Great Forgotten Horses

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Tales of Great Forgotten Horses (1920 - Present)

Stars Whose Stars Didn’t Align: Tales of Great Forgotten Horses

We all know and love Secretariat. He is considered by many to be the greatest horse of the second half of the last century. Some consider him the greatest horse to ever step foot on a race track. He holds the record for the fastest Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes ever run. If not for a tele-timer issue Secretariat would hold the record for the fastest Preakness Stakes ever run.
In 1973 American was consumed with the charismatic and handsome Secretariat. The country pined there dreams and hopes on him as he attempted to win the triple crown. He did. And in so doing Secretariat became America's horse. The greatest since Citation! The heir to Man O' War's throne! After 25 years of waiting a Colt had done the impossible - he had won the triple crown!!!
But 1973 in horse racing history could have looked much different had Secretariat not been born. Horse racing history would tell a much different story than the one of the super horse and his dominance over the racing world.
If Secretariat had not raced in the 1973 triple crown races, history would be very different for a horse named Sham. History would say that Sham not Secretariat won the 99th running of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. Also, another interesting change to history would be that Forego would have a 3rd place finish in the 1973 Kentucky Derby on his resume.
Sham had an 18 pound heart. Bigger than most horses hearts. This gave him a huge advantage over other horses. In 1973 had Sham not have been running against Secretariat he would have possibly won the triple crown. He would have at the very least won the preakness stakes and been attempting a triple crown bid of his own. Wether or not he won the triple crown, which I believe he very well could have, Sham would have been a hall of famer for his accomplishments. In the Belmont Sham was instructed to go to the lead with Secretariat in a suicidal duel. If Sham was going to lose the Belmont his connections figured they mine as well bring down the mighty Secretariat with him. Well this plan backfired as Sham, a truly great horse, gave his all only to push Secretariat to truly show his greatness in a performance the likes of which we shall never likely see again. Secretariat won the Belmont in such a dominant way that Sham was completely forgotten about. I have no idea if this is because people assumed that Secretariat's win by so many lengths proved that Sham was a mediocre horse or if the greatest single performance in racing history became more important than the story of Secretariat and his rivalry with Sham. But for whatever reason after the Belmont stakes Sham was forgotten. He never races again although he was going to before a hairline fracture sidelined him from racing.
Sham gave his all. He pushed Secretariat to the best performance of his life and not many horses could have done that. It takes a lot to run with the best and to really push them. But Sham did.
Secretariat was born in 1973 and alas Sham seems destined to be forgotten / overlooked in history. Perhaps the upcoming movie on Secretariat will remind people of the great Sham. The movie has to have great rival for Secretariat to defeat and Sham is that horse if there is going to be a rival in the movie. If not for this movie and an interest in Secretariat and his accomplishments Sham may never see the Hall of Fame. He certainly will never get the fame he truly deserved.

Hoist the flag was, according to many, destined to be a triple crown winner. In 1971 Jockey Jean Cruguet and trainer Sidney Watters, Jr. seemed to be on there way to winning the 9th triple crown - the first since Citation. But the racing Gods were unkind.
"On March 30, 1971, Hoist The Flag was at Belmont Park where he was scheduled to run in the Gotham Stakes as a tune-up before the Kentucky Derby. Following a five furlong workout, the colt took a misstep and broke his right hind leg in two places, suffering a shattered pastern and a fractured cannon bone that ended his racing career and put his life in jeopardy. Veterinary Surgeons performed a bone graft, using screws and metal plates to secure the breaks then created the first ever fiberglass cast to wrap around the horse's leg. While Hoist The Flag eventually recovered, in 2006, Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro would suffer a very similar injury but following surgery developed laminitis and had to be euthanized ."
Jockey Jean Cruguet went on to win the triple crown in 1977 on Seattle Slew. Asked years later who was the
best horse he ever rode Cruguet answered Hoist the Flag. He also believed that Hoist the Flag would have won the
Triple Crown for fun. Though both Hoist the Flags Jockey and Trainer are in the hall of fame Hoist the Flag is not. And
imagine how much fame that Cruguet would have now if he were the rider of two triple crown champions??? And
truly not many people have ever heard of Hoist the Flags trainer. They would have though. To most people in the
know trainer Sidney Watters, Jr. is famous for what he might have become.
As a side note let me add this: Had Hoist the Flag won the triple crown in 1971 perhaps Secretariats 1973 Triple Crown sweep would not have been the huge deal that it was. True it would have been a big deal as Secretariat was simply brilliant in all three of his triple crown performances. But had Hoist the Flag won the Triple crown in 1971 people would have known winning the Triple Crown was possible. Until Secretariat swept the series it was widely believed that there would never be another triple crown winner again.
Another interesting side note: without Hoist the Flag running, the 1971 triple crown series belonged to a horse named Canonero II. Canonero II was another horse who should have won the triple crown. His problem, a foot infection. But I won't get into that now. This is Hoist the Flags time. Besides if Hoist the Flag ran in the 1971 triple crown Canonero II would have been to Hoist the Flag what Sham was to Secretariat. A great horse unable to step out from another horse's shadow.

In 1938 Thingumabob was the most promising 2 year old colt in America. After breaking his Maiden at Belmont Park he went on to win the Arlington Futurity. In this race he proved to show incredible promise. He won impressively and great things were expected from him.
Sadly this was not to be. He broke his leg in a race and was humanely destroyed. Thingumabob is forgotten now but he seemed destined for the hall of fame and racing greatness.

In 1920 a 2 year old horse named Inchcape was being compared to Man O’ War. The second coming of “Big Red” was so promising that in 1920 he sold for a recird price of $150,000. Big bucks today but imagine back than!!!
By all accounts a very gentle and sweet horse, Inchcape was widely considered the best 2 year horse in the land. “He won the Tremont Stakes - won by Man o’ War the previous year - by Seven lengths in time only one second slower than the track record.” More amazing was that Inchcape won the race by ten lengths under a pull!!! He did this on the same day Man O’ War beat John P. Grier in the Dwyer and set a new american record.
It was this performance that led to Inchcape being purchased for the aforementioned record purchase price. Sadly after being purchased Inchcape broke down. The next year Inchcape returned to track and won an allowance race by ten lengths. It was the only race he ever won for his high paying buyers. After the race the horse thought to be the next Man O’ War broke down again.
After this it was off to stud duty and a hopeful promising future for the promising star. What follows is the sad end of this great champ: “On April 14, 1923, a fire broke out in the main barn at Rancocas [Inchcape] and forty other horses died. Inchcape's only surviving foal was born of Swan Song a few months later. She was named Belle, and her female family exists to this day. She produced winners Bud's Belle and Thanksgiving (winner of the 1938 Travers) and is the ancestress of millionare Friendly Lover.”
If not for breaking down Inchcape would most likely have gone on to certain greatness. But this was not to be. Inchcape wont make the hall of fame. He wont be remembered by most fans either. But he should be. If not for breaking down this great horse might very well have gone on to be another Man O’ War. We’ll never know.

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