The American Spectator : Secretariat

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Secretariat

By James Bowman on 11.15.10 @ 6:02AM

The great horse deserved a better ride than this.

Apologies for the spoiler but the eponymous equine hero of Randall Wallace's Secretariat wins in the end. Of course you knew that anyway, as Secretariat was a real horse who wouldn't be remembered today if he hadn't won the big races. But the film-makers carry this one inescapable predictability over into the rest of their movie and end up with a whole lot more predictability than is strictly necessary. Unlike some critics, I don't insist that this is in itself a bad thing. Most of the world's best stories are pretty predictable, and the attempt to avoid predictability often comes off as artificial and, well, predictable. But the kind of predictability that Secretariat is guilty of is a result of a manufactured quality that goes beyond the usual Disney tendency to overproduce things with special effects and intrusive music. This is a movie that has been put together by formula. It has all -- well, most of -- the right things to say, about what it means to fight and not quit and eventually win, but it never manages to persuade you that it really believes any of them.

It's a pity because, of course, one would wish to have been able to like better a movie that the New York Times reviewer absurdly calls "Bible-thumping." You may think it worth seeing just for that, though I warn you that the only bit of the Bible actually thumped in it is a passage from the Book of Job about war horses and their love of battle that could have come out of any number of classical authors and offers no obvious offense even to a disbelief as delicate as that of the New York Times. It's true that, at moments of high emotion, there are also a couple of snatches on the soundtrack of the 1967 Gospel hit "Oh Happy Day" by the Edwin Hawkins Singers that mention Jesus' washing of sins away, but there are no actual sins washed away on-screen -- and if there were one gets the distinct impression that it would be considered in very bad taste. Anyway, apart from a couple of bad guys who are quickly given their comeuppance, no one has any sins in need of washing away anyway.

Diane Lane plays Penny Chenery Tweedy who inherits what is supposed to be a broken-down and all but bankrupt horse farm in Virginia, though it looks like a pretty thriving operation to me. This is in 1969, and so the film naturally takes the opportunity to make her a feminist heroine, the little Denver "housewife" who takes on the condescending good old boys of the horse-racing fraternity and beats them at their own game. In order to do so, she virtually abandons her family but, like everything else in the movie, that turns out to be OK. Her husband, played by Dylan Walsh, is shown looking mildly peeved at her absences, but otherwise has no role to play until he reappears at the Belmont Ball the night before the climactic race to tell her that, although she has been (apparently) absent from the home for most of the last four years, she has managed somehow remotely to teach her daughters "what it is to be a real woman," which he couldn't have done. "And you've taught me something too," he says, though we never find out what. Anyway, she has "saved her family and saved her farm."

One of the daughters (Amanda Michalka), is a bit of a rebel who becomes, at least briefly, a hippie war protestor -- even in May of 1973, after the last American combat troops have left Vietnam. But this works out OK too, you'll be glad to know, and she turns up at the same pre-race Ball all begowned and bejeweled like any normal upper-class girl, to be bucked up by mom's words of wisdom about how, "Political beliefs change, but the need to do what you think is right doesn't." She is grateful for this information. Penny's other children are just part of the furniture. So, for that matter, are the other characters in the film. The two sexist bad guys (Graham McTavish and Forry Smith) -- a crooked trainer and a boastful fellow owner -- are mere caricatures, while Penny's new best friend and less attractive sidekick (Margo Martindale), her dad (Scott Glenn), her French Canadian trainer (John Malkovich), jockey (Otto Thorwarth), stable hand (Nelsan Ellis), and two crusty-kindly old men who help her out in times of need (Fred Dalton Thompson and James Cromwell) are mere types who are of little or no interest as people.

The rival-owner bad guy compares Secretariat, whose race times still hold the record at Churchill Downs and Belmont, to a machine, but it is really the movie that is like a machine. At any rate it is more like a machine than a movie, for it is made out of standardized parts as if it were on an assembly line. There are good things to be said for it. Its oft-reiterated moral about not giving up and achieving and winning, though marred by more than a tinge of the positive-thinking religion that sometimes comes close to supposing that wanting to win is a sufficient as well as a necessary condition of winning, is not the worst moral it could have, even if it seems cut out and pasted in. And its race photography is often spectacular and gripping. But the obstacles Penny has to overcome seem unreal and her struggles against them artificial. The inspirational stuff is formulaic, collected from other movies and dumped here. It doesn't arise naturally out of the story but is imposed on it. In the end, unlike its subject, the movie has no heart.

About the Author

James Bowman, our movie and culture critic, is a resident scholar at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. He is the author of Honor: A History and Media Madness: The Corruption of Our Political Culture, both published by Encounter Books.

Letter to the Editor View all comments (48) | Leave a comment

drudge ette oabam| 11.15.10 @ 7:06AM

I still have the bumper sticker, "Breed More Secretariats", that the Chenery family had printed when this horse won.

It's not right if they messed up this story.

Tim*| 11.15.10 @ 8:09AM

More Hollywood " Chickification" Crap.

And, Secretariat was a stallion.

Gill O’Teen ✝✡$| 11.15.10 @ 9:53AM

Actually, in horse terminology, during the time this movie allegedly took place, Secretariat was a colt. A male horse less than 5 years of age is called a ‘colt’. At 5 it is called a ‘horse’. A male horse becomes a ‘stallion’ when he is used for breeding. A male horse of any age which has been castrated is called a ‘gelding’.

Secretariat began racing at 2 years of age, and was retired after his 3 year old campaign. Normal breeding of thoroughbreds does not begin until around Valentine’s Day each year. This is because the rules of The Jockey Club assigns each foal an official birthday of January 1 in the year of birth. Thus a foal actually born January 1, 1970, and another born December 31, 1970, are for racing purposes the same age. So Secretariat became an actual stallion in February 1974, though once he was retired to ‘stud’ duty, it was not improper to start referring to him as such.

There was so much factually wrong with this movie that it was all I could do to mind my manners and not disturb the other victims of the dizzy Disney movie machine.

1) They got the facts of the famous coin toss wrong.
2) They forgot that Meadow Stable owned and campaigned the winner of the 1972 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes who also won the 3 year old male Championship that year. That horse, Riva Ridge, was trained by Lucien Laurin and ridden by Ron Turcotte. Amazing that since Mrs. Tweedy absolutely adored ‘Riva’, whose winnings helped make The Meadow one of the most successful racing operations that year, his existence was totally overlooked by the Disney crew.
3) Sham did not win the 1973 Wood Memorial. He finished second to a horse named Angle Light who was trained by Lucien Laurin and ran as an entry with Secretariat. They were also a coupled betting interest in the 1973 Derby. This is why in all Big Red’s Derby photos his saddle blanket is numbered ‘1A’.
4) Sham was not an evil animal. He was an exceptionally talented race horse whose record in the 1973 Santa Anita Derby still stands. He was bred, like Secretariat, following a proven pattern of speedy father to a Princequillo daughter.
5) Pancho Martin was a great trainer. I even read that he is still training race horses somewhere in the Northeast. His son, Frank, is in the Hall of Fame. If Pancho had any flaw it was only that he had a problem coming to grips with the harsh reality that he finally had a dream horse in his stable, one with the talent to win the Triple Crown, yet this extremely large cardiac muscled monster lost the Wood, The Derby and The Preakness.
6) Sham’s estimated times for both The Derby and The Preakness were the second fastest for those American Classics (only the lead horse at predetermined points throughout a race has an official time for that distance. I beat the expert in a computerized trivia game at Churchill Down’s Museum because I knew that Sham’s estimated time is still the second fastest in that event.
7) Sham rearranged his teeth via a close encounter with the starting stall just at the beginning of the ‘73 Derby. It is not unreasonable to believe he might have run faster that day if his pearly whites had not been a bright red and dangling from their sockets.
8) The Belmont Stakes is run at Belmont Park which is in New York City, not at Keeneland which is on the outskirts of Lexington, Kentucky. Just sticking a big white banner with big blue letters on the infield cannot change that fact.
9) Belmont Park’s track announcer Chick Anderson gave one of the greatest race calls ever in describing the events unfolding in front of him. However, as good as Anderson was, he thought Secretariat’s margin of victory was 25 lengths, not 30 as the movie claims. Margins between horses at any point in a race are only estimates. At the end of the race, the official chart callers use photographs to determine the distances between the competitors.
10) The same jockey who rode Secretariat in his debut, which he lost because he got smashed between two rivals at the start, rode in race #2 - the maiden breaker. Turcotte was not aboard for that ride.
11) Any wanting to witness the real deal can view most, if not all, of Biggest Red’s races on Youtube, or like I did, purchase Mrs. Tweedy’s DVD of all those races from the official Secretariat web site.
[ http://www.secretariat.com/ ]

I could go on but I won’t
Gill O’Teen ✝✡$
Don’t Tread on Me.
gill.Oteen07041776@gmail.com
“They're on the turn, and Secretariat is blazing along! The first three-quarters of a mile in 1:09 and four fifths. Secretariat is widening now! He is moving like a TREMENDOUS machine! Secretariat by twelve, Secretariat by fourteen lengths on the turn! Sham is dropping back. It looks like they'll catch him today, as My Gallant and Twice a Prince are both coming up to him now. But Secretariat is all alone! He's out there almost a sixteenth of a mile away from the rest of the horses! Secretariat is in a position that seems impossible to catch. He's into the stretch. Secretariat leads this field by eighteen lengths, and now Twice a Prince has taken second and My Gallant has moved back to third. They're in the stretch. Secretariat has opened a twenty-two length lead! He is going to be the Triple Crown winner! Here comes Secretariat to the wire. An unbelievable, an amazing performance! He hits the finish twenty-five lengths in front! It's going to be Twice a Prince second, My Gallant third, Private Smiles fourth, and Sham, who had it today, dropped back to fifth.” - Chic Anderson (1931 - 1979) Belmont Park June 9, 1973
[ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS4f6wiQJh4 ]
Only 797 days to go

KyMouse| 11.15.10 @ 10:27AM

Good stuff, Gill; thank you.

When the Associated Press' panel of experts voted for Horse of the Century, they picked Man o' War, with Secretariat in second place. Both were magnificent chestnut colts.

Secretariat won 16 of his 21 starts during his two-year racing career. Man o' War won 9 of his 10 races (finishing second in one) as a two-year-old, and then won his next 11 races before retiring. In one race, he was 100 lengths ahead of his nearest challenger.

People often think that Man o' War won the Kentucky Derby, but he didn't race in it; he did, however, win the Preakness and the Belmont.

Penny Chenery said when Horse of the Century was announced, "I'm really thrilled these people in racing who have seen so many good horses would rank Secretariat with Man o' War. He had the same electric presence as Man o' War. Going to see Man o' War in the first half of the century was something. Seeing Secretariat in the second half of the century was the same thing."

Bruce Berger| 11.15.10 @ 11:44AM

In my opinion Secretariat's Belmont win is the most dominant single performance in the history of sports.

Rich Rostrom| 11.16.10 @ 12:14AM

Bruce Berger: my ex-roommate said it was the greatest athletic performance he'd ever seen.

Tim*| 11.15.10 @ 4:12PM

If I'm correct, a colt is actually a male horse under 4 years old that hasn't been castrated.

Gill O’Teen ✝✡$| 11.15.10 @ 8:09PM

You are not correct.
Gill O’Teen ✝✡$
Don’t Tread on Me.
gill.Oteen07041776@gmail.com
“Colt: An ungelded (entire) male horse four years old or younger.” - Thoroughbred Times Racing Almanac of 2009, Copyright © 2008 Thoroughbred Times Co. Inc. Lexington, KY, page 989.
Only 797 days to go

Tim*| 11.15.10 @ 11:31PM

In case my first post didn't get through.

Colt:A male horse, age three or under.
http://www.ilovehorseracing.co.....terms.html

Colt - A male horse up to four years old.
http://www.squidoo.com/speakhorse

Apparently, in the horse world ,it depends on whose doing the "Defining ".

MikeD| 11.15.10 @ 7:51PM

Gill,

Thank you! This was probably the most enjoyable, and most informative, post I've ever read. Thanks again!

The Bishop| 11.15.10 @ 8:52AM

I'm definitely no movie critic and I have no credentials to comment here, other than being one of the easily-duped masses; but when watching this movie with my wife and grandson this past weekend, I couldn't keep from getting teary-eyed during the scenes where the magnificent steed raced past his rivals to victory. All I could think of was the passage from Job and what a magnificent creature the Creator gave us. Call me sappy, but I loved it.

Reagan Loyalist| 11.15.10 @ 11:32AM

I'll take you comment as my own adding that one would have to be emotionally disconnected to avoid being effected by the magesty of this creation of God. I too was moved many time and loved this film.

WayneFarmer| 11.15.10 @ 12:37PM

Misspelled "majesty." Misused "effected" -- the verb is affected. Effect is a noun and doesn't conjugate into past tense. But, sounds like your emotions are okay, despite the grammaticals.

Corgisrule| 11.15.10 @ 10:08AM

Aw come on! It was a good movie. Yeah a few flaws. So what. My husband and I enjoyed the film. We are horse enthusiasts - watched every Secretariat race. The horse was a sport. He was a "machine." Urban legend" has it that his heart weight 21 lbs at autopsy. Average equine heart weights 9 lbs. He never produced winners such as himself. He was a beauty. Nicknamed Big Red. Big Red was the nickname of Man O' War. Didn't win the triple crown or race in the Derby. He did, however, sire, many times over, horses that were racing champions. Again, we enjoyed the movie and ptooey on the rest of ya...just kidding.

Gill O’Teen ✝✡$| 11.15.10 @ 11:28AM

American breeder and pedigree expert, Marianna Haun, wrote in her article, “The X-FACTOR - Heart of the Matter, Part 1" which was published in the “Quarter (Horse) Racing Journal” “Today, the normal weight of a horse’s heart is 8.5 pounds. Even though Secretariat’s heart was not weighed at autopsy, Dr. Thomas Swerczek, head pathologist at the University of Kentucky, estimated it at 22 pounds after finding the second-largest heart in Sham (Secretariat’s Triple Crown rival) and weighing it at 18 pounds.” This discovery inspired Haun to research whether or not there was a genetic link to an abnormally large heart in the Thoroughbred. After great effort she noted a pattern which she traced back to the great English racehorse Eclipse (born 1764). She called this pattern the X-Factor because her research suggested that there is a large heart gene which is passed exclusively on the X-Chromosome. This means that while mares can pass it to all their children, stallions can only pass it to their daughters. Her research indicated that the great stallion Princequillo, still an important source of stamina in modern pedigrees, carried this gene. He passed it to his daughters. His daughter Somethingroyal produced Secretariat (Bold Ruler) and another daughter Sequoia produced Sham (Pretense). On a more contemporary note, the great stallions Storm Cat and A.P. Indy are candidates to carry this gene as their mothers were both Secretariat daughters. The great race mare Zenyatta’s (Street Cry) dam Vertigineux was sired by the X-factor pattern stallion Kris S. whose own dam Sharp Queen was by Princequillo.

Man O’ War never sired runners as great as he. His best racer was Triple Crown Winner War Admiral, who contrary to the misleading facts of the Seabiscuit movie was not a giant, but about the same height as Seabiscuit. Seabiscuit was War Admiral’s nephew.

Secretariat’s son General Assembly still holds the 10 furlong record at Saratoga, his son Risen Star won the 1988 Preakness and Belmont Stakes. His Belmont was the second fastest recorded through that day. Another son, Tinner’s Way raced as a three year old in Europe. Returned to the U.S., he won the Grade 1 Pacific Classic in 1994 and again in 1995. Secretariat’s daughter, Lady’s Secret was Horse of the Year & Champion Older Mare in 1986. She was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1992. She was ranked by Blood-Horse Magazine as one of the Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th Century. Tinner is currently living at Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Home in Georgetown, Kentucky. [ http://www.oldfriendsequine.org/ ]

Gill O’Teen ✝✡$
Don’t Tread on Me.
gill.Oteen07041776@gmail.com
“Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people.” attributed to W C Fields at
[ http://www.horseracing.net/horseracingquotes.htm ]
Only 797 days to go

Brubaker| 11.15.10 @ 10:29AM

I don't recall Secretariate being advertised as a documentary. Yes, the movie draws upon historical events, but it does so in much the same manner as Law & Order. Sit back, chill out and enjoy the movie.

Evanston2| 11.15.10 @ 7:54PM

Yeah, facts -schmacts. Who needs 'em. The CIA shot Kennedy. We were evil to be in Vietnam. Islam is a religion of peace. Secretariat won a few races instead of some other horse and we're supposed to act like this is something tear-worthy. Oops, I let the truth leak out in the previous sentence...

long beach chuck| 11.15.10 @ 10:54AM

I went to see the pic with my two granddaughters and unfortunately the film "broke" at the end of his 2 year old season. As a standard bred horse owner and amateur driver I can tell you that really enjoyed as much of the film I did see. Horse racing is a tough business and it's just a thin line between success and failure.

MOS was 71331| 11.15.10 @ 11:05AM

I agree with The Bishop. My wife and I got caught up in the story told by the movie and were crying at its end. [And I certainly don't care that Disney used a different track when filming the Belmont Stakes, as criticized by Gill O'Teen. As far as I'm concerned, one track is as good as another.]

Check out Roger Ebert's review of the movie. I don't agree with all of his reviews, but this one calls it right.

Gill O’Teen ✝✡$| 11.15.10 @ 12:29PM

Belmont Park on Long Island is the largest racetrack in North America. Opened in 1905. It’s grandstand can hold 90,000 people with a seating capacity of 32,941. It’s highest single day attendance record of 120,139 was to see the Smarty Jones’ Belmont. It’s oval is 12 furlongs around and is made of good ol’ American dirt. In the 2009 Edition of “Thoroughbred Times Racing Almanac” (which is also the primary source of all my data) Secretariat set the 9 furlong standard at 1:45 4/5 on September 15, 1973, more than 3 months after the Belmont.

Keeneland Race Course, opened in 1936, has an oval that is 1 1/16 miles (8.5 furlongs) around. It’s seating capacity is 8,535. It’s highest single day attendance record of 33,821 was set 4/21/2007. Since 2006, instead of dirt, the horses run over a synthetic surface called Polytrack which visually does not look like real dirt. Belmont is in an urban setting, Keeneland’s is more inclined to the rural as it has several horse farms nearby.

Before the famous slingshot incident, I was able to pick out Goliath over David even without a program. Belmont is Goliath. Keeneland is David’s smaller cousin. Knowing that computer technology today is such that the gladiator fights in the movie “Gladiator” were not actually staged in a Roman arena, the battles in “Lord of the Rings” were computer populated, and the Disney outfit is one of the world’s best at computer animation, there is simply no excuse for pretending that Keeneland without any makeup is Belmont.

Don’t get me wrong. I love Keeneland. It’s a fabulous and beautiful racing venue right near the heart of bourbon country. It is arguably the world capitol of the Thoroughbred industry. And two of my favorite things are Kentucky Thoroughbreds and Kentucky Bourbon.

Gill O’Teen ✝✡$
Don’t Tread on Me.
gill.Oteen07041776@gmail.com
“f I were young, fast, healthy, and had a lot of money and my whole sex life ahead of me, I'd retire - like Secretariat.” attributed to Dick Butkus at [ http://www.sports-quotes.com/r.....orses.html ]
Only 797 days to go

Perusha The Offender| 11.15.10 @ 12:17PM

It was such a hoot to see that marvelous horse almost win its 20th straight race and end up undefeated, last Saturday. I forget the name.

What is it about horse racing, the sport of kings, that grabs American’s attention so regularly? Every generation has its champion. It reminds me of how we each believe the boxers of our youth could have beaten those who came earlier.

I wonder if horse lovers also feel the same about dogs. In Portland, Oregon, my old hometown, dog racing was (is still?) as popular as horse racing.

After all, horses are basically just huge dogs. And, we all know dogs are man’s best friend.

Man’s best friend = the sport of kings? If you wand a friend in Washington D.C., get a dog.

“Get along little doggie, it’s your misfortune and none of my own”---so goes a song about driving cattle to market.

Back in the 50’s, my father, a butcher, always regularly provided meat for dinner. One night, we all had a large and delicious t-bone steak. When we were done eating, he told us it was HORSE meat!

I wonder how many horse AND dog lovers eat cows. Why, of course, we all know it’s the vast “cognitive dissonance” majority, don’t we?

Time has a way of lawfully bringing the changes to break through earlier programming, and usually it takes a painful crisis to do it. My own cattle processing diet turned around when my body revolted in my late 20’s, due to unmentionable alimentary tract stoppages and bleeding from the end. This led to giving up meat.

Finally, apropos this website and its founder, RET—he is remembered by yours truly from the early days as quite the “witty” critic of vegetarians, etc, so now it’s interesting that in his own aging years he’s AT LEAST eating flax seeds to keep his own digestive system flowing!

Louis| 11.16.10 @ 12:27AM

"After all, horses are basically just huge dogs..." Beyond even absurd. Banal. You probably think a goat is just another kind of sheep, or a crab is some kind of fish. I hope you get to know animals some day. What marvelous creations they are.

Cris Worth| 11.15.10 @ 12:30PM

Secretariat is the greatest of them all, he won the triple crown-2 of the 3 he set the track record and his 31 length win in the Belmont was the greatest horse racing achievement ever. All athletes have their off days including Secretariat but when this horse brought his "A" game to the track no horse could beat him including Man O' War. Kudos to Citation the last Triple Crown winner before Secretariat. Citation won the Kentucky Derby-Preakness-Jersey Derby-Belmont Stakes in succession the only horse ever to do that. In 1948 he won 19/20 races ranking him in my opinion #2 and ahead of Man O' War #3.

Gill O’Teen ✝✡$| 11.15.10 @ 2:13PM

Nice to have someone else post a comment who actually has some factual knowledge about this topic. I just wanted to add that it’s widely believed by those in attendance that Secretariat also set the record in the Preakness. As evidence there is the fact that the standard of excellence for a race horse is the ability to run a furlong on dirt in 12 seconds. This is 24 seconds for a quarter mile. In shorter races good horses run faster than that. Many horses have held that pace for a mile (1:36). The great Dr. Fager set the North American record of 1:32 1/5 on 8/25/1968. This might have been broken by Najran on 5/7/2003 who stopped the clock at 1:32.24. In ancient times races were timed to the 5th of a second. There is no way to accurately equate an old-style time to the modern to the hundredths. Any time faster than something and 2/5 seconds but not faster than something and 1/5 seconds was officially run in something and 1/5 seconds. Thus Dr. Fager’s mile record could have actually ranged from 1:32.20 to 1:32.39. The first horse to run the Kentucky Derby on the 12s was Northern Dancer in 1964. Secretariat’s Belmont is still the only dirt effort for 12 furlongs on the 12s, but if it had been timed by Belmont’s current electronic timing system it might have been as slow(?) as 2:24.19.

Secretariat’s Derby’s first quarter was clocked officially in 47 2/5. The opening Belmont quarter was 46 1/5. However, that Preakness’ corresponding split was 48 1/5. After that race Daily Racing Form challenged the final time. As a result of the ensuing hearing the electronic time was found to be faulty, so the Maryland officials declared the hand timed backup time to be official. It was a respectable 1:54 2/5. The Racing Form still uses their clockers' time of 1:53 2/5, which could have given Secretariat a 3rd diamond for his Triple Crown. The Preakness record in 1973 was set by Canonero II in 1971 at 1:54. It is currently held by Tank’s Prospect who hit 1:53 2/5 in 1985 and Louis Quatorze who broke the 1996 beam in 1:53.43.

Whether or not Citation is #3 on the all time list is a much debated subject. The Blood-Horse rankings do list him in that slot. But they rank Man O’ War Numero Uno. For #3, I think a case can be made for any in the top 10 as to which is number 3. The rest are Kelso, Count Fleet, Dr. Fager, Native Dancer, Forego, Seattle Slew and Spectacular Bid. Forego was whupped by Secretariat in the ‘73 Derby. Like Secretariat, Seattle Slew and Spectacular Bid descend from #19 Bold Ruler. Secretariat’s roommate Riva Ridge charted at #57 and was setting records during the Secretariat racing years. Secretariat’s baby girl, Lady’s Secret was ranked #76. Citation’s roommate Coaltown ranked #47. Secretariat’s dad’s broodmare sire Discovery ranked #37. Discovery, like #13 War Admiral was a grandson of Fair Play.

Last summer, acting on a tip, I saw the barn where Fair Play was born back in 1905. Ultimately, Fair Play proved a more important stallion, all things considered, than his son Man O’ War as all thoroughbreds tracing back to Blood-Horse’s greatest hit plus all tracing back to Secretariat’s pop, Bold Ruler, must also trace back to him. Like Sham, Fair Play was denied his spot in horse racing’s spotlight because he had the bad luck of being born in the same era as a real buzzsaw. Fair Play’s main rival #15 Colin retired undefeated. Hard to improve on that.

To argue my case that Man O’War just might rank higher than Citation. For the 1920 Lawrence Realization, then run at 13 furlongs, it appeared that the original Big Red would be honored with a walk-over. Owner Sam Riddle did not want this, so he asked a friend to enter a challenger. All Hoodwink had to do was walk around the track without losing his rider and he was guaranteed second place money. Man O’ War won by 100 lengths. But that’s not a big deal. Margin’s of victory tell us more about the losers than the winners. What does stand out about this race is that Man O’ War set a new standard for 1 5/8 miles of 2:40 4/5 which stood until Swaps wired the 1956 Sunset Handicap in 2:38 1/5 which is till the standard. Citation ran that same distance in 2:42 4/5. After his historic Belmont, Daily Racing Form’s clockers kept their watches running until Turcotte finally coaxed his big red machine into turning around. They timed him at 2:37 4/5 beating Swaps record. But that time is strictly unofficial and for argument’s sake only.
[ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B.....th_Century ]

Man, I love this stuff!
Gill O’Teen ✝✡$
Don’t Tread on Me.
gill.Oteen07041776@gmail.com
“A difference of opinion is what makes horse racing and missionaries.” attributed to Will Rogers at [ http://thinkexist.com/quotes/w.....se_racing/ ]
Only 797 days to go

edward.del_colle| 11.15.10 @ 2:49PM

you can throw in all these times but big red sprinted the mile and a half in 2:24 flat, his mile and a quarter in the same race was 1:59 flat faster than his derby where he had to pass all of those horses. he beat the best turf horse later in '73. he would have buried these other horses @ 1 5/8 etc. his times have them by seconds not fractions.

edward del colle| 11.15.10 @ 3:04PM

you can add to all this that turcotte et al. hand rode the big red colt! sham took a beating from his jockey both at the derby and the preakness! and as turcotte said of the belmont he wasn;t even pushing the horse! he flew around turns and at the derby he ran each 1/4 mile faster than the previous while circling a field of horses!!! what other athlete does stuff like that.

Occam's Tool| 11.15.10 @ 9:08PM

It is always nice to read a column by someone who is passionate and accurate.

Speaking of this:

Imagine an attack on America's energy industry by state sponsored terrorists. Then imagine a President who is a panderer to Islamists, and who takes himself more seriously than the Constitution. Then imagine a white knuckle ride that never lets up!

We know the second statement is true, and the third statement is a book describing the first, called Texas Said No!.

Texas Said No! grabs you by the throat by page 6, and then is LITERALLY unputdownable through the last page, where it ends all too soon. To tell any more would be to give away too much stuff, but if you liked The Last Centurion by John Ringo, you'll love this one, as it is very similar to Ringo's book, only stripped down without any padding, slamming through its talking points like the TCU defense on a roll. If you care about your country and the course it's taking, buy this book and put it next to America Alone on your shelf. It's that good, and that important.

It is published as an E-book. Check it out at www.texassaidno.com

It really is quite awesome. Old Texican wasn't kidding. I ALWAYS put books down--not this one.

edward del colle| 11.15.10 @ 2:23PM

the daily racing form at 2 locations timed secrtetariat's preakness as the fastest ever, the raciong commission in maryland was duplicitous and dishonest in not doing the right thing. even a computerized re-anaction of secretariat vs canonero 2nd shows big red 's time better. also, turcotte he knew he had sham beat and held up a bit on the Big horse. he sprinted the Belmont, his time being slowed down after the finish line eclipsed the fastest time @ 1 and 5/8 mile.

The Bishop| 11.15.10 @ 2:09PM

Historical inaccuracies aside, I still loved the movie and appreciate the horse racing education I've received today from the forgoing discussion. The movie peaked my interest and you folks have supplied more. Thanks.

JIM WHITTAKER| 11.15.10 @ 3:08PM

SEABISCUIT still remains the greatest horse
racing movie of all time. And, most of it was
not even about horse racing -- it was about the
real life drama of awesome setbacks and amazing
recoveries. One of the best sports movies, ever!

Handy| 11.15.10 @ 6:54PM

I concur. Thoroughbred horseracing outdrew all other sports combined during the 1930s. People got dressed up to go to the track.

Seabiscuit, the horse, was an important beacon of hope for a weary nation. The book was good, but the movie actually got the point across better. It is difficult to imagine a better horse flick ever being made.

I haven't seen Secretariat, the movie, yet. But, with all of the factual inaccuracies cited above (Thanks Gill, et al.) I will probably be disappointed. But, I did get to kiss Secretariat, the horse, on the nose a few times.

Let's get a thread started about Native Dancer. How about Forego's long career? Spectacular Bid, anyone? Other nominees?

Meanwhile, do yourselves a favor and watch "Let It Ride." Might just be the second best horse flick to date.

loulou| 11.15.10 @ 7:14PM

Ruffian.
If you want a good racing movie, try "Phar Lap." True story and not a chick flick.

Handy| 11.15.10 @ 8:15PM

Wow. You are right. Phar Lap was robbed. The Aussies still blame us.

Oz horsies could beat a lot of ours, but they won't bring them up, because of that scandal.

Say NO to LASIX!!!

Fierce race mares like Sun Line turn me on. Ruffian was just a filly. She was precocious, but shouldn't have been in that race. Still, I have visited her grave.

Handy| 11.15.10 @ 8:24PM

"Phar Lap" is a *must see* movie for anyone interested in the subject of horse racing and history.

Kevin| 11.15.10 @ 3:45PM

My parents live down the road for this horse farm outside Doswell, VA . I did not know that Secretariat was from there until the movie.

edward.del_colle@| 11.15.10 @ 4:02PM

i think northern dancer had the best time at the Belmont and big red blew it away.

Gill O’Teen ✝✡$| 11.15.10 @ 8:44PM

You are obviously a fact checker for the Disney Corporation. Northern Dancer, quite likely the most important stallion since World War II, was a mighty midget on the race track. He was the first horse in history to hold 12s in the Kentucky Derby, stopping that clock in 2 minutes flat. That record stood until bettered in 1973. Northern Dancer also won the ‘64 Preakness with a time of 1:56 4/5, more than 2 seconds slower than Nashua’s ‘55 record of 1:54 3/5. However, in the ‘64 Belmont, Northern Dancer failed in his Triple Crown bid by finishing third behind Quadrangle and Roman Brother. Nashua’s time was a solid 2:28 4/5. Thus it is logical to assume that Northern Dancer ran slower since there was no reordering of the finish by the New York Stewards. In 1964, the Belmont record for 12 furlongs was Gallant Man’s 2:26 3/5 in 1957. This is the record Secretariat demolished.
Gill O’Teen ✝✡$
Don’t Tread on Me.
gill.Oteen07041776@gmail.com
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.” - attributed to Daniel Patrick Moynihan at http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/D.....k_Moynihan
Only 797 days to go

Gill O’Teen ✝✡$ | 11.15.10 @ 9:05PM

Oops! Quadrangle, as I did point out, won the ‘64 Belmont, thus he is the one that was timed in 2:28 4/5. Nashua would have been 12 in 1964 and according to the rules of the Triple Crown races, too old to run against Northern Dancer. Eligibility for the Triple Crown races is limited to horses exactly 3 years of age. Thus horses only get one chance to compete in these. If they miss the race the one time it’s run in the year they are 3, there is no second opportunity.
Gill O’Teen ✝✡$
Don’t Tread on Me.
gill.Oteen07041776@gmail.com
“I can make a General in five minutes, but a good horse is hard to replace.” - attributed to Abraham Lincoln at http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Horses
Only 797 days to go

TennesseeVolunteer| 11.15.10 @ 5:11PM

I had the fortune to see Secretariat at the Kentucky Derby and was on the infield about 30 yards before the finish line. The roar of the crowd as he came down the stretch will stay in my ears for the rest of my life. after the crowd was roaring, you could hear the noise of the horses running which created an excitement that was never to forget. Big Red was by us in a nanosecond and it was a true lapse in time until the rest of the field passed us by.
We eight college students from Memphis, Tn drove up on Friday in a rented van with mattresses in it from our dorm. We fell into line in front of Churchill Downs that night and partied with people from all over. Thh next morning we found ourselves inline to go into the parking lot and had the kind of great time that you can only have in college when you don't know how good you've got it!
The coeds from the University of Kentucky were the best looking I've ever seen and I fell in love about five times that day alone.
It was a privlege to be part of sports history!

Occam's Tool| 11.15.10 @ 9:10PM

Unfortunately, you didn't see the coeds at Texas Christian. Other than my wife ('Bama alum) there are none prettier. And speaking of things Texan:

We know the second statement is true, and the third statement is a book describing the first, called Texas Said No!.

It is published as an E-book. Check it out at www.texassaidno.com

Handy| 11.15.10 @ 8:31PM

Five times???

Gill O’Teen ✝✡$| 11.15.10 @ 9:29PM

Just several closing thoughts:
1) Fans of the great Man O’ War should know that his grave was relocated to the Kentucky Horse Park where it is easily accessible to all who visit. This Horse Park is just north of Lexington, just east of I-75. He rests in peace below his magnificent statue. Buried near him are his sons War Admiral and War Relic. This tiny cemetery is a wonderful place to just sit and ponder. Amazingly War Relic is the only one of Man O’ War’s sons which established a male line that still survives. Two time Breeders’ Cup Classic Champion Tiznow is the best current example of this family. KHP maintains a Hall of Champions which in the past was home to Hall of Famers Forego and John Henry. Thoroughbred Champions currently using that mailing address are Cigar, Funny Cide and Da Hoss. One of my favorite activities there is watching the Parade of Breeds which is a wonderful introduction to some of the many other horse types. They are all beautiful.
2) I do not go to the movies for the facts. I go to be entertained. I gave up years ago in believing that Hollywood had any connection to the truth except it might spell the names correctly. Hollywood’s mission is pure capitalism - make a wad of cash for the investors. If the ‘Secretariat’ movie does this, more power to them. Their product did not entertain me, but as a serious fan of the Sport of Kings, I have a different standard than the average movie goer.
3) I don’t believe Hollywood “documentaries”. Far too often these are nothing more than propaganda pushing an agenda. Even Mel Gibson deviated from The Book for his film about The Crucifixion. He should have stuck with the Road Warrior series.
4) However, the ‘Secretariat’ movie team hired Bill Nack, possibly the world’s foremost authority on Big Red II outside the inner circle, as a consultant. Even gave him a bit part in the flick. I think he played a reporter. Much of what I know about this subject is available in Nack’s classic “Secretariat: The Making of a Champion”. However, they chose to ignore his expertise.
5) Those like me, so unfortunate that they never saw The Tremendous Machine in the flesh can still visit his grave just outside the Claiborne Farm office near Paris, Kentucky. But first give them a call and make an appointment. Claiborne is the farm where Secretariat was conceived and is family owned by the Hancocks. Their horse Blame upset Zenyatta in this year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic bringing her undefeated streak to a heart wrenching stop at 19. Colin only raced 15 times. New Mexican Pepper’s Pride did retire undefeated after 19 starts, but she only raced against other females in New Mexico State bred events. Citation and Cigar each won 16 in a row at one point in their careers, but these streaks were bookended with defeats.
6) Much gratitude to James Bowman whose simple movie column provided me much relief from the imposing problems facing OUR Nation. Now you all know what I was studying prior to 2008. I can safely say that I know more about horse racing than the average person. About the only horse racing thing I don’t know at least a little about is how to pick a winner.

Gill O’Teen ✝✡$
Don’t Tread on Me.
gill.Oteen07041776@gmail.com
“And Allah took a handful of southerly wind, blew His breath over it, and created the horse.... Thou shall fly without wings, and conquer without any sword.” Bedouin legend found at http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Horses
Only 797 days to go

James O'hara| 11.15.10 @ 10:43PM

Great View, i do really love this movie. And after i read this article i know that secretariat is good movie

http://streamepisodes.blogspot.com

dadfly| 11.16.10 @ 2:31AM

i'm just going to praise the old-school, american values i saw in this film and recommend it to dad's and their kids. it was the first film i could take my kids to and enjoy in years. we're always lamenting the loss of the culture. how about a little support for someone trying to buck hollywood and bring a little of it back. i finally have a movie i can take my kids to in the theater, even at the astronomical prices the charge today and a premier conservative site review is kinda panning it.

in terms of the movie. i thought it was well done. more to the point. it held the attention of a 5 and 3 year old, in the theater for the better part of two hours. please give us more family movies, formulaic or not, it's far better then the statist crap we have to constantly edit from our kids senses.

regarding, secretariat, or now as i learned from the movie "big red," i watched him as a testosterone besotted football playing jock back in the 70's, and i can tell you he made me sit pay attention. they called him a "super" horse, with good reason. the way he won was way more impressive then that he won. in the races i watched on tv, he looked like he was just getting it into gear as he crossed the finish. in retrospect, the triple crown is in my opinion is the greatest feat in all of sports. using a comparison to football, a sport i'm familiar with, taking on all the best opposition in a mostly (sans place and show money) winner take all stakes race, is like compressing a whole football season, including the super bowl, into one race. then doing that 3 times in the space of what, a month. that's unreal.

i'll close with a little digging i did on the daily racing form (yes i'm a handicapper courtesy of outings with my dad). seeing these times and having seen the horse. i have no doubt big red was the greatest of all time (sorry ali):

The nine Triple Crown winners and their times follow:

1973 Derby Preakness Belmont
Secretariat 1:59 2/5 1:54 2/5*** 2:24

1948
Citation 2:05 2/5 2:02 2/5 2:28 1/5

1946
Assault 2:06 3/5 2:01 2/5 2:30 4/5

1943
Count Fleet 2:04 1:57 2/5 2:28 1/5

1941
Whirlaway 2:01 2/5 1:58 4/5 2:31

1937
War Admiral 2:02 1/5 1:58 2/5 2:28 3/5

1935
Omaha 2:05 1:58 2/5 2:30 3/5

1930
Gallant Fox 2:07 3/5 2:00 3/5 2:31 3/5

1919
Sir Barton 2:09 4/5 1:53* 2:17 2/5**

*This is not a record. The Preakness was nine furlongs until 1925.
**The Belmont was a mile and three furlongs until 1926.
***probably was a second faster and a record.

Nag_Nag_Nag| 11.16.10 @ 4:10PM

What was the last film James Bowman liked? Something from the 1940s, perhaps?

Evanston2| 11.16.10 @ 5:35PM

I saw "The Secret in Their Eyes" based on Bowman's recommendation. Posted on this site in April, if you're capable of clicking on his name at the top of this web page and perusing his reviews. He often mentions movies he likes, in September he spoke favorably of About Schmidt in the midst of another review. Requires that you actually read the review instead of Nag Nag Nag about Bowman.

sarah| 11.17.10 @ 12:07PM

the GOP has its Deep South Firewall. The Dems have New York and California. Obama won Virginia and Ohio in 2008. McCain lost Indiana. The GOP candidate to win must win Virginia, Ohio, and most probably Pennsylvania without losing states like West Virginia or Florida. It would help to pick up either a Colorado, Wisconsin, or Michigan. Can any of these canidates pull that off?
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Christian Louboutin| 6.23.11 @ 6:18AM

Apologies for the spoiler but the eponymous equine hero of Randall Wallace's Secretariat wins in the end. Of course you knew that anyway, as Secretariat was a real horse who wouldn't be remembered today if he hadn't won the big races.