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This Tony Leonard picture reveals Secretariat arriving at Claiborne Farm following his retirement from racing.
That is the start of a brand new horse racing historical past collection we’re piloting this winter. Like comparable collection from publications passed by, This Week In Historical past will have a look at an enormous occasion or attention-grabbing story from a random 12 months in horse racing’s historical past.
The Paulick Report thanks the Keeneland Library workers for his or her help within the analysis course of for this and plenty of of our different options.
A number of the information in horse racing in November is populated by retirement bulletins. In November 1973, the month’s first version of The Blood-Horse was no completely different. Author Ed Bowen had the duty of composing the ultimate chapter of each Secretariat and Riva Ridge’s careers, as they each ran their last races, to very completely different endings.
Secretariat received the Grade 2 Canadian Worldwide Championship at Woodbine, his 16th lifetime victory in 21 begins over two seasons, and (on the time) the end to the richest season of any American racehorse, with earnings of $860,404. (That is the equal of $5.7 million immediately – spectacular however definitely now not the file.)
He took a stalking journey behind early chief Kennedy Street and struck on the far flip, pulling away by six and a half on the wire.
Riva Ridge’s swan track didn’t go as effectively. He struggled residence final behind Show Out within the Jockey Membership Gold Cup, which was then two miles. Show Out was skilled by Allen Jerkens, who had additionally conditioned Secretariat upsetter Onion.
Requested to match the 2 horses, Turcotte stated he’d by no means doubted Riva Ridge’s urge for food for distance however had initially doubted Secretariat’s as a result of “of the colt’s feeling of super energy however not essentially easy movement.” In fact, these doubts pale as he mounted his dominant Triple Crown marketing campaign.
Eddie Maple had the decision on each horses as an alternative of Ron Turcotte, who was sitting out on what needed to be the world’s worst-timed suspension. Turcotte had been on a filly at Aqueduct who interfered with one other and was disqualified. At a listening to two days later, stewards suspended him 5 days for his journey within the race. Turcotte declined to attraction although he believed the horse had simply lugged out, however was bitterly disillusioned that the timing of the suspension saved him off Secretariat in his last race. As an alternative, he sat on Huge Purple for a exercise with some 3,000 followers in attendance at Woodbine.
Conditioner Lucien Laurin advised Bowen he was considerably much less disillusioned that Secretariat was leaving the monitor for good. He’d made no secret that having the game’s largest celebrity within the barn was demanding, and a loss within the Whitney had solely compounded the anxiousness for him.
“I will be glad when Secretariat is retired,” he stated. “I swear to God, I will be glad.”
Secretariat’s dominance on the turf over 1 5/8 miles was the right cap to a profession for the ages.
“Puffs of vapor poured from the horse’s nostrils in rhythm with each stride and evaporated into the chilly as Secretariat completed the final mile,” Bowen wrote. “As he got here close to the furlong pole, the magnet of greatness was overpowering to a gaggle of children lining the rail, they usually vaulted the fence and darted throughout the filth monitor to be nearer him, reaching the surface rail of the turf course as he flashed previous.
“Secretariat emerged from the thickening darkness for an prompt, flicking his ears in curiosity as he raced to the slender flood of sunshine of the photograph end digital camera. It was an idle gesture, interfering with not one of the perfection in his stride. He flashed by it and thru it, and the lifetime of Secretariat as a racehorse had run its course.
“He belonged then to legend.”
Secretariat then retired to Claiborne Farm exterior Paris, Ky., accompanied one final time by his fixed companion in Eddie Sweat, with photographer Tony Leonard able to catch his first steps off the van and into his new life. He was syndicated for $6 million and sired 663 foals and 341 winners, with 57 stakes winners from 16 crops. Opposite to all hopes on the time, Secretariat didn’t show a wild success as a sire however would go on to develop into a prime broodmare sire of famous stallions Storm Cat, A.P. Indy, Gone West, Dehere, and Chief’s Crown earlier than his loss of life from laminitis in 1989.
Riva Ridge additionally retired to Claiborne and was syndicated for $5.12 million. He sired 359 foals from 12 crops, however had 29 stakes winners in that group. His daughters produced greater than 50 stakes winners and 4 champions.
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