Lady’s Secret: Racing’s Pocket-Sized Dynamo
Right now, one of the biggest questions surrounding the 2024 Breeders’ Cup is whether Thorpedo Anna can emulate the great Lady’s Secret by winning the Distaff and be voted Horse of the Year. In the 38 years since “The Iron Lady” ruled the Sport of Kings, only Azeri in 2002 has been able to accomplish this feat. Lady’s Secret and Thorpedo Anna, however, would be the only two to have run huge that same year against the best colts in the country. But times have changed in nearly four decades, and no filly or mare will ever duplicate Lady’s Secret’s remarkable 1986 campaign. ~ Steve Haskin
Lady’s Secret: Racing’s Pocket-Sized Dynamo
By Steve Haskin
Lady’s Secret, 1986 Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner and Horse of the Year.
Several weeks ago I wrote about the amazing legacy left by Secretariat’s daughters Terlingua, Weekend Surprise, and Secrettame, mainly through their respective sons Storm Cat, A.P. Indy, and Gone West. Although Big Red’s daughter Lady’s Secret was not a success as a broodmare, her legacy will be one of brilliance, toughness, versatility, and a rare consistency that saw her finish in the money in 25 consecutive races, 22 of them graded stakes, and 17 of those Grade 1.
She was anything but “Big” and she was the furthest thing from “Red, looking more like her dam, the light gray sprinter Great Lady M., but once those gates opened she was all Secretariat. All you had to do to envision her as his daughter was give her a complete paint job, and add about six inches to her height, 350 pounds to her weight, and about six feet to her stride.
One thing she did have in common with her sire was the extraordinary ability to sprint any distance. In fact, one statistic you will never see again was Lady’s Secret running 44 times from distances of five furlongs to 1 ¼ miles, being on the lead in all but a couple of them, and never running her opening half-mile slower than :46 4/5. In fact, she ran her opening half in :45 and change 18 times and her opening half in :44 and change 13 times.
Because of her size and compact physique her trainer Wayne Lukas was convinced she was a sprinter. When he did stretch her out to 1 1/16 miles at 2 in the Oak Leaf Stakes she tired badly. As a result, she went back to sprinting, with 19 of her first 20 starts coming in sprints until Lukas stretched her out again to a mile in the Maskette Stakes at Belmont. When he did, he unleashed one of the greatest fillies in the history of the sport.
Even though she was by Secretariat, no one could blame Lukas for believing Lady’s Secret was a sprinter. In addition to being built like one, she was a rare Oklahoma-bred whose dam was a fast California sprinter who ran 58 times, winning or placing in 15 stakes, and setting one track record and equaling another. Lady’s Secret was Great Lady M’s first foal , and although Lady’s Secret would retire as the world’s richest female with earnings of over $3 million, 10 of Great Lady M’s 12 future foals would fail to earn $100,000, including Lady’s Secret’s full brother who won only three of his 30 starts.
Lukas, who trained Great Lady M, wanted to see her bred to Secretariat, whose daughter Terlingua was his first big star. Lukas always marveled at Lady’s Secret’s grit and endurance and how “she ran only good races or great races,” race after race. As she grazed outside her barn one morning, Lukas commented, “You can tell looking at her it’s not an exact science. There’s a lot of power packed in that little package.”
Lady’s Secret’s legend was born on August 1, 1985 in the seven furlong Test Stakes at Saratoga. She went into the race having won seven listed stakes at Hollywood Park, Bay Meadows, Oaklawn Park, Monmouth Park, and Belmont Park, and was regarded as no more than a solid sprinter Despite riding a three-race winning streak going into the Test, she was sent off at odds of 10-1. That was because that year’s Filly Triple Crown winner Mom’s Command, who had won the Acorn, Mother Goose, and Coaching Club American Oaks on the front end setting very fast fractions in all of them, was in the field as the 1-2 favorite. Lady’s Secret no doubt was fast, but looked to be outclassed going seven furlongs in a Grade 2 stakes against a filly who was equally as fast at all distances and had already locked up the 3-year-old filly championship.
After going head and head through fractions of :22 1/5 and :44 4/5, most expected Mom’s Command to draw clear from her opponents. But turning for home, an ominous gray presence came charging up alongside her and ran right by her, drawing off to a two-length victory in a sizzling 1:21 3/5, just a fifth of a second off the stakes record. Mom’s Command would come right back to win the Alabama with ease, while Lady’s Secret would win the seven-furlong Ballerina Stakes and then become the first filly to sweep NYRA’s Fall Championship Series for fillies and mares, winning the one mile Maskette Stakes, 1 1/8-mile Ruffian Handicap, and 1 ¼-mile Beldame, all Grade 1 stakes. It was one of the most dramatic transformations from a confirmed sprinter to a classic-winning filly anyone had ever seen.
Lady’s Secret would then come back in only three weeks and finish second to her older stablemate Life’s Magic in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Coming off another 1 ¼ race at the end of a 16-race campaign against the best fillies and mares in the country, she had every right to start feeling the effects of such a grueling schedule, especially a filly of her size.
Amazingly, she still wasn’t finished, as Lukas dropped her back to seven furlongs in the December 27 La Brea Stakes, where she battled head and head the whole way and just missed by a half-length, giving weight to the entire field.
But it was in 1986 that she became “The Iron Lady” and was voted Horse of the Year in a year that saw top-class male stars such as Precisionist, Ferdinand, Snow Chief, Turkoman, Manila, and Smile.
Lukas put her through a campaign in 1986 unlike anything seen in a long time, if at all. After racing at least once in 11 of the 12 months in 1985, Lady’s Secret went right into her 4-year-old campaign off only a three-week rest, winning the El Encino Stakes on January 18, the Grade I La Canada on February 9, and the Grade I Santa Margarita Handicap under topweight of 125 pounds on February 23.
That was followed by a neck defeat in the Grade I Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn under 127 pounds, a victory in the Grade I Shuvee Handicap at Belmont under 126 pounds, a close third in the Grade I Met Mile, run in 1:33 3/5, as the highweight on the scale while taking on the boys for the first time, a second in the Grade I Hempstead Handicap in the mud at Belmont under 128 pounds, giving the winner 13 pounds, and a 6 1/4-length romp in the Grade 2 Molly Pitcher at Monmouth Park.
It was now July 5 and Lady’s Secret had already run eight times under top weights, six of them Grade I stakes, in California, New York, New Jersey, and Arkansas.
It was then that her 1986 campaign really began. Lukas turned his attention to taking on the boys once again, and Lady’s Secret responded by winning the Grade I Whitney Handicap by 4 1/2 lengths, defeating four Grade-1 winning colts as the highweight on the scale. The Grade 1 Iselin Handicap at Monmouth Park was to be an epic showdown between plucky little Lady’s Secret and the big grand-looking chestnut Precisionist, arguably the fastest colt in the country at any distance. The track came up a sea of slop and Lady’s Secret and Precisionist went at it from the start, battling head and head through taxing fractions of :46 4/5 and 1:10 3/5. By doing so they knocked each other out, with Lady’s Secret’s stablemate Roo Art picking up the pieces under Bill Shoemaker, as Precisionist and Lady’s Secret finished second and third, respectively.
Precisionist and Lady’s Secret prior to their meeting on the track in the 1986 Iselin Handicap.
They took each on again only two weeks later in the Woodward Stakes. This time, Lady’s Secret, under new rider Angel Cordero replacing Pat Day, charged to the lead and opened a clear advantage, but her fractions of :45 3/5, 1:09 2/5, and 1:33 4/5 took their toll and she couldn’t hold off Precisionist, who blazed the mile and an eighth in 1:46 flat.
With 12 graded stakes races under her belt already that year, nine of them Grade 1’s, including four Grade I’s against the boys, it was time once again to focus her attention on another sweep of Belmont Park’s Fall Championship Series for fillies and mares.
All Lady’s Secret did was win all three races once again, taking the Maskette by seven lengths in a scorching 1:33 flat, the Ruffian by eight lengths in 1:46 4/5 under 129 pounds, giving 20 pounds to the runner-up Steal a Kiss and 10 pounds to Endear, who had defeated her in the Hempstead Handicap in the mud, and finally the 1¼-mile Beldame in 2:01 3/5.
It had been 15 months since her first graded stakes victory in the Test Stakes, and now, 21 graded stakes later, finishing in the money in all of them, conceding big chunks of weight at all distances, and facing the boys four times in graded stakes, it was time once again for the mile and a quarter Breeders’ Cup Distaff.
Lukas’s instructions to Pat Day were simple: “Just let her do her own thing. We’ll put the ball in her court. If she wants to make that natural move, let her. Take them out of their game plan.”
It was no contest from the start, as Lady’s Secret quickly opened a big lead and pounded out fractions of :46 1/5 and 1:10 flat, a scorching pace for a mile and a quarter race. But for Lady’s Secret it was a mere stroll in the park, as she cantered home by 2 ½ lengths in 2:01 1/5 under no urging at all from Day, who just sat on her the entire length of the stretch. “
Lady’s Secret with Pat Day aboard wins the 1986 Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Santa Anita Park.
“I was just a passenger,” Day said.”What an awesome individual.”
Bill Shoemaker, who finished second on Fran’s Valentine, called her “one of the greatest fillies who ever lived.”
Owner Eugene Klein couldn’t avoid resorting to a bit of hyperbole when it was suggested she could probably run again next week. “She could run again later this afternoon,” he said. “She is ‘The Iron Lady,’”
Lukas added, “You wouldn’t think she’d be able to survive the schedule we’ve put her through, but she keeps getting better.”
No filly since the days of Gallorette in the 1940s had even come close to putting together a year like this, racing 15 times, 13 of them in Grade I stakes, without even having a break after her 3-year-old campaign that saw her race 16 times. That’s 31 races – all stakes — without a break. And that followed an eight-race 2-year-old campaign. And this is a filly who usually was dwarfed in size by her opponents.
Her assistant trainer Mike Chambless said, “She’s a ball of dynamite. With her it’s all go. The day after a race she’s a pup, but the next day she’s dragging you around again. She has the daintiness of a princess, but commands a situation like a king. She’s just very positive in everything she does.”
The following year, however, at age 5, it all caught up to her. She wasn’t the same filly, running poorly against the boys in the Donn Handicap when she tried to bear out badly, which concerned and puzzled her connections. But she bounced back to win a six-furlong allowance race at Monmouth in 1:09 4/5, before finishing second in the Molly Pitcher in a shocker, in which she tried to bear out again soon after the start. Jockey Chris McCarron said he felt she lost the race on the first turn when she kept bearing out. She then returned to Monmouth to win another allowance race by seven lengths in 95-degree weather, which made her the leading female earner of all time, pushing her winnings over the $3 million mark.
Lukas knew she was a shell of her former self and ran her in another allowance race against the colts at Saratoga. Her bearing out in her races couldn’t convince him she was trying to tell him something, so she finally let him know she had had enough by bolting on the first turn and pulling up. That would be the final race of her career.
Just how tough and resilient was Lady’s Secret? In addition to her aforementioned 25-race consecutive in-the-money streak, including 17 Grade 1’s, she finished in the money in 37 of her 45 career starts, with five of her out-of-the money efforts (two fourths and three fifths) coming at the very beginning of her career, and two of them coming at the very end of her career when she was tailing off, including her final start when she bolted and was eased.
In all, she won 25 races on both coasts and in Arkansas, at seven different distances, and won or placed against colts in the Woodward, Whitney, Met Mile, and Iselin Handicap. Despite her small, compact frame, she won carrying weights as high as 129 pounds.
I had the privilege of visiting her on two occasions at two different farms, and had one of my fondest experiences when my daughter Mandy was allowed to go out in the field with her at Fares Farm and Lady’s Secret came over and played with her for quite a while, nuzzling against her. The laughter from my daughter and the constant smile on her face made this a truly special moment.
Mandy Haskin and Lady’s Secret at Fares Farm in Kentucky.
I saw her again several years later at John and Kim Glenney’s small farm outside of Lexington, where Mandy posed with her and her Skip Away foal.
Like many champion mares, Lady’s Secret never produced anything of note. She may have been unsuccessful for those who speculated on her potential as a broodmare, but she was a wonderful and caring mother, producing 12 foals, 10 of whom made it to the races, with five winners.
In 2001 the Glenneys moved Lady’s Secret and her companion, Superbe Dawn, from Kentucky to California, believing the milder winters would benefit her. She was sent to Valley Creek Farm in Valley Center, California that once was the home of 1986 Preakness winner and Eclipse champion Snow Chief.
Lady’s Secret, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1992, died suddenly on March 3, 2003 at age 21 from complications due to foaling a General Meeting colt. The foal was placed with Lady’s Secret’s paddock pal Superbe Dawn, who served as the nurse mare. Lady’s Secret was buried on the farm, which eventually was sold to Shirley Kimball.
Soon after the purchase of the farm, renamed SK Racing/Oak Creek Farm, a Facebook page was started titled “Celebrities for Lady’s Secret, which has grown to over 30,000 members.
The Lady’s Secret Stakes was inaugurated in 1993 and steadily worked its way from listed to Grade 3 to Grade 2 and to Grade 1 status, becoming an important final prep for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. However, in 2009 Santa Anita took it upon themselves to change the name of the race to the Zenyatta Stakes.
Lady’s Secret by artist Henk Vos. with additional signature of Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day. Contact information@secretariat.com for availability or print and other Lady’s Secret collectibles.
Zenyatta surely was worthy of a race named after her, but there were several other races for fillies and mares they could have chosen. It was just another example of racing’s current mindset that focuses on the recency of the sport and letting history fade deeper and deeper into the recesses of our memory. Lady’s Secret deserved a permanent race name to help keep her memory alive, but so much about racing these days is fleeting and we keep forgetting how we got here. And so the name Lady’s Secret will have to somehow survive on its own for future generations and not fall into the abyss of forgotten champions.
There is no way a gravestone marker or her Hall of Fame plaque could fit all, or even a portion, of Lady’s Secret’s accomplishments. But for many there is no need for them to fit. All they would need to see is the name Lady’s Secret. That alone will evoke everlasting images of one the greatest and most remarkable fillies to ever grace the Turf.
Photos courtesy of Steve Haskin, Breeders’ Cup Ltd.
Racing historian, author, and award-winning retired journalist for the Daily Racing Form and The Blood-Horse, Steve Haskin was inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame’s Media Roll of Honor in 2016. Known for his racing knowledge and insightful prose, he has been an exclusive contributor to Secretariat.com since 2020.
She was a beautiful horse! I wish I could have seen her run! I can imagine her running like her legendary sire, Secretariat That would be something to see
Another excellent article by Steve Haskin. Lady’s Secret’s accomplishments are mind boggling. What a spectacular racehorse! Maybe a Grade 1 race at Colonial Downs in Virginia could be named after her? She needs her own Grade 1. I believe the Secretariat Stakes is now at Colonial Downs and is a Grade 1.
Maybe the NYRA could consider naming a race for her
Great memories of Secretariat’s super talented daughter!
Matthew, Downthestretch et al, I know the various attributes between Santa Anita Park and Del Mar but am not sure how the surfaces differ these days, if at all. Could you, if possible, provide a brief summary on how the tracks play these days. Your prior knowledge about the track surfaces would no doubt be appreciated by many who read Steve’s columns. A lot of the chatter blogs on the internet often contradict each other.
Lynda, not sure where you are but I hope things are ok. The filly we have been talking about in these columns, throughout the year, Bluestocking, had the best of luck and won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
The Japanese runner Shin Emperor and Mqse de Sevigne had dreadful luck but the Arc is renowned for this.
Nelson was late to the party with Bluestocking but the more the merrier as they say. Maybe next year for Japan.
Rast Street was very impressive yesterday…I also thought Ferocious was impressive, he kept reaching—he flipped Saez backwards, in the gate, he has gate issues…I still like him a lot…
Gaming impressed me SOME….Bob’s two year olds have yet to “wow” me, I expect the east to clean house, this year in 2yo races…
If Mechaya could draw into the 2yo Filly Turf (She likely will not) I think she could do well, she got bumped hard, at three separate points in the Jessamine (finished a trying 4th..)…..
I like your thinking here Matthew and I hope you convince several others here with those thoughts. Will give me better odds on Bob’s horses.
Seriously, Matthew? I think Non Compliant will romp in the fillies Juvenile and Baffert will have so many runners in the colt’s division that it wouldn’t surprise me that the race will set up perfectly for him. Gaming looks the best to me.
The advantage of home turf is enormous with 2 year old races.
Right now Davids that is the way I see it.
Yes, Downthestretch. Baffert is forever dangerous when sending his horses East but at home, in California, with a lot to makeup from the past few years I think he wants to send a massage and he has the ammunition to do just that.
East Avenue, winner of the Breeders’ Futurity, got the highest Beyer of the 2YO males who raced in Grade 1 stakes yesterday (95). Chancer McPatrick (Champagne) had a 92, and Citizen Bull (American Pharoah) and 89. Don’t know how those figs compare to Equibase, etc., but seems right. East Avenue was most impressive, with Chancer not far behind.
Equibase Speed figures for the three G1 winners.
East Avenue, 99
Chancer McPatrick, 98
Citizen Bull, 102
Thanks Bill for your recopilation… I like Citizen Bull’s grading but East Avenue should be above or closer to the Baffert horse.
Anyway, the BC Classic will answer all our questions regarding the true brilliance of the three prospects…
*BC Juvenile
Thanks for posting all three of the figs, Bill. Interesting that Citizen Bull got the highest number on Equibase when he got the lowest Beyer. Both Chancer and East Avenue pass the eye test as having more potential compared to Citizen Bull at this point (at least to me). The latter strikes me as a sprinter/miler type, but I’m not his trainer or an expert by any means.
It would be interesting if BB would share what he REALLY thinks of his 2YOs at this point in the season. We’ll know more after the Breeders’ Cup, but we won’t know everything we’d like until next year’s Kentucky Derby.
Thank you Ms Blacktype for the info…
I believe that Beyer is not fully taking into account how deep and slow-prone the Santa Anita surface was/is… Citizen Bull’s speed rating should be closer to Chancer’s and a tad below East Avenue’s in my experience…
ThoroGraph could aid in better comparison between the three victors… and of course expert readings of the dynamics and running flow in those races will be crucial …
You are welcome, Nelson. I’ll leave it to Steve to make what he will of the various figures. As we’ve all learned, the ThoroGraph figs come out last.
Congratulations to another great filly, Bluestocking, who just won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Nelson, you called it!
Thanks Ms Blacktype. The girls have done really great in the history of the Arc…
Nice pick, Nelson! She was certainly worth supplementing.
Steve, Parchment Party is finally returning to the track at Keeneland this Saturday, October 12, in Race 9. Let’s hope the talent is still there.
Davids, I’m anxious to see what Parchment Party brings in his return to competition. One thing for sure, we know that he is in good hands to give his best on Saturday. Glad to have him back.
Yes, Dewey, it will be interesting to see how Parchment Party goes, whether he’s ready to win or just a slow return to the races.
As this week’s column is about the Iron Lady I am with the ladies in the Arc de Triomphe. I think that Juddmonte’s Bluestocking will shine in the premier European race. The daughter of Camelot has proven to be a superb stayer with two Group 1 and a Group 2 wins this year at 1 1/4 and 1 1/2 miles against fillies and mares. Her only two defeats this year were against males being one a remarkable second in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth behind Goliath. Bluestocking was 3.5 lengths in front of the brilliant globetrotter Rebel’s Romance in that Ascot marquee.
Following that peak effort she finished 4th behind City of Troy in the Juddmonte International Stakes at odds of 5-1.
Bluestocking win is the Prix Vermeille (1 1/2 mile) on September 15 is an ideal prep for the Arc.
She is free from reproach for finishing behind City of Troy, Calandagan and Goliath as they are among the top 5 turf horses in the world. At 8 to 1, Bluestocking is an easy sell in the Arc.
The other mare I like is one trained by the winningest Arc trainer, Andre Fabre. Mqse De Sevigne is undefeated this year in four Group 1 races. She got a home advantage and Fabre has targeted the Arc for her since last year. Despite her inexperience at 1 1/2 mile she won’t have any trouble running the distance as she has 4 half siblings who succedeed at 12 furlongs and longer; being the most accomplished the multiple Group 1 winner Meandre who contested the Arc twice. Mqse De Sevigne is the clearest overlay at 20 to 1.
We have talked abudantly about Japan high expectations with Shin Emperor, however, the Japanese horse that also could win the Arc today might come as courtesy of Aidan O’Brien with St Leger victor Continuos. The son of Heart’s Cry was fifth in last year’s Arc; despite an ufavorable post position he closed strongly from 12th to finish only 3 lengths behind the winner Ace Impact. Many analysts consider the overall quality of that 2023 Arc to be better than that of today’s edition. So, knowing that his master trainer, after 3 races this year, will have him in top condition, Continuos (theoretically) finds himself facing a slightly easier challenge this time.
So, the value bets for me in the glorious 2024 Arc de Triomphe are:
7-Bluestocking
10-Shin Emperor
8-Mqse De Sevigne
6-Continuos
Who do you like?
Nelson, you have the same top three horses as I have been hoping for all year. My best wish would be for a triple dead heat. Racing gods are you listening? Ha Ha They are expecting rain overnight which shouldn’t affect Mqse de Sevigne or Shin Emperor being by Siyouni but Bluestocking I’m not so sure. Fingers crossed, mon ami.
Don’t forget the Prix Marcel Boussac earlier in the card when Zarigana tangles with Bedtime Story.
Tough loss for Zarigana, Davids. Very exciting finish with the head bob going to Vertical Blue. A very generous price for Vertical Blue, although understandable due to the lack of graded race experience.
Yes, Dewey, it was disappointing that Zarigana just missed but the track probably was a little too soft but that’s racing. You win some, you loose a lot. Ha ha
Thank you, Nelson, for the incisive assessment of your four price horses in the Arc. You make a good case for all four and when you and Davids agree, then I have to give them my support at the windows. Easy come, easy go! ha, ha!
Bonne chance!
Merci, Nelson (and Davids). I bet $5 win tickets on Mqse De Sevigne and Continuos and $10 win tickets on Bluestocking and Shin Emperor giving me a profit of $35. Thanks again for giving me direction on this murky day at Longchamp.
Disappointing effort by Shin Emperor. He had good position throughout the race, but failed to fire in the straight. C’est la vie! Now we can look forward to Forever Young in the BC Classic for these connections.
Hi Dewey… I am glad you got a positive outcome in your bets.
I thought Bluestocking would be 3rd favorite behind Los Angeles but the supermare ended up being the odds-on favorite… I guess everyone realized that the Prix Vemeille was a key race for the Arc … it is so true that the Arc was a duplicate of that September 15 prep with Bluestocking first and Aventure a length behind in second.
The girls are the queens of the Arc with 9 wins in the last 14 renewals …
Yes… it is now up to Forever Young and the Japanese brigade to seek amends in the Breeder’s Cup festival…
Nelson, it’s uncanny how the girls can hold their own against the boys in Europe.
Why are U.S. trainers not willing to enter their distaff runners to compete with the boys? We rarely see it, ala Ken McPeek with Anna’s Thorpedo. Elite trainers here prefer to avoid really testing their stable stars to keep their record as pure as possible. Not very sporting if you ask me.
I totally agree with your assessment … handling of the great distaffers in America should be more amenable to compete against males…
Dewey—12 furlongs turf is different from 10 furlongs dirt—stamina is the same for fillies, as colts, at 12 furlongs they become equal, but on dirt between 8 and 10 furlongs colts have a decided strength advantage—what Thorpedo did is far bigger than Bluestocking, fillies rarely defeat colts on dirt like that….
Good point, Matthew. I hadn’t considered distance as a factor.
Dewey, on dirt the horses need more muscle to plough the soft track, hence the males have a distinct advantage over the females. Have you noticed that US runners are much bulkier than their European counterparts.
As you would know, it is mostly the Amazon femme runners that compete well in the US but they don’t do that so often either. Even the smaller fillies/mares that compete with the males are quite heavily muscled.
In Europe, the turf ‘ground’ allows the fillies/mares to compete more often with the males as they don’t need dense muscle mass to get over the ground. Moreover, the racecourses in Europe are not sharp twisting bends which is advantageous for colts over the fillies. As well, many major races in Europe are straight lines which evens the score as well.
Davids, you continually amaze me with your nuanced observations about European distance races on the grass. Thank you for sharing with us!
Thank you, Ms Blacktype, that is very kind. I am very lucky (spoiled) to have relatives in Europe and Australia who have been involved in racing/breeding for a long time.
Well put, Davids. Thank you for lesson in Europe vs USA courses.
Dewey, I’m so glad you ended up ahead with your wagering. I probably should have mentioned earlier that drawing post 10 and beyond is an extreme disadvantage in the Arc but you don’t want to spoil your hopes with negatives.
Sottsass, the full brother to Shin Emperor, was third in the Arc at three but at four won the Arc in stylish fashion, so fingers crossed for next year.
Steve, you spotted a potentially great one in East Avenue. He dominated the field in the Champagne, despite its being only his second start. I loved Chancer McPatrick’s performance, but East Avenue really impressed me.
Oops, I meant the Breeders’ Futurity, not the Champagne. Too many big races today!
I concur Ms Blacktype… East Avenue looks to be something special…
If he remains healthy he could very well follow the hoofsteps of Essential Quality …
Of today’s Grade 1-winning 2YO male winners, he’s the one I liked best. Ironically, I picked the other two to win — though I have to admit Citizen Bull was a hunch selection.
Agree! On top of how he ran today, I LOVE the pedigree on East Avenue. It reads like I made it up as an experimental mating. No inbreeding first 5 gens, with several of my favorite horses of this century represented or closely related.
For years, I have hoped Medaglia D’Oro would sire a legitimate racehorse son. He has come close, but none have quite lived up to potential. I really hope East Avenue stays sound and gives us a few more thrills!
Katy, I know exactly what you mean about Medaglia d’Oro! He’s a superior broodmare sire, but it’s late in his career (he’s 25!) for a stallion-making colt. Nevertheless, I really like East Avenue.
East Avenue was clearly the best in the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity leaving Ferocious in the dust. By Medaglia D’Oro, out of a Ghostzapper mare, East Avenue’s 2nd dam, Dance Card, is the dam of the highly regarded Cody’s Wish. We all know the storybook career of Cody’s Wish, who has been retired to stud.
As it stands now, the four top colts on the east coast headed to the BC Juvenile are Chancer McPatrick, East Avenue, Showcase and Jonathan’s Way, IMO.
From my perspective, Chancer McPatrick checks the most boxes, moving forward.
Chancer McPatrick earned an Equibase Speed Figure of 98 for his Champagne win.
East Avenue earned an Equibase Speed Figure of 99 for his Breeders’ Futurity win.
Bob Baffert’s Non Compliant looks like she is heading to superstar status, Tiz the Law filly aces the Oak Leaf Stakes at Santa Anita.
Very nice filly, but I think she beat a sprinter in Nooni and a mediocre field
Ferocious is a head case, but I think he’s going to be a sprinter/miler
Filoso closed well – he beat Spurgeon in their maiden race last out
Sorry, Betsy, have to disagree here. Nooni was 5th to Tenma in the Grade 1, 7f Del Mar Debutante, but beat the formally undefeated Tenma by over 8 lengths in the 8 1/16 Oak Leaf Stakes.
Non Compliant went from a 6f Msw to the 8 1/16 Oak Leaf Stakes win while thrashed the undefeated Grade 1 winning Tenma by over 10 lengths. WOW!!
Mediocre field belongs to the abysmal Frizette Stakes.
Don’t to be too worried about Ferocious, Keeneland was playing speed dominant for the past two days whoever got the lead won by large margins.
Be careful, the Keeneland/Belmont results look like chimeras under the guise of great performances to me. Del Mar will be the acid test.
East Avenue looks like a very gifted young runner… he is following the very same path as that of Essential Quality. Both hail from the prominent family 1x and East Avenue appears to be faster at this juncture.
Baffert brigade will be tough in the BC Juvenile but after seeing East Avenue powerful galop outs twice now I am starting to believe the son of Medaglia d’Oro will be the one tough to beat on November the first.
Over the years, how many gross Medaglia d’Oro types in early October have a mass fan following only to disappoint those fans come April the following year? From memory, is Bolt d’Oro the only one that ever made it to the Kentucky Derby and finished 10th?
The female line produces sprinters. Not for me, but good luck with him he may reframe the proven model.
McKinzie is enjoying a tremendous success with his first crop. He just got a rare Frizette/Champagne double with Scottish Lassie and Chancer McPatrick.
Only two other Sires have accomplished the Frizette/Champagne double:
Bold Ruler in 1964 (Queen Empress and Bold Lad) and in 1967 (Queen of the Stage and Vitriolic); and Mr. Prospector in 1987 (Classic Crown and Forty Niner).
McKinzie could be doing even better than those genetic giants if McKinzie Street also wins the American Pharoah Stakes to be run in three hours from now …
Chancer McPatrick won the Champagne Stakes, with his usual closing kick. Setting 9th, off fast fractions, (22.47, 45.59, 1:11.28, 1:24.03) with a final furlong in 12:48, he drew off to win by 2 3/4 in a good time of 1:36.51.
Now it’s on to the BC Juvenile where he will be one of the top east coast contenders.
Hi Ms Blacktype… on the theme of notable mares at racing and breeding I am glad to learn that the daughter of Tepin, Grateful, won the Group 1 Prix de Royallieu at Longchamp.
Grateful is the 103rd Group 1 winner for the superstar Galileo who is the best son of Urban Sea in the breeding sphere among all her 4 champions.
Tepin known as “The Queen of the Turf ” was inducted to the Hall of Fame two years ago and Grateful is her only runner so far …
So Grateful might not reach the heights of her famous mom but it seems that the great to great formula is working in this case…
Nelson, did you read that Tepin has just died?
Yes Davids… I received the news by email a minute ago…
It is very sad … Reast in peace Queen of the Turf…
Rest in Peace beautiful Tepin… Your daughter Graceful will proudly carry your legacy for years to come
Yes, Nelson, very sad news.
Nelson, so sorry to hear about Tepin. Sad news when her offspring, Grateful, wins a Group 1 at nearly the same time.
I was pleased to see Fierceness’ brother Mentee win the Futurity yesterday. It surprised me to see him running on grass, but I wonder if maybe Todd Pletcher is hoping to win a Breeders Cup juvenile race without taking on Ferocious or Chancer McPatrick. Whichever distance Mentee is asked to run, I wish him well. I also noticed that his three races follow the very good–very bad–very good pattern, which does remind me of somebody. I’m sure it’s not genetic and I know there were reasons for his loss in the Hopeful, but I found it interesting. I read that Pletcher said he is very different from Fierceness, but as of right now they have one thing in common.
Frankie does it, what a brilliant ride on the Tapit filly, May Day Ready, to clinch the Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland. Brave filly kept coming.
David’s keep an eye on Mechaya, who took three hard bumps, at different parts if the race, she battled for 4th…
Matthew, there seemed a host of trouble at the start as well. Dettori won the race with a daring ride with luck on his back.
Watch the exciting Turnbull Stakes at Flemington and The Metropolitan Handicap at Randwick as influential preps for the upcoming Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate, and Melbourne Cup. There are a handful of other Group 1 races as well.
Top racing all over the world, it doesn’t get better than this!!
Steve, I love Lady’s Secret, and enjoyed this article. Santa brought me a Champion bouncing/spring horse when I was a kid, and she was grey. I named her “Secret.”
Lady’s Secret was my favorite of Secretariat’s runners, although that is probably because I was backing a very different Lukas-trained grey filly during Risen Star’s 3 y/o season. I have to say, reading about the extended campaign Lady’s Secret endured made me shake my head.
I love your pictures, especially the one with Mandy. (I had bangs like those!) I am glad that Lady’s Secret’s sweet personality remained intact. Thoroughbreds are so generous, and so are you. I always enjoy hearing what the greats were like as horses. Thanks for keeping these warriors foremost in our memories!
From a handicapping standpoint, this weekend’s G1 races for 2yr. old colts, offer a great challenge, not only to novice handicappers, but to the “experts” as well.
It’s hard to go against the favorites in the Champagne, (Chancer McPatrick), Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity, (Ferocious) or McKinzie Street in the American Pharoah.
That said, I play trifecta wagers in all three races.
Champagne Stakes, key Chancer McPatrick on top with Mo Plex and Uncaged in the 2nd and 3rd slots. That is: 10/ 4,5/ 4/5.
Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity Stakes, key Ferocious on top with Optical and East Avenue in the 2nd and 3rd slots. That is: 1/ 3,5/ 3,5.
American Pharoah Stakes, key McKinzie Street on top with Mischief River and Emerald Bay in the 2nd and 3rd slots. That is: 1/ 4,5/ 4,5.
Safe trips to all.
You are right Bill about the favorites having an edge in the three key 2-year-old Stakes tomorrow.
At this stage my top four are:
Champagne: 10-Chancer McPatrick, 5-Uncaged, 9-Executive Order, 2-Tip Top Thomas
Breeders’ Futurity:5-East Avenue, 1-Ferocious, 4-Handsome Pants, 9-Tenacious Leader
(watching 8-Big Boat and 7-Mesero in the betting pools)
American Pharoah: 1-McKinzie Street, 3-Citizen Bull, 7-Getaway Car, 5-Emerald Bay
Good luck and safe trips to all…
Thanks for the reply, Nelson.
In the American Pharoah, I threw in Mischief River because I like his breeding.
By Into Mischief, out of a Candy Ride mare, he should be right there at the wire.
At 10-1, Mischief River, offers better odds than the three Baffert colts.
Emerald Bay, my other choice to finish in the trifecta, should relish going two turns. His dam side is inundated with stamina influence.
Good luck, Nelson.
Mischief River got an outstanding pedigree indeed… Into Mischief never fails to produce superior runners year after year. Mischief River dam got the same nick as the great Shared Belief.
MIschief River’s runner-up effort in the Best Pal and then running the mile on Turf will give him an edge at 1 1/6 mile. The turf to dirt angle could very well work again this time…
Emerald Bay also has the advantage of an easy maiden win at one mile… he did it very easily and will improve a lot tomorrow… and yes, he got an impressive female family… Classic pedigree indeed.
I agree that Emerald Bay will be even better at longer distances…
Both Mischief River and Emerald Bay offer excellent betting value and would improve the exotic payouts for sure…
Hey Nelson
Thanks for the words of encouragement.
The American Pharoah Stakes should be a great prep race for the BC Juvenile.
I’m still wondering why Baffert didn’t enter Gaming in this race.
Possibly, as Downthestretch mentioned, since Gaming has already qualified for the BC Juvenile, Baffert is just looking for another one of his colts to qualify for the Juvenile.
Thank you for the kind words, Counterpoint.
Over the years, I’ve been impressed with your ability to point out horses that have won at big odds.
Your writing skills, along with your strong command of the English language has been entertaining, enlightening and beneficial to those of us who enjoy reading your comments.
Good luck with Ready for Peace.
BTW, with the scratch of Uncaged in the Champagne Stakes, I’ll replace him with Executive Order.
Bill,
On your analysis of the American Pharoah I would not leave Citizen Bull out of your Trifecta (2nd and 3rd). Was not impressed with Emerald Bay when he ran against McKinzie Street and feel Citizen Bull is a better horse. Feel only way Emerald Bay has a chance in this race is to come from way off the pace. (JMO)
Hey Downthestretch
I’ll stick with Emerald Bay.
Good luck.
Bill, also like EB.
Didn’t want you drop Emerald Bay but to add to your Trifecta key… Citizen Bay.
Citizen Bull
Bill,
You are the man when it comes to 2YOs. I will defer to you always.
There are some extremely nice colts in the Claiborne Futurity. I think Ferocious will be false favorite.
I am still trying to understand why anyone and/or a syndicate would spend $1.3M on a colt sired by a stallion with a resume that reflects a 3rd place finish in its only stakes appearance that was a G3. His dam sire Midnight Lute is no Bernardini. She won a MSW and was overpowered in her 2 remining career starts finishing 4th & 7th.
Important question! How many breeders will be attracted to Ferocious as a stallion given his pedigree? Post racing value, even without a stellar racing resume has to be a factor when spending that kind of money. But it could be I am being very harsh on the colt form a pedigree perspective.
He was very impressive on debut against what appeared to be a modest collection of opponents. His performance in the Hopeful was about average and not reflective of a $1.3m purchase. I cannot see the reason for the hype. But I am one that cannot differentiate the forest from the trees. So, Ferocious could be indictive of his name.
As a value player I have landed on a longshot making its dirt debut. The risk of wagering a longshot going from turf to dirt is always greater. But the unknown makes it intriguing.
Ready for Peace is a well put together son of More Than Ready that is extremely well balanced. His current size suggests he is heading toward 17 hands. More Than Ready was an elite stake producing sire in the USA and abroad. The colt dam sire War Front is a son of Danzig which makes RFP just 2 generation removed from the great Northern Dancer via his grand dam sire. His dam and 2nd dam were unraced and that’s always interesting given the unknown, unknown category in which they belong.
The colt’s resume reflects 2 starts with a win & a 4th place finish on turf. But I am of the opinion his preferred surface will be dirt. Obviously, my assertion could be wrong. He covers ground with long energy efficient strides. He appears to have a touch of class despite his modest resume.
At an ML of 30/1, this big strong looking colt, who is unproven dirt could run to his pedigree and looks and upset his more fancied opponents.
Good luck with Ferocious. It is my hope that Ready for Peace will render him gentle, mild and unaggressive,
I find surprising your belittling of Flatter who could not run more than 6 times but won 4 consecutive races in rather fast times prior to his Stakes debut in the Washington Park Handicap. Flatter got injured in that race and was swiftly retired to Claiborne precisely because of his superior pedigree… and he lived up to the expectations siring 68 Stakes winners including champion West Coast and other Grade 1 winners like Taris, Flat Out, Search Results and Paola Queen.
The son of A.P. Indy is not the only horse who became a high caliber stallion despite not having an extended career (Danzig, Raise a Native and Tapit come to mind).
Flatter represents the best Claiborne bloodlines from top to bottom …
Ferocious connections went for a Flatter son because Gustavo Delgado’s second Grade 1 in America came when Paola Queen a daughter of Flatter won the 2021 Test Stakes.
And champion sprinter Midnight Lute might not be Bernardini as an oustanding broodmare sire but he is the broodmare of 15 Stakes winners and the sire of Midnight Bisou … every big favorite is a vulnerable one just because they can lose anytime due to a myriad of adverse factors but being a son of Flatter is not one…
Also, it is too premature to speculate about the commercial appealing of Ferocious as a stallion before even waiting for his 3-year-old performance next year.
I truly believe that Flatter is one of the handful of stallions carrying the legacy of the great A.P. Indy.
Sultry Song- 1988 (23 Starts – 9-5-3 Earning 1.6M
Notable victories – Holly Gold Cup (G1); Whitney (G1); Woodward (G1)
Dam line to die for –
Dam – Sultry Sun by Buckfinder by Buckpasser _ Mega Influential router
2nd Dam – Sunny Dame by Damascus – Mega router
3rd Dam – Sunny Morn by Princequillo – Dam sire Secretariat
4th Dam by Sir Gallahad -Sire of a TC winner; Preakness winner & 2 other KD winners
Continuity who is undefeated in 2 starts is an entrant in the Darley Alcibiades at Keeneland today. She is out of Shady Reflection by Sultry Song. Broodmare form Sultry Song are rarely seen in pedigrees these days.
I have to place an each way wager on this filly at a ML of 20/1. This is just in case she has inherited some of Sultry songs stamina to compliment the speed she displayed last out whilst winning over 6F in 1:09 plus.
I remember Tryptich, she was a tank! I think she ran against Waya….She ran everywhere, vs the world’s top stayers…..I’m not sure about this, but I remember (?) Tryptich suffered an untimely ending?
Yes, Matthew, Triptych tragically died at age 7 at Claiborne Farm while in foal to Mr. Prospector. Triptych ‘somehow’ ran into a truck.
Whoops, meant to list my picks for the three major 2YO stakes Saturday.
Champagne: Chancer McPatrick
Breeders’ Futurity: Handsome Pants
American Pharoah: Citizen Bull, although I prefer McKinzie Street as a horse.
Maybe now I can take a look at TOMORROW’S entries. Opening day at Keeneland, whoo hoo!
I’m going to need a vacation after this weekend’s races. Not only are there three Grade 1 stakes for 2YO colts on Saturday, I believe the Arc de Triomphe is Sunday, is it not? That’s not counting Grade 1 & 2 turf, sprint, and filly races for next year’s three year olds. And of course this is the biggest fall weekend to do any everything here in the Catskills. On the menu: a star-studded political/musical event Friday; an Americana concert in a classic Woodstock venue Saturday; and TIBETAN FOOD at the house of a friend Sunday. I hope I survive it all.
Steve,
Thanks for another great article on one of racings all time great mares. We always learn something we never knew about racings greats with your columns. I know there are some here who are upset with the way Wayne Lukas handled her (especially the last few races ) and rightly so, but she did retire sound physically but not sure mentally. I think the bigger tragedy is when they kept on breeding her though she hadn’t produced anything that could duplicated herself or sire. It is a pity the way she died they way she did. I commend the owners of Zenyatta and Rachel Alexander for stopping when they did and not risking their health.
Steve as always keep up your great work. Have a great week and weekend!!!
Connections of Zenyatta are ‘gold standard’ of racing, indicated with my conversation with Pat Mc Queen. LS- and many others should be so fortunate.
Ugh! I just read that on Breeders’ Cup Saturday, there will be four BC races before the Classic and four after. Naturally, this has something to do with TV broadcast times, but how unclimactic!
For some of us wanting to know more about Forever Young’s win…
It is worth noting that Forever Young’s time in the 2000-metre Japan Dirt Classic was 2:04 1/5 which is the third faster time in its 26 years. The record holder is four-time horse of the year Furioso with 2:02.9. The second best time is 2:03.9 …
As a reference, the average time of the JDC is 2:05 1 … Forever Young was a second faster than the “standard”…
From one Classic to another Classic Forever Young viene con todo!
Nelson, Forever Young indeed seems to be the total package. Trainer Yahagi said that he only had Forever Young back at 80% for the Dirt Classic. Some horse!
His connections have a good chance to pull off the Arc de Triomphe and Breeders’ Cup Classic double with Shin Emperor and Forever Young. Bring it on home, boys!
Indeed Dewey… one could say that Forever Young was not at peak form by noticing he was a bit tired in the last furlong (i.e. veering to the rail); but his powerful momentum let him keep an easy advantage over a decent field of Grade 3 horses and Ramjet (domestic Grade 1 victor) who flaunted a 4-win streak coming to the Japan Dirt Classic.
Yes … Forever Young’s connections have high expectations this Sunday at Longchamp.
Susumu Fujita paid 2.1 million Euros for Shin Emperor with the Arc in mind. After all he is full brother to Scotsass the 2020 Arc winner.
I am really impressed by the success of trainer Yoshito Yahagi in the International stage since 2016. You know about Real Steel (sire of Forever Young), Panthalassa, Loves Only You and Marche Loraine and I learned he also had won the prestigious Cox Plate in Australia with Lys Gracieux in 2019…
The Japanese horses will be taking a lot of betting money during the Breeder’s Cup festival…
Nelson, you can also add the brilliant Contrail to the international list of winners for Yahagi as Contrail won the Japan Cup which includes international runners as well as Japanese runners.
You are right about considering Triple Crown champion Contrail another International one despite him not running outside Japan.
Grand Glory, Japan and Broome gave the international character to the 2021 Japan Cup won imposingly by Contrail…
I was tryng to convey that three-time champion Trainer Yoshito Yahagi has mastered his international routine so as to make his horses very successful outside Japan…
Yes, Nelson, I just had to mention Contrail because he was a marvel and he had defeated a European horse named Japan in Japan in an international race.
That was a huge field! Go Japan!
Why do the majority of mares with a similar profile to that of Lady Secret rarely produce champions? Well, at least in the modern era.
I am of the opinion there is a reason that remains undetected. But then, I am known for harboring unconventional, bordering on insane thoughts. Many, if not all, our fellow earthlings that have left their footprints on the sand of time were not products of two PHDs.
These female champions on the track are usually bred to top stallions. This makes their progenies exceptionally marketable, particularly to pedigree purists driven by the myth that breeding the best to the best has a greater prospect of producing the best.
Those driven by the above philosophy have obviously ignored how Mother Nature operates. She operates a level playing field that doesn’t provide any advantages to elite racing mare bred to elite stallion. Mares falling into the categorist claimers, lightly raced and unraced are afforded equal opportunities to produce the next world beater with coverage by a stallion with a modest racing resume.
Lady Secret a HOTY was bred to two stallion who were also voted HOTY i.e., Seattle Slew and Skip Away. Two wasted mattings in my opinion. I suspect there is champion racehorse in America that was produced from a mare and stallion who were HOTY. However, my research has uncovered none. But I am ripe for enlightenment
Lady Secret produce 12 foals with 10 starters, and none were noteworthy.
Sometime ago I suggested that the fans of Zenyatta and Rachel Alexander pump the brakes regarding expectation that the 2 mares are likely to produce champions in their own likeness. I was dispatched to the woodchipper for harboring negativity. Well, history has proven that my suggested caution was in order.
Zenyatta who was a HOTY recipient, had her first cover with Benardini a champion 3YO and a runner-up in the HOTY voting. RA who was also a HOTY was bred to fellow HOTY recipient Curlin. Both progenies proved to be unnoteworthy.
This breeding the best to the best theory has sufficient failures to lose its appeal. But continued application of this theory serves only to inhibit the prospect of mega female stars on the track producing champions at regular intervals.
Belief kills and it cures. A man convinced against his will, thinks the same way still.
Excellent post and it is hard to disagree. The nicking patterns that the pedigree experts usually use to dictate what mares are bred to what stallions are often discarded to go instead with the hot product on the market
Zenyatta finally lost, they could have gone to Belmont with her…She was sound….Moss was a New Yorker. ..Hindsight being 20/20 but did she even get one maiden winner?
Mathew W– Zenyatta was invited to Saratoga. Initially, Moss said no due to her going to a testing and observation barn where she would be isolated prior to a stakes race. Then NYRA decided not to do that. But supposedly Mr. Moss thought she wasn’t being treated with the respect accorded to a Queen of the track. Behind their decision , she was a poor traveler; she lost over 100 lbs. when she went to race at Oaklawn Park.
She also was invited to an all paid trip to Royal Ascot, with travel and entrance fees paid in full and a trip to Ireland to the Guinness Factory. Much like Frankel, she could not tolerate traveling such a long distance.
Terri I heard it from Moss himself—He called up Saratoga to inquire about stall space for Zenyatta … he was told they would receive no special treatment, and despite being a New Yorker he decided Saratoga was not the place for Zenyatta, not when Mr Cella had laid out the red carpet, at Oaklawn….I’m not sure if Moss ever went back to Saratoga..
Thanks Matthew W, I remember reading about that.
It was a shame that Zenny was not a good traveler, as the late Queen Elizabeth II would have assured her the royal treatment at Royal Ascot. A Queen knows how to treat another Royal. The late Black Caviar was given the royal treatment at Royal Ascot. They devised a race in which she could run and they even put her in an outside post where one the handlers calmed her and held a blanket on her rump.
Looking for an American champion produced by two horses of the year is an intriguing challenge, Counter Point. Fillies and mares named HOTY are exceptionally rare (the first so named was Twilight Tear in 1944). One who produced not one but two champions is 1965 co-HOTY Moccasin. She foaled Irish champion Belted Earl by 1967 HOTY Damascus. She’s also the dam of Apalachee, a champion at 2 in England and the son of 1958 HOTY Round Table. Granted, neither of those horses was an AMERICAN champion, as you specified.
I also suspect that the genes that produce a filly exceptional enough to be HOTY are not necessarily the genes that are most likely to produce exceptional offspring. Moccasin, however, was the product of serendipity. She’s the daughter of Rough Shod, dam of Preakness winner Ridan, major winners Lt. Stevens and Gambetta, and grandmother of Nureyev and Gamely.
A mare has a few chances to reproduce, pick the wrong stud and the offspring isn’t as good a race horse as hoped. The odds are against her. A stallion has many chances to reproduce, often finding success with unraced mares. With a top race mare, breeders wouldn’t consider a mating with a mediocre race horse sire with a good pedigree, so the few chances she has are further limited to the top current sires who she may not match up with well.
You make a great point about the statistical odds of success in breeding, Discopartner. If someone made a study, I think they’d discover well-bred fillies and mares that also have the right kind of black type — or especially recent black type performers — are the best bets at the sales.
Excellent points Ms Blacktype… not everyone can reach the peak of Mount Everest. Superstars are singularities or outliers of Nature….
Statistically it is more probable to see superior or good Thoroughbreds engendering Superstars than the Superstars replicating themselves.
However, there are cases of Hall of Fame horses siring other HoF members. Bold Ruler gives us Secretariat, Alydar sires Alysheba and Easy Goer, Seattle Slew sired Slew o’Gold and A.P. Indy, Tom Fool is the sire of Buckpasser and Tim Tam, HoF Sword Dancer is upgraded by Damascus.
Who would have thought that Rough’n Tumble would sire a flying horse like Dr. Fager.
Then you have Tapit siring a phenomenal runner like Flightline and Unbridled’s Song giving us Arrogate. Fligthline’s all six dams (from champion Lady Pitt as his 6th dam) are of Grade One quality.
Broodmares have a significat numeric disadvantage respect to sires (i.e. one progeny per year versus hundred for a good sire).
But still you see super broodmare Urban Sea being an exceptional runner and even better producer of Champions. HoF mare Two Lea is the dam of HoF Tim Tam who is the son of HoF Tom Fool. HoF and Reine de Course, Myrtlewood was a decent producer and is the 6th dam of the great Seattle Slew… I am sure there are many more examples of champion racemares producing elite successors.
If you look at the sires and dams of all the Horses of the Year this Century you will find that all except California Chrome were sired by at least one high level Stakes-winning parent.
My point is that we should still breed great to good or good to good to get the greats… but breeding is not an exact science and, as you said, sometimes getting a superior foal is a matter of good luck.
* HoF Myrtlewood is the 5th dam of Seattle Slew.
Nelson, you’re speaking to my heart. You’ve come up with some brilliant examples of how the best bloodlines emerge, starting with Urban Sea. Breeders will be nicking to this great mare for decades to come. I have to quibble with you about Myrtlewood, though. She was a GREAT producer — dam of major winners Durazna and Miss Dogwood, and ancestress of more than 600 stakes winners. I love coming across examples like this when I explore tail-female families.
Actually, Counter Point you have somewhat defeated your own argument by mentioning Rachel Alexandra as an exempla of your theory.
Rachel Alexandra was only able to produce 2 foals before being retired from the breeding shed. The Curlin mating was not that successful but the next mating with Champion 3 year old Bernardini was extremely successful in Rachel’s Valentina.
Rachel’s Valentina won the Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes, was 2nd in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, and 2nd in the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes. Anyone, would be over the moon with results like that.
Most, would agree that ‘any’ mare who only had two foals was lucky enough to produce a Grade 1 winner out of the two foals was indeed a brilliant success. Even, more so, when the sire happened to be Bernardini, an impeccable broodmare sire now, while the resulting foal was a filly.
Rachel’s Valentina was bred twice to Curlin with little success before moving on to other sires. One may suggest that Curlin was a poor choice in the first place with Rachel’s Valentina but you never know.
Conversely, history has proven your theory to be right with Zenyatta but grossly wrong with regard to Rachel Alexandra.
Imagine any given Sire with a 50% of Grade One winners…
I believe we all agree that the issue is merely Statistically in nature…
Yes, Nelson, Tapit has the only double digit, 10%, number of stakes winners. Northern Dancer had a percentage of 22.8% of his progeny being stakes winners, Danzig slightly higher.
However, the old great sires had tiny crops compared to the present sires of 200+. Northern Dancer had a total of 645 named foals.
Into Mischief presently has 1,946 foals with a percentage of 9% of these foals being stakes winners. The more progeny they have the lower the percentage of stakes winners they will have.
A disgrace number of goals Into Mischief and others are forced to produce.
I know she is not an HOTY but when her racing days are over I would sure like to see a breeding of “Idiomatic” and HOTY “Justify”. If not at least once but hopefully twice !!!!
Your proposed cross would be very appealing indeed… That incipient nick is the same as the one of Winnable which is very talented filly (winner of 2 in 3 starts and $210K in earnings) for Ken McPeek…
But being Idiomatic a Judmonte mare I would guess she will go to some of the most prolific Judmonte sires…perhaps it is Mandaloun whose sire Into Mischief has been nicking well with Curlin mares…
Downie, who do you like as a potential mate for Adare Manor?
Holy Sake! Kate Hunter, the liaison for the Breeders’ Cup and Japanese entries said today that she has a plane reserved for no less than 19 Japanese horses taking the trip to Del Mar to participate in the Breeders’ Cup races. Three of them, Derma Sotogake, Ushba Tesoro and Forever Young are entered in the Classic, Last year’s Breeders’ Cup races featured 8 horses from Japan. These year’s group of 19 easily sets the record for Japanese participation.
As discussed previously on this list, Japanese racing has improved leaps and bounds in such a short time. These Japanese horses are more than just window dressing for the BC. Most of them are serious contenders that cannot be dismissed out of hand.
With substantial entries from Japan and a larger than normal contingent from Europe, this year’s Breeders’ Cup is shaping up to be one of the most interesting and entertaining editions yet.
Thanks for the update Dewey Herbert!! How exciting. I’ll bet they are mostly related to Sunday Silence. Sunday Silence and Secretariat are going to be duking it out in horse heaven.
Yes, Terri, Sunday Silence’s protege have had a big impact on Japanese racing and now on the world stage. I’ve always had a soft spot for Sunday Silence and of course great admiration for Secretariat.
As for Sunday Silence and Secretariat duking it out in horse heaven, I’ve often wondered how the great stars of different eras would fare going up against each other. Maybe we’ll get to see those matchups on the big track in heaven????
Thanks Dewey, I really had a good laugh.
Forever Young has Sunday Silence, Seattle Slew, and Secretariat in his genes. He’s the total package. And hopefully he lives up to the reputation of his Greatest of All Time Relatives.
We are going to see something special in the Classic this year.
Now that Sierra Leone no longer pulls to the left, it will be a much fairer race.
Can’t wait!
I remember the name Iron Lady when I was just getting started in the TB breeding business. After reading your great piece about her, now I know how great she was.
Point well made about keeping a stakes race named after her
Thank you
When readers learn about the great horses they were not familiar with it is very gratifying. Thank you for your comment., Katie.
Small world, small world. In European, Australian racing circles if they had read the last sentence of Steve’s article referring to the popular “Iron Lady” race-mare born in 1982, with over 40 appearances on the track often in Group 1 races, they would naturally have thought he was talking about the great “Triptych.” The first filly to ever win the Irish 2,000 Guineas.
Great article Steve, on the US “Iron Lady” I loved them both at the same time. It’s amazing how similar their racing careers actually were in retrospect. For those who don’t know about Triptych there is a short summary of her life on YouTube – “The Legendary Filly – Triptych”.
Thanks again Steve. Have to rush and complete everything today so I can watch all the major races the world over headed by the great race, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
.Definitely. And dont forget Triptych’s dam Trillion, the only horse to be voted North American champion withhout winning a race in North America. Both of them together are on my schedule for future columns. You may have just spurred me on to do it sooner than later.
Fantastic Steve, and thanks again for providing so much pleasure to some many racing fans over a lifetime. That is a rare achievement.
Thank you David. It is a gift to be able to share one;s passiom with others.
Small world, small world. In European, Australian racing circles if they had read the last sentence of Steve’s article referring to the popular “Iron Lady” race-mare born in 1982, with over 40 appearances on the track often in Group 1 races, they would naturally have thought he was talking about the great “Triptych.” The first filly to ever win the Irish 2,000 Guineas.
Great article Steve, on the US “Iron Lady” I loved them both at the same time. It’s amazing how similar their racing careers actually were in retrospect. For those who don’t know about Triptych there is a short summary of her life on YouTube – “The Legendary Filly – Triptych”.
Thanks again Steve. Have to rush and complete everything today so I can watch all the major races the world over headed by the great race, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
Japan has a good chance of winning their first Arc with Shin Emperor this Sunday. Exciting +++
Bob Baffert’s 2yr. old colt, Gaming is not entered in the G1 American Pharoah Stakes on Saturday, 10-5. Just wondering what’s up with one of Baffert’s top colts.
Has anybody out there heard anything to clarify his current status?
Thanks.
No mention from Santa Anita. Typical of them to just ignore it and allow aother Baffert horse to just inexplicablty disappear without giving a reason. Hopefully we will learn something soon.
Thanks for the reply, Steve
You would think Gaming’s connections would be more transparent with the horse racing community. Evidently they don’t feel that way.
I assume that Baffert did not like the way Gaming worked last Sunday or before …
Loving fans just don’t like the secrecy about the underlying reasons of pausing important horses … i.e. Nysos, Gaming, etc.
It could be a sort of safeguarding against all the possible unfounded attacks to trainers on social media… who knows?
Hey Nelson
That was the first thing I thought about, not satisfied with his last work.
I hope Gaming recovers to race another day.
Maybe it is because if the Del Mar Futurity was a Win and Your In for the BC he is letting one of his other horses to qualify for it.
That is a very good point dts … when you have to keep so many owners happy you will have to strategize very often…
So, Gaming is already in and the winner of the American Pharoah Stakes will also automatically qualify for the BC Juvenile… now the same ownership has Emerald Bay vying for another spot there… and Sf racing et al will have the chance to compete in the BC Juvenile with Citizen Bull and Getaway Car…
Makes sense to me…
And Gaming likes Del Mar….
Bill, the report I read in the drf is that Gaming is training up to the Juvenile. No indication that anything is wrong with the horse, but of course, that’s TBD.
Thanks for the lovely pictures of Lady’s Secret! What a beautiful girl she was, at each stage of her graying process, from darker with Precisionist and much lighter with your daughter!
As for her broodmare career, greatness often skips a generation, and we can’t blame her for not reproducing herself. Personally, I wish her owners had breed her to Relaunch, so she could have a grey baby, and I also think she had so much Nasrullah she needed other bloodlines, although more Princequillo would’ve been great too.
I’m sorry Lukas finally squeezed love for racing out of her, but in the end the mare got the retirement she wanted. Even better, she retired sound and healthy. Nowadays good horses mostly don’t get the chance to reach their full potential; the farms snap them off the track. Breeders and trainers have pushed durability out of American Thoroughbreds. By the time they fail to reward durability in the breeding shed, put too many fast but fragile bloodlines into the same pedigrees, keep racehorses shut up in stalls so their bones weaken, and use too many drugs, it’s no wonder that horses break down at unprecedented rates nowadays.
For a small frame horse especially, all those races weren’t exactly easy.
Sarah Thoroughbreds break down FAR LESS TODAY—on closing day at the old Pomona Fair, around 1981….13 fatal breakdowns, in 12 races!….
Great read, Mr. Haskin. Thanks!
I see there is some enthusiasm regarding Forever Young’s planned participation in the BCC. I am of the opinion he is unlikely to win the race as he will prove to be not fast enough over 10F.
Forever Young is a grinder. His path to victory is contingent on the entrants with tactical speed to fade late. That is unlikely to occur if the internet fractions are modest. If the fraction recorded are what is referred to as racehorse times. The mid pack entrants capable of mid-race acceleration, will get first jump and that should eliminate a grinder from winning.
At the moment I have Highland Falls as the likely winer of the BCC. Yes! I am brazen enough to make such an assertion. The 4YO’s win in the JCGC has to be viewed as a well-bred horse finally running to its pedigree,
Hi sire Curlin is multiple G1 winner with enrings of $10.5M. His dam is 2times G1 winer with earnings of $2M. Further, his sire and dam sire won the BCC. His 2nd dam was sire by Arc winner Trempolino.
Highland Falls pedigree contains a reservoir of stamina. Prior to the JCGC, the tactical speed he displayed to be joint leader was absent. If this represents a new dimension of the 4YO running style. He should be the best of the entrants from the older division.
The tactical speed that has emerged will allow Highland Falls to be forwardly placed and in closer range of leaders. Whilst his turn of foot isn’t explosive, he is no grinder. His stretch runs have been sustained with a good stride turnover rate.
He’s unlucky to not be undefeated..
Great story Steve! In addition to the thrill of following and wagering on the progress of the new crops of horses each year, remembering the accomplishments of the past greats is what makes this sport so great. Thank you for bringing those old memories back to life!
Best,
Hammer
Thanks very much Hammer.
Thank you, Steve, for another terrific story! The photo of Mandy and LS is incredibly touching. I’m so glad Big Red produced a stick of dynamite in this little gray! Only in horse racing.
Thank you Tex. I love the way you put that.
Great story on Lady’s Secret, Steve! I remember her running (and winning) just about every other week during her career. She came along in a year with at least two other great fillies: the 4YO Life’s Magic and of course Mom’s Command, so the competition was stiff, even before she took on the boys.
In looking for a filly or mare that accomplished as much as she did, I think you have to go back to 19th century greats like FIRENZE (with 47 wins in 82 starts, rarely out of the money, and champion four years running) and MISS WOODWARD, the top money winning mare of her day and winner of 16 in a row at one point. Both raced against the best male horses of the day, frequently beating them. One horse Firenze didn’t manage to beat was Salvator, considered racing’s top superstar before Man o’ War came along. (She did kick him in the flank before the start of the 1890 Suburban. He won anyway. )
Pete Rose was asked what his greatest accomplishment was, in Baseball…he said a player can go out and play in 100 winning games, for 19 years…..he still would be 70 winning games behind Pete….
You don’t often see horses making their first start in five months at ten furlongs, which Forever Young did impressively….he responded to the whip like a good horse, he WAS hit many times.. ten furlongs will probably take some of his natural speed away some, I expect he will sit mid pack on The Classic, he is a solid win contender!..
I love this tribute to the Iron Lady of horse racing… and the title of the column says it all.
If Lady’s Secret’s sire Secretariat was the epitome of beauty and power she was the embodiment of durability and unassailable speed.
Her 45 starts seemed to me too taxing until I went through the list of mares in the Hall of Fame and realized that before Lady’s Secret there were other super girls like Pan Zareta who ran 171 times winning 62 races). Pan Zareta started her 2-year-old campaign on January 7th and ran practically every week during 6 years (from 1912 to 1917)… sounds like science fiction to modern ears. Pan Zareta is synonym with indestructible female Thoroughbred.
Then you have Gallorette (72 starts), Searching (89 starts), Susan’s Girl (63 starts) and Dahlia (48 starts) to name just four out of the ten Hall of Fame females with longer campaigns than Lady’s Secret’s.
Lady’s Secret was the leading money-winning mare (with 3 million dollars) in America until Paseana bankrolled 3.3 million dollars by the end of 1995.
It is surprising how such a fast, durable and graceful mare was not able to produce any Stakes horse despite being bred to best sires of the time.
All of Lady’s Secret six daughters (by Alydar, Mr. Prospector, Danzig and Seattle Slew) were sent to Japan where some of them produced Group 2 winners.
As noted by Steve, her 6 sons were ordinary horses being Excellent Secret (600K yearling by Mr. Prospector) and Famous Again (a 450K yearling by Thunder Gulch) the only winners. The former showed some talent in his only win clocking an outstandin 1:34 2/5 for the mile at Del Mar. Famous Again was retired after winning a 7-furlong Allowance in an excellent time of 1:21 3/5 at Keeneland. He was sent to Mexico for stud duties where he was champion sire two times.
You can say that the only Hall of Fame mares who have succeeded in the breeding field were Personal Ensign, Searching, Dance Smartly, Inside Information, Dahlia, Miesque, Serena’s Song, Azeri (in Japan) and perhaps Rachel Alexandra.
We can forgive Lady’s Secret and other luminaries of the track for not leaving their equally powerful imprint in the breeding arena. They are still perfect in our hearts …
Lady’s Secret ran 45 times, and her 1986 rival Precisionist ran 46 times…Pre was bred and owned by Fred W Hooper, who also bred and owned Susan’s Girl, an enormous mare who finished 2nd in 2yo Eclipse voting to Numbered Account, a really good filly but Susan’s Girl had by far the better career, 63 starts and year after year was at the very top of the Filly and Mare rankings….
You pretty much said it all Nelson. Thanks very much.
Good news, Forever Young fans. Forever Young has won the Japan Dirt Classic at Oi Racecourse. His main contender, Ramjet, finished 4th. Found the results on one of the JRA sites, but could not find a racing chart for this race. More details to follow, I’m sure.
So glad to see that Forever Young is still sharp after the layoff. I assume that plans to come to the Breeders’ Cup are still in play. So anxious to see him race against America’s best. He’s so special and dear to the hearts of those who love him.
Oh, that is great news, Dewey! I hope he comes here for the BCC, too.
Thanks for the information Dewey… I just watched the replay (available in Youtube) and Forever Young looked really good. This time he stalked the frontrunner only a length behind and flew easily to the lead in the home stretch.
He seemed a bit tired at the end veering to his right but it was nevertheless a great prep to the BC Classic …
Forever Young will enrich the excitement and expectations for the Classic…
Thanks for the Youtube tip, Nelson. Forever Young did indeed look good in his win.
It was a very good effort coming after a 5 mo. layoff. It may be just me, but Forever looks like he is a few pounds heavier and stronger than ever.
Hope he arrives at Del Mar early so that we can watch him work.
Very impressive race. I have a soft spot in my heart for that horse. He’s the real thing.
There are more than a few of us on this list, Ms. B, that share your love of Forever Young. Maybe we should start a FY fan club????
I was impressed with Forever Young’s appearance. He’s filled out a bit and added some muscle (watch out, Sierra Leone). He was lean with a few ribs showing in the Derby. That was probably due to all the traveling he was subjected to during his road to the Derby. Then, he went home to Japan, rested up and got fed some good home cooking. He really looks good.
Great observations Dewey… we ought to love this “fortified version” of Forever Young …
Thanks for the info Dewey. And lucky you, you will get to see many of horses gallop and work prior to the Breeders Cup.
My only view of the BC works will be on You Tube, Terri. I live in Lexington, KY, five miles from Keeneland, and unfortunately, I’m not able to travel like I used to.
Forever Young’s connections said that he is flying to California on Oct. 22, so I assume that’s when they all come in on the same flight. Hopefully, in the 11 days prior to the BC, they’ll be able to get a work in at Del Mar before their respective races.
The anticipation builds.
Yes, Dewey, it was interesting the change of tactics with Forever Young. I was a little disappointed with Ramjet’s run – wide most of the way then flattened out on his run but that’s racing.
Anyone discounting Forever Young in the Breeders’ Cup Classic may look rather foolish. Don’t forget the Arc on Sunday. In fact, the whole card at ParisLongchamp should not be missed.
Yes, Davids, the Arc de Triomphe is Sunday and I’ll be watching as I do every year. The Arc is my favorite race in the world of horseracing. It attracts some of the classiest horses from all over. Like you, Davids, I fancy Shin Emperor.
It will be a busy weekend, catching the opening weekend of Keeneland and the Arc. I’ll get up early Sunday and do some handicapping while munching on croissants and sipping down coffee (French roast, of course).
Bon chance, mon ami.
Yes, Dewey, the Arc has a certain mystique that no other race has even though the race is not that old in comparison to the Epsom Derby et al. It’s THE that everyone would most want to win in most racing countries. With all due respect to all the other marquee races around the world.
Shin Emperor could be the one to win for Japan, his last effort was perfect as a prep for the Arc. I would also be happy if the Siyouni mare, Mqse de Sevigne, who is undefeated this year, was lucky enough to pull it off.
The Prix Marcel Boussac, Group 1 for 2 year old fillies is another crack race with the highly touted undefeated Siyouni filly, Zarigana, the one to be beat. The Aga Khan is remarkable in being able to continually produce one of the best every year.
Bonne chance, Dewey, mon ami. Allez, allez, beautiful ones.
Merci, Davids, for the heads up on Mqse de Sevigne and Zarigana. I will give them close attention on Sunday.
Say, wouldn’t it be something if the connections of Shin Emperor and Forever Young captured both L’Arc de Triomphe and the Breeders’ Cup Classic? The team of jockey Ryusei Sakai, trainer Yoshito Yahagi and owner Susumu Fujita constitute a top notch operation. They are easy to root for.
Yes, Dewey, it certainly would be a statement if Shin Emperor and Forever Young were to capture the Arc and the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Something the monolithic breeding farms of Coolmore and Godolphine have been unable to do along with the millions they have spent trying.
It could certainly happen, let’s wish them the best of success.
You are so right, Steve, that modern racing fans forget about the stars of yesterday. This habit unfortunately seems ingrained in the larger culture; we can scarcely recall anything that didn’t occur in the very recent past. Thank you for helping to counteract this lamentable trend!
Happy to report that I still have my Lady’s Secret Memorial Garden T-shirt which I treasure.
Betsy – I haven’t seen you comment on Honorable Becky’s race a week or so ago – very impressive effort.
Thank you for keeping her memory alive!
They do need a Lady’s Secret Stakes! At Santa Anita of fir that matter, Belmont! Los Al has The Gr2 Great Lady M Stakes! I saw her win on that track, when it was a bullring….by the way…..They had The Joe Hirsch the other day….They also need to have a Steve Haskin Stakes, not just saying this—I mean this!
I all for the Haskin Stakes! That’s 2 We need a third because what Arlo Guthrie said in Alice’s Restaurant ” When you got 3 “Now that’s a Movement”
Matthew and Derek, you got your movement…. I’ll make it three. The Haskin Stakes would appropriately be run at Churchill Downs, the home of the Derby.
Steve has done so much to keep the flame of horseracing’s history alive and to
bring racing fans along for an exciting ride on the Derby trail. He is most deserving
of a race in his honor.
That is very kind of you Dewey. Thank you very much.
I apprreciate that Matthew, but tey dont write stakes fo $5,000 claimers. lol
Parx
Your A1 to us Steve and that’s not the steak sauce!
I love reading/hearing self deprecation’ comments. Too funny.
I think Precisionist was five, in 1986, and that might have been the year he worked 1:08 3/5 before The Classic….and Eddie Arcaro said he was a mortal lock! My brother and I were looking at each other in mock amazement, Pre LOOKED like he did it easily, but it’s still 1:08 3/5—- and he never made the lead at any point—Skywalker wired the field!….
Skywalker’s surprise win was one of my all-time favorite races. Am I a Star Wars fan? You bet!
That picture of The Iron Lady standing across from Precisionist—tells the story…..Wayne didn’t just try Pre one time, he tried him twice—and for what? Why must she have had to prove herself, again and again and again….until she tried to say “no mas”…..but nobody would listen…..and then she was bred, and bred, and bred some more….poor Lady’s Secret…she was never given a retirement, and she was such a sweet mare…
Very true words Matt. The horse is always the hero. People, not so much. We humans make so many mistakes – part of our humanity I guess – it’s sad when others pay the price. I think D Wayne and others have learned lessons over the years that short term greed/glory isn’t worth squat.
15 year old I’ll Have Another is living the dream life, at Old Friends, they decided to let go of the guy, and he has many years at Old Friends to look forward to…I’d love to visit him I made lots of moolah on him..
I doubt I made as much money on I’ll Have Another as you did, but I remember hitting the pick 3 for $1,000 on his SA Derby win (by a nose) , when the thousand was pretty important to me.
Same here, Matthew. Cashed a big bet on I’ll Have Another in the Derby. What ever happened to I’ll Have Another at stud? Was he any good servicing mares in Japan? Or was he a dud? Age 15 seems a bit premature to be retired as a stallion.
Love that you are keeping her memory alive-like father like daughter!
Como siempre, Steve sos un “Crack” con tus notas, te admiro..!! hermosa historia.!
Steve I loved your article on the great IRON LADY. I agree with you on the Pete Rose should be in HALL OF FAME. A two year horse to watch is BRAVE MISSION [Frankel] he has a great turn of foot. Watch his race at Kempton on sept 6 #4horse jockey in pink cap 11 horse field.THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR GREAT ARTICLES. ROGER
Thanks very much, Roger. I’ll ty to find that race, Hard to find a replay from Kempton.
Steve, I loved Lady’s Secret, so thank you for this beautiful article. I’m kind of surprised that she was voted HoY since while she won the Whitney, she didn’t defeat Precisionist, etc…
Santa Anita should be ashamed of themselves for renaming the Lady’s Secret. So should NYRA for not having a race named after Slew
Betsy HOY is for best year, not best horse….In 1972 they gave HOY to a 2yo….I think that was BEST HORSE! But Precisionist ran 1:32 dirt miles! He was never best older horse, but he was a beast! Lady’s Secret ran a huge Whitney, and she dominated the fillies. …If…Thorpedo Anna wins The Distaff and the big English colt wins The Classic—HOY will go to Anna, because she had the best year in North Americe….
Thanks. Matt! Got it…!
I have a need to go back and watch some of her races. I don’t remember them individually, I just remember loving her ❤️
I especially loved this column, Steve, as Lady’s Secret was always a favorite of mine. Lots of dynamite in that tiny package! I was astonished that Santa Anita would rename that race. I absolutely love Zenyatta, and she certainly deserves a named race, but as you said, there are lots of others that they could have chosen. I’ll always really question that bad decision, and I get annoyed all over again every time they run that race.
Beth….one good thing…Santa Anita kicked Oak Tree to the curb, years ago….but this year they have changed The Chandeliere Stakes BACK to the Oak Leaf, for 2yo fillies….a bit of an olive branch….
Thank you Steve for this fantastic article about “The Iron Lady”! Lady’s Secret is a legend & I certainly wish she had a Gr I race named after her! She showed such power & strength. It’s so great that you are reminding everyone of this phenomenal mare. May she never be forgotten!! Such an adorable priceless photo of Mandy & Lady’s Secret! 🩷🦄
Loved this column (as usual) about the great Lady’s Secret. You took me back in time and I could visualize what you were saying. Lady’s Secret was a champion and I am glad you are helping to keep her memory alive. Thank you.
All I can say Steve is that ” We Lucky Few” got to witness the “Iron Lady”. We’ll never see the likes of her again under the conditions that the game has descended. We loved her because there she was back in the entry box, giving weight and taking on the boys multiple times. We have to be thankful that her connections were sportsmen and had faith in her and so did ” We Lucky Few”. Zenyatta certainly deserved a race named for her but not at the expense of the IRON LADY!
Derek Manthey– I agree the Zenyatta Stake should have never replaced the Lady’s Secret Stake. And I am an obsessed East Coast Zenyatta fan.
Big Queen Z fan also. I was also obsessed with Blame but that didn’t prove to be a problem. Pounded the exacta. There was nothing else one could do. I was disappointed when the back page of the NY Post and Daily News didn’t have BLAME BLAME as the headline. I still have the finish line photo on my wall!
Great memories, Steve. Lady’s Secret was such a presence in those years, and the competition she usually beat were worthy opponents. I know some critics consider her ill used, and it probably should have ended a couple races sooner, but we remember her as what she was-a racehorse. There are too few today who have the opportunity, or ability, to earn that distinction.
To the extent she didn’t want load into the gate.
True words Steve, I am with you. The state of racing is in the abyss.
I ranks Lady’s Secret #2 all time behind Ruffian.
There are so many great ones.
Rags to Riches, Zenyatta, Rachel Alexandra, Gamely. The list is almost endless.
I read where Pete Rose died today. Whether people liked him or hated him he was one great player.
Another part of our past is gone now.
He should have been banned for gambling, but lifetime and not in the Hall of Fame?There are many in the Hall of Fame who have done worse things. You cannot tell the story of baseball without Pete Rose, and that is why I no longer follow the sport. BTW, as strange as it may sound, I was once interviewed by Pete Rose. He was doing a radio show in Louisville on Derby week down by the river and they asked me to be a guest. So I went down there and Pete interviewed me.
Great anecdote Steve. I wonder if that interview (even written excerpt) is available somewhere… it could be a good tribute to the one of the best hitters of all time.
Pete Rose should be in HoF simply because he always always always played Baseball to win…
When I was growing up in Pittsburgh in the 60’s, my Dad and I tried to get to as many Pirates games as we could, and the ones at the top of our list were games with Cincinnati. Those two teams were really rivals back then (I don’t know if they still are, as I stopped following baseball a long, long time ago). I think back to those great games with Pete Rose and Johnny Bench, and with Roberto Clemente, and it really brings back great memories. For me, that was the Golden time.
Fond memories indeed… In Venezuela we followed the Reds and David Concepcion… five-time golden globe “King David” is one of the greatest short stops in the history of the team.
I certainly agree with that!
Disagree
I’m truly sorry he died, and RIP, but he did the one thing you can not do in baseball – it’s on a sign as you enter all clubhouses
Gambling nearly brought the sport permanently to its knees – Pete knew exactly what he was doing
I think if he’d genuinely apologized, it might have been different, but who knows?
Hi Steve
I’ll never forget the way Pete Rose bowled over All-Star catcher Ray Fosse in the 1970 All-Star game. Fosse was never the same player after that collision at home plate. Pete Rose was one tough player, on and off the field.
Deacon– I was very lucky to watch Pete Rose–aka Charley Hustle–play when he was with the Phillies and what an exciting ball player he was. P.S. I was also fortunate to see Big Brown in all of his races at Gulfstream Park. And when I saw BB, he blew me away; I have never seen a young horse so professional, talented, mature, and classy at his age. When I saw him in walking ring I thought that he was a Triple Crown horse. Thank goodness he’s retired at Old Friends. Interesting that he’s also also a good broodmare sire; his daughter, Puca, has produced Mage and Dornach, both Classic winner.s
Pete had a compulsive personality, and of course it bled over into gambling. The golden eras of racing and baseball overlapped. Baseball misses players who played like Pete Rose just like it misses horses who ran like Lady’s Secret. Pete may be kept out of the Hall of Fame, but he will be remembered far more than cookie cutter players popular with the metrics guys.
Terrific post! I was lucky to attend many SF Giants games, around 1968–1973—I saw The Big Red Machine and the Mets and The Pirates OFTEN! Clemente always made one big throw from deep right, during batting practice! For the fans! I saw Willie McCovey hit many HRs, one in late 1973 was the most amazing I ever saw! I saw Bobby Bonds, a terrific talent that could not take the place of Willie Mays….but who could? As for Pete…..I got to see #14 in his prime, there was only one Pete Rose! As great as he was—Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan were even better, but nobody out-hustled Charlie Hustle..
Ironic…the sports shows debating whether Pete Rose deserves to be in The Hall of Fame—are sponsored by gambling sites….
Great comments Deacon.
Deacon– I was very lucky to watch Pete Rose–aka Charley Hustle–play when he was with the Phillies and what an exciting ball player he was. P.S. I was also fortunate to see Big Brown in all of his races at Gulfstream Park. And when I saw BB, he blew me away; I have never seen a young horse so professional, talented, mature, and classy at his age. When I saw him in walking ring I thought that he was a Triple Crown horse. Thank goodness he’s retired at Old Friends. Interesting that he’s also also a good broodmare sire; his daughter, Puca, has produced Mage and Dornach, both Classic winner.s