How fast was Raise A Native?

[Indian Charlie]

Odd. Charles Hatton wrote of Raise A Native that he was a pretty kind and willing horse with a really good temperament.

He also claimed that he took a bad step in that workout that caused his career ending injury.

Besides Alydar and Mr P, he also sired the great sire Exclusive Native and super freak Majestic Prince.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

I never knew Raise A Native was owned by Harbor View. So, the Wolfson's raced both Affirmed and the sire of Alydar.

Even as late as the mid 60's ... the worktabs on horses were kind of crazy. Look at Northern Dancer's worktab going into the Belmont Stakes.



Both he and his main rival Hill Rise work 4 furlongs on May 31st - and the very next day, they work 1 1/4 miles.



Another odd thing - not only was Hill Rise favored over Northern Dancer in both the Derby and Preakness - but look at the odds spread in the Preakness. Hill Rise was 4/5 and Northern Dancer was 2/1.

[outofthebox]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

I never knew Raise A Native was owned by Harbor View. So, the Wolfson's raced both Affirmed and the sire of Alydar.

Even as late as the mid 60's ... the worktabs on horses were kind of crazy. Look at Northern Dancer's worktab going into the Belmont Stakes.



Both he and his main rival Hill Rise work 4 furlongs on May 31st - and the very next day, they work 1 1/4 miles.



Another odd thing - not only was Hill Rise favored over Northern Dancer in both the Derby and Preakness - but look at the odds spread in the Preakness. Hill Rise was 4/5 and Northern Dancer was 2/1.

Horses seemed to thrive off heavy training back then. I remember John Veitch working Alydar 3 times between the Preakness and the Belmont including one work at 1 1/2, following a 3 furlong breeze the day prior..

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by outofthebox

Horses seemed to thrive off heavy training back then. I remember John Veitch working Alydar 3 times between the Preakness and the Belmont including one work at 1 1/2, following a 3 furlong breeze the day prior..

It's crazy why that is. I know I've said this before here, but ...

Assault had 24 workouts between Feb 3rd and March 30th of his 3yo season - 22 of the 24 workouts came between the distances of 4 furlongs and a mile.

He won the Wood Memorial on April 20th, finishing 4th in the Derby Trial Stakes on April 30th, won the Ky Derby on May 4th, and won the Preakness on May 11th.

After four tough races between April 20th and May 11th, he was shipped to Belmont Park on May 12th.

He worked 4 furlongs on May 16th, 3 furlongs on May 18th, 4 furlongs on May 20th, 8 furlongs on May 22nd, 3 furlongs on May 24th, 10 furlongs on May 25th, 4 furlongs on May 28th, followed by a 12 furlong work in 2:32 flat on May 29th.

So, after winning the Preakness on May 11th, he was put through a series of 8 published workouts before winning the June 1st Belmont by 3 lengths

After winning the Belmont - he was given a rest of 3 days before he returned to the worktab on June 5th, and again on June 7th, and again on June 9th, and again on June 11th, and again on June 13th, before winning the Dwyer by 4.5 lengths on June 15th.

Assault managed to stay around long enough to win the Brooklyn Handicap at age 6 and was retired after a 7th place finish in the Hollywood Gold Cup in December of his 7yo season.

Can you imagine a trainer working a horse 8 times in between the Preakness and Belmont?

[smuthg]

From CNNSI on Top Ten Thrills in Horse Racing. Whether you like the list or not, this is a pretty good comment on Raise A Native...

4. Raise A Native

The blindingly fast son of Native Dancer won all four of his races as a 2-year-old in 1962, seducing the sport with his speed and potential, breaking track records three times. Charles Hatton, the legendary columnist for The Daily Racing Form once wrote: "Raise a Native worked five furlongs along the Belmont backstretch today. The trees swayed.'' Such was his allure. He ran only those four races before a tendon injury ended his racing career.

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...#ixzz1EEoRE7GN