I’m 72 and only recently indulged my lifelong love of horses by overdosing on documentaries and movies featuring phenomenal, historical race horses. I had heard the name Ruffian but knew nothing about her. This documentary is OK quality-wise, but informative. I watched the movie first and it is far more graphic, showing how Ruffian broke her leg and the attempts to save her until, finally, the decision was made to put her down. I had to pause watching because I couldn’t see through the flow of tears. Her injuries had to have been agonizingly painful. The pain and grief of those who loved her was also agonizing. I’ve never had a close bond with a horse, but I did with a very special cat. When he died a year ago at age 7 from kidney disease, I felt as if a deep hole in my soul had been created. This had to have been how Ruffian’s people felt. Regarding her performance and potential, I suspect she could have beaten any colt competing with her. I truly believe she would have won the match race, and if she had been entered, she would have won the Triple Crown. She was big and beautiful and matchless.
Hi Catherine, I'm 62 and have been working with racehorses since I was 15 yrs. old. As for Ruffian, I watched it as it'd happened, and it wasn't only her connections that her injury affected,... it had been the whole Nation! There's a book, called Burning From The Start, it is the story of Ruffian. You should read it, although it is a very sad story at the end of course. A great read though!
Thank you for the information. I'll check it out. When her accident occurred (in the film), I felt my stomach clench, and the tears flowing. I cannot begin to imagine how it felt to have been there. At least you got so see her run. She must have been breathtaking.
Well guess what? Watch this at the 8:01 minute mark there are 2 girls jumping up and down cheering on Ruffian. The blonde on the far left is me, the red head in the middle is my best friend. Elmont is our hometown and I worked at the track walking hots and my friend and I went to the track to watch Ruffian win. This was at Aqueduct. What a day!
Wow, that's incredible!! Were u there watching the match race? If so i'm so sorry, I know it's historical but just so sad..I will have to find u in the video. You worked at the track also, so let me ask u, who did all the barn folks think would have won that race had she been able to run her best race? My dad worked at River Downs in Ohio so I know you all know everything.. lol
I don't care one wit, who has come down the pike over the years ... no one could ever match Ruffian for the sheer speed and ease with which she ran her races! No whip, ears pricked ... all class ... What a loss ... STILL!
I noticed that in her previous races she wasn't really being challenged, therefore no whip and ears pricked. At the 3 and a half furlong mark in the final race, she still wouldn't have been pushed. She probably didn't want to be passed, many really good horses don't, but it would have been way too soon to move her. I suspect that she hit a bad spot in the track, I also noticed that it didn't look like she got a really clean start out of the starting gate and that may have been the start of her troubles. Sad deal, she was exceptional.
She was the first race horse I ever fell in love with. I cried when she died and I still cry for her to this day. I have 6 tattoos of great race horses and hers belongs on the inside of my left arm closest to my heart where she has always been.
Kelly Herms She was the first racehorse I've ever known, which made me all crazy about horse racing now haha. I still cry when I think of her. BTW I wasnt old enough to see Ruffian in person.
I used to love horse racing as a young kid, and I wanted to be apart of the "industry" in some way. Trainer, breeder, Groom, heck anything. Then I grew up and opened my eyes. They race these lovely animals way too young. Now, I still watch from a distance with interest. However, I have lost the love for the "game" that I used to have. It will never happen, but they should advance the racing age up to 4 or 5 years old.
I agree. Their bodies are still developing at 3, and sometimes till the age of 6. I owned a 17 hand TB colt at the time Ruffian was racing. I was told by my vet to take it easy with him because of his size. He was a 2 year old, foaled in 1973. He was harness trained at the age of 3, and pulled a cart till the age of 5. Horses' bones grow from the ground up, the last thing to close is their back. I didn't get on my horse till the age of 5, and it was just for a few minutes each time. He was trained English, and became a hunter/jumper. He still was used for driving as well. He was sound his whole life, and never wore shoes. Colic ended his life at the age of 34 years. I owned him for 33 of those years. (Jan Griffiths).
Ruffian didn't get whipped, she made winning look like a morning workout, graceful, and beautiful, her color w/ that splash of white, the people that were around her were very blessed RIP
I sat in front of the TV, routing for Ruffian before she even even stepped into the gate. Having a soft spot for Native Dancer's family, she was my pick. I'd watched Foolish Pleasure win the Derby, but I didn't think much of him. When she finally stopped, I was crying my eyes out. It sent me into a horse racing black out and I missed Seattle Slew and Affirmed/Alydar. It took Jacinto, on a different filly, Genuine Risk, five years later, to pull me out. I still cry when I think of her. Such a wonderful creature. Rest in peace, dear one.
Ruffian was far and away the best filly I have ever seen. She ran in and won 8 stakes races, setting the record for each. 39 years later, 7 of those 8 records still stand.
But for a botched ride Zenyatta is 20 for 20 beating the best boys in the world TWICE.....at a mile and 1/8th I would take Ruffian at a mile and 1/4 Zenyatta would have reeled her right in
Ruffian & Zenyatta are two of the best fillies that ever graced the track. It’s really hard to say which one would have won the race if they had a chance. Both horses had the same competitiveness but they had 2 very different styles of racing. While Ruffian was a front runner Zenyatta was a closer. Zenyatta’s ability to close from so far behind was something special to watch just like Ruffians ability to run on the lead and pull away. But in an ironic twist of fate both horses suffered their only loss because of a bad break from the gate.
I was nine years old when this fateful race aired and I’ll never forget it. I cried for days. I haven’t been able to watch a horse race ever since. My heart is in my throat as I’m watching this documentary. RIP, beautiful girl.
Oddly enough I had a dream about Ruffian the other day, it was of the match race. The two of them raced down to the wire together, but Ruffian won by about half a length in the end. RIP beautiful girl
Ruffian was poetry in motion. The finest expression of equine magnificence. Perfection is seldom attained. We were blessed to have witnessed it in her. She captured my heart, and inspired me. Thank you and well done.
Ruffian was the best Filly to ever live. She was graceful,powerful,talented,fast and beautiful. Why did it have to be her out of all the horses in the world. She did not deserve to die for human pleasure
Abrielle, Horses have been used by man for thousands of years. They are domesticated and have jobs Like a police dog who gets killed in the line of duty, or an army or police horse. Her death was tragic, but part of what she was breed to do. She could have gotten the same injury while running in a pasture.
Thanks for uploading! Ruffian is my favorite race horse, her and Seattle Slew. Really tragic that she broke down. She was ahead of Foolish Pleasure by a full length, and would have been many more lengths ahead, and would have won had she not broken her leg. She was a magnificent horse.
Still disturbs me so much after all these years. I remember just crying. I still have the clippings from all the newspapers in an album. Very sad! She was so beautiful!!
Never touched by a whip. Never trailed in a race. The second best horse I ever saw run and the greatest filly of all time. If she had lived, she and Secretariat would produced a generation of super horses. My heart broke when she broke down and it does every time I think of her.
I think Ruffian in some way helped extend the life Barbaro had left. Because of the thrashing, she did on the floor causing her to ruin what doctors just operated on, Barbaro was placed in a recovery pool so if he began thrashing after awakening, he wouldn't damage what was done from his operation. The sacrifice of Ruffian, Barbaro, and many other injured racehorses of today lives will one day help an injured racehorse in the future survive longer than they did, creating a chain that will steadily shave off the death sentence that's inevitable for injured throughbreds.
You think the owners will put their hands in their pockets and pay to have the limbs repaired on all of their fallen horses? It hasn't happened, it will never happen. The aim is to make money, not waste money. As long as human greed still exists and as long as they're still making money it's so much easier to bin a life and breed more.
Ruffian was a great filly. My first love is still Foolish Pleasure. His memory lays in the waste of the death of that fine Filly. The only Breyer model horse I kept in it's box as a kid. She is still in that box to this day.
So sad we never got to see her ultimate powers! Such a lovely wonderful beast! She coudve been the greatest, or if not, might be one of the greatest. Insane because secretariat's trainer said that ruffian might be even better than secretariat
It looked like Ruffian was limping or tender on right rear leg before the match race,watch it again and see .She might of had an issue and that may be why she had issues leaving gate,hairline fracture to begin with ,or muscle strain,watch her walk prior to the match race . Beautiful horse. So sad R.I.P. Ruffian.
Ruffian you were a unique filly in a class of your own, this useless match race going a mile and a quarter out of the shoot with foolish pleasure was to prove nothing, it was all a hype.. to this day 47 years later I feel so saddened with the tragedy of this race. 😢 rest in peace sweet girl for all the people that loved you we still to this day miss your presence. Ruffian❤️
I believe she would have won that race. I saw it on TV. She was starting to make her move when she broke down. If only she hadn't hit the gate when she left it. Her right hip hit the gate, threw her off balance, and I believe that was the beginning of the end. (Jan Griffiths).
God damn this sport. It makes me cry happy tears and sad tragic tears at the same time. I truly hate it for it's ugly and tragic dark side. I equally love it for it's brave elite athletes who give everything they have and to often even more. If this would have happened today, she might have been saved.
What makes this even sadder is the fact that Ruffian was pulling away from Foolish Pleasure when the breakdown occurred. If she hadn't slammed her shoulder into the starting gate she would have opened daylight on him. The best horse definitely didn't win that day. FP was a nice horse, but he just wasn't in her league. He benefited that day from her bad racing luck.
Foolish Pleasure was better then a nice horse he was the 2 year old champion and 3 year old champion and did win 10 straight races and less not forget he won the Kentucky Derby and finished 2nd in the Preakness and the Belmont stakes.
@@sheilatruax6172 : nothing wrong with Foolish Pleasure expressing his "below average sire" to anyone. Some horses retire to be therapy for other horses or children. There is no shame in not reproducing; that is our issue, not the horse.
when was one gorgeous she had toys Grace and unrivaled speed she was put together like Secretariat strong tall powerful it's ironic that the Great Courses the 20th century Die Young and tragically you will forever live in my heart and mind Queen ruffian
I don't know why her forelegs weren't wrapped for this race because they knew she would give all she had to win, and at 1125 pounds she was putting a lot of force on all four legs.
Es muy lindo escuchar ese tipo de comentarios Como Rufián es muy lindo tremendo caballo lloro por la muerte de Rufián nunca lo olvidaré que hermoso y siempre Recordando a Secretaría ya veo que todavía hay personas con un Gran corazón Dios los bendiga desde Venezuela Saludos a todas esas personas amantes de los Caballos ❤
y'all all must be unaware of the fact that 1) breeders are breeding for speed not for strong durable bone density. 2) these animals are being broken to ride at too early of an age and pushed to hard in their training. horses bones are soft during growth spurts just like anything (animal or human) & that's when the majority of the breakdowns begin. so typical of greedy heartless people.
Okay, get real. Ruffian was incredible. My favorite. My brother and I argue over Man O'War vs Secretariat, but we both agree, as much it pains me, that both would beat her. Takes nothing away from her accomplishments. She was leading when her leg broke. Watched it live. Still cry when I watch the videos. Or remember.
I saw her die on live television when I was eight. RUFFIAN DEAD was the News headline (front page) the next morning. She's the reason Barbaro woke up from surgery in a pool. She was 1-5 in that race and 1-20 almost all the time though she paid 4-1 in her debut when she won by fifteen. The owners didn't want to run against males.
@Adrian At And T Heck of an internet mouth you got there you'd be crapping your pants before running it to anyone's face. I know she had surgery but she still died from what happened on the track.
Ruffian broke the ice to show that men were not all leaders. Jeje. I was 8 years old watching the race and remember it to this day. I cried so much. It's hard to even watch again. She would have won.
I kept thinking that maybe Songbird was Ruffian coming back to live lol. But I believe that Ruffian would have won the match race because she was obviously the 'Better horse'. Not that Foolish Pleasure isn't good, but he was out of her league. And I also belive that if they had put Ruffian in the KY derby, Preakness and the Belmont, she would have won the Triple Crown!!! Many great horses didn't ran the Triple Crown, such as Arrogate, and our Queen of the Fillies, Ruffian. RIP Ruffian. You won't be forgotten.
They would not have been bred together, they were too closely related. Secretariat's sire, Bold Ruler, was her grandsire (the sire of Ruffian's sire, Reviewer).
Diane Elhard Actually, Bold Ruler is Seattle Slew's great-grandsire, in Slew's direct male line. But that degree of inbreeding (4X3 to Bold Ruler, that is, Bold Ruler appearing in both the 4th and 3rd generations of the pedigree) would have been much less problematic than a 2X3 breeding. Recent prominent horses with 4X3 or 3X4 inbreeding (all to Mr. Prospector) include 2014 Derby & Preakness winner California Chrome, 2013 Kentucky Derby winner Orb, 2012 Belmont winner Union Rags, and the outstanding sire Tapit, whose progeny set a North American record last year for earnings. 2X3 matings, as a Secretariat-Ruffian mating would have been, are currently very rare, though I believe they have occurred. I suspect, btw, that a Secretariat - Ruffian mating would have been vetoed on another ground: both were unusually massive horses. It's likely somewhat smaller studs would have been picked to balance her. Mr. Prospector, Northern Dancer and Alydar, 3 of the other premiere stallions of the era Ruffian would have been breeding, all have Native Dancer as grandsire or damsire (maternal grandsire). Native Dancer was Ruffian's damsire, so those breedings would all have been inbred 3X3 to Native Dancer. 3X3 matings do occur. Obviously, if Ruffian had not died, she would have been bred to some of the best stallions around. (And Slew was one of the successful of recent decades.) Interesting, great race mares seldom become great broodmares/producers. There are exceptions, of course. The undefeated mare Personal Ensign, a champion in the 1980's, became a very important broodmare. It is tragic we didn't get to see what Ruffian would have produced. : (
If there can be anything positive gleaned from this tragedy at all, it’s that this incredible filly was never bred from. She is so spectacularly conformed for speed. Unfortunately, with that came legs that were far too light and joints that were far too small to support her big 17hh frame. ‘The heart of a locomotive with legs like champagne glasses’ (paraphrasing) was an apt description. In so many pictures as well, it’s fairly clear that her off-fore wasn’t straight. A remarkable filly who demonstrated to us so emotively why humans need to draw the line where breeding for speed is concerned.
She was the queen n the best. Landaluce came after to continue the quest but unfortunately like many she never fulfilled the expectations of their fans love n supporters. Zenyatta came after n showed us what could have bin if they had lived n make it through the same way she did.
I had the privilege to see both Ruffian and Secretariat run . By God’s Grace Ruffian was an absolute perfect Horse proportion wise. And a BIG Phillie. As big as Secretariat. Big Red was a Linebacker compared to Ruffian. Big Reds mile and a half time was 3 seconds faster than Ruffian’s best. Big Red was faster at a long distance. This is not in dispute. I do believe Ruffian was so fast out of the gate and the subsequent 3/4 mile I don’t think secretariat could catch her at her best. But……we will never know.
Hey, Johnson I so agree... of your Two Favorite Race Horses. And the Magic wand... is Just asking Your Angels to help with your challenges. And for all the Animals that don't have a Voice. Wild Animals... are losing their FOOD. WHO'S talking about that. Aaaah. We Honor Those Who have Gone before us. AmerICAn's.
NO DOUBT!!! She was so Big & beautiful and Athletic and EXTREMELY FAST !!! She had such a presence , it was unbelievable!!! Ask the Hall of Fame Jockey Jacinto Vasquez who he believed was gonna Win that Match Race ---- in 1975 he was the Jockey of BOTH Foolish Pleasure AND Ruffian.. .. and he CHOSE to ride Ruffian !!!!!!
Here's the craziest thing about Ruffian - @ 11:40 she's ahead by over 5 lengths. The norm for most of her races. She never truly opened up. We never got to see how fast she actually was. Incredible.
El ver esta potra correr a Ruffian era una obra de arte, la mejor de la historia , todavía digo si hubieran protegido la otra pierna, no había sido sacrificada , aún me entristece😢😢
She Let Them Catch up to Her Only to Sprint Away From Them "Multiple" Times During a Race and All While Never Being Asked...She Was Knowingly Toying With The Other Horses....Ruffian is The Gold Standard
Its really sad to think that she had a chance after the emergency surgery, hopeful even, but couldn't make because of the panic and distress she was in when taken out of induced coma. After the tragedy, luckily, many more codes and ideas were put in place for rehabilitating horses after surgery.
Will never watch a re-run of that race. Couldn't stomach it and don't have to because it's in my mind as if it were today, jumping up, yelling "Oh my God, she broke down" and everyone looking at me like I was wacky. For a couple of seconds.
Russell True. Bold Ruler was Secretariat's sire, Bold Ruler was Ruffians grand sire. Too close in bloodline. Too closely related. Thoroughbreds are inbred enough, sorry breeding practices tend to develope problems.
Wish they had a better documentary/ bio on this beautiful, fast filly, they've made movie's about alot of the colts, somebody out there do something about this!!
ok everyone i think that it would have ruffian's legend even more greater if she lost that race then if she won the race i'm just putting it out there and i love ruffian
I was a member of the TV audience that day. I saw her bump the gate, which put her off balance. I saw the pigeons on the track, fly up into the horses' faces. The mis-step occurred then. A pigeon hit her in the face, it was said later, and she spooked, and stepped wrong, and blew out her sesamoids.
I was there when I was a child. LeRoy Jolley was a friend of my late Father's. I cried for days when she died. She was an awesome horse and Native Dancer has been largely bred out. Do you have Exceller in the Breeder's Cup? Thanks for this.
Ruffian and Zenyatta are great female race horses! There are others! Rachel Alexandra won the Preakness beating the Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird and beat the Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird in a race with older horses! Then there were Songbird and Beholder among others ! Rags To Riches beat Curlin in the Belmont Stakes. Let's appreciate all the great fillies and mares we have been fortunate to see win in the Classic Grade 1 races.
Too bad this documentary is marred by 70s production values--what my students call the "Disney voice" of unctuous male authority (which sounds self-satisfiedly the same no matter what the subject matter) and grotesquely inappropriate happy-music. Nonetheless, it has shots of Ruffian no one else has. What a period piece. And what a tragedy.
Horses like Ruffian don't come along once in a lifetime, horses like Ruffian only come around ONCE. RIP Ruffian.
RACHAEL ALEXANDER came along to did ZENNATTA the sane year and they were just as good fillys as RUFFIAN the three girls of racing
@@MikeSmith-cn6ub hard to say. They were good but could never race them against her and find out
I'm an old man and a lifetime horse racing fan; and 40 years later I still cry about Ruffian.
as do I,,,,,,,,,,such a huge loss!
I'm an old woman and she makes me cry also!!
I’m 72 and only recently indulged my lifelong love of horses by overdosing on documentaries and movies featuring phenomenal, historical race horses. I had heard the name Ruffian but knew nothing about her. This documentary is OK quality-wise, but informative. I watched the movie first and it is far more graphic, showing how Ruffian broke her leg and the attempts to save her until, finally, the decision was made to put her down. I had to pause watching because I couldn’t see through the flow of tears. Her injuries had to have been agonizingly painful. The pain and grief of those who loved her was also agonizing. I’ve never had a close bond with a horse, but I did with a very special cat. When he died a year ago at age 7 from kidney disease, I felt as if a deep hole in my soul had been created. This had to have been how Ruffian’s people felt. Regarding her performance and potential, I suspect she could have beaten any colt competing with her. I truly believe she would have won the match race, and if she had been entered, she would have won the Triple Crown. She was big and beautiful and matchless.
Hi Catherine, I'm 62 and have been working with racehorses since I was 15 yrs. old. As for Ruffian, I watched it as it'd happened, and it wasn't only her connections that her injury affected,... it had been the whole Nation! There's a book, called Burning From The Start, it is the story of Ruffian. You should read it, although it is a very sad story at the end of course. A great read though!
Thank you for the information. I'll check it out. When her accident occurred (in the film), I felt my stomach clench, and the tears flowing. I cannot begin to imagine how it felt to have been there. At least you got so see her run. She must have been breathtaking.
Well guess what? Watch this at the 8:01 minute mark there are 2 girls jumping up and down cheering on Ruffian. The blonde on the far left is me, the red head in the middle is my best friend. Elmont is our hometown and I worked at the track walking hots and my friend and I went to the track to watch Ruffian win. This was at Aqueduct. What a day!
you got the view of a lifetime :)
You alright
Wow, that's incredible!! Were u there watching the match race? If so i'm so sorry, I know it's historical but just so sad..I will have to find u in the video. You worked at the track also, so let me ask u, who did all the barn folks think would have won that race had she been able to run her best race? My dad worked at River Downs in Ohio so I know you all know everything.. lol
That is reeaallly cool, what a great thing to see, must have good memories of seeing this beautiful filly..
@@nikkilindsey606 Ruffian!!!!!
Secretariat was the king. Ruffian was the queen
Idgy Threadgood Yep
Agree 100 per cent. Micheline Kribs. Rolla,MO
Seabiscuit was the best
@@johnchartrand9382 not even close to those 2.
@@davidlindsay9564 True, not even close. Just like how Seabiscuit left War Admiral far behind.
I don't care one wit, who has come down the pike over the years ... no one could ever match Ruffian for the sheer speed and ease with which she ran her races! No whip, ears pricked ... all class ... What a loss ... STILL!
John Bellucci ...yes she will NEVER BE MATCHED-EVER....I DO HOPE THOSE GREEDY FUCKS GET WHAT THEY DESERVE TO ETERNITY
Lets stay factual now
@@LordRusty5 🙄🙄
I noticed that in her previous races she wasn't really being challenged, therefore no whip and ears pricked. At the 3 and a half furlong mark in the final race, she still wouldn't have been pushed. She probably didn't want to be passed, many really good horses don't, but it would have been way too soon to move her. I suspect that she hit a bad spot in the track, I also noticed that it didn't look like she got a really clean start out of the starting gate and that may have been the start of her troubles. Sad deal, she was exceptional.
She was the first race horse I ever fell in love with. I cried when she died and I still cry for her to this day. I have 6 tattoos of great race horses and hers belongs on the inside of my left arm closest to my heart where she has always been.
Kelly Herms She was the first racehorse I've ever known, which made me all crazy about horse racing now haha. I still cry when I think of her. BTW I wasnt old enough to see Ruffian in person.
Giavahna Little or in the wild where no man would've helped her and would have died more slowly and painfully
I don't have any tattoos but would consider getting one of Ruffian. Watched the race live. Broke my hear.
And this comment is now from 9 years ago
Secretariat was the King Ruffian was the Queen, Both true Champions, records for these two Champions will never be broken.........
What a magnificent filly. I cried when she died. Nobody will be better than her in a gazillion years.
RIP, beloved Ruffian
What a graceful and beautiful soul, Forever the queen of racing. May she ride in our hearts forever!
I used to love horse racing as a young kid, and I wanted to be apart of the "industry" in some way. Trainer, breeder, Groom, heck anything. Then I grew up and opened my eyes. They race these lovely animals way too young. Now, I still watch from a distance with interest. However, I have lost the love for the "game" that I used to have.
It will never happen, but they should advance the racing age up to 4 or 5 years old.
I agree. Their bodies are still developing at 3, and sometimes till the age of 6. I owned a 17 hand TB colt at the time Ruffian was racing. I was told by my vet to take it easy with him because of his size. He was a 2 year old, foaled in 1973. He was harness trained at the age of 3, and pulled a cart till the age of 5. Horses' bones grow from the ground up, the last thing to close is their back. I didn't get on my horse till the age of 5, and it was just for a few minutes each time. He was trained English, and became a hunter/jumper. He still was used for driving as well. He was sound his whole life, and never wore shoes. Colic ended his life at the age of 34 years. I owned him for 33 of those years. (Jan Griffiths).
Ruffian didn't get whipped, she made winning look like a morning workout, graceful, and beautiful, her color w/ that splash of white, the people that were around her were very blessed RIP
Her competition made her look like that.
I sat in front of the TV, routing for Ruffian before she even even stepped into the gate. Having a soft spot for Native Dancer's family, she was my pick. I'd watched Foolish Pleasure win the Derby, but I didn't think much of him. When she finally stopped, I was crying my eyes out. It sent me into a horse racing black out and I missed Seattle Slew and Affirmed/Alydar. It took Jacinto, on a different filly, Genuine Risk, five years later, to pull me out. I still cry when I think of her. Such a wonderful creature. Rest in peace, dear one.
Ruffian was far and away the best filly I have ever seen. She ran in and won 8 stakes races, setting the record for each. 39 years later, 7 of those 8 records still stand.
Dan Paul yup
But for a botched ride Zenyatta is 20 for 20 beating the best boys in the world TWICE.....at a mile and 1/8th I would take Ruffian at a mile and 1/4 Zenyatta would have reeled her right in
Ruffian & Zenyatta are two of the best fillies that ever graced the track. It’s really hard to say which one would have won the race if they had a chance. Both horses had the same competitiveness but they had 2 very different styles of racing. While Ruffian was a front runner Zenyatta was a closer. Zenyatta’s ability to close from so far behind was something special to watch just like Ruffians ability to run on the lead and pull away. But in an ironic twist of fate both horses suffered their only loss because of a bad break from the gate.
Why does everyone feel the need to constantly compare and make everything a competition? Appreciate both of them. Jesus H. Christ..,
Dan Paul h
I was nine years old when this fateful race aired and I’ll never forget it. I cried for days. I haven’t been able to watch a horse race ever since. My heart is in my throat as I’m watching this documentary. RIP, beautiful girl.
Oddly enough I had a dream about Ruffian the other day, it was of the match race. The two of them raced down to the wire together, but Ruffian won by about half a length in the end. RIP beautiful girl
That's one of the most tremendously sad stories in the history of racing.
Ruffian was poetry in motion. The finest expression of equine magnificence. Perfection is seldom attained. We were blessed to have witnessed it in her. She captured my heart, and inspired me. Thank you and well done.
I watched that race on tv and cried when she broke down. Such a magnificent horse.
Ruffian was the best Filly to ever live. She was graceful,powerful,talented,fast and beautiful. Why did it have to be her out of all the horses in the world. She did not deserve to die for human pleasure
without "human pleasure" she would never have existed
Abrielle,
Horses have been used by man for thousands of years.
They are domesticated and have jobs Like a police dog who gets killed in the line of duty, or an army or police horse. Her death was tragic, but part of what she was breed to do. She could have gotten the same injury while running in a pasture.
Wrong
Racing not really your game.
Thanks for uploading! Ruffian is my favorite race horse, her and Seattle Slew. Really tragic that she broke down. She was ahead of Foolish Pleasure by a full length, and would have been many more lengths ahead, and would have won had she not broken her leg. She was a magnificent horse.
I'm also a huge fan of The Slew :)
Still disturbs me so much after all these years. I remember just crying. I still have the clippings from all the newspapers in an album. Very sad! She was so beautiful!!
Never touched by a whip. Never trailed in a race. The second best horse I ever saw run and the greatest filly of all time. If she had lived, she and Secretariat would produced a generation of super horses. My heart broke when she broke down and it does every time I think of her.
That would have been a chancy breeding, as Secretariat was her uncle.
Still thanking her for sharing her Brilliance!!!
Geez she's so beautiful
I think Ruffian in some way helped extend the life Barbaro had left. Because of the thrashing, she did on the floor causing her to ruin what doctors just operated on, Barbaro was placed in a recovery pool so if he began thrashing after awakening, he wouldn't damage what was done from his operation.
The sacrifice of Ruffian, Barbaro, and many other injured racehorses of today lives will one day help an injured racehorse in the future survive longer than they did, creating a chain that will steadily shave off the death sentence that's inevitable for injured throughbreds.
Know what else would shave off the inevitable death by injury? Not racing them to begin with.
You think the owners will put their hands in their pockets and pay to have the limbs repaired on all of their fallen horses? It hasn't happened, it will never happen. The aim is to make money, not waste money. As long as human greed still exists and as long as they're still making money it's so much easier to bin a life and breed more.
Barbaro almost survived.
Lea Daniel they did for barbaro, ruffian and many more horses. Euthanizing them is the last resort.
I will always love Barbaro and plan to have my ashes scattered his
She was such a beautiful filly x! I myself did cry when they put her down. And I never cry..
She would have beaten Foolish Pleasure too
But this is what GOD does~ HE hates females! So HE destroyed Ruffian and let the MALE win!
Ruffian was a great filly. My first love is still Foolish Pleasure. His memory lays in the waste of the death of that fine Filly. The only Breyer model horse I kept in it's box as a kid. She is still in that box to this day.
I was there at Belmont that day. Heartbreaking.
R.I.P. beautiful girl
So sad we never got to see her ultimate powers! Such a lovely wonderful beast! She coudve been the greatest, or if not, might be one of the greatest. Insane because secretariat's trainer said that ruffian might be even better than secretariat
It looked like Ruffian was limping or tender on right rear leg before the match race,watch it again and see .She might of had an issue and that may be why she had issues leaving gate,hairline fracture to begin with ,or muscle strain,watch her walk prior to the match race . Beautiful horse. So sad R.I.P. Ruffian.
I saw Ruffian win at Saratoga. Greatness personified. Painful to watch that last race!
She was beautiful
Ruffian you were a unique filly in a class of your own, this useless match race going a mile and a quarter out of the shoot with foolish pleasure was to prove nothing, it was all a hype.. to this day 47 years later I feel so saddened with the tragedy of this race. 😢 rest in peace sweet girl for all the people that loved you we still to this day miss your presence. Ruffian❤️
I believe she would have won that race. I saw it on TV. She was starting to make her move when she broke down. If only she hadn't hit the gate when she left it. Her right hip hit the gate, threw her off balance, and I believe that was the beginning of the end. (Jan Griffiths).
God damn this sport. It makes me cry happy tears and sad tragic tears at the same time. I truly hate it for it's ugly and tragic dark side. I equally love it for it's brave elite athletes who give everything they have and to often even more. If this would have happened today, she might have been saved.
Happy birthday, beautiful Ruffian❤️
Ruffian je pro mě vítězka i přes to hrozné zranění . Vyhrála by nad Foolish Pleasure. Jsem o tom 100% přesvědčená ! RIP Ruffian ❤️❤️❤️
She was Amazing!!!!
Her fierce determination and fiery spirit will burn forever. Run free my love!
What makes this even sadder is the fact that Ruffian was pulling away from Foolish Pleasure when the breakdown occurred. If she hadn't slammed her shoulder into the starting gate she would have opened daylight on him. The best horse definitely didn't win that day. FP was a nice horse, but he just wasn't in her league. He benefited that day from her bad racing luck.
Foolish Pleasure was better then a nice horse he was the 2 year old champion and 3 year old champion and did win 10 straight races and less not forget he won the Kentucky Derby and finished 2nd in the Preakness and the Belmont stakes.
@@ernestpinto7254For some reason, didn't like him. And he turned out to be a below average sire.
@@sheilatruax6172 : nothing wrong with Foolish Pleasure expressing his "below average sire" to anyone. Some horses retire to be therapy for other horses or children. There is no shame in not reproducing; that is our issue, not the horse.
when was one gorgeous she had toys Grace and unrivaled speed she was put together like Secretariat strong tall powerful it's ironic that the Great Courses the 20th century Die Young and tragically you will forever live in my heart and mind Queen ruffian
worlds greatest race horse who ever lived know one could ever replace you
I don't know why her forelegs weren't wrapped for this race because they knew she would give all she had to win, and at 1125 pounds she was putting a lot of force on all four legs.
At the staring gate in the match race, you can see her run into the gate coming out.
RIP Queen 💞💞😢👌
Heart-wrenching…
Rufian - the front runner lady. Zenyatta - "watch out, coming through" Both beautiful and wonderful to watch.
Ruffian was a horse goddess if there is such a thing. People cried like a President died on her tragic fatal day.
I remember staying up all night listening to the radio following reports of her progress at the Vet's.... until they had to decide enough was enough.
Owners need to listen when the trainer says the horse isn't ready..
Es muy lindo escuchar ese tipo de comentarios Como Rufián es muy lindo tremendo caballo lloro por la muerte de Rufián nunca lo olvidaré que hermoso y siempre Recordando a Secretaría ya veo que todavía hay personas con un Gran corazón Dios los bendiga desde Venezuela Saludos a todas esas personas amantes de los Caballos ❤
..for every girl athlete that will ever compete..."Ruffian's" Life demands you never give up!
I thought I could watch this, but I just can’t. She was one of a kind.
It breaks your heart. Tears fell that day.
Still a tear jerker to me
Ruffian was and has to be the best Phillie that ever stepped out on a track !!!
Filly, not Philly. Sorry, but that's a baseball team from Philadelphia.
She IS & WAS !! last time I googled her, she was at: #35 on the TOP 100 Racehorses of ALL-TIME... That's on BOTH Colt & Filly List !!!!
waaaaa I miss her so much
they are all beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!
y'all all must be unaware of the fact that 1) breeders are breeding for speed not for strong durable bone density. 2) these animals are being broken to ride at too early of an age and pushed to hard in their training. horses bones are soft during growth spurts just like anything (animal or human) & that's when the majority of the breakdowns begin. so typical of greedy heartless people.
Okay, get real. Ruffian was incredible. My favorite. My brother and I argue over Man O'War vs Secretariat, but we both agree, as much it pains me, that both would beat her. Takes nothing away from her accomplishments. She was leading when her leg broke. Watched it live. Still cry when I watch the videos. Or remember.
I saw her die on live television when I was eight. RUFFIAN DEAD was the News headline (front page) the next morning. She's the reason Barbaro woke up from surgery in a pool. She was 1-5 in that race and 1-20 almost all the time though she paid 4-1 in her debut when she won by fifteen. The owners didn't want to run against males.
@Adrian At And T Heck of an internet mouth you got there you'd be crapping your pants before running it to anyone's face. I know she had surgery but she still died from what happened on the track.
One of the biggest tragedies in raceing history. I watched this race...sobbed uncontolably after her accident.
What a horse...never seen a better filly.
Ruffian broke the ice to show that men were not all leaders. Jeje. I was 8 years old watching the race and remember it to this day. I cried so much. It's hard to even watch again. She would have won.
I kept thinking that maybe Songbird was Ruffian coming back to live lol. But I believe that Ruffian would have won the match race because she was obviously the 'Better horse'. Not that Foolish Pleasure isn't good, but he was out of her league. And I also belive that if they had put Ruffian in the KY derby, Preakness and the Belmont, she would have won the Triple Crown!!! Many great horses didn't ran the Triple Crown, such as Arrogate, and our Queen of the Fillies, Ruffian. RIP Ruffian. You won't be forgotten.
The greatist filly ever to grace the track. Too bad her and Secretariat didn't get a chance to produce a colt.
They would not have been bred together, they were too closely related.
Secretariat's sire, Bold Ruler, was her grandsire (the sire of Ruffian's sire,
Reviewer).
marysueeasteregg Then perhaps Seattle Slew? Wouldn't that have been a combo? Ahh, if only. :(
Diane Elhard Actually, Bold Ruler is Seattle Slew's great-grandsire, in Slew's direct male line. But that degree of inbreeding (4X3 to Bold Ruler, that is, Bold Ruler appearing in both the 4th and 3rd generations of the pedigree) would have been much less problematic than a 2X3 breeding. Recent prominent horses with 4X3 or 3X4 inbreeding (all to Mr. Prospector) include 2014 Derby & Preakness winner California Chrome, 2013 Kentucky Derby winner Orb, 2012 Belmont winner Union Rags, and the outstanding sire Tapit, whose progeny set a North American record last year for earnings.
2X3 matings, as a Secretariat-Ruffian mating would have been, are currently very rare, though I believe they have occurred. I suspect, btw, that a Secretariat - Ruffian mating would have been vetoed on another ground: both were unusually massive horses. It's likely somewhat smaller studs would have been picked to balance her.
Mr. Prospector, Northern Dancer and Alydar, 3 of the other premiere stallions of the era Ruffian would have been breeding, all have Native Dancer as grandsire or damsire (maternal grandsire). Native Dancer was Ruffian's damsire,
so those breedings would all have been inbred 3X3 to Native Dancer. 3X3 matings do occur.
Obviously, if Ruffian had not died, she would have been bred to some of the best stallions around. (And Slew was one of the successful of recent decades.) Interesting, great race mares seldom become great broodmares/producers. There are exceptions, of course. The undefeated mare Personal Ensign, a champion in the 1980's, became a very important broodmare. It is tragic we didn't get to see what Ruffian would have produced. : (
marysueeasteregg Thank you. I'm not very good at understanding breeding yet, but that makes sense and I appreciate the information. :)
If there can be anything positive gleaned from this tragedy at all, it’s that this incredible filly was never bred from. She is so spectacularly conformed for speed. Unfortunately, with that came legs that were far too light and joints that were far too small to support her big 17hh frame. ‘The heart of a locomotive with legs like champagne glasses’ (paraphrasing) was an apt description. In so many pictures as well, it’s fairly clear that her off-fore wasn’t straight.
A remarkable filly who demonstrated to us so emotively why humans need to draw the line where breeding for speed is concerned.
foolish pleasure was a Great horse!!!! Ruffian was better!
She was the queen n the best. Landaluce came after to continue the quest but unfortunately like many she never fulfilled the expectations of their fans love n supporters. Zenyatta came after n showed us what could have bin if they had lived n make it through the same way she did.
I love her sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo MUCH RIP
I had the privilege to see both Ruffian and Secretariat run . By God’s Grace Ruffian was an absolute perfect Horse proportion wise. And a BIG Phillie. As big as Secretariat. Big Red was a Linebacker compared to Ruffian. Big Reds mile and a half time was 3 seconds faster than Ruffian’s best. Big Red was faster at a long distance. This is not in dispute.
I do believe Ruffian was so fast out of the gate and the subsequent 3/4 mile I don’t think secretariat could catch her at her best. But……we will never know.
RIP beauty queen
Hey, Johnson I so agree... of your Two Favorite Race Horses.
And the Magic wand... is Just asking Your Angels to help with your challenges.
And for all the Animals that don't have a Voice.
Wild Animals... are losing their FOOD. WHO'S talking about that.
Aaaah. We Honor Those Who have Gone before us.
AmerICAn's.
I cry about her all the time i cant even watch the movie because its too sad rip ruffian🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🤧🤧🤧🤧🤧🤧🤧🤧🤧🤧🤧🤧🤧🤧🤧🤧🤧🤧🤧🤧🤧🐎🐎🐎🐎😍😍😍😰😰🤧🤧😪😪
NO DOUBT!!! She was so Big & beautiful and Athletic and EXTREMELY FAST !!! She had such a presence , it was unbelievable!!! Ask the Hall of Fame Jockey Jacinto Vasquez who he believed was gonna Win that Match Race ---- in 1975 he was the Jockey of BOTH Foolish Pleasure AND Ruffian..
.. and he CHOSE to ride Ruffian !!!!!!
Here's the craziest thing about Ruffian - @ 11:40 she's ahead by over 5 lengths. The norm for most of her races. She never truly opened up. We never got to see how fast she actually was. Incredible.
El ver esta potra correr a Ruffian era una obra de arte, la mejor de la historia , todavía digo si hubieran protegido la otra pierna, no había sido sacrificada , aún me entristece😢😢
She Let Them Catch up to Her Only to Sprint Away From Them "Multiple" Times During a Race and All While Never Being Asked...She Was Knowingly Toying With The Other Horses....Ruffian is The Gold Standard
poor girl, we all wonder where she would go, or how far, if she lived on her glorious life.
Its really sad to think that she had a chance after the emergency surgery, hopeful even, but couldn't make because of the panic and distress she was in when taken out of induced coma. After the tragedy, luckily, many more codes and ideas were put in place for rehabilitating horses after surgery.
My dad told me about her, he was at the match race
I was soo shocked when that beautiful filly broke down🙏
I wish she survived but sadly good things can turn on you😭😭😭😭🤧🤧🤧🤧
I never saw those pictures before!
Will never watch a re-run of that race. Couldn't stomach it and don't have to because it's in my mind as if it were today, jumping up, yelling "Oh my God, she broke down" and everyone looking at me like I was wacky. For a couple of seconds.
Imagine Ruffian and Secretariat having a foul. Don't have spell check.
Russell True
*foal
That also wouldn't have happened. They were too closely related
Russell True. Bold Ruler was Secretariat's sire, Bold Ruler was Ruffians grand sire.
Too close in bloodline. Too closely related. Thoroughbreds are inbred enough, sorry breeding practices tend to develope problems.
So did Bold Ruler race... these horses both seemed to share the come from behind and leave everyone else in the dust running style
Wish they had a better documentary/ bio on this beautiful, fast filly, they've made movie's about alot of the colts, somebody out there do something about this!!
There is a movie called "Ruffian".
ok everyone i think that it would have ruffian's legend even more greater if she lost that race then if she won the race i'm just putting it out there and i love ruffian
NK Jumper maybe... I agree partly.
I was a member of the TV audience that day. I saw her bump the gate, which put her off balance. I saw the pigeons on the track, fly up into the horses' faces. The mis-step occurred then. A pigeon hit her in the face, it was said later, and she spooked, and stepped wrong, and blew out her sesamoids.
Janet Griffiths
Horses taking a bad step is a myth that has been disproven
@@meganproffitt424 WRONG !
@@roxrolldog lol you must be bored. Replying to a 2 year old comment.
@@meganproffitt424 2 minutes, 2 months, 2 years - wrong is wrong forever
I saw her break her maiden at Belmont park with ease and I knew she would be a great one.
I was there when I was a child. LeRoy Jolley was a friend of my late Father's. I cried for days when she died. She was an awesome horse and Native Dancer has been largely bred out. Do you have Exceller in the Breeder's Cup? Thanks for this.
Such a tragic terrible loss of a magnificent horse all because of selfishness!!!!
Both Ruffian’s site and dam died during surgery as did she- tragic. !
I remember seeing the actual race as a youngster. Very sad.
Ruffian and Zenyatta are great female race horses! There are others! Rachel Alexandra won the Preakness beating the Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird and beat the Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird in a race with older horses! Then there were Songbird and Beholder among others ! Rags To Riches beat Curlin in the Belmont Stakes. Let's appreciate all the great fillies and mares we have been fortunate to see win in the Classic Grade 1 races.
Just think what a pairing they would have made as sire and Dam !
I was wondering if people can go see her burial place or if it's not allowed??😔🤧🙁
Too bad this documentary is marred by 70s production values--what my students call the "Disney voice" of unctuous male authority (which sounds self-satisfiedly the same no matter what the subject matter) and grotesquely inappropriate happy-music. Nonetheless, it has shots of Ruffian no one else has. What a period piece. And what a tragedy.
Rip my beautiful baby
Some of these comments are just nasty! Why try to tear a horse down? They were all great, in one way or another. If only humans could be that great.
Ruffian and Zenyatta and then Desert Vixen and Personal Ensign. then there is a lot of mix and match great ones.
I can't watch this. ;(
Para mim ela e a maior egua de corridas de todos os tempos