Secretariat FACT VS FICTION

This video is about Secretariat
***I made this in high school. I apologize for the poor quality, text coloring decisions, and any inaccuracies.

[@nickjohnson811]

I've read that Secretariat used to break track records just doing workouts. It was a privilege to have seen him at the time.

[@johnhunter2294]

I've read the same thing. He ran a 1:34 4/5 mile workout eight days before the Belmont. That's a stakes-winning time, and he did it in a WORKOUT eight days before his greatest race.

[@joelanning4322]

I’ve had no greater thrill than seeing Secretariat leaving Sham in the back stretch and pulling away from him, running each quarter mile faster than the last. And running all alone to the finish in 2:24. As he pulled away, for some reason, I stood up and in the home stretch, I began to cry. So magnificent what I was witnessing. I was 15 years old, watching from my parents home. I’ve seen nothing to date that matches this magnificence.

[@shadrach6299]

I cry when I watch him now

[@aileen694]

@@shadrach6299 and Joe Lanning, Hi! OMG, that incredible horse was a beast! Yes, he happened to have a double-size heart, but he also had excellent training, class, determination, sheer beauty and personality! You can see when he's accelerating, how he just drops down and smoothly flies along the track! He just represents excellence. No wonder Secretariat was a thrill to watch. Yeah, I blubber a bit too. In these harsh times we all need a lift, even from the past! Carry on!

[@legscoll3296]

Sham.was a great horse also

[@calicojackrackham9233]

I was 12. I still remember it like it was yesterday. My dad actually said "That's impossible".

[@calicojackrackham9233]

@@legscoll3296 Sham's time in the Kentucky Derby is still the 2nd fastest ever. Only Monarchos even got close.

[@GermanShepherd1983]

No movie could ever be as great as the real story.

[@albertlilly]

In all of sporting history, there have been greats. Today, the term greatest of all time is thrown around far too loosely. The greatest horse of all time was and is Secretariat. He has never been equaled, shined brightest on the biggest stage at the most important moment. There are few others in sporting who can say that: Babe Ruth, Jesse Owens, Tom Brady. Appreciate the greatest horse of all time if you saw him. I did, he was the real deal.

[@nancyjanzen5676]

Best thing about Secretariat as the GOAT he doesn't want to tell me how to vote or how to live. He just did his job.

[@jbcfamily4802]

"The only horse in history to get faster as the race went on" man that Belmont race did something to that horse...

[@christophertempleton7833]

... and said by Ron he was "running easy" as though he might have gone longer or faster.

[@theunamericansportsman4726]

@@christophertempleton7833 Turcotte said Secretariat could have run faster if he was urged, he just let the horse set his own pace. He also said Secretariat wasn’t even tired at the end of the race!

[@royboy9361]

Faster as the race went on was in the Derby. Each quarter mile was faster than the previous.

[@peterlbaldwin511]

One must also recognise that at the time the "Coin Toss" was made, neither of the parties had any "concrete" evidence as to which mare "Hasty Matilda" or "Somethingroyal" if either, might produce the desired colt foal. That was purely due to chance and in no possible way, a foregone conclusion..!

[@crofootski]

FYI, Nack's book was not a novel, and is one of the finest books written of a Thoroughbred I've ever read And I've read a lot of them.

[@bobbymcgee9660]

Awesome

[@sergeantmasson3669]

IMHO, the Belmont race, Secretariat was fed up with Shams nonsense and was determined to humiliate Sham right from the starting gate. Jockey, Turcotte thought that too because he quickly realized that he was only along for the ride, and he hoped that he wouldn't fall off. Secretariat had made up his own mind to run and not let any other horse beat him that day. Yes, Secretariat was highly intelligent.

[@nancyjanzen5676]

Stallions don't back down Sham gave it his all but he got hurt trying to beat Secretariat. Any other year Sham would have won.

[@Struwwel2]

The 1973 Belmont Stakes was the first horse race I ever saw. I was 8 years old. For awhile, the outcome gave me the wrong idea about what to expect: that there would always be one horse who clearly dominated the others. Nope nope nope. You seldom see that. And we are probably never going to see another horse set records in the Derby, Preakness, and Belmont, and win the Belmont by 31 lengths.

[@BBBYpsi]

Fact: Secretariat is the greatest horse ever.

[@tonynaccarato4751]

Your dreaming, thats a fact.

[@michaelrichardson6051]

​@Tony Naccarato he won on the dirt, on the grass and, in fact was faster on the turf than the dirt. He won on a fast traack and off tracks.

[@c.a.g.3130]

It was a thrill to have lived to have seen Secretariat. Neither Babe Ruth nor Jack Dempsey nor Bobby Jones nor Jesse Owens could top the enormity of this athlete's prowess: breaking the record in ALL three legs of the Triple Crown at such a level that EVERY single record remains to this day. If there is ever another Secretariat, he will have to be manufactured by Elon Musk.

[@PlayerToBeNamedLater1973]

I have to say Ruth was head and shoulders above the competition also. He was the best LHP in the American League and in a couple years was the best hitter the game has ever seen. Nobody has gotten close to doing that and it's been over 100 years

[@JW-hi5wd]

jc,please keep Mush away from racing.

[@barrywhite1582]

The coin toss detail in the movie is fiction, not fact. Here are the facts: The Chenerys had a foal-sharing agreement with Ogden Phipps, who owned the stallion Bold Ruler, horse of the year in 1957. Bold Ruler was bred to Somethingroyal and Cicada, another Chenery mare, in 1968 and 1969. A coin flip at Belmont Park in the summer of 1969 determined the ownership of the foals. The winner got first choice the first year and the loser first choice the next year, but because Cicada couldn’t get pregnant in 1969, there were only three foals and the loser of the flip wound up with two of them.

[@justiceprevail1552]

Who cares who said or did whatever, what counts is the fact that probably the greatest horse ever born was real, and after 48 years, his triple crown race times have never been broken.

[@sergeantmasson3669]

Not likely to ever be broken.

[@joeyrivaldo5239]

@@sergeantmasson3669 Unless we have a horse with double the size heart. Then the horse has a realistic shot IF everything else falls into place as does for every Triple Crown Winner. What's amazing, yet sad, is if Sham ran the Triple Crown Races in any other year he would've won the Triple Crown & go down as one of the best Race Horses of All-Time. In my book, he still is, just gets overshadowed by Secretariat. But how could he not be. Secretariat was a once in a generation horse, a legend.

[@sergeantmasson3669]

It's no secret that Secretariat loved to run and loved beating other horses in a race. 1973 Belmont race, Turcotte stated that he had all he could do just to stay on Secretariat's back.

[@c.a.g.3130]

This horse was a BEAST. If he had been a fighter, he would have been Mike Tyson: a killer.

[@robvegart]

In other words you are helping us see past the 'Hollywoodism' of what actually went down... You were right about Riva Ridge! Not much was know about Chennery and her farm at the time, as well as the foal until the documentary some years later. I think that Hollywood, and their 'drama magic' had to do what they could to make Secretariat an appealing movie regarding the characters!

[@nancyjanzen5676]

I knew because I watched the 73 TC on TV.

[@bbmtge]

I simply love watching Diane Lane.

[@Don.Fowler]

The movie also shows in the Belmont that both Sham and Secretariat ran 3/4 of a mile in 1:09 4/5. That is fiction, Secretariat had a 8-10th length lead (easily)when they got to the 3/4 spot. They were not neck and neck

[@sergeantmasson3669]

Secretariat movie is near 100% accurate. Turcotte often stated that Secretariat was the greatest horse that he ever rode. He also stated that all he had to do was show the whip to get Secretariat to shift into a higher gear. The exercise rider stated that riding Secretariat was like riding a greatly overpowered motorcycle. Eddie Sweat was Secretariat's constant companion. Eddie could clearly understand Secretariat far more than anybody else could.

[@susanurban5920]

Not completely accurate. That’s Disney for ya. The movie definitely was not 100 percent accurate.

[@Penekamp11]

The movie was in fact wildly inaccurate. I lived through those days and new Mrs Chenery (Tweedy at the time). I also saw the horse many times both on the track and at Claiborne. The entire story was factionalized to the detriment of Secretariat, Mrs Chenery and horse racing in general. It is a very bad joke to say that the movie was 100% accurate.

[@cindythomas2730]

As much as I love Secretariat and believe that he is the greatest racehorse that God Ever Made, the inaccurate parts of this movie really is a shame. The personality of Sham's trainer was made so ugly just to make a good Disney movie. The finish in the Wood was not accurate, with no mention of Angle Light, Secretariate's stablemate, winning the race to Sham's 2nd and Big Red's 3rd. Big Red's team new he had been burning up the track in workouts the week before the Belmont and Ron believed he was going to be riding a horse that would burn the track up. Little did he know Secretariat took it on his own to show everyone how good he really was. I was an extra on the movie at Churchill. As stated before Riva Ridge had won the Derby the year before, and Riva was really Penny's favorite horse, she has stated many times that she thought back then that Big Red was just too much of a pretty boy. Disney really treated Ron shamefully during the filming. At that time there was a huge disparity between White, Black and Hispanic, especially in the stands. If you had attended the 99th running of the Kentucky Derby the stands would have looked very different than what the movie showed. The majority of the crowd would have been white men smoking cigars and drinking bourbon. There would have been ushers up and down the stands to help people to their seats, and they would have been black. . The majority of the racing bluebloods were men, and at that time women weren't even allowed in the breeding sheds and it was only because of Penny's pure determination that she broke through that glass barrier and made it possible for women to make advancements in racing that otherwise would have taken years. If Penny's last name had not been Chenery it would have been different. I attended the premier of the movie at the Kentucky Theatre in Lexington and it was only there that the entire racing community paid homage to Ms Penny, giving her a standing ovation at the point in the movie where she went into the men's club. The best thing that the movie did was bring a whole new generation to Secretariat. That made it worth it.

[@sergeantmasson3669]

@@cindythomas2730 It's a movie, not a documentary.

[@kegginstructure]

It is a humorous detail to note that in the movie, Ronnie Turcotte's colors were clean but Lafitte Pincay's colors (on Sham) were dirty after the Belmont - because of course nobody ever got in front of Secretariat to toss mud up onto the trailing riders.

[@stephaniejaniczekssmugglerscan]

There was a horse named Riva Ridge who actually won the Derby and the Preakness in 1972. He was owned by Chenery and he actually “saved” the Meadow Stables. Old broad got very lucky. This book and film are a cartoon

[@justiceprevail1552]

What counts is the horse was real and may be the best there will ever be. His triple crown records still hold after 48 years.

[@peterlbaldwin511]

I find that your use of the term " Old Broad" to describe Ms. Chenery/Tweedy to be derisory and offensive and I suggest that maybe a little more research is needed before posting. "Remember, Only a little knowledge is a dangerous thing"..! Riva Ridge may have won both The Kentucky Derby and The Belmont, incidently in neither case in anywhere near "SECRETARIATS" record breaking times, but even with those wins and the value of the horse itself it still left the Chenery family far short of the 6 Million U$ needed to cover the cost of Death Duties on the estate of the late Christopher Chenery...! As I believe, That was where the audacious syndication of breeding rights for "Big Red" became what "saved" The Meadow Farm..

[@nancyjanzen5676]

The farm didn't need saving before Penny's father died. It was the IRS estate taxes that put the farm in jeoprady.

[@headshotsongs9465]

Ogden Phipps was a major player in south Florida's Palm Beach real estate. From the 40's to the 60's. Billions of $ in land was sold and developed.

[@franceswitham8214]

I felt so sorry for Sham in the Preakness. He was beaten so badly by a whip crazy jockey. Ronny Turkette said he would have hated to have been that poor horse.

[@mariabykofsky4502]

So true, Pincay beat poor Sham, that he was never the same horse...

[@jtaljl]

I'm glad to learn Penny divorced her jealous, immature, jerk husband!

[@stevek8829]

The move got the date of the Wood Memorial wrong. The screen says in bold, "Three Weeks Earlier." The Wood was two weeks earlier in 1973. Somebody should have caught that.

[@daves913]

This next Triple Crown competition. Would be 50 years since secretariat smashed the record. In all 3 races. I wonder if they’ll have anything special, to commemorate the 50 year anniversary!

[@maninthebox0]

In real life Chic Anderson didn’t say Secretariat won by 31 lengths at the end of his call. He actually said 25 lengths because at that point it was just an eyeball estimate. The movie said 31 lengths I guess just to inform the audience what the actual lead was.

[@sergeantmasson3669]

Chic Anderson's voice, in the movie, is the actual recording from the June 1963 Belmont race.

[@maninthebox0]

@@sergeantmasson3669 if you go back and watch the actual race, he does not say 31 lengths when Secretariat crosses the finish line.

[@julieenslow5915]

Without looking at the video again, it seems it was like "...25 lengths. It could possibly have been more." Chic Anderson was such a professional - he knew eyeballing it while calling the race meant he was not as accurate as measuring from photos or timing after the race.

[@KimikoCat]

@@sergeantmasson3669 No it's not. Find a video from the actual Belmont. The movie race caller never says "It's almost a match race now," "Secretariat is blazing along!" "He is moving like a tremendous machine!" Either CBS or Anderson must have a copyright on his call. Another thing: Penny Chenery wore a white dress for the Belmont, in the movie she's wearing black.

[@sergeantmasson3669]

@@KimikoCat The official finish was 31 lengths and is listed as such in the records books. I have the DVD and you need to watch the movie again. Announcer states "Secretariat wins by 31 lengths." I couldn't care less what color Penny's dress was. In the movie, it's a blue dress, not black. The movie is about the horse, not Penny anyway.

[@barbaralovenvirth8726]

Well, they got the title right

[@Penekamp11]

Well said.

[@theearl1477]

Corrections: Sham was ahead in the early going of the Belmont and until recently Secretariat's time in the Preakness was not a record. After a third review the time was corrected to1:53 which became official on June 19, 2012 and was a new track record besting 1:53 2/5 which Canonero II ran in 1971.

[@julieenslow5915]

Well in the fact version, the book version and the movie version - he's still the best ever. And Sham and his Owner were mistreated in the movie. Guess they needed more drama. Thank you for clarifying that.

[@bobmarlowe3390]

Everything I've ever read about Pancho Martin from people who were there said he was nothing but a gentleman. Yeah, he got a raw deal in the movie. But Secretariat was, and always will be, the greatest race horse of all time. I still remember watching the races on TV in '73. I still get choked up watching that Belmont win.

[@c.a.g.3130]

They did the same thing in Cinderella Man slandering Max Baer. Hollywood likes villains but they should have to pay damages for defamation.

[@stevek8829]

Boy, you got one thing backwards (4:11). Something Royal was OLDER, that's why Phipps didn't choose her. Something Royal was also the dam of other stakes winners, Sir Gaylord was one. It's extremely rare for a mare to foal three.

[@rhondaserges5136]

A different horse "saved" the farm .. The exception Riva Ridge, who gets so forgotten. He won the Derby in 1972 and saved the farm.

[@bertasparks6427]

0

[@bertasparks6427]

Lol

[@steveblackburn9124]

And the Preakness I believe

[@bobmarlowe3390]

@@steveblackburn9124, Riva Ridge came in 4th in the Preakness but came back and won the Belmont.

[@crofootski]

@@bobmarlowe3390 And, as I thought was so perfect, Secretariat and Riva Ridge finished one-two in the Marlboro Cup.

[@suewhitener761]

Who cares what is fact or fiction? The fact remains he was the greatest racehorse that ever lived. Some movies and books are based on real life events and add things to make them more interesting for readers and movie goers.

[@scottparrish7244]

I enjoyed your video.

[@steveblackburn9124]

How about making the text large enough for old people to see

[@sergeantmasson3669]

Alexander, Penny didn't divorce John Tweedy until late1974. Sham horse became injured during the Belmont race and never raced again. Secretariat was so great that it's not likely that most of his records will never be broken.

[@STHFGDBY]

Though he was an amazing horse, doping of horses at that time was far too a common place in American racing, even today anti blood vessel bursting drug ( Furosemide ) are permitted in American racing while banned in most countries in Europe. But doping of horses are taken more seriously now in American racing and carry serious penalties and that's why long standing records of yesteryear cannot be beaten by today's horses. Same happened in the Olympics and other sporting events. When the East Germans were doping their Athletes they were winning all the Gold medals till suspicion heightened and dope testing was introduced. Many believe that all the World and European records from the 50's 60' 70's and 80's should be abolished because many that still stand today will never be beaten because of drug cheats. Michael Phelps had 23 Gold medals from 4 Olympics, never caught but I don't believe for a second he was clean. Russias Larisa Latynina 18 Gold medals, another cheat I would think. Even Ireland's Michael Smith with her Gold sweeping Olympics. She was never caught but was accused of interfering with her urine sample by adding raw whiskey into it. She denied it of course and she kept her medals and her records but It's unlikely she was clean. She was tested over and over again and they never found nothing, so testing can be beaten by some athletes. British Olympic 100 mts champion was tested and never caught till he ran as a guest at a charity event after he just retired from the Olympics, he didn't realize they were testing and he got caught and was never seen in public again. So Horses records and humans records have to be taken on trust.

[@sergeantmasson3669]

@@STHFGDBY ZERO evidence that Secretariat, or any of the triple crown horses, were doped back then. Secretariat and Sham were physically better than the other horses but Secretariat was physically superior to Sham. Secretariat loved to run and disliked losing. Allegations, lacking proof, are worthless.

[@carmelopascual9691]

@@STHFGDBY pitiful fellow, why all this bitterness, is it so hard to be born a loser?

[@sergeantmasson3669]

@@sonnestt I did NOT state that Secretariat was ever drugged. His heart weighed 22 pounds and 2.5 times the size of the average horse's heart. Sham's heart weighed 18 pounds. You chose the wrong person to give crap, PUTZ.

[@sergeantmasson3669]

@@sonnestt I know who Bill Nack was. Stats/facts too difficult for you to comprehend, PUTZ? Go look at Secretariat's autopsy report. Mark Twain was right, "No amount of evidence can persuade an idiot,"

[@theresemalmberg955]

The movie makes a big deal about Secretariat's owner being a woman, like it was something new. Actually the BIG story around that time was the fact that women were now becoming exercise riders and jockeys as well as hotwalkers and grooms.

[@danor6812]

All Hollywood movies based on facts are like this. They are "based on actual events". Not the actual true story. Every time someone try's telling me a movie is the real story. I point out the movie, "Fly Away Home". About a girl in her ultralight airplane and some Canadian Geese. That she guides to a place to migrate them to and from. The only truth to that is. Scientist used a ultralight plane to see if some geese would follow it to a place to migrate too. With hopes of doing it with other endangered birds if it worked. The truth in that story. It was all done by scientist, no little girl or her dad.

[@msh6865]

Can anyone imagine what Secretariat would be worth in 2021??? $100 million? $200 million? More?

[@susanurban5920]

If it was today......Secretariat would be owned by coolmore after his retirement.

[@thorne1239]

Closest comparison we've seen is probably Frankel. He was valued at around 100mil by the time he retired.

[@Diva7Va]

Diane misspoke her line about Somethingroyal - Princequillo was her damsire, not her grandsire.

[@richardyanco3229]

I was at Belmont the day that he won the Triple Crown. Pancho Martin might not have been a "villain" but he dismissed Secretariat often during the 1973 season. I remember steel drums being played at Belmont that day which was part of the Puerto Rican connection to Martin. Martin was promising a new and better Sham for The Belmont. It never happened.. Also, Phipps has two Ps not one.

[@connorduke4619]

@3:30 the jockey in green stripes is actually o Sham who comes in 2nd which is correct.

[@ooyginyardel4835]

I’m a speed reader!

[@pickle581]

" Her younger age is what made Phips not choose Sec. in the coin toss" Wrong. It is WHY he chose Hasty Matilda, because she was younger.

[@maninthebox0]

That is kind of what was said, just in a different way. Hasty Matilda’s youth is what made Phips choose her foal instead of Secretariat.

[@horacefeathers]

@@maninthebox0 The only thing right about the movie coin flip is that Phipps won and got first choice - - of the two Bold Ruler foals born in 1969 to the mares Somethingroyal and Hasty Matelda. But Phipps actually chose the Somethingroyal filly, later named The Bride. Meadow Stable was left with the Hasty Matelda colt, Rising River. The winner of the toss got first selection from those two Bold Ruler offspring, but the loser would get first choice of the second pair of mares sent to Bold Ruler in 1969. Somethingroyal was in foal again at the time of the toss, but the second mare, Cicada, proved to be barren. So the loser of the toss would get first choice of the second pair, and there would only be one foal born - which proved to be Secretariat. Both Chenery and Phipps wanted to lose the toss because the winner would only get one foal instead of two. I guess producers thought the truth would be too complicated for the audience to understand so they just made up their own version. The real facts can all be verified in Nack's book.

[@KimikoCat]

@@horacefeathers Yes! Bold Ruler was such a successful sire that the Phippses decided not to syndicate him or even charge a stud fee. Instead, owners of mares had to send two mares to him in successive years. Then after the foals conceived in the second year were born, the coin toss took place as you described.

[@horacefeathers]

@@KimikoCat Except this coin toss actually took place in the summer of '69, at least seven months before Secretariat was born. Neither Phipps nor Chenery had any inkling of the greatness in store for Something Royal's 1970 foal. Since Cicada was barren and the loser of the toss would automatically get the sole baby that would be born from the second pair of mares, maybe they decided to do the flip early.

[@Penekamp11]

First off, the book was NOT a novel and referring to it as such completely compromises the entire critique of the movie. Penny Tweedy did not exactly “sell” Secretariat. She let Seth Hancock syndicate him ( in the business, horses are not “its”, they are either him or her) into 32 breeding rights. Shares sold for $180,000 making his total value around $6.8 million. This was a record at the time but Secretariat was named Horse Of The Year at 2; a nearly unheard of achievement for a two year old. Mrs Chenery was very focused on both Riva Ridge and Secretariat. Winning Kentucky Derbies consecutively as an owner was an incredible feat. The entire racing world was also focused on Secretariat not only for his pedigree and conformation but his connections that had won the Derby that year. Ogden Phipps name was misspelled in this commentary on the movie. The characters were very wooden in the movie and I have loved Diane Lane since “A Little Romance” when she was only 14 but she was a bit out of her depth in this movie. She always appeared to be a bit unfamiliar with the territory which Penny Tweedy was not. I understand Mrs Chenery liked the movie which certainly is enough to give it some slack but anyone who lived through those days and who also was lucky enough to know the people and horses involved will tell you that the movie pales in comparison to the real events of the time. Secretariat’s win in the Belmont at Belmont park. The movie version of the Belmont was filmed at Evangeline Downs, a track that is a bit “long in the tooth”. The backstretch is a collection of rusted out pickup trucks and barns that are a little the worse for wear. Belmont Park is a majestic place where the backstretch has old historic barns with hedges and huge oak trees. It’s too bad this could not have been conveyed. There were many inaccuracies in the movie “Secretariat” but what they really missed was the absolute glory and awe that the horse inspired in people. It was as if he was an equine god from the beginning of his career to the end. He was always favored after his first start and 1/10 is what is known as “odds on” when usually the odds of a particular horse are expressed as “odds against”. 1/10 are outrageously LOW odds not HIGH odds.

[@nealbennett4950]

Whoever glerbicus or whatever name they should know in movies all of the directors and producers have to make a film more interesting. I do agree on one point though Mr. Chennery and RIVA RIDGE were left out especially RIVA RIDGE . He won the Derby and the Belmont both longer races and if the track had been dry he would have also won the Preakness . Mr. Chennery should have been given more credit for his knowledge in breeding for his horses winning 5 out of 6 races of the Triple Crown .

[@ArsPraestigium]

Penny Cheney and Sham's owners, Sigmund and Viola Somner, were actually very close friends. There was no rivalry in either the press or in their personal lives. Cheney mentions the relationship here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r32Tmo2IgriIZqM

[@chadbinette3201]

To think any other year, a year younger or older sham would be considered an all time great race horse, just happened to be the same age as the best ever. I believe sham still has the 2nd fastest race ever at two of the the three big races. Maybe without sham pushing him secretariat doesn't set records but just wins. Is sham Payton manning or Arron Rogers or Drew brees and just happened to play the same time as Tim Brady.

[@raheemnicholls5055]

Wow had no idea Sham heart was twice the size of a normal horse heart as well. I kind of new riva ridge saved the farm think I heard it in a documentary on yt somewhere. Also didnt know Ponchoo was perfessonial wonder why they made him a villain

[@mrvillan6951]

Many horses had enlarged hearts in that era. Body builders did too, and still do. They may have something in common?

[@patrickmorgan4006]

They made him a villain for the same reason that the writers of "Cinderella Man" made Max Baer a villain, and there are many other examples. They think that it makes the movie more exciting. They are wrong. It's just annoying when they make the opponents into over the top villains.

[@mstrunn]

@@mrvillan6951 Body Builders, not necessarily, endurance runners, yes!

[@nancyjanzen5676]

Because he was an arrogant macho male.

[@nancyjanzen5676]

​@@mrvillan6951they can trace the large heart gene in horses. It is always passed from the dam to the colt. Then it is carried by the fillys he sires who pass it on. It came over to the US from England in a horse that is part of a lot of racehorse breeding.

[@peterlbaldwin511]

Whilst one acceptstha5t some "poetic licence" may have been taken with the movie, there are some facts which I believe may be pertinent. The source of this clip to whom we must be grateful, states that it was "Riva Ridge" winner of Two Legs of The Triple Crown for Ms. Tweedy in 1972, who "saved" the farm. As I understand things, it was the "Death Duties" of some 6 million U$ due on her late father's estate, which the family simply did not have , which prompted the audacious syndication of the breeding rights to Secretariat as a TWO Year Old and a guarantee of his three year old performance..! Not "Riva Ridge" good though he was...

[@susanurban5920]

I was alive at the time and recall an interview or maybe it was an excerpt from an news article where Poncho Martin said some disparaging remarks about Secretariat before the derby. I clearly remember this.

[@mstrunn]

@Susan Urban I back you on that, I lived the era and remember it.

[@nancyjanzen5676]

Martin was an arrogant macho male. I was 24 in 73 I remember his arrogant attitude

[@Zayrina]

FACT in giant bold white letters while actual fact is in small red letters that one must strain to read. What doofus thought this up? Someone who actually doesn't want me to subscribe I guess.

[@ronniebishop2496]

Movies make everyone believe people think about how great the future will be and in horse racing people really don’t think that far ahead or know anything for certain.

[@bigr6298]

Why do peapole say Riva Ridge saved the farm? She sold Riva and Secritarit as a cyndicate. As well as other assates. Riva Ridge kept Lucian Lauren in house, giving big red his coach. To say a horse with earnings less then a million when both horses were syndicated for 6+ a peice is a silly opinion

[@makennabouillon2836]

Actually, the mix of stamina and speed did do Secretariat good however, his heart was also near 3x the size of the average so thats only partly true

[@justiceprevail1552]

Dr. Thomas Swerczek, the veterinarian who performed the necropsy, reported that he found that Secretariat's heart, weighing between 21 and 22 pounds, was the largest he had ever seen in a horse

[@makennabouillon2836]

@@justiceprevail1552 exactly, so his abnormally large heart allowed him to preform like that

[@justiceprevail1552]

@@makennabouillon2836 That was a good part of it, but Secretariat's hindquarters were the main source of his power, with a sloped croup that extended the length of his femur. When in full stride, his hind legs were able to reach far under himself, increasing his drive. His ample girth, long back and well-made neck all contributed to his heart-lung efficiency.

[@nancyjanzen5676]

But the large heart gene only comes from the dam.In this case Something Royal. But Sham also had an abnormally large heart because he carried that same gene. It was a fluke that 2 horses in the same year had it. Without Sham those races would have been boring.

[@KimikoCat]

There were SO many things inaccurate about the movie. Diane Lane looks somewhat like Penny Chenery, but the actors playing Ogden Phipps, Bull Hancock, and Lucien Laurin look nothing like their characters. It's implied that Penny managed to get from her home in Denver to the farm in Virginia when Secretariat's dam was going into labor, in time to see him born; she would have needed the Concorde to get there. He was not born on Christmas Eve! If he had, he would have been officially a year old on New Year's a week later, and ineligible for the 1973 Derby. Also, the vet did not discover his mouth abscess AFTER the Wood Memorial. Secretariat's groom discovered it days before the race, but no one thought it would affect the way he ran. Anyway, it wasn't the main reason he lost. More important was that Laurin was gone for the week leading up to the Wood because of a family emergency, so he wasn't at the track to supervise his training. To run his best, Secretariat needed a hard, fast workout a few days before every race. With Laurin away, he never got that workout.

[@mstrunn]

@Angela Stockton I agree with most of what you say, except; Ronny knew that there was something wrong before the Wood, and an abscess can affect a horses' breathing during exertion, I ought to know I'm a pro runner.

[@sonnestt]

Were you there? You seem to think you know it all, just curious what you base your "knowledge" on?

[@KimikoCat]

@@sonnestt Read the book "Big Red of Meadow Stable" by sportswriter William Nack. I was born in Louisville and started following horse racing about the time I started school.

[@sonnestt]

@@KimikoCat I'll check it out...

[@KimikoCat]

@@sonnestt Another thing that was not 100% accurate, possibly because it was too convoluted to depict in a movie: Secretariat's sire, Bold Ruler, was one of the greatest thoroughbred sires ever. He was so great that the Phipps family, his owners, decided not to charge a stud fee for his services. Instead, anyone wanting to breed a mare to Bold Ruler had to breed TWO mares to him in consecutive years. They didn't have to be the same two mares, but they had to be two. Once all four foals were born, the mares' owner and Ogden Phipps would flip a coin. The winner would get first choice of the first pair, the loser would get the first choice of the second pair. But in this coin toss, neither wanted to win because one of the mares hadn't become pregnant, so the second "pair" was actually only one foal, Secretariat. Phipps won, but since Secretariat was the only foal born in the second year, Penny Chenery kept him. In the movie, Phipps looked a dolt for choosing a filly instead of Secretariat, but he had no choice due to the terms of the agreement. Phipps knew his horses, so had he "lost" the toss, he definitely would have chosen Secretariat.

[@ronniebishop2496]

Are we supposed to read red on black, if so why not put it in brail?

[@c.a.g.3130]

Nice catch (inside baseball).

[@pamspurgers3578]

He apologized for the poor quality and the color of the text. He made it for high school. I had trouble reading it too.

[@ronniebishop2496]

Pam Spurgers Oh well it’s ok I’m just being sarcastic lol

[@pamspurgers3578]

@@ronniebishop2496 LMAO, Ronnie. I was just feeling sorry for Alexander.

[@ronniebishop2496]

Pam Spurgers Oh I’m glad lol

[@taylordavis6620]

How is Bill Nack's biography of Secretariat a novel??? Novel: "a fictitious prose narrative of book length, typically representing character and action with some degree of realism." Nack's splendid book is not a work of fiction.

[@Glerbicus]

Wow you’re definitely the first to point this out!!! Read the video bio and comments before just mimicking others

[@taylordavis6620]

@@Glerbicus You got me! I apologize for not reading the video bio. And I'm guilty of not reading the comments of others, but my statement, right or wrong, was entirely my own. IRONY: you suggest that I read the replies of others BEFORE mimicking them. IF I didn't read others' replies (which you accurately nailed), then how could I mimick them? SCORE: I'm guilty of 50% of your accusation. Any chance you judged me inaccurately on the other 50%? Judges Decision: A Tie.

[@sergeantmasson3669]

Alexander, some of your comment statements, for this video, are highly inaccurate though. When Penny's dad died, the farm would've been needing being sold in order to settle the estate which is why Penny elected to sell shares in Secretariat. When Secretariat was old enough to race, Riva Ridge was already too old to race.

[@c.a.g.3130]

That's not true. Secretariat was Horse of the Year as a TWO-year at the SAME time Riva Ridge was running and winning the Derby and Preakness. He wasn't too old, he was WINNING!

[@pamspurgers3578]

In 1973, Secretariat and Riva Ridge competed against each other in Marlboro Cup Invitational. The race is on KZbin.

[@sergeantmasson3669]

@@pamspurgers3578 Secretariat won that race too.

[@pamspurgers3578]

@@sergeantmasson3669 Yes he did and Riva finished 2nd. I watch the ‘73 triple crown often. So today I’ll watch the Marlboro Cup.

[@peterlbaldwin511]

@@c.a.g.3130 er.. Sorry to have to point out an important error in your comment, Sir.. Riva Ridge did win the Kentucky Derby in 1972 and The Belmont Stakes the same year. However for the running of Preakness that year the track was very wet owing to heavy rain and Riva Ridge apparently, did not perform well on wet ground. Also remember that it is now well known that SECRETARIAT'S Winning Times in all THREE Races have never been Equalled, let alone BEATEN..!

[@bluwolf9357]

Princequillo was the sire of Somethingroyal (Secretariat's motther) not her Grandsire.

[@gabegrace8333]

Typical Hollywood BS

[@francobaratta7529]

Sorry, but if you look at the movie it shows Angle Light edging out Sham. Pancho never says they won, he says they beat Secretariat.

[@shawnn7502]

The movie has its good points, but if you know the real history, the movie is a disappointment in comparison. The really unintentionally hilarious scene is when Pancho is gloating over Penny Chenery before the Derby because Sham beat Secretariat at the Wood Memorial. The problem is - Sham didn't win that race either. Angle Light did. Who owned Angle Light? Penny Chenery. HAHAHAHA....

[@Glerbicus]

Wow, I wish I knew that before publishing the video!

[@markridgemr]

Damn fact checkers can't leave well enough alone! lol

[@robinalford2186]

I don't care what anyone says about Man' O War, Secretariat will always be the greatest horse that ever ran.

[@nancyjanzen5676]

MOW wouldn't mind that kid Secretariat is a distant offspring.

[@lorrainelloyd7750]

Oh Alexander, look what you did, you stirred up obnoxious Secretariat fans because your video wasn't factual, like, you know how Secretariat fans love facts.

[@c.a.g.3130]

FACT: Secretariat, greatest horse of ALLLLLLLL time.

[@c.a.g.3130]

@Sophia Schommer When assessments are uncontestable, they are facts.

[@c.a.g.3130]

@Sophia Schommer Average, eh. I guess that's why he was named Horse of the Year as a TWO-year-old which was done how many times before that? Oh, yea, NONE. Followed up with the most extraordinary Triple Crown EVER run and won for the first time in a quarter century. Yup, pretty average.

[@c.a.g.3130]

@Sophia Schommer Baloney. In the history of horse racing, until Secretariat, a 2-year-old had NEVER been awarded Horse of the Year. Only ONE other horse ever won Horse of the Year as a 2-year-old (more than a quarter-century later, 1997). The difference is that Secretariat proved his historic excellence winning the Triple Crown in record times that still stand to this day more than 45 years later, including the current World Record for the mile and half.

[@misterb6416]

Yeah, of course they had to put some fiction in it, its a movie not a documentary. Fact: Secretariat was and is the greatest horse.

[@tonynaccarato4751]

Great horse, but far from the best 3 year old, not to mention, not even close to being the best horse of all time, and thats a fact.

[@Glerbicus]

Hows that a fact

[@tonynaccarato4751]

@@Glerbicus look at all the records from 1780, all over the world, thats how, and all the trainers, and riders from all over the WORLD, thats how, and not just the usa.

[@Glerbicus]

@@tonynaccarato4751 which horse would beat his belmont record?

[@tonynaccarato4751]

@@Glerbicus don't be a one trick pony, like everyone else that knows nothing about racing, class is more important than time, you figure it out, and let me know.

[@tonynaccarato4751]

@@Glerbicus im not attacking, im asking you to figure it out, and i do appreciate your love and interest in the sport, the horses most of all, and the pleasure that they give us in our lives, im sorry if i offended you, that was not my reason for this discourse.

[@mrvillan6951]

If horses were allowed to be trained using steroids today, as they were back then, I wonder if track records would be broken by modern horses.

[@sergeantmasson3669]

Secretariat wasn't given steroids ever in his life. Allegations, lacking proof, are invalid and stupid.

[@mrvillan6951]

​@@sergeantmasson3669 The is a lot of evidence if you care to look. A massive heart is a symptom of taking steroids. Sham had one too. Just like body builders who use steroids. The low fertility problems immediately after retirement which incredibly improved (as the steroids came out of his system). Hall of Fame trainers stating that steroids were rife in the industry during that period. And of course the amazing performances. When cyclists were using drugs, their performances were off the scale too. Of course you don't want to listen to it. I bet you believed in the Lance Armstrong "miracle", didn't you? Despite all the obvious signs there was no "proof" there either.

[@sergeantmasson3669]

@@mrvillan6951 If your theories were true, several horses would've been equal to Secretariat but that never happened. You're an expert about such things, how? Where did you earn your large animal vet degree? My eldest granddaughter earned hers at University of FL. Our Shire mare is near 17 hands tall and weighs 2100 pounds. You'd probably think that she's had steroids too, eh cupcake? We've had her since 4 months old and she's never had steroids either nor did Secretariat or Riva Ridge.

[@mrvillan6951]

@@sergeantmasson3669 They are not my theories. They are facts. You can check them out if you so wish.

[@sergeantmasson3669]

@@mrvillan6951 Where's your proof? Show the links, otherwise it's BS. Nobody has ever showed evidence that Secretariat was ever given steroids in his entire life.

[@Will-jb6kr]

Secretariat was the greatest race horse to ever live. FACT!

[@alfredborden2909]

The faint fair smash compellingly lock because ocean accidentally bathe forenenst a brief operation. highfalutin, terrible cell

[@KimikoCat]

You're drunk.

[@tyroniousyrownshoolacez2347]

🤮🤮🤮🤮🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮

[@debrathompson3723]

The taboo mini-skirt relatedly borrow because tailor respectively expect despite a obtainable layer. flimsy, abounding nose

[@mstrunn]

@Debra Thompson Who do people like you post this crap that has nothing to do with the subject?

[@dfygoh3215]

the movie was dumb