How fast was Secretariat in the Triple Crown Series?

[randallscott35]

Either way, people miss that 31 lengths is b/c no one ran on behind him.

[Dunbar]

Good stuff, DrugS. Thanks for posting it.


--Dunbar

[Thunder Gulch]

Great stuff as usual.

Even if the Belmont track was juiced- clearly- mid 120's for a spring 3yo is silly.

I've read a few articles that held up Bid's 7f World's Playground win (2yo) as perhaps his best from a final+ variant rating, even better than the Strub world record at 10f.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by Thunder Gulch

I've read a few articles that held up Bid's 7f World's Playground win (2yo) as perhaps his best from a final+ variant rating, even better than the Strub world record at 10f.

The final+ variant rating is flawed - for starters, you'd be comparing Santa Anita with a lesser track in that example.

Spectacular Bid was much faster as a 4yo than as a 2yo. He was wickedly fast at all ages.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by randallscott35

Either way, people miss that 31 lengths is b/c no one ran on behind him.

Sure - but it was as amazing a display of sustained speed as anything maybe in history.

Sham tried to go with him and he stopped in dramatic fashion far before the wire.

Had Forego been entered in that Belmont - and sat off the Secretariat/Sham battle in a perfect spot ... he still would have been trounced despite the perfect setup. Secretariat simply never softened up. Obviously the winning margin would have been only about one-third of what it was.

[randallscott35]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

Sure - but it was as amazing a display of sustained speed as anything maybe in history.

Sham tried to go with him and he stopped in dramatic fashion far before the wire.

Had Forego been entered in that Belmont - and sat off the Secretariat/Sham battle in a perfect spot ... he still would have been trounced despite the perfect setup. Secretariat simply never softened up. Obviously the winning margin would have been only about one-third of what it was.

Something can be exceptional and overrated at the same time.....And then something can be exceptional and underrated like Bid is.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by randallscott35

Something can be exceptional and overrated at the same time.....

There's nothing overrated about that performance ... it was easily the single greatest performance in the history of the triple crown.

Perhaps Secretariat's career as a whole is a little overrated because he was at his best when all eyes are glued to racing for five weeks... and he had his share of peaks and valleys in his form.

[randallscott35]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

There's nothing overrated about that performance ... it was easily the single greatest performance in the history of the triple crown.

Perhaps Secretariat's career as a whole is a little overrated because he was at his best when all eyes are glued to racing for five weeks... and he had his share of peaks and valleys in his form.

It was exceptional as an individual race, I agree. But people point to the lengths he won by and don't understand why he won by so much....I've been over this in the Reading Room on Bid vs. Secretariat.

[NTamm1215]

Originally Posted by randallscott35

Something can be exceptional and overrated at the same time.....And then something can be exceptional and underrated like Bid is.

There's absolutely nothing overrated about Secretariat's Belmont.

Spectacular Bid is not remembered as kindly because he lost the Belmont. It's entirely unfair, but that's just the approach many people have taken.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by NTamm1215

Spectacular Bid is not remembered as kindly because he lost the Belmont. It's entirely unfair, but that's just the approach many people have taken.

Yep.

I think Spectacular Bid's best moment at age 3 was probably his 5 length win in the Malboro Cup over an extremely strong group.

General Assembley was a 15 length Travers winner in still standing track record time last out - and a next out Vosburgh winner. Costal had easily won six straight races - including the Belmont Stakes coming in. Star De Naskra had won his last 7 in a row including the Whitney. Cox's Ridge had won 16 out of 28 lifetime including the Met Mile over the track and was in good form. Text was another older horse - he was a 6 time Graded Stakes winner who had a Grade 1 win two starts back.













To bury a field that impressive by 5 lengths without running much faster than your typical race all season long - that's impressive.

Even both Affirmed and Alydar were truly great, great 3yo's. If you want to talk about overrated - relatively speaking - Seattle Slew had no prayer against these kind of horses at age 3. After his flop at Hollywood Park - he left the Billy Turner barn and was an outstanding 4-year-old.

[outofthebox]

What i also find astonishing about Secretariat during the triple crown races was his recovery time off the Belmont. Did he not run at Arlington 3 weeks later?

[robfla]

Originally Posted by outofthebox

What i also find astonishing about Secretariat during the triple crown races was his recovery time off the Belmont. Did he not run at Arlington 3 weeks later?

Yes..here are his full PP's

http://www.secretariat.com/past-performances/