Kentucky Derby Time
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Looking forward to see if American Pharoah can repeat his Arkansas Derby win. Then there's Dortmund! Big Browns Colt. What a huge beast. Do we have to have Johnny Weird on the show?
American Pharoah lived up to the hype. Good catch up on the final stretch.
Great race. He's a warrior!
Huge field...he did a good job of navigating all those bodies. That jock knows what he's doing. Second derby win in a row.
Nice race. 2:03 and change is a little ho- hum though. Secretariat was 4 seconds faster...still holds the track record 42 years later.
Good horse though.
Secretariat was from another planet. Having a heart almost 3 times the average horse didn't heart.
Great race and although my favorite didn't win and one of them was scratched it was a beautiful day and no riots over any losses.
Good race. After watching Secretariat run, nothing quite compares, The mile and a half run in the Belmont still boggles the mind, and to think that horse used to do that from starting dead last is just incredible.
Secretariat was a ham of a horse. Our lab had a chance to get blood samples from him when we went down to Kentucky to bleed stallions, mares and foals in the development of the ELA (equine lymphocyte antigen) system. When people came to see him, he'd show off and run over to great visitors.
Even in retirement, he seemed to like to be a show-off and center of attraction.
I totted around samples from that study in my freezer for years. Typical Jack, I tossed them as I decided that I was never going to use them. EBay and all the new genetic technologies probably make those tossed samples have value these days. LOL
I have a hunting club property in Caroline County, not far from where Secretariat was born and raised. I pass by the "Meadow", (and Kings Dominion), going to and from the hunt.
It is a State Fair property now.
Interesting tidbit about Secretariat's Derby win is that he ran each quarter mile faster than the next. The only horse to ever do that. Fact.
When he went past the grandstand the first time he was going 36 mph, the second time he was going 39 mph.
Magnificent animal...Sham was no slouch either.
The Preakness will be a better barometer of American Pharoah; the added traffic generally helps horses to rate their fractions so the 2:03 and change wasn't a shocker to me. For the moment it's a qualified "pedestrian" time which is why I'm looking forward to the Preakness and a much smaller field.
Early speed will get pushed at Pimlico so I think we'll see more of what this horse has in the tank and maybe he'll come out of it as a legitimate triple crown threat.
After last years Preakness I was positive California Chrome did not have the goods to win the Belmont; it would be nice to see a triple crown again.
Preakness is the shortest of the three races. 1 1/16 . The former jockey that was commentating said American Pharoah lost 2-3 lengths when he went wide on the final turn. The big reason anymore that you don't see triple crown winners is owners/trainers will not run all three races. They'll have a fresh rested horse to run the Belmont stakes. That's why California Chromes owner had a melt down. Unless you have a secretariat. Nothing before or to come will Ever do what he did. I have a feeling today the Jockey would be criticized for not just letting him coast. Like was stated above he just kept getting faster the further he ran.
I get chills every time I watch this. Like the caller said " He's running like a tremendous machine"! I'm not a horse person but I love the triple crown. I don't care what sport it is, I love watching greatness. It doesn't get any better than this. I can't imagine how the jockey felt. If it was me I wouldn't have been able to see from the tears streaming out of my eyes and i might add soiling myself from being scared to death.
That was the most un-believable race. They interviewed Turcotte the jockey and there was a point he looked back to see the rest of the field, when he did he said it scared him when he saw how far ahead he was. 31 lengths I think was the final official distance he won by and he was still accelerating.
Actually, the Preakness is 1 3/16, not 1 1/16.
Your right it's a 1/16 of a mile shorter. It's interesting that secretariat went on to loose several races after that. I think I know why. He was promised unlimited Fillies if he won the triple crown and he thought they were waiting for him at the finish line. When they weren't he just figured if I do poorly I'll get the fillies sooner.
