Guestbook
Secretariat inspired and touched so many of us! He exhibited heart, courage, the will to win, and stood for all things good in our sport. Pure and noble, he remains a hero to new and old fans alike. We welcome you to leave your comments in this public guestbook so we can share your thoughts and memories with other visitors.
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I am like a child who has learned and knows that 3+3=6, and we will have to go against this reasoning .
I am only afraid of 2 people ; Linda Kennedy (Kelso ; the horse of gold) and the expert of the Washington Post who calculated the probable odds of Secretariat (151-154) because they see clearly. If they were to change their minds and speak out against Secretariat then I would be extremely embarrassed !!! ...there would be a poop in my panties........Lets all pray that these two don't change their minds...
Of course , I challenge any uninformed expert to argue here !! I personally commit myself to answer them .
Secretariat and Kelso...handcuff me .
P.S : I don`t pretend to undo what you said .
While living life day to day, it's hard for any of us to see the big picture and where our lives are going. Every time life gave you a challenge you ran at it full force, whether others were for you or against you. You never backed down, but you always had grace under fire. You did what you had to do to save what you loved and cherished. God blessed you with courage, wisdom, and two amazing horses that you needed to save the farm and make your father's dream of winning the Kentucky Derby come true. So, Riva Ridge was born. Riva won the Derby and saved the farm, so now your big red two year old, Secretariat, had the opportunity he needed. One by one all the horses, people, and situations you needed fell into perfect place to make your story come true. And all the while you were doing all of this, you were raising a beautiful family!
I truly believe that no other person, other than you Penny, could have given Secretariat what he needed to accomplish everything he did, the way he did it. Yes, he was blessed with everything he needed and more, within himself, but he needed you to bring it out in him and to guide him. He needed your love, your faith, and your belief in him! You knew he was special from the moment you watched him being born. And by doing this you gave the world a wonderful gift! A beautiful, intelligent horse made from dreams, that made one miracle after another happen, time and time again. In the Belmont he took us all to a place we have never been before and we will never be again! And because of you and Secretariat, we have Secretariat.com, where people around the world will always keep your memories alive and all of the members of Meadow Stable and your racing team alive for generations to come. You will always be with us!
I want to thank you Penny for giving me a role model to try to live up to, the will to never give up, and for showing me that dreams really do come true! I am so grateful I lived while you were writing the story of your life and I was able to watch the Big Red Horse run! Happy Birthday Penny!!!
At the time of 1999 vote , 26 years has passed since the 1973 Triple-Crown and all the Secretariat records had still not melted ( The famous revolutionary ice mentioned below ) where as for the same period 1920 / 1946 most of the Man O`War records had fallen and therefore melted. . . . . worse ; the period 1920 / 1946 was more suitable for the improvement for the records whereas for the period 1973 / 1999 it was much more difficult or even impossible because of the famous Equestrian Horizon where the records are not or almost not any more improvable . What more do you want as a reasoning ?
My research oomes up with this name....I suggest we go the NYRA site and email/call to start the push for a proper race for Secretariat! It unbelievable to me that he has no race named for him!!
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David O’Rourke is the Chief Executive Officer & President of the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA), the operator of Belmont Park, home of the Belmont Stakes, the third leg of racing’s Triple Crown; Saratoga Race Course, home of the most prestigious racing meet in the U.S.; and Aqueduct Racetrack.
First, you must understand America and us Baby Boomers at that time. We were getting older. We had our doubts about Santa, Easter Bunny, etc.. America had very little, if anything, to be proud of.
Vietnam, Watergate, A President resigning, heck even the Green Bay Packers could not have a winning season!
Then along comes this red horse with the checkered head cloth. About everything he did he did it HIS way, and like any proud American he won doing it his own way. Everywhere he set foot a track record would fall. He had bombed the sacred 2 minute barrier in the 1 1/4 mile Kentucky Derby. He still owns that record. And he would have another in the Preakness, had there not been problems with the Pimlico clocks. But The Belmont, the 1.5 mile Belmont Stakes is where he would leave his mark for eternity. Even though the field was tiny, all America stopped mowing their lawns, grilling their hot dogs, etc. We ALL NEEDED to see him and see him do something great. Just to remind everyone that America can still dig down and perform miracles when they were needed. I won't bore you with the entire race, but I must mention a couple items, to give those who were not yet born an understanding of what America's favorite son did that Saturday afternoon. As soon as the race started there was simply NO DOUBT who was going to win. What he would accomplish while doing it was another matter. After 3/4 of a mile, only HALF of the huge Belmont stakes distance, the public at home and at the track was jolted by announcer "Chic"Johnson, his voice a full octave higher than normal and he was so awe struck, I for one wondered if the Second Coming had just occurred in the Belmont booth! Then the words slowly sunk in, "Secretariat has just DESTROYED the Belmont track record for 6 furlongs!' ( Dang! I told myself I wasn't going to cry recalling these once in ten millenniums events. Guess I lied to myself). With another 3/4 of a mile to go in the Belmont, Secretariat has SHATTERED the Belmont track record for 6 furlongs!! I for one ran my fingers in my ears. I just knew I did not hear that correctly. Oh but we ALL did. And two of the horses foolhardy enough to TRY to stay close to him ended up walking off the track, as the lactic acid in their bodies would not allow them to run one more step. They were totally exhausted. But he was not done! Not by a long shot. We watched him run down the never ending backstretch. And I dare say ANYONE who heard Chic's words that day will NEVER forget them. As he entered the turn, Chic yelled out for every American to hear:"AND SECRETARIAT IS MOVING LIKE A TREMENDOUS MACHINE!!" He exited the fourth turn about the same time the remaining horses were entering the third turn. The only question remaining was by how much would Big Red win? Lengths become meaningless after a certain distance. Nobody refers the distance between Earth and the Sun in lengths. After he crossed the finish line, and the crowd gave one tumultuous cheer, it started to get quiet, as everyone wanted to hear the time. Had these other champions been adversely effected all at once, somehow? Then Chic gathered himself up and with a cracking voice, he said in effect: "We have just witnessed something that has NEVER happened before. Secretariat has run the 1 1/2 miles in... (one more pause to be certain this was correct. It was) Secretariat has broken the WORLD'S RECORD for the distance of 1 1/2 miles, completing the distance in 2:24 FLAT!" That is two full seconds faster than the previous track record. His margin of victory estimated and later confirmed at 31 lengths. That time of 2:24 has never been equaled, let alone surpassed. In just a couple more Belmont's it will have been One Half of a Century since that day in June. Fifty, (50 years), and it has never been equaled on dirt.
As everyone left Belmont that day, we all stood a little bit straighter, carried or heads a bit higher. Yes, America has had some terrible events occur in the last couple years, but do not EVER give up on The Stars and Stripes! No matter how downtrodden we feel, how badly things have gone, you just never know where the next American Hero will rise up and even the score! All I can say in closing is I am glad there is not a Skype camera here. Recounting that unbelievable day in June of 1973 has me looking like a blubbering fool. But, in this case I am not the least bit ashamed of it. This is about Secretariat.. one of the Greatest Americans of the 20th Century!!
Mad respect for the greatest of all time!!
Forever Run Wild and Free Champ!!!
Gone but not forgotten. God-Speed Secretariat.