More than 40yrs later, I still feel the pain of this tragedy, and I get upset. I was a teen and this was a driven reminder how fragile life really is. She is the only horse ever to be buried at Belmont Park.
Yep. I visited her grave at Belmont Park when I visited New York in 1979. I took a pic of her grave marker, and left a dozen roses. I was also a teen when she raced, and followed her career. She was a magnificent filly. Such a waste of a young life though. I had my own TB colt, a 2 year old (foaled in 1973) at the time. After the match race, I went out to my colt, hugged him, and cried. That colt grew to be an 18 hand hunter/jumper, and lived to the age of 34 years. (Jan Griffiths).
I know it is so sad, poor Ruffian. I had a little hackney horse, she was like a little Ruffian, and she also had to be put down due to two broken bones in her fetlock. When i see Ruffian I think of Haviah.
@@clydeb7713 yes, I know. But as a mommy of an ottb, it is pathetic that they run them as BABIES. their bones aren't even fully developed yet. Not to mention watching them suffer as they are going through withdrawal after their short lived racing career is over.
She has a wonderful history. Read Bill Nack's book, also the movie about her is really good and the DVD includes all but her first race. It is sad though that her breakdown and subsequent death tend to overshadow her fantastic career.
I noticed that they have 2 yr. Old races at Churchill this weekend. I'm beginning to think they shouldn't even race at 2, maybe 1 or 2 races later in the year. I'm totally convinced trying to get Early 3 yr. Olds ready for the Derby absolutely ruins alot of horses. Battery is finding that out , now having a few 4 and 5 yr. Olds in his barn at their best.
i am deeply fond of horses and an Intuitive, energy healer, i slept with my families farm horses as a child in Europe,,,, here is what the Higher consciousness of Ruffians Soul and Being told me happened in 1975 to her : 1. she was born in sign of Aries: 1st Earth Fire element (fire is a program of high energy and they are subconsciously connected to the rocks and crystals on earth , 2. her heart -Soul connection was evolved - Soul came from the Cosmos- she was big in Light thus highly intelligent , and aries are heart chakra Soul guided and full of love), she also loved attn ... an Aries program, 3. she was driven very hard by Selfish humans pushing from every angle to win, to advertise and market her etc, 4. she needed MORE rest and time in nature to pla, y have a break, 5. on day of her final tragic race , 1st the sky turned very DARK suddenly and cloudy.... when the race began Suddenly a PIDGEON FLEW IN FRONT OF HER VISION AREA coming too close to her head and INSTANTLY that created FEAR CONFUSION Disorientation INSECURITY in her Mind AND so fast she lost her Focus , and Balance - her mind was confused which way to run and sent her Back Feet moving right into the other horse for guidance and then all over different directions that quickly caused both her back feet to break and even worse .... (see the video slowly).... more pigeons flew in front of the horses but raffian was in the lead still .( THE HIGHER CONSCIOUSNESS SHOWED ME THAT MANY HUMANS were made to beleive this race was to show Female Energy was equal or better than Male energy.... What a Marketing Circus. ..AND THIS GORGEOUS HORSE, RAFFIAN, WAS just being USED AS A CHESS PC. never Understanding that she had her own Soul and Life and freewill .... so DARK FORCES & Selfish uncaring Beings, INTERFERED WITH RAFFIAN's WIN here by manipulating the 3d mind of few Pidgeons to cause the DEADLY INTERFERANCE by flying in front of ruffian at a specific moment in earth time... this was very Horrific to watch!!! Unfortunately few docum. ever show the PIDGEONS as the cause of her demise , she was a MAGNIFICENT BEING IN A HORSE BODY....too many greedy HUMANS dont appreciate animals or understand them.
Her back feet did not fracture. Her front right sesamoids (the small paired bones of a horse's ankle) were fractured. Splintered, with bone pieces piercing the skin. In medical terms, a compound comminuted fracture. That it was her right foreleg which fractured is beyond question, including a photo of her with an air cast on before she was loaded into the ambulance. If the movement of her back legs looks unnatural, it is because of them having to compensate for the sudden catastrophic injury to the front leg. If she had broken more than one leg, she would not have remained standing, nor would she have been capable of rearing, as there is also a photo of her doing post-injury. Nor have I ever heard testimony from either jockey or any journalist there was any contact of the two horses at the moments right around the breakdown. Earlier in the race minor bumping may have occurred, which is a commonplace in racing. The video does *not* indicate tangling of the horses' legs, if that is what you suggesting. Personally, I blame her breakdown primarily on poor genetics (her sire broke leg bones multiple times while racing) and her dam also was unsound. An unusually heavy racing schedule also likely contributed, as you allude to.
I love her soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much RIP
Ruffian wasn't meant to raced that day the fact of dark clouds and uneasyness of two of best three year old horses racing against each other her fate was then and yet lost another grate racer of all time :(
This was a useless match race going a mile and a quarter with all the hype added up to it & out of the shoot to say that proved nothing. what a shame to lose a beautiful God givin courageous one of a kind fllly this way. There's no telling how good Ruffian really would have been later in the year, l honestly believe that later in the fall of the year if given the chance she would have beaten all the best handicap horses & not to mention as a broodmare after she retired.. it saddens me & makes me cry to this day to see how this match race destroyed her when she took that bad step & for what reason we'll never know we can only speculate in that grueling fast pace with foolish pleasure down the back side..Rest in peace sweet precious girl to all that love her. We hope to see you in heaven Ruffian ❤️
I doubt that she would be popularly remembered without the Great Match, but damn those that forced her on the track that day. I would much prefer to look for her in pedigrees than in films. 🖖🐢
Well two things could have made Ruffian's story even better ... that Ruffian had not run this race and thus not broken her leg and if she had been ridden by a woman jockey! ❤
She was the Queen long before Zenyatta came along..... Well, while she could've NEVER beaten Secretariat, she could've beaten a lot of the other boys. And she SURE would've beaten Foolish Pleasure if she'd been able. Sure Foolish Pleasure was a really good horse.... But Ruffian was better.... RIP Sweet Girl....
No doubt bro , Foolish Pleassurw was fukg toast !! She'd beat him by at LEAST 4 lengths in my opinion , at least maybe more !!! But we'll never know, as u probably we'll know, put it this way she is currently ranked #35 on All-Time List of Racehorses Male AND Female alike !!! Extremely impressive considering only 10 completed races & she was just as big , if not slightly bigger than Zenyatta...!!! BOTH 17.1 hands , massive
she was never allowed to run full out. she may well have beaten Secretariat. his trainer said she may well have been the greatest racehorse of all time.
Secretariat retired in '73, and Ruffian was only about a year old at that point :) As for later, they really don't pull horses out of retirement, they'd have to get back into racing shape and every race has a risk of break down, so it's just not worth it.
the reason why ruffian was the best filly that ever lived was because she was related to secretariat 💜 the king on horse racing 💜 he produced a great queen 💜 glad we had great racehorses like these 2
Ruffian’s grandsire was Bold Ruler, who was Secretariats sire. She was releated to Bold Ruler NOT Secretariat. You disgust me. Comparing Ruffian to Secretariat. It’s UNFAIR. Both horses were freaks, legends, and Ruffian should never be compared to Secretariat.
@@hayleywhitfield166 She did say that Bold Ruler was Sec's sire, which means dad. BR was Ruffian's grandsire. Her dad, Reviewer, was Sec's half brother, also who had BR as his dad. So Ruffian and Sec were related, through BR. (Jan Griffiths).
I was a teen at the time, and owned my own 2 year old TB colt. I knew right after the race, with the equine ambulance there on the track, and seeing her loaded into it, that it was all over for the great filly. I cried then, with my face buried in my colt's neck. I live in AZ. (Jan Griffiths).
Even Lucien Laurin said Ruffain my well be better than Secretariat...We'll never know for sure except that both were amazing animals and incredible athletes!
Ruffian (April 17, 1972 - July 7, 1975) * Sire: Reviewer * Damsire: Bold Ruler * Dam: Shenanigans * Damsire: Native Dancer * Sex: Filly * Breeders & Owners: Stuart & Barbara Jenney * Trainer: Frank Y. Whiteley Jr. (R.I.P.) * Jockeys: Vincent Bracciale (2 for 2) Jacinto Vasquez (8 for 9) * 11 Starts * 10 Wins * 0 Seconds * 0 Thirds * 1 Did Not Finish * $ 313,428 (Current $ 1,702,056) * 1974 United States Champion 2-Year-Old Filly 🏇 * 1975 United States Triple Tiara Champion 🏇 * 1975 United States Champion 3-Year-Old-Filly 🏇 * Inducted to The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1976 * Number 35 in The Bloodhorse Magazine "Top 100 United States Racehorses of the 20th. Century List" * Top Ranked American Female Racehorse of the 20th. Century * Ruffian Stakes at Belmont Park since 1976 * Ruffian film (2007) * Rest In Peace, Female Champion! 😭We will always remeber you! * Greetings from Venezuela Ruffian (17 de Abril, 1972 - 7 de Julio, 1975) * Padre: Reviewer * Abuelo paterno: Bold Ruler * Madre: Shenanigans * Abuelo materno: Native Dancer * Sexo: Potranca * Criadores & Propietarios: Stuart & Barbara Jenney * Entrenador: Frank Y. Whiteley Jr. (Q.E.P.D.) * Jinetes: Vincent Bracciale (De 2-2) Jacinto Vásquez (De 9-8) * 11 Salidas * 10 Primeros * 0 Segundos * 0 Terceros * 1 No Pizarra * $ 313,428 ($ 1,702,056 actuales) * Campeona Dosañera en Estados Unidos 1974 🏇 * Campeona de la Triple Tiara de Estados Unidos 1975 🏇 * Campeona Tresañera en Estados Unidos 1975 🏇 * Exaltada al Museo Nacional de las Carreras y Salón de la Fama en 1976 * Número 35 en la "Lista de los 100 Mejores Caballos de Carrera del Siglo XX en Estados Unidos" de la Revista The Bloodhorse * Mejor Yegua de Carreras del siglo XX en Estados Unidos * Clásico Ruffian Stakes en Belmont Park desde 1976 * Película "Ruffian" (2007) * ¡Descansa En Paz, Campeona! 😭¡Siempre te recordaremos! * Saludos desde Venezuela
If she was compared to be as great as Secretariat ...says a lot about Bold Ruler who was sire to Secretariat and grandsire to Ruffian! Speed and personality came from him huh? Wonder if she might have had a bigger then normal heart as well since she was said to be big for her age just like he was large as well??
One of the Vets that treated her earlier said, her heart had been the size of a volleyball. Now I'm quite unsure how he'd been able to gauge this via an X-Ray, but that had been what I'd seen in an interview by one of her Vets. I've.no idea if her heart was measured as was Secretariats had been,
I wonder why we cant find so many pictures of Ruffian on the internet.. all the ones in the video are not in there either. But why does Secretariat even have a facebook group where people can post their amatorial pictures of him? Why is Ruffian so neglected?
DegixHorse ive braused through FB and found Ruffian page, groups here and there. why is she neglected? maybe because people are just so sexist and dont like it when fillies are so noble and fast
It's not because she was a filly, per se. It's primarily because she didn't run in/win the Triple Crown races. The general public never heard of her until the Great Match Race. Not talking about racing fans; I knew who Ruffian was as a two-year-old, I remember reading about her spectacular Spinaway. Non-racing fans don't know who Arrogate, possibly the best dirt horse since Secretariat or Spectacular Bid, is for the same reason: he didn't run in the Triple Crown. The general public is familiar with the name of Secretariat -- and often that of Seattle Slew and Affirmed and American Pharoah -- because they won the Triple Crown. They MIGHT remember California Chrome because of his underdog status and his relatively recent TC run. But along with not knowing fillies/mares Ruffian, Zenyatta, Rachel Alexandra, Songbird, Beholder (etc.) the general public is oblivious to male greats Forego, John Henry, Spectacular Bid, Cigar, Curlin, Ghostzapper, Sunday Silence, Easy Goer, etc. And don't even talk about knowing recent overseas greats like Frankel, Sea The Stars, Black Caviar, Winx (etc). The last two of whom are female, if you didn't know. Actually, if anything I'd say the racing public tends to embrace with devoted enthusiasm the great female racehorses, especially if/when they defeat males. Ruffian, unfortunately, died before she was able to achieve that benchmark.
She ran the Triple Tiara, the fillies version, and was only the 5th to sweep the triple for fillies by 1976 there were 8 males that had won the triple, making it more difficult to succeed the female version than the males.
The only way Secretariat would have beaten her is exactly how Foolish Pleasure "beat" her (though she was winning when she broke down). She was larger, heavier and taller than Foolish Pleasure with feet 2 sizes smaller. She had legs like a water spider. That was her only flaw. Her fatal flaw. So sad. Human vanity killed her.
If you compare careers there is no way Ruffian would have beaten Secretariat. I love Ruffian and her death still brings tears to my eyes when I think of it, but she absolutely would not have beaten Big Red. Shams autopsy revealed that his heart was enlarged as well and he came in last in the Belmont. Secretariat being great was because he was born great.
We will never know - however Ruffian did beat Secretariat's track record at Saratoga - EASILY, with no on any where near her - and Secretariat's trainer Lucian Lauren even thought she might be better. No one has ever said anyone else was or might be better than Secretariat but he said it about her when she broke (maybe equaled) his Saratoga track record - with NO competition. She won every race by an AVERAGE of 8 lengths. Secretariate was not undefeated. We will never know. She was barely coming into her own when she broke down.
No we will never know the answer to that question and I can say that Foolish Pleasure was no competition for her. In my humble opinion she would have easily beaten him in the match race. She didn't tolerate anyone trying to pass her. No, Secretariat was not undefeated but he broke more track records then any other horse in racing history. His records for the Derby and the Belmont still stand today, 41 years later. Not to mention his margin of victory at the Belmont. As Ron Turcotte had said he had no idea how far ahead he was because Secretariat was running with ease. Bill Nack is quoted in saying that Secretariat's flaw was that he was handled by flawed human beings. Had he been handled by something other then people he would have been undefeated and expert horsemen today still claim Big Red as the greatest racehorse that ever lived.
BigCJFan He broke more records than Ruffian because he ran so many more races than she did. I just get tired of hearing about Secretariat - of course everyone knows who he is and thinks he's the greatest because he won the Tripple Crown and they see that Belmont spread. Ruffian's exceptional talent is overshadowed by her tragic death. Most people who even know anything about her have no idea how exceptional she was. Again, she wasn't only undefeated but broke or equaled track records (many including records set by colts - including 1 of Secretariat's records with no competition) every time she ran and was never really challenged. Jockeys were instructed to hold her back as long as she was winning (which wasn't easy) and harshly admonished if they didn't. No one knows how fast she really would have been with real competition. I'm not getting that just from the movie but from much more accurate detailed accounts. Also, too bad he was such a dud of a stud.
+pshanaberg Secretariat was hardly a dud at stud. He did not reproduce himself the way Man o'War did in War Admiral, nor did his performance in the breeding shed approach that of his contemporaries Seattle Slew, Alydar and Mr. Prospector. But only as a sire of sires did he truly prove a dud; as a sire of racehorses he was good though not great, siring Horse of the Year and Hall of Famer Lady's Secret; Melbourne Cup winner/record holder Kingston Rule; Preakness/Belmont winner and Three-Year-Old of the Year Risen Star; 2-time Pacific Classic winner Tinner's Way; Travers winner/record holder (and probably second best colt of his crop after Spectacular Bid) General Assembly; and the outstanding 2-yr-old filly Terlingua. Secretariat has proven an enormously influential broodmare sire -- he was top North American broodmare sire in 1992 -- with his daughters having produced the great sires A.P. Indy and Storm Cat (out of the aforementioned Terlingua, Storm Cat boasted a $500,000 stud fee at his peak, and sired in turn top sire Giant's Causeway), as well as Summer Squall, Gone West, Secreto, Chief's Crown, and Dehere. I personally suspect Secretariat would have been more successful as a sire in Europe, where his strengths, in both pedigree and performance, as a turf horse and as a router, would have been played up to, in place of the American preoccupation with precocious speed. But that, of course, is speculation.
First Secretariat was retired by the time she started to run, second why does everyone bring up her beating him, do your research she was in a match race with Foolish Pleasure.
Ruffian broke down in her 11th race and was euthanized the next day, after she became frantic waking up after surgery, undoing what the doctors had done and injuring herself further. Even if she had lived to have become a broodmare, it is highly unlikely she would have been bred to Secretariat -- they were pretty closely related. Secretariat's sire, Bold Ruler, was the sire of Ruffian's sire, Reviewer. In human terms, Secretariat was Ruffian's half-uncle. Very seldom are Thoroughbred matings that closely related. (Although the great European filly Enable is the product of such a breeding.)
Lucien Lauren thought Rive Ridge was better than Secretariat until Secretariat beat him. He also thought a horse he had was better than Dr. Fager. Secretariat was twice the horse she was.
Both were incredible. But you can't say one horse is better than the either until they raced. So please don't comment saying "He was twice the horse she was". We'll never know who was better bc they never raced each other
Big mistake doing that. She was a big horse and greed came into play. Shame on those that care more about their stupid pocket book. Ruffian would of made more money in the long run if you had the sense to rest her.
@johnofohu123 Jesus christ man, she's better than everything according to you... If someone said put her against Kauto Star in the gold cup "Ah she'd beat him". See what I mean, unfortunately you're too blinkered by one view :/
liverpool5917 hard to compare one of the best steeplechasers with a flat racer. But, man, that Kauto Star, what an amazing athlete. so, was Ruffian, but not fair go compare them. love them both. earlier in one of the posts someone asks why we don't see more on the internet about Ruffian, and when we do, it's focused on her life ending injury...I find it tremendously difficult to deal with the loss of both of these horses, both in different, but still horrific circumstances surrounding their deaths. it took me a long time to view the Ruffian movie and the races because a sense of tremendous dread is there.
Quite possibly the greatest racehorse to ever step on a track. Regal beauty. Greatly missed
Thank god for Bill Nack telling me how to feel about these events I lived through as a child.
More than 40yrs later, I still feel the pain of this tragedy, and I get upset. I was a teen and this was a driven reminder how fragile life really is. She is the only horse ever to be buried at Belmont Park.
Yep. I visited her grave at Belmont Park when I visited New York in 1979. I took a pic of her grave marker, and left a dozen roses. I was also a teen when she raced, and followed her career. She was a magnificent filly. Such a waste of a young life though. I had my own TB colt, a 2 year old (foaled in 1973) at the time. After the match race, I went out to my colt, hugged him, and cried. That colt grew to be an 18 hand hunter/jumper, and lived to the age of 34 years. (Jan Griffiths).
I know it is so sad, poor Ruffian. I had a little hackney horse, she was like a little Ruffian, and she also had to be put down due to two broken bones in her fetlock. When i see Ruffian I think of Haviah.
They should've just had beautiful foals and lived happily ever after....
@@chellefell1331 Unfortunately life isn't like a Disney movie. I've seen beautiful young horses break their leg in a green open pasture. Tragic
@@clydeb7713 yes, I know. But as a mommy of an ottb, it is pathetic that they run them as BABIES. their bones aren't even fully developed yet. Not to mention watching them suffer as they are going through withdrawal after their short lived racing career is over.
As a Marylander, it is always emotional for me to see Ruffian. Shennanigans lived right up the road. BRIAN
Where is Shinanningans buried?
A Marylander myself....I was watching....that day. I was heartbroken.
I saw the race, it was a shame that she broke down, I really believe if she had not broke down she would have won that race.
Ruffian will forever be the best filly. It’s sad that the universe had taken her away from us.
Agree she was elegant and majestic! The image of Black Beauty
I think Landaluce is the best female racehorse ever.
How about Zenyatta?
I love ruffian. ❤
Ruffian could not have beaten Secretariat at distance, no horse could but she was fast and beautiful. She will not be forgotten.
Landaluce could have, as could Flightline, Forego at four, Ghostzapper....
She has a wonderful history. Read Bill Nack's book, also the movie about her is really good and the DVD includes all but her first race. It is sad though that her breakdown and subsequent death tend to overshadow her fantastic career.
Just go to Amazon and search for books on Ruffian, there are a ton of them.
She paid 4-1 in that debut LOL like the barn didn't know.
It's amazing if you think about it how early they start racing. A horse doesn't even have all their teeth until age 5 !
I noticed that they have 2 yr. Old races at Churchill this weekend. I'm beginning to think they shouldn't even race at 2, maybe 1 or 2 races later in the year. I'm totally convinced trying to get Early 3 yr. Olds ready for the Derby absolutely ruins alot of horses. Battery is finding that out , now having a few 4 and 5 yr. Olds in his barn at their best.
Nice duel with Hot & Nasty. Great racing.
Now then ruffian really is a legend of a race horse
Prayers eternal beautiful Ruffian 🙏🏾🐴🍎🍏🍎🍏🍎🙏🏾🥕
i am deeply fond of horses and an Intuitive, energy healer, i slept with my families farm horses as a child in Europe,,,, here is what the Higher consciousness of Ruffians Soul and Being told me happened in 1975 to her : 1. she was born in sign of Aries: 1st Earth Fire element (fire is a program of high energy and they are subconsciously connected to the rocks and crystals on earth , 2. her heart -Soul connection was evolved - Soul came from the Cosmos- she was big in Light thus highly intelligent , and aries are heart chakra Soul guided and full of love), she also loved attn ... an Aries program, 3. she was driven very hard by Selfish humans pushing from every angle to win, to advertise and market her etc, 4. she needed MORE rest and time in nature to pla, y have a break, 5. on day of her final tragic race , 1st the sky turned very DARK suddenly and cloudy.... when the race began Suddenly a PIDGEON FLEW IN FRONT OF HER VISION AREA coming too close to her head and INSTANTLY that created FEAR CONFUSION Disorientation INSECURITY in her Mind AND so fast she lost her Focus , and Balance - her mind was confused which way to run and sent her Back Feet moving right into the other horse for guidance and then all over different directions that quickly caused both her back feet to break and even worse .... (see the video slowly).... more pigeons flew in front of the horses but raffian was in the lead still .( THE HIGHER CONSCIOUSNESS SHOWED ME THAT MANY HUMANS were made to beleive this race was to show Female Energy was equal or better than Male energy.... What a Marketing Circus. ..AND THIS GORGEOUS HORSE, RAFFIAN, WAS just being USED AS A CHESS PC. never Understanding that she had her own Soul and Life and freewill .... so DARK FORCES & Selfish uncaring Beings, INTERFERED WITH RAFFIAN's WIN here by manipulating the 3d mind of few Pidgeons to cause the DEADLY INTERFERANCE by flying in front of ruffian at a specific moment in earth time... this was very Horrific to watch!!! Unfortunately few docum. ever show the PIDGEONS as the cause of her demise , she was a MAGNIFICENT BEING IN A HORSE BODY....too many greedy HUMANS dont appreciate animals or understand them.
You are absolutely out of your effening mind writing all that stupid shit
Her back feet did not fracture. Her front right sesamoids (the small paired bones of a horse's ankle)
were fractured. Splintered, with bone pieces piercing the skin. In medical terms, a compound comminuted fracture. That it was her right foreleg which fractured is beyond question, including a photo of her with an air cast on before she was loaded into the ambulance. If the movement of her back legs looks unnatural, it is because of them having to compensate for the sudden catastrophic injury to the front leg. If she had broken more than one leg, she would not have remained standing, nor would she have been capable of rearing, as there is also a photo of her doing post-injury.
Nor have I ever heard testimony from either jockey or any journalist there was any contact of the two horses at the moments right around the breakdown. Earlier in the race minor bumping may have occurred, which is a commonplace in racing. The video does *not* indicate tangling of the horses' legs, if that is what you suggesting.
Personally, I blame her breakdown primarily on poor genetics (her sire broke leg bones multiple times while racing) and her dam also was unsound. An unusually heavy racing schedule also likely contributed, as you allude to.
I love her soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much RIP
Ruffian wasn't meant to raced that day the fact of dark clouds and uneasyness of two of best three year old horses racing against each other her fate was then and yet lost another grate racer of all time :(
This was a useless match race going a mile and a quarter with all the hype added up to it & out of the shoot to say that proved nothing. what a shame to lose a beautiful God givin courageous one of a kind fllly this way. There's no telling how good Ruffian really would have been later in the year, l honestly believe that later in the fall of the year if given the chance she would have beaten all the best handicap horses & not to mention as a broodmare after she retired.. it saddens me & makes me cry to this day to see how this match race destroyed her when she took that bad step & for what reason we'll never know we can only speculate in that grueling fast pace with foolish pleasure down the back side..Rest in peace sweet precious girl to all that love her. We hope to see you in heaven Ruffian ❤️
I doubt that she would be popularly remembered without the Great Match, but damn those that forced her on the track that day. I would much prefer to look for her in pedigrees than in films. 🖖🐢
Well two things could have made Ruffian's story even better ... that Ruffian had not run this race and thus not broken her leg and if she had been ridden by a woman jockey! ❤
She was the Queen long before Zenyatta came along..... Well, while she could've NEVER beaten Secretariat, she could've beaten a lot of the other boys. And she SURE would've beaten Foolish Pleasure if she'd been able. Sure Foolish Pleasure was a really good horse.... But Ruffian was better.... RIP Sweet Girl....
No doubt bro , Foolish Pleassurw was fukg toast !! She'd beat him by at LEAST 4 lengths in my opinion , at least maybe more !!! But we'll never know, as u probably we'll know, put it this way she is currently ranked #35 on All-Time List of Racehorses Male AND Female alike !!! Extremely impressive considering only 10 completed races & she was just as big , if not slightly bigger than Zenyatta...!!! BOTH 17.1 hands , massive
she was never allowed to run full out. she may well have beaten Secretariat. his trainer said she may well have been the greatest racehorse of all time.
Secretariat retired in '73, and Ruffian was only about a year old at that point :)
As for later, they really don't pull horses out of retirement, they'd have to get back into racing shape and every race has a risk of break down, so it's just not worth it.
Really? I guess you never heard of Seabiscuit? Not only did he retire but was put out for stud and still came back to win the Big Cap.
That match race should have never happened. So sad but I guess it's all about racing
41 yrs today
Will not watch that match race again...loved Ruffian
the reason why ruffian was the best filly that ever lived was because she was related to secretariat 💜 the king on horse racing 💜 he produced a great queen 💜 glad we had great racehorses like these 2
Why cant she be great on her own merit. Fuck Secretariat, he was a great racehorse but she can be great on her own
Ruffian’s grandsire was Bold Ruler, who was Secretariats sire. She was releated to Bold Ruler NOT Secretariat. You disgust me. Comparing Ruffian to Secretariat. It’s UNFAIR. Both horses were freaks, legends, and Ruffian should never be compared to Secretariat.
@@monomoygirl9562 bold ruler was secretariats dad you stupid fuck 🤣🤣
@@hayleywhitfield166 She did say that Bold Ruler was Sec's sire, which means dad. BR was Ruffian's grandsire. Her dad, Reviewer, was Sec's half brother, also who had BR as his dad. So Ruffian and Sec were related, through BR. (Jan Griffiths).
she would not have beat secretariat. Secretariats heart was proven to be much bigger than other horses secretariat was a monster!
andrew goodwin Shut the fuck up if you dont like her then why are you here?!?!
I think there ALL wonderful !
I was in sag harbor and cried as i read the news reports the next day
I was a teen at the time, and owned my own 2 year old TB colt. I knew right after the race, with the equine ambulance there on the track, and seeing her loaded into it, that it was all over for the great filly. I cried then, with my face buried in my colt's neck. I live in AZ. (Jan Griffiths).
CANT WATCH THIS RACE,IT HURTS
Real bad. I remember when this happened
awful
If those birds were not there, we could have seen one of the best career a racehorse could have. Ruffian would have been unbeaten her entire career.
00:00:16 #verygreatfullinmyblessingsperiod.
Even Lucien Laurin said Ruffain my well be better than Secretariat...We'll never know for sure except that both were amazing animals and incredible athletes!
Oh we will know, when we get to heaven with all the best race horses in the world enjoying a trip around the oval just for fun.
Imagine if they bred
Absolutely tragic.
Ruffian
(April 17, 1972 - July 7, 1975)
* Sire: Reviewer
* Damsire: Bold Ruler
* Dam: Shenanigans
* Damsire: Native Dancer
* Sex: Filly
* Breeders & Owners: Stuart & Barbara Jenney
* Trainer: Frank Y. Whiteley Jr. (R.I.P.)
* Jockeys: Vincent Bracciale (2 for 2)
Jacinto Vasquez (8 for 9)
* 11 Starts
* 10 Wins
* 0 Seconds
* 0 Thirds
* 1 Did Not Finish
* $ 313,428 (Current $ 1,702,056)
* 1974 United States Champion 2-Year-Old Filly 🏇
* 1975 United States Triple Tiara Champion 🏇
* 1975 United States Champion 3-Year-Old-Filly 🏇
* Inducted to The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1976
* Number 35 in The Bloodhorse Magazine "Top 100 United States Racehorses of the 20th. Century List"
* Top Ranked American Female Racehorse of the 20th. Century
* Ruffian Stakes at Belmont Park since 1976
* Ruffian film (2007)
* Rest In Peace, Female Champion! 😭We will always remeber you!
* Greetings from Venezuela
Ruffian
(17 de Abril, 1972 - 7 de Julio, 1975)
* Padre: Reviewer
* Abuelo paterno: Bold Ruler
* Madre: Shenanigans
* Abuelo materno: Native Dancer
* Sexo: Potranca
* Criadores & Propietarios: Stuart & Barbara Jenney
* Entrenador: Frank Y. Whiteley Jr. (Q.E.P.D.)
* Jinetes: Vincent Bracciale (De 2-2)
Jacinto Vásquez (De 9-8)
* 11 Salidas
* 10 Primeros
* 0 Segundos
* 0 Terceros
* 1 No Pizarra
* $ 313,428 ($ 1,702,056 actuales)
* Campeona Dosañera en Estados Unidos 1974 🏇
* Campeona de la Triple Tiara de Estados Unidos 1975 🏇
* Campeona Tresañera en Estados Unidos 1975 🏇
* Exaltada al Museo Nacional de las Carreras y Salón de la Fama en 1976
* Número 35 en la "Lista de los 100 Mejores Caballos de Carrera del Siglo XX en Estados Unidos" de la Revista The Bloodhorse
* Mejor Yegua de Carreras del siglo XX en Estados Unidos
* Clásico Ruffian Stakes en Belmont Park desde 1976
* Película "Ruffian" (2007)
* ¡Descansa En Paz, Campeona! 😭¡Siempre te recordaremos!
* Saludos desde Venezuela
My athletic hero... :)
If she was compared to be as great as Secretariat ...says a lot about Bold Ruler who was sire to Secretariat and grandsire to Ruffian! Speed and personality came from him huh? Wonder if she might have had a bigger then normal heart as well since she was said to be big for her age just like he was large as well??
One of the Vets that treated her earlier said, her heart had been the size of a volleyball. Now I'm quite unsure how he'd been able to gauge this via an X-Ray, but that had been what I'd seen in an interview by one of her Vets. I've.no idea if her heart was measured as was Secretariats had been,
Secretariat is Ruffian's Uncle😂 Secretariat and Reviewer (Ruffian's sire) are brothers through their dad Bold Ruler
*"As God as my witness, she may even be better than Secretariat."* - Lucien Laurin, *THE TRAINER* of Secretariat.
I wonder why we cant find so many pictures of Ruffian on the internet.. all the ones in the video are not in there either. But why does Secretariat even have a facebook group where people can post their amatorial pictures of him? Why is Ruffian so neglected?
DegixHorse ive braused through FB and found Ruffian page, groups here and there.
why is she neglected? maybe because people are just so sexist and dont like it when fillies are so noble and fast
It's not because she was a filly, per se. It's primarily because she didn't run in/win the Triple Crown races. The general public never heard of her until the Great Match Race. Not talking about racing fans; I knew who Ruffian was as a two-year-old, I remember reading about her spectacular Spinaway. Non-racing fans don't know who Arrogate, possibly the best dirt horse since Secretariat or Spectacular Bid, is for the same reason: he didn't run in the Triple Crown. The general public is familiar with the name of Secretariat
-- and often that of Seattle Slew and Affirmed and American Pharoah -- because they won the Triple Crown. They MIGHT remember California Chrome because of his underdog status and his relatively recent TC run.
But along with not knowing fillies/mares Ruffian, Zenyatta, Rachel Alexandra, Songbird, Beholder (etc.) the general public is oblivious to male greats Forego, John Henry, Spectacular Bid, Cigar, Curlin, Ghostzapper, Sunday Silence, Easy Goer, etc. And don't even talk about knowing recent overseas greats like Frankel, Sea The Stars, Black Caviar, Winx (etc). The last two of whom are female, if you didn't know. Actually, if anything I'd say the racing public tends to embrace with devoted enthusiasm the great female racehorses, especially if/when they defeat males. Ruffian, unfortunately, died before she was able to achieve that benchmark.
She ran the Triple Tiara, the fillies version, and was only the 5th to sweep the triple for fillies by 1976 there were 8 males that had won the triple, making it more difficult to succeed the female version than the males.
That's interesting, I've read Jane Schwartz book about Ruffian, and there was absolutely no mention of Charlsie Cantey..
Jane Schwartz missed others that had galloped Ruffian also. It happens. She wasn't there in the barn every day either.
Charlsie is very proud she got to ride Ruffian, she has brought it up many times.
The only way Secretariat would have beaten her is exactly how Foolish Pleasure "beat" her (though she was winning when she broke down). She was larger, heavier and taller than Foolish Pleasure with feet 2 sizes smaller. She had legs like a water spider. That was her only flaw. Her fatal flaw. So sad. Human vanity killed her.
If you compare careers there is no way Ruffian would have beaten Secretariat. I love Ruffian and her death still brings tears to my eyes when I think of it, but she absolutely would not have beaten Big Red.
Shams autopsy revealed that his heart was enlarged as well and he came in last in the Belmont. Secretariat being great was because he was born great.
We will never know - however Ruffian did beat Secretariat's track record at Saratoga - EASILY, with no on any where near her - and Secretariat's trainer Lucian Lauren even thought she might be better. No one has ever said anyone else was or might be better than Secretariat but he said it about her when she broke (maybe equaled) his Saratoga track record - with NO competition. She won every race by an AVERAGE of 8 lengths. Secretariate was not undefeated. We will never know. She was barely coming into her own when she broke down.
No we will never know the answer to that question and I can say that Foolish Pleasure was no competition for her. In my humble opinion she would have easily beaten him in the match race. She didn't tolerate anyone trying to pass her.
No, Secretariat was not undefeated but he broke more track records then any other horse in racing history. His records for the Derby and the Belmont still stand today, 41 years later. Not to mention his margin of victory at the Belmont. As Ron Turcotte had said he had no idea how far ahead he was because Secretariat was running with ease. Bill Nack is quoted in saying that Secretariat's flaw was that he was handled by flawed human beings. Had he been handled by something other then people he would have been undefeated and expert horsemen today still claim Big Red as the greatest racehorse that ever lived.
BigCJFan He broke more records than Ruffian because he ran so many more races than she did. I just get tired of hearing about Secretariat - of course everyone knows who he is and thinks he's the greatest because he won the Tripple Crown and they see that Belmont spread. Ruffian's exceptional talent is overshadowed by her tragic death. Most people who even know anything about her have no idea how exceptional she was. Again, she wasn't only undefeated but broke or equaled track records (many including records set by colts - including 1 of Secretariat's records with no competition) every time she ran and was never really challenged. Jockeys were instructed to hold her back as long as she was winning (which wasn't easy) and harshly admonished if they didn't. No one knows how fast she really would have been with real competition. I'm not getting that just from the movie but from much more accurate detailed accounts. Also, too bad he was such a dud of a stud.
+pshanaberg Secretariat was hardly a dud at stud. He did not reproduce himself the way Man o'War did in War Admiral, nor did his performance in the breeding shed approach that of his contemporaries Seattle Slew, Alydar and Mr. Prospector. But only as a sire of sires did he truly prove a dud; as a sire of racehorses he was good though not great, siring Horse of the Year and Hall of Famer Lady's Secret; Melbourne Cup winner/record holder Kingston Rule; Preakness/Belmont winner and Three-Year-Old of the Year Risen Star; 2-time Pacific Classic winner Tinner's Way; Travers winner/record holder (and probably second best colt of his crop after Spectacular Bid) General Assembly; and the outstanding 2-yr-old filly Terlingua. Secretariat has proven an enormously influential broodmare sire -- he was top North American broodmare sire in 1992 -- with his daughters having produced the great sires A.P. Indy and Storm Cat (out of the aforementioned Terlingua, Storm Cat boasted a $500,000 stud fee at his peak, and sired in turn top sire Giant's Causeway), as well as Summer Squall, Gone West, Secreto, Chief's Crown, and Dehere. I personally suspect Secretariat would have been more successful as a sire in Europe, where his strengths, in both pedigree and performance, as a turf horse and as a router, would have been played up to, in place of the American preoccupation with precocious speed. But that, of course, is speculation.
i say Ruffian could have beaten Secretariat. She never had a chance to prove herself fully. She was always held back.
First Secretariat was retired by the time she started to run, second why does everyone bring up her beating him, do your research she was in a match race with Foolish Pleasure.
Secretariat was retired at the time Ruffian started racing. (Jan Griffiths).
probably started too early, start at 2 and a half or three
❤️😢
She was a Female Secretariat. To bad they did not retire her before the Match race and Breed her to Secretariat. 😢 In the past
Is there a foal by Secretariat and Ruffian????
Ruffian broke down in her 11th race and was euthanized the next day, after she became frantic waking up after surgery, undoing what the doctors had done and injuring herself further.
Even if she had lived to have become a broodmare, it is highly unlikely she would have been bred to Secretariat -- they were pretty closely related. Secretariat's sire, Bold Ruler, was the sire of Ruffian's sire, Reviewer. In human terms, Secretariat was Ruffian's half-uncle. Very seldom are Thoroughbred matings that closely related. (Although the great European filly Enable is the product of such a breeding.)
@@marysueeasteregg thank you for the info.
For once I'd like to learn about this horse without the focus surrounding her death.
Out of her 8 stakes records, 7 of them still stand today!
Amen. It wasn't who she was. That was her last day.. she was exciting to watch.
Lucien Lauren thought Rive Ridge was better than Secretariat until Secretariat beat him. He also thought a horse he had was better than Dr. Fager. Secretariat was twice the horse she was.
Both were incredible. But you can't say one horse is better than the either until they raced. So please don't comment saying "He was twice the horse she was". We'll never know who was better bc they never raced each other
Aun me da rabia me enojo porque no debio morir ,cuando la. Operaron debieron proteger la. Otra pata delatera.
Big mistake doing that. She was a big horse and greed came into play. Shame on those that care more about their stupid pocket book. Ruffian would of made more money in the long run if you had the sense to rest her.
Zenyatta vs Ruffian...
Yeah and the owners were too greedy and ended up killing her.
If only recovery pools existed then,and sorry but nobody is or was better than secretariat
so sad ........
Such a foolish waste! I consider her right up there with Big Red. Maybe better.
@Castro0309 Shes better then him
:((((
@johnofohu123 Jesus christ man, she's better than everything according to you... If someone said put her against Kauto Star in the gold cup "Ah she'd beat him". See what I mean, unfortunately you're too blinkered by one view :/
liverpool5917 hard to compare one of the best steeplechasers with a flat racer. But, man, that Kauto Star, what an amazing athlete. so, was Ruffian, but not fair go compare them. love them both. earlier in one of the posts someone asks why we don't see more on the internet about Ruffian, and when we do, it's focused on her life ending injury...I find it tremendously difficult to deal with the loss of both of these horses, both in different, but still horrific circumstances surrounding their deaths. it took me a long time to view the Ruffian movie and the races because a sense of tremendous dread is there.
plus secretariat would win by more lengths!
andrew goodwin She Died!! If she had live She would have beaten his records
check the quarters if you want to know the truth.