct!,I've said the exact same thing many,many times before,when someone pops off and says Secretariat was a poor sire. Some people look at just the number of stakeswinners,or if he produced runners like himself, That is not likely,Sec's sire Bold Ruler did it but it is very rare when a great racehorse sires something better than him. Many horses have the large heart gene,but it isn't the only factor. Finally from a breeding point of view,it is a key factor for me. Always zero in on mares.

[@Iwastherein1969]

I saw Risen Star break his maiden at Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, Louisiana in a 2 year old stakes race...he was amazing even then, he broke last, looked like he was out for a jog and won for fun....his talent, dare I say matched his father's but he wasn't given his 4 year old year to bloom....he would have been special at 4

[@thistleccr]

Risen Star is buried next to Sham.

[@kodiak1966]

Would have been nice to see Risen Star win the triple crown.

[@711ATOM]

From June 20, 1988 edition of SI "Like Father, Like Son" by William Nack - Joseph(Harold, Risen Star's groom) got to his feet and stepped back to admire his handiwork. "His daddy jumped out of him today!" said the groom. "He run the second fastest Belmont of all time. Second only to his daddy's 2:24 flat. Oooo! Man, I'm tellin' you! This colt told us all today: 'I'm the force to be reckoned with now. You've got to beat me.' "

[@MyAwsomo]

I'm sorry Risen Star, but your dad is still my favorite :)

[@BE109]

Secretariat has proven to be an excellent broodmare sire,top sires Storm Cat, Gone West, AP Indy all are out of Secretariat mares. He never produced a really good son to carry on his male line,he also sired the great Lady's Secret,and 55 other stakeswinners. All in all I think he did pretty good.

[@ScotchIrishTarheel]

His final quarter was 1/5th of a second faster than Secretariat's last quarter because he had run the earlier part of the race much slower than his father did. As brilliant and fast as Risen Star raced here, he was still 12 lengths slower than Secretariat.

[@jetdr]

He should have won the triple crown, he got caught in traffic in the derby. He still would have been 15 lengths behind the greatest. his daddy!

[@spicetruckin]

Risen Star and Afleet Alex have identical triple crown race records.. 3rd, 1, 1 with the Belmont win in large margins!

[@AllBobsAllTheTime]

"... and DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME!!!"

[@danielle38134]

that's how u run a race! He was horse of the year to me!!!!

[@brianreyes6927]

The toast of the FG's, heres to Louie and Ronnie. What a memory guys!!!!

[@roasted420]

@NebulizerChi i think Eddie D tapped him twice right handed at the top of the lane, and it was over. As the close-up showed, the jock kept him to task, but the race was already over. Delahoussaye seldom gets the credit he deserves as one of the all-time greats. His rides on AP Indy were impeccable.

[@heiseimonozuki]

Because the development when running through in the goal is the same as father's time, it is impressed further more.

[@winddmmy]

i was there coming down the stretch the whole crowd was yelling go big red even uncle joey then realzed and yelled go son of big red!! ps i won alot of money that day!! and just for the hell of it in the last race of the day put 20,00 across on a shot named airforbes gyspy paid nICE!!

[@wabstat]

I believe that Risen Star would have become a superhorse. He was getting better and better during the spring of '88 and had already beaten 2YO champ Forty Niner at 1 1/16 miles at Keeneland. He wanted classic distances, he could run on dirt or turf and was just growing into his massive frame at the time of his retirement. Alysheba and the '89 crop with Sunday Silence and Easy Goer were great horses, but IMO they all would have played second fiddle to RStar IF he reached his full potential.

[@kwgrid]

Wow!!

[@josephgeorge7385]

This was a great horse extremely underated, had bad ride in derby otherwise would have been kentucky derby winner.

[@NebulizerChi]

Absolutely eyepopping when he comes flying out of the turn from about 2:42 in. Yikes. I'd be most interested to see the splits of this one --he rocked those final two furlongs.

[@bulllea]

Risen Star made Secretariat proud like Big Red did it for Bold Ruler one day .

[@greenwolfegreen6028]

Risen Star was the best horse to race in the Triple Crown races who did not win the Triple. People think the Belmont is the hardest race for a great horse to win. It isn't, it is the Derby because of the size of the field. There is a huge element of luck involved in the Derby and unfortunately Risen Star drew the short straw that day. Bad luck.

[@bon1042]

Not to mention Storm Cat, and A.P. Indy out of Terlinqua and Weekend Surprise respectively, both Secretariat daughters. His maternal grandsire, Princequillo sired Something Royal, Sec's dam who passed the gene to him. Google Princequillo, there's a page called reines de course. Wonderful bio/tribute, especially the 3rd paragraph fm bottom, lovely. I think Sec looks most like Princequillo, see photo too.

[@bon1042]

Isn't it great, I just love how Dave Johnson loses it with all that feeling.

[@docinohio]

He looked just like his daddy in the final stretch...Secretariat would have been proud. Too bad he couldn't have won the KD and been a Triple Crown winner

[@lovedbysweetie]

Yup, " Just Like My Daddy!"

[@kwgrid]

Interesting to note that his dam's [Ribbon] grandsire, Ribot (GB), was undefeated in 16 starts.

[@bon1042]

General Assembly did the Travers in 2:00 flat, a record which still stands. He didn't win any TC titles but second to Spec Bid in both Derby and Belmont I think, may be wrong. He looked the most like Sec, tho filly Secrettame and the great Terlingua looked so much like him. And don't forget Lady's Secret, that little "grey bullet" who was 1986 horse of the year !

[@megcrosby8609]

Just Like his Daddy

[@BE109]

I was talking about a son who succeeded in stud to the degree,to keep the Secretariat male line viable as a source of top sires. I was not referring to racing class. Secretariat made a name as sire of top broodmares,some sires are prepotent to that and some are known more for producing top sire sons. Sir Gallahad III was just like Secretariat. The Teddy male line was assumed to be carried on thru sons of SG III,and his bro Bulldog. It wasn't, Sun Teddy was the one,Damascus is his male line heir.

[@monte2115]

Risen Star was a good horse, but the best horse to not win the TC was Spectacular Bid, Bid is an all time great. Now if you wish to debate who the second best one was, that would be a good debate. Point Given, Afleet Alex, Silver Charm, Real Quiet, that is where the debate is, Bid was heads above all of them.

[@bon1042]

@jetdr yes, and his jockey told trainer RS shld be allowed to go to front. If he had raced the best way for him, he probably WOULD have won the Derby and the TC Q Shame. 17 hands high, what a beauty !

[@bon1042]

@wabstat hi watstat.... my horse magazines are still packed in box... I thought I read that after Belmont they found a hairline fracture in Risen Star.

[@keithsmove]

Back when horse racing had a lot of interest.....

[@fromhatyai]

Yes

[@bon1042]

I am SO glad to learn this fm you. What do you mean "fm 15 out of it", trained to come fm 15 lengths behind? I only had read that Risen Star got caught in traffic and/or was very wide. thanks again. Where did you get this info?

[@marysueeasteregg]

I'm a huge fan of Bid; of horses I've seen, I rank him behind only Secretariat. But since you are not restricting yourself to horses who lost specifically the Bemont, Native Dancer ought to be mentioned here as well. Like Spectacular Bid, he's generally ranked among the top 10 American thoroughbreds of the 20th c; many, probably most, analysts would rank him above Spectacular Bid. Those two great grays are clearly rivals for the best of the Triple Crown "losers."

[@tenbyssimo]

IMHO Risen Star was the best 3yo to not win the TC.

[@Jude74]

Yep, big heart and big stamina comes from Princequillo, his maternal grandpa.

[@DaveQuinlan-e6n]

de ja vu all over again

[@BE109]

Agreed, that is Secretariats legacy as far the future of the breed. Yes it may still be possible for a son(or a grandson) of Risen Star to emerge,but time is running short. Better to seek son and daughter strains of Secretariat to(regardless of pedigree position) sex balance the pedigree. I'm a big believer in Ken Mclean's philosphy on breeding racehorses. Just to clarify, I do not regard Secretariat as a stud failure,he was just more prepotent to producing top broodmares. He did get 57 sw's.

[@bon1042]

@nin12dog 17 hands.... big dark and beautiful.... taller than his Daddy.

[@Raytessa100]

Why did they go to an up close shot? Why not just show Risen Star running in the stretch all the way through Like Sec. I guess the TV producer has to flash his power and his genius.

[@bon1042]

WHAT, why one of Dave Johnson's "worst??". He didn't even call the race (?) Can't spoil this moment, it's wonderful.

[@THE0591301]

I agree. IMHO I really doubt there will be another TC winner in the foreseeable future with the breeding practices today, the use of all these drugs, and other things going on in racing today. They are just not conducive to producing a tough, fast horse that can endure the rigors and the strain of a TC campaign. Even if they are very lightly raced, these modern racehorses don't seem to be able to handle it IMO..