Ruffian was a mediocre filly

[Calzone Lord]

Originally Posted by slotdirt

22 starts and he was the favorite every time.

Whirlaway was a champion 2-year-old and he was Horse of the Year at ages 3 and 4.

He finished 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in 48 straight races and was an immensely popular horse.

[ShadowRoll]

Originally Posted by Calzone Lord

Whirlaway was a champion 2-year-old and he was Horse of the Year at ages 3 and 4.

He finished 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in 48 straight races and was an immensely popular horse.

But you wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alley.

[GenuineRisk]

Originally Posted by Calzone Lord

Whirlaway was a champion 2-year-old and he was Horse of the Year at ages 3 and 4.

He finished 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in 48 straight races and was an immensely popular horse.

And George Woolf still thought Seabiscuit was a better horse.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by GenuineRisk

And George Woolf still thought Seabiscuit was a better horse.

too much time in the hot box?

[GenuineRisk]

Originally Posted by Danzig

too much time in the hot box?

Heh. Whirlaway never seems to get much respect, does he? Breyer started a Triple Crown series of Christmas ornaments and he, along with Omaha, Count Fleet and Assault, never got made.

[Calzone Lord]

Originally Posted by GenuineRisk

Heh. Whirlaway never seems to get much respect, does he? Breyer started a Triple Crown series of Christmas ornaments and he, along with Omaha, Count Fleet and Assault, never got made.

ESPN did a one-hour SportsCentury on Whirlaway that they still run on ESPN Classic throughout the year.

They might have given him a little too much respect in that piece. They made him out to be a hero of World War II.

So did this congressman...

http://capitolwords.org/date/2006/06...-armed-servic/

[GenuineRisk]

Originally Posted by Calzone Lord

ESPN did a one-hour SportsCentury on Whirlaway that they still run on ESPN Classic throughout the year.

They might have given him a little too much respect in that piece. They made him out to be a hero of World War II.

So did this congressman...

http://capitolwords.org/date/2006/06...-armed-servic/

I'll look for the ESPN special; thanks! (I imagine some one has probably put it on YouTube if I can't find it on Netflix.)

[OldDog]

Originally Posted by GenuineRisk

I'll look for the ESPN special; thanks! (I imagine some one has probably put it on YouTube if I can't find it on Netflix.)

They show it every year at Derby time.

In the meantime, here's a good video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o-5TR0m5N8

[OldDog]

By the way, it's 37 years ago today that Ruffian faced off against Foolish Pleasure.

[Merlinsky]

Originally Posted by Calzone Lord

ESPN did a one-hour SportsCentury on Whirlaway that they still run on ESPN Classic throughout the year.

They might have given him a little too much respect in that piece. They made him out to be a hero of World War II.

So did this congressman...

http://capitolwords.org/date/2006/06...-armed-servic/

I heard that after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, racing on the west coast ground to a halt and horses, including Whirlaway, couldn't ship back east either. Is that accurate? I wonder what he would've gotten up to if he hadn't gotten stranded.

[Calzone Lord]

Regarding Seabiscuit and Whirlaway.

Seabiscuit was every bit the handicap champion that Whirlaway was and probably a little bit more. He was also more tactically versatile than Whirlaway and likely would have beaten him in a match race.

Here is a cut of Seabiscuit as an older horse:



Note the difference in weights that he's carrying against his top finishing rival.

Three times in a row, he was 2nd by a neck. In those three races, the horse who beat him got a weight break of 30 pounds, 12 pounds, and 15 pounds.

Even in all of his wins, Seabiscuit was carrying bowling balls more than his opposition. He was facing top competition, racing in big fields, and traveling all over the country.

That said, Whirlaway is clearly the higher rated overall horse. Seabiscuit was mediocre until very late into his 3yo season when he exploded in Northern California. I don't think Seabiscuit's win over War Admiral was any kind of fluke. He looked the better horse and War Admiral didn't run to his best form at Pimlico. He won the Preakness in a desperate battle as a 3yo and made hard work of weak competition in the prior years Pimlico Special. War Admiral bounced right back and won his next race. He had no excuse in the match race.

Seabiscuit has a suspicious form and his trainer later came under suspicion.