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#1
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![]() For me this Sums it all up
Lucien Laurin, Secretariat's trainer, said this quote to the press "As God as my witness, she (Ruffian) may even be better than Secretariat." |
#2
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![]() So, I've got to buy a $50 book to look at the lifetime statistics of a small fraction of the all-time greats of the sport? Are you kidding me?
I can get Hank Aaron's, Bobby Hull's, Jim Brown's and Tiny Archibald's career stats with a few strokes on the keyboard. Website idea! |
#3
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![]() Quote:
For a sport that cares so much about its history, there are few attempts to make this history available to fans or interested parties. How sad that if I want to see the video of a historical race, I have to hope someone has posted it on YouTube.
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Still trying to outsmart me, aren't you, mule-skinner? You want me to think that you don't want me to go down there, but the subtle truth is you really don't want me to go down there! |
#4
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![]() This is a tough call. All but one of Ruffian's starts were at the NYRA tracks. The RA roadshow has now hit eight tracks in six states. Ruffian only raced four times at a mile or more, but won at 12 furlongs. RA has made 10 starts at a mile or more, winning 9 of those races.
RA has defeated males three times. But Ruffian was undefeated against her own sex. Ruffian was a precocious speed freak who may have been defeated as the rest of her generation caught up to her. RA is more of a classic horse who has gotten better with time and longer distances. I'd give the nod to RA in a close finish.
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Still trying to outsmart me, aren't you, mule-skinner? You want me to think that you don't want me to go down there, but the subtle truth is you really don't want me to go down there! |
#5
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![]() Ruffian was obviously much better as a 2-year-old and much better as a sprinter.
Stuff like this didn't happen to her... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9jD4...eature=channel Rachel Alexandra is - at the least - far more accomplished as both a 3-year-old and a router. Without a doubt, Jess Jackson's willingness to run against males has done a lot to enhance her reputation. Some other very good 3yo fillies never got a shot. The only 3-year-old filly I can think of that ever ran in the Breeders Cup Classic was Jolypha. She finished 3rd beaten just 2.5 lengths with a 110 Beyer ... and she was shipping from a poor performance in the Arc and was making her first lifetime start on dirt. * The winner of that race was Horse of the Year A. P. Indy. * Pleasant Tap was 2nd. He's a mulitple Grade 1 winner of over $2 million who is the only horse in history to finish in the top 3 in the Ky Derby, BC Sprint, and BC Classic. * Reign Road was 4th. He came into the race off of back to back Grade 2 wins in the Goodwood and Del Mar BC. * Sultry Song was 5th. He won that years Hollywood Gold Cup, Whitney, and Woodward * Defensive Play was 6th. He's a Grade 1 winner who was 2nd in the Pacific Classic in his prior dirt start. * Thunder Rumble was 7th. He won that years Travers and Jim Dandy * Strike The Gold was 8th. He's a Kentucky Derby winnner with almost $3.5 million in earnings * Twilight Agenda was 9th. He's a Grade 1 winner who made over $2 million. * Jolie's Halo was 10th. He's a 3 time Grade 1 winning millionaire * Marquetry was 11th. He's a 3 time Grade 1 winner who made almost $3 million * Zoman was 12th. Multiple Grade 1 wining millionaire * Technology was 13th. Multiple Grade 1 winner .. won the Fla Derby and Haskell. * Rodrigo De Triano was 14th. He was a champion 3yo in Europe that year and won 5 Group 1's from 6f to 10.5f. Of course, look what Melair did when they ran her against males as a 3yo. She set mind-boggling fractions, flirted with a world record, and destroyed a very good champion in Snow Chief. Her entire career lasted just 10 weeks though. |
#6
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![]() TVG just showed a replay of Ruffian's CCA Oaks, which was at 12f, like the Belmont, in which she equalled the stakes record. Ruffian wasn't really bred for 12f; her two noted half-brothers Icecapade and Buckpasser were milers at best and her sire Reviewer was more of the same. But she held a constant two-length lead for the last quarter mile over Equal Change, a filly who was bred for 12f or more (by Arts and Letters-Fairness, by Cavan, from the family of Assault and Man o' War). And Vasquez never resorted to the whip, hand urging all the way.
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#7
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#8
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![]() http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-raci...-rocks-the-spa
an excerpt: Rachel Alexandra had become the first filly to win the Woodward. The last 3-year-old filly to even run in the race was Summer Guest in 1972. This was the equivalent of a 23-year-old girl beating 30-something males. No 3-year-old filly had ever defeated older males in a two-turn, grade I dirt race. The last to win a major two-turn dirt stakes over her elders was Misty Morn in the 1955 Gallant Fox Handicap. now, i would not compare her to ruffian at this point...after all, ruffian is ruffian. the main problem with comparing her to ruffian is that people who knew of that horse know what a horse she was-and having another like her somehow would make her less special...there's also the tug because of how ruffian ended up. as for the other fillies, i don't know that rachel could beat personal ensign, or several of the others top distaffers over the years. but i do know that rachel is a special horse, and is a horse many have waited some time to see come around. i think she's the best in a while, and is worthy of a lot of accolades thrown her way. as for saying what's she's done isn't special-if it was so easy, you'd think races like hers would happen more often. it's impossible to say she's better than others from the past-based on what could you make that contention? suffice it to say tho that she's been a very good horse, and has been a welcome change from the news of eight belles and barbaro, and let's people know that horses don't croak just because they run fast or hard. |
#9
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![]() Quote:
She debuted in January of her 3yo year and won by double digits. She came back in an allowance in less than two weeks and won by double digits again. In less than two weeks again, she stretched out to 1 1/16 miles and won by 5 (in 141 3/5) over previous years Oak Leaf (g1) runnerup Sophisticated Girl, who ended up being a pretty nice producer. Laid up for about 2.5 months, she comes back in the Rail Bird and won by 2.5. About three weeks later, she's sent to Belmont, where she goes off at 5/2 in the grade 1 Acorn. She romped in this race by 7 lengths. In second? Princess Rooney, that years Kentucky Oaks winner (at 1/5) and undefeated at 10 for 10! Given four months off, she returned to California for one last start. She runs second to the good mare Fabulous Notion and is never heard from again. Her career line was 5 wins and 1 second in 6 starts, all in her 3yo season. She went on to have a really interesting and unusual career as a broodmare. Her progeny raced in South America and Japan, for the most part, and her best offspring was a filly named Ski Paradise, a grade 1 winner that ran second in the Breeders Cup Mile to Lure. |
#10
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![]() Quote:
2. Reconstructing actual past performances - considering that even the major data purveyors of the sport do not seem to have the material required to do that in electronic form prior to the 1970s - is a major undertaking and involves copyright issues. |
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