Great 1970s racehorses

The 1970s represent one of the last decades when high-stakes Thoroughbred breeds dominated the public mind as they had during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, when great horses like Man O’War, Seabiscuit and Citation went from being sport horses. page celebrities to bona fide cultural heroes, and Quote went from sports page celebrities to bona fide cultural heroes. Take a look at two great stories from 1970s horse racing: the rivalry between Affirmed and Alydar, and the life of a horse that was second to none: Secretariat.

The Rivals: Affirmed Against Alydar

Although there is a natural link between aristocratic lifestyles and equestrian pursuits, the most famous horse racing stories (at least in the United States) ironically tend to be rags-to-riches stories. Affirmed (1975-2001) is as good an example of this trend as any. The colt of Exclusive Native and Wo n’t Tell You, this Florida-born racehorse seemed to be in the middle of the pack in his first few races: a horse with some potential, but not a world conqueror.

Even after his emergence as a serious competitor, many track fans pinned their highest hopes on Alydar, the tough and impressive Calumet colt with whom Affirmed developed a fruitful relationship with Rogers and Shorter in the late ’70s, beating him in the Youthful Stakes. but losing to him in the Great American Stakes (one of his first meetings).

What Affirmed lacked was muscle (giving up five pounds to his rival) and advantages that he often made up for in heart, with wins late in the 1977 season in the Hopeful and Futurity stakes. Although the rainy winter of 1978 hampered his training, Affirmed packed on the pounds of muscle and emerged in early March as a mature and impressive racehorse.

All eyes were on Alydar and Affirmed as the 1978 Kentucky Derby flashed before their eyes. The larger of the two horses was the 6-5 favorite, but Affirmed got off to a strong start that propelled him to victory. Although he continued to be perceived as a bit of an underdog even in light of this success, with sportswriters in the East calling his impressive performances a fluke, or perhaps the luck of a good start, he managed another win, albeit much closer, in which Affirmed moved into firing range for Alydar’s famous (but thankfully absent) finishing kick at Preakness.

But there are three races in the Triple Crown, the last being the Belmont Stakes over 12 furlongs. Alydar, a horse that seemed stronger over long distances, posed more of a threat here, and the race unfolded as Alydar’s trainers had hoped: a fiery heads-up duel in the sun. But Affirmed responded to this unprecedented pressure with a grace under fire that could make Hemingway blush: locked in the railing down the stretch, he swept around his rival in one last burst of power and, by a nose, won Belmont – and the Triple Crown.

Years later, the two horses were reunited at Calumet Farms, where they were both studded.

Secretary

Thoroughbred racing doesn’t always get all the headlines. Basketball players, quarterbacks, even football players and Olympians get most of the glory, TV biographies, Sports Illustrated covers. But twice during the 20th century, a horse became not just a media star, but a universal symbol: a galvanizing, galvanizing metaphor about legacy.

The first time, it was Seabiscuit. And in the early ’70s, when the country seemed on the verge of a second depression, when civil rights were in the dust and Watergate was slowly beginning to unravel, there was Secretariat (1970-89).

From his earliest days, when he refused to cling to his mother as most grazing newborns do, he was recognized as a special horse. The names submitted by his owner Penny Tweedy to the Jockey Club reflect this early sense of his uniqueness: “Something Special”, “Deo Volente”, “Sceptre”. All of these names were in use, and it was a secretary at Meadow Stables who finally suggested “Secretariat”.

In his two-year-old season, he took eight first places in a row, after an embarrassing debut in which he was pushed at the starting gate by the hands (hooves) of the other horses. This mostly bright start marked him out in the eyes of fans and speculators.

Secretariat’s owners syndicated him to a record $6,080,000 deal, one of the conditions of which was that Colt’s racing career end and his breeding career begin after the following season. So, Secretariat began his three-year season with specials, having one year to make his mark.

The circumstances were special and required special actions. He won the races leading up to the Triple Stakes, with one rare exception, at the Wood Memorial, which only served (according to his owner) to infuriate him and increase his determination. In the Kentucky Derby he earned a win from behind, while in the Preakness, the rising horse earned a 2 1/2-length win over his closest rival. Now the anticipation increased. Would Secretariat give America the first Triple Crown victory of the television generation? Or would he be the victim of injury, illness or the kind of unexplained weakness that had hurt him in Wood, but this time with much more at stake?

In the event, the Secretariat fulfilled the expectations of the spectators. But what no one could have predicted was an almost embarrassing margin of victory that established him as not only a great horse, but possibly the best in history. In the Belmont Stakes he entered the stretch with 20 light lengths between him and his closest competitor. Then, in the complete absence of competition, he ran solo himself, widening that margin to 31 lengths and setting a world record of 2:24.

Perhaps noted writer George Plimpton put it best, in an interview with ESPN’s Classic SportsCentury series: “He was the only honest thing in this country at the time. This huge, magnificent animal who ‘just ran because he loved to run.’

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