The movie "Secretariat" -- anyone else here going to see it?

[Flaxbee]

Diane Lane, John Malkovich, Scott Glen, James Cromwell.

And of course, lots of horses and racing. I have to see it. I know racing is controversial, and I know there are problems with it, but Secretariat was an incredible animal. But the Sham side of things makes me sad; he was remarkable, too, and could probably have won the Triple Crown had Secretariat also not been racing that year.

Anyway. Anyone else? :hi:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. My dear Flaxbee!

I WILL see this!

Probably on DVD, though.

I loved that horse. He was a magnificent running machine who made all the other horses look like they were standing still.

:hi:

[Flaxbee]

2. ah, but see, I saw an interview that said it was directed in

a way to make you *feel* like you were on the track, or one of the jockeys, or in the middle of it. I usually wait 'til DVD, too, but I think I need to be in a theater for this one to get the whole surround sound experience. I used to help train former racehorses for pleasure riding and my trainer and I would take many of them to the dry riverbed to just let these animals run -- they were fine with walking and trail rides, but every once in a while they needed to RUN. It was incredible - all you could do was hunker down and hold on tight when they got going - and these were usually horses who never won a race. It was amazing how fast they were.

So, I guess I'm hoping to relive a bit of that thrilling time when I was much younger. :)

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. Ah, of course, you're quite right about the total experience...

There are always trade-offs. We have a pretty big TV so that helps, but it's not like being in a movie theater, for sure.

Your riding experiences sound wonderful, both for you and your horses!

:D

[petronius]

4. Is it anything like "Secretary"?

:shrug:

[Tuesday Afternoon]

16. !

:o :rofl: :spank:

[Awsi Dooger]

5. Not a Secretariat fan

I liked him at the time but as I followed the sport closer I realized he was overrated, particularly by the casual fan.

Great, great horse but I have to laugh when conventional wisdom types propose he would have managed big margins against other dominant horses, or that Sham was a world beater. Sham won 5 races in 13 starts and only one Grade 1 race, the Santa Anita Derby. He lost the Wood without excuse to a hardly overwhelming front runner named Angle Light. You never give too much credit for losing but the legend of Secretariat has absurdly propped Sham far beyond his true ability.

The track was lightning fast throughout the 1973 Classics. That accounts for Sham's fast time in the Derby. At the time it wasn't even a secret that tracks were freakishly fast that year, but as the decades pass everyone conveniently forgets it or ignores it. When I started handicapping based on speed figures in spring 1980, 7 of Belmont's 11 main track records were from a small window in 1973 surrounding Secretariat's Belmont. It was like running downhill. Five of the Belmont records were set from Preakness weekend to Belmont day. They were obviously setting up the track for potential record setting efforts. In the fall, on the same day Secretariat won the Marlboro Cup and set the world record at a mile and an eighth, a 3 year old filly named Desert Vixen tied the previous track record at the distance in the prior race. Am I supposed to believe Desert Vixen was equal to the best horse who ever ran the extremely common distance of 1 1/8 miles in the history of Belmont Park? I'd be a fool. The tracks were conditioned, no different than US Open green keepers who want 13 on the Stimpmeter and not 11.

Secretariat's official Preakness time was obviously botched. He earned the record, his rightful time later tied by two other horses. But I have very little sympathy for that dispute since the famous Belmont margin of 31 lengths is a crock. If you're so concerned about getting it right in Pimlico, do the same in Elmont. The place horse arrived 4.73 seconds later. LOL. A staggering 3 year old doesn't run 31 lengths in 4.73 seconds at the end of a mile and a half race. It's preposterous, bloated by several lengths. The track was caught dumbfounded by an extremely rare situation and slapped together an official chart that makes no sense. Eventually unbiased numbers guys will take a look and the 31 lengths will be exposed as fraudulent. Right now the guys in charge are the ones who hugged Secretariat pillows at the time. They're making movies like this one, not interested in common sense.

[LiberalAndProud]

6. What conditions make for a fast track?

(fascinating read, by the way)

[TorchTheWitch]

7. a fast track is one that is dry, resiliant and even

Track conditions are determined by an official before the start of the race and include moisture content, type of surface (dirt, turf, etc.), compaction (loose or firm) and a bunch of other nitpicky factors. Because the condition of the track is very much a factor in the outcome of a race including speed times, the faster the track, the better the conditions for the horses to perform - be able to run faster.

In contrast, a sloppy track is one that is so muddy that standing water can be seen in places... a slow track is one that is practically soup, and in those conditions the horses won't be able to run as fast, so the race times will be slower.

Fast track - ideal track conditions for a fast race on a dirt surface
Sloppy or slow track - crappy track conditions and a much slower race on a dirt surface

There are different terms used to discribe conditions on a track surface like turf or some type of artificial material, but in the US I don't think we do races anymore on anything but dirt.

[RandomThoughts]

8. heh, you forgot I use to be a professional gambler.

The best Jockeys get the best horses. If you know the Jockeys, you can see the strengths and weaknesses of the horses.

[TorchTheWitch]

9. That Belmont race was soooo exciting!

I was just a little kid then but I remember watching it with my heart pounding... and wondering where all the other horses went... LOL! Seriously, I thought something unusual happened and all the other horses had gotten off the track for some reason.

I have to agree, I don't think the 31 lengths is right. It sounds like the announcer calling the race at the time said 25 lengths at the finish, so I don't know where they came up with 31. With just a few scant seconds left in the race and the last lengh call at 18, I don't see how it would be possible to go from 18 lengths to 31 in that few seconds. I think it actually was more like 25.

[Flaxbee]

13. but all that overstating has been done by humans ...

who DO tend to exaggerate or lie for their own (usually monetary) reasons... Secretariat was still an incredible horse. And I don't know if it is true or not, but for a horse to be able to run successively faster quarters as Secretariat is said to have done in the Derby is the mark of an incredible athlete.

All that bunk is from humans. This movie will have a lot of that, but it will still be fun to watch the movie, I hope.

[PufPuf23]

15. I saw Sham win the Santa Anita Derby with my parents at age 19

Secretariat unfortunately was a disappointment as a stud regards to expectations.

I have my Dad's American Racing Manuals from the 1939 to 1995.

Last time I went to a horse race was with my father to the Strub Stakes at Santa Anita in 1993.

He owned several broodmares, sold yearlings, and raced several at Bay Meadows and Golden Gates Fields in the 50s and 60s.

One of the studs at the ranch where Dad kept the broodmares was Noor. Noor raced only one year in the USA and beat Citation 5 of 6 times setting records for the mile and mile and 1/4 and was voted handicap horse of the year.

[yankeepants]

10. You betcha I am

Big sucker for the ponies. I gots me two Thoroughbred boys myself:
The Brothers Kavanaugh and Finnegan

[tigereye]

11. it looked really good!

[Scout]

12. definitely, i'm looking forward to it! n/t

[hamsterjill]

14. Definitely going to see it!

Definitely a fan of the big dude. I remember watching him in all three races for the crown. He was like a rock star and would stand up and hold his head high when he saw the flashbulbs going off. He loved the attention. He knew he was something special...and he was!

[Tuesday Afternoon]

17. Yes, I want to see it.

:D on the big screen, too :popcorn: