I love listening and watching this gentleman discuss Big Red. He make the Miracle Horse come alive all over again. Thank you so much for sharing your obvious love for Big Red.
Bill Nack & Secretariat, two complete horseracing legends. Bill’s enthusiasm here is just so infectious, one can sense that he became so engrossed when talking about Secretariat, and you just have to love it! RIP Big Red, Bill Nack and Penny Chenery.
Nack had pretty much full access to the horse and all the people. He would be there at dawn, in the stables; he was there to see Secretariat rear dance in the paddock before the Belmont, and said the horse had the eyes and aspect of a killer. And he did a great job in conveying that to readers, and later, to listeners.
I've seen a bunch of Nack's interviews over the years, and one thing that stands out to me is the way he uses the same phrasings over and over again when describing different aspects of the story. I don't mean that as a criticism, but rather as a way to express the idea that he must have been telling these same stories over and over again throughout his life that he had the same rhythms down pat. I've heard him talk about that Chinese laundry many times when describing Pimlico.
Secretariat Was Gods Horse. The Fathers Glory. you will never see one like him again ever. Thank you Bill Nack for the love you show when talking about that horse.
I hope no other horse beats Secretariat's record ever. Sometimes, in history, we need a hero. We found one in Secretariat. May his banner fly forever!!
Malcolm Gladwell talks about how difficult it is to be the overwhelming favourite; he uses the story of David and Goliath to illustrate. Sometimes it's wonderful to see an overwhelming favourite utterly blow our expectations out of the water..as did Secretariat.
I grew up a great all around sports fan . I recall the Dodgers 7th game win in the '55 World Series, the 1969 Jet Super Bowl win, all the great Sugar Ray Robinson's great fights, but if I could have attended only one sporting event in my lifetime , it would be Secretariats '73 Belmont victory for the triple crown. I don't know why because I'm not even a horse racing fan.
It is now 43 years since Secretariat's phenomenal win at The Belmont and his record still stands. On the 100 year anniversary, I figure it will still be standing and for many more years to come after that.
I was home with a new baby that summer so I recall all the excitement about this horse. I saw the Derby but the Belmont on films run over & over on TV. Bill, you tell the stories better than anyone.
Another incredible aspect of Secretariat's performance at the Belmont was that he was still rapidly accelerating away from the rest of the horses at the end. Sham was so exhausted by the blazing early pace that he dropped back to last. And Turcotte never used the whip.
Sham ran his literal tail off at Belmont, broke his cannon bone I’m assuming from strain/misstep. Him nudging ahead of Sec before Sec decided to become Pegasus in the flesh. Always felt bad for Sham, Pincays treatment, his unfortunate injury at the Derby. He was the only competitor that could gain on Sec in those races.
People keep getting the Belmont and Derby mixed up. Secretariat did not keep accelerating during the Belmont. He did that during the Derby, largely because his start was so slow and he spent so much time in traffic. His fastest quarter mile in the Belmont was the second quarter mile at 22 3/5ths seconds. After that each 1/4 was slightly slower than the previous with the final being 25 seconds flat. Saying that, his 1 1/4 mile time split of 1:59 flat, would have broken his Kentucky Derby record time of 1:59 2/5th seconds. Rumours are that someone timed his gallop out time after the Belmont and he would have broken the track record for 1 5/8 miles.
@@rickbateman2401 By "accelerating away from the rest of the horses" I meant that his lead was still widening in the last 1/4 mile. I should have used clearer language. Thanks for posting about other interesting facts. He was an amazing horse.
@@nickjohnson811 sorry, misunderstood you. He ran some power house races for sure - trouncing older champion horses in the Marlboro and Canadian International, his beat down in the Belmont and that move in the Preakness were all out of this world but my favourite is still the Derby. The way he ran that race, starting slow, running in traffic, 4 or 5 lanes off the rail and still besting Northern Dancers record time was amazing.
I remember watching these races at home in our living room also. I was just 12 years old. It took something pretty spectacular to hold the attention of a 12 year old girl who didn't like sports very much. But the Big Red horse was something pretty spectacular.
The Preakness has always been my favorite race of his. It was stunning when he went from dead last to first in the first turn! The Belmont was astonishing, but he stayed in the lead the whole way.
I tell my wife, I only cry during sports movies.....Rocky, when music and Rocky begin the serious workout Rudy, when the players tell coach Rudy can take their place Miracle, when OC says OC is playing baby!!!!! Hoosiers, when Jimmy Chitwood says if coach stays , I play, if coach goes, I go. Bull Durham-laugh so hard, I cry all the way through that one 😁 Secretariat, when he wins the Belmont! WOW!
We can be thankful that we have videos of these races and in particular the memories and insight brought forth by people who were there, and in the know, like Bill Nack who can tell us about the significance of historical record. The Triple Crown run by Secretariat indeed is the most impressive back-back-back performance in horse racing history and it isn't because he won the races, it was the manner in which raced and won.
Secretariat ranked 35 in ESPN's 100 Greatest Athletes of the 20th Century. He is considered the greatest thoroughbred of all time.The record for the fastest time on a mile and a half dirt track is held by Secretariat. In over 40 years it has never been broken.
Elaine Eike rating secretariat 35 is a complete joke. They don't want to give a horse credit over a human. It was the best single performance in sports history
I love that Nack credits Red with the record in all three TC races here - deservedly so, and with no apologies, but two years before his Preakness time was officially corrected.
I saw all three races on TV as they happened, and cried during the Belmont, as did so many others. Golfing great Jack Niclaus found himself weeping in his living room, watching the Belmont. Later, he asked his friend, CBS sports correspondent Haywood Hale Broun, "Brownie, what happened to me?" Broun replied, "Jack, you have spent your life striving for perfection, and on that day, you saw it." Hard to argue with that.
Since the big heart gene was passed to Secretariat by Something Royal, wonder if anyone has researched the passing of that gene to others of her colts. Secretariat was not her first colt but was born towards the end of her years as a brood mare.
One of my regrets in my lifetime was that I never saw Secretariat race in person. After watching this magnificent horse race I couldn’t define magnificent ,beauty any better than witnessing seeing this horse race.
The Quarter Horse, Evening Snow, reached an attained speed of 55 M.P.H. when he set a previous world record for 1/4 mile. That’s a lot of velocity for an animal with 4 sticks for legs.
Secretariat was a very cerebral thinker!. When he lost the wood it was because he had a cist in his mouth under his lip . They couldn't get him to eat the grain with molasses and during the race ronny kept giving red the bit but he wouldn't catch and go faster actually he faded to fourth.
Sham's jockey Pincay Jr. said many years after the Triple Crown that when he entered the home stretch leading the Derby, and knowing what a goad horse he had, that he thought they had won. he said he was shocked how easily Secretariat went by them. He said right then he knew it would be hard to beat "that horse".
American Pharoah's numbers were at least within the realm of Secretariat's. And part of the reason Secretariat will always be the greatest racehorse who ever lived is because his heart was over twice the size of the average racehorse. His uptake of oxygen was greatly enhanced, and it did give him an edge. Amazing feats, extraordinary awareness, superhuman courage and margins of victory are simply what it took to balance the books.
The all time greats, in no particular order, from America are Man O' War, Secretariat, Citation, Kelso, Count Fleet, and Native Dancer. From Europe it's always Brigadier Gerard, Sea Bird, Mill Reef, Nijinsky, and Shergar. You can argue a few of those horses from both countries had better overall careers than Secretariat. But no horse on that list would've gotten to within 10 lengths of Secretariat in the 73' Belmont. No horse. That was God showing off in equine form that day!!
God? More like a horse showing off Lucky Genetics that it didn't know it had. He is by far the greatest. He is the GOAT. But if Secretariat was born in a stall in Saudi Arabia you'd have to say that "Allah was showing off in equine form that day." Or one of the other 2500 Gods recognized. Religion is a Sham.
@@dickfitswell3437 , my apologies if my reference to God holding the reigns and showing off offended you. And while I also believe Secretariat being recognized by most as the greatest is rooted very much in fact, I think your recognizing religion as a sham is rooted entirely in opinion. And I feel certain you probably know that old saying: Opinions are like assholes, everybody's got one.......but most of them stink!! God Bless!
I watched one interview of Mr. Back talking about Secretariat's race of the Belmont where he said Secretariat galloped out and either tied or set a record in the mile and 5/8ths .
They got him to be looked at by the team vet and discover that he had a hole in his lip. They got him right Eddie sweat gave him some home remedys from Mississippi and the hot rag on that cist to bring it to a head in time to heal up to be in the derby lineup and drop back as usual only to make a move in the back side of the track in 4.4 seconds one horse down. 4.0 run the other one down and he in fourth rounding the turn into the stretch 24.45 seconds in running down the cousin sham by 2 and winning by 3 in the derby and Preakness stakes by 4.
I recall Arabic winning the breeders cup juvenile. He made us see flashbacks of Secretariat in that race. All the way down to his color and markings. He just wasn’t a big horse like Secretariat. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be. Which is ok….Secretariat will never be equaled.
The 3 people that knew about the boil never mention it. Penny, Lucian, and Turcott none of them mention this fact in any interview I have seen. Thank you for sharing the truth of what happened at the Wood Memorial... they do the horse an injustice and this in my opinion shows how little respect they truly had for him. Penny even refers to him as a product, how cold. The mere fact that she said that tells me all I need to know about those 3
Good racehorses love to run, so it's a damn shame humans have ruined the sport. Whips should not be allowed, nor should humans get away with doping these majestic creatures. The thoroughbred has been overbred to the point where deaths are all-too-common. Horses that don't make good racers are cast aside. The negatives vastly outweigh the positives, thanks to human nature. Maybe it is time to end horse racing, but I think it's a goddamn shame. Without racing we would never have seen Secretariat win the Belmont by 31 lengths. Every time I watch the video (either the real thing or the movie version), I get tears in my eyes. That was a transcendent moment. Why must humans ruin everything we touch?
God created Secretariat He can create another if He wants to. More writers referenced God in documentaries about this horse than any other athlete I've followed. God revealed Himself to man through this horse.
What's so laughable about including Zenyatta among the greats like Secretariat. She earned over $7 mil. in her short career and pays her own way to be treated like a queen. How much did you earn during that same time period????
All horses are descendents of three Arabian horses. Arabian races are primarily distance, not speed. Arabians excel in endurance racing while Thoroughbreds are bred for speed races. However, I think Big Red would have done great in endurance he was perfect in his conformation.
I love listening and watching this gentleman discuss Big Red. He make the Miracle Horse come alive all over again. Thank you so much for sharing your obvious love for Big Red.
2021, and all of Big Red’s records still stand. IMO, no horse is his equal.
It's April 2022 and his record still stands in the Belmont.
I never get tired listening to Bill talk about Secretariat ❤️
Bill Nack & Secretariat, two complete horseracing legends. Bill’s enthusiasm here is just so infectious, one can sense that he became so engrossed when talking about Secretariat, and you just have to love it!
RIP Big Red, Bill Nack and Penny Chenery.
Nack had pretty much full access to the horse and all the people. He would be there at dawn, in the stables; he was there to see Secretariat rear dance in the paddock before the Belmont, and said the horse had the eyes and aspect of a killer. And he did a great job in conveying that to readers, and later, to listeners.
I've seen a bunch of Nack's interviews over the years, and one thing that stands out to me is the way he uses the same phrasings over and over again when describing different aspects of the story. I don't mean that as a criticism, but rather as a way to express the idea that he must have been telling these same stories over and over again throughout his life that he had the same rhythms down pat. I've heard him talk about that Chinese laundry many times when describing Pimlico.
Secretariat Was Gods Horse. The Fathers Glory. you will never see one like him again ever. Thank you Bill Nack for the love you show when talking about that horse.
You are so right. He was Divine.
I hope no other horse beats Secretariat's record ever. Sometimes, in history, we need a hero. We found one in Secretariat. May his banner fly forever!!
A record that will stand forever! I still get chills and moist eyes when I watch what he did at Belmont
I was fortunate to be able to witness Secretariat's historic march to the Triple Crown. It's something I'll never forget ❤
Ahhh! In person?! So jealous ...
I cry too. The greatest athlete of the 20th century was this magnificent animal.
And….unlike so many human athletes, Secretariat always knew how to behave in public…🐴!!!
Enjoyed listening to this wonderfully Knowledgable man.
This historians facts are wonderful.
He has information that tells the backstory.
Thanks a bunch
You can't separate Bill Nack from Secretariat - RIP both of you,
Malcolm Gladwell talks about how difficult it is to be the overwhelming favourite; he uses the story of David and Goliath to illustrate. Sometimes it's wonderful to see an overwhelming favourite utterly blow our expectations out of the water..as did Secretariat.
I grew up a great all around sports fan . I recall the Dodgers 7th game win in the '55 World Series, the 1969 Jet Super Bowl win, all the great Sugar Ray Robinson's great fights, but if I could have attended only one sporting event in my lifetime , it would be Secretariats '73 Belmont victory for the triple crown. I don't know why because I'm not even a horse racing fan.
Love that beautiful horse. Secretariat's heart is very inspiring. All his races make me cry. They are so thrilling.
It is now 43 years since Secretariat's phenomenal win at The Belmont and his record still stands.
On the 100 year anniversary, I figure it will still be standing and for many more years to come after that.
Secretariat ran by those"race horses" in the Belmont like they were standing still! An Incredible Machine!
I am so grateful that I was able to see this race. I can still remember where I was when I watched the 1973 Belmont.
Greatest thing I've ever seen
I was home with a new baby that summer so I recall all the excitement about this horse. I saw the Derby but the Belmont on films run over & over on TV. Bill, you tell the stories better than anyone.
Another incredible aspect of Secretariat's performance at the Belmont was that he was still rapidly accelerating away from the rest of the horses at the end. Sham was so exhausted by the blazing early pace that he dropped back to last. And Turcotte never used the whip.
Sham ran his literal tail off at Belmont, broke his cannon bone I’m assuming from strain/misstep. Him nudging ahead of Sec before Sec decided to become Pegasus in the flesh. Always felt bad for Sham, Pincays treatment, his unfortunate injury at the Derby. He was the only competitor that could gain on Sec in those races.
He equaled a track record galloping out after the Belmont. Unofficial time unfortunately
People keep getting the Belmont and Derby mixed up. Secretariat did not keep accelerating during the Belmont. He did that during the Derby, largely because his start was so slow and he spent so much time in traffic. His fastest quarter mile in the Belmont was the second quarter mile at 22 3/5ths seconds. After that each 1/4 was slightly slower than the previous with the final being 25 seconds flat. Saying that, his 1 1/4 mile time split of 1:59 flat, would have broken his Kentucky Derby record time of 1:59 2/5th seconds. Rumours are that someone timed his gallop out time after the Belmont and he would have broken the track record for 1 5/8 miles.
@@rickbateman2401 By "accelerating away from the rest of the horses" I meant that his lead was still widening in the last 1/4 mile. I should have used clearer language. Thanks for posting about other interesting facts. He was an amazing horse.
@@nickjohnson811 sorry, misunderstood you. He ran some power house races for sure - trouncing older champion horses in the Marlboro and Canadian International, his beat down in the Belmont and that move in the Preakness were all out of this world but my favourite is still the Derby. The way he ran that race, starting slow, running in traffic, 4 or 5 lanes off the rail and still besting Northern Dancers record time was amazing.
I remember watching these races at home in our living room also. I was just 12 years old. It took something pretty spectacular to hold the attention of a 12 year old girl who didn't like sports very much. But the Big Red horse was something pretty spectacular.
A stable that has a Kentucky Derby & Belmont stakes winner as their second best thoroughbred! What a nice predicament Meadow Stable had!
The Preakness has always been my favorite race of his. It was stunning when he went from dead last to first in the first turn! The Belmont was astonishing, but he stayed in the lead the whole way.
I tell my wife, I only cry during sports movies.....Rocky, when music and Rocky begin the serious workout
Rudy, when the players tell coach Rudy can take their place
Miracle, when OC says OC is playing baby!!!!!
Hoosiers, when Jimmy Chitwood says if coach stays , I play, if coach goes, I go.
Bull Durham-laugh so hard, I cry all the way through that one 😁
Secretariat, when he wins the Belmont! WOW!
We can be thankful that we have videos of these races and in particular the memories and insight brought forth by people who were there, and in the know, like Bill Nack who can tell us about the significance of historical record. The Triple Crown run by Secretariat indeed is the most impressive back-back-back performance in horse racing history and it isn't because he won the races, it was the manner in which raced and won.
Never before ,never since ,never again ---a Secretariat
Ahhh! How WODERFUL ... RIP, wonderful Bill .. and our hero, Secretariat, naturally ...
Secretariat ranked 35 in ESPN's 100 Greatest Athletes of the 20th Century. He is considered the greatest thoroughbred of all time.The record for the fastest time on a mile and a half dirt track is held by Secretariat. In over 40 years it has never been broken.
As far as idiots go, you're a champion idiot. Overrated? Idiot...
Elaine Eike rating secretariat 35 is a complete joke. They don't want to give a horse credit over a human. It was the best single performance in sports history
He should've been #1
35th is not good enough for Secretariat. At least to me.
I love that Nack credits Red with the record in all three TC races here - deservedly so, and with no apologies, but two years before his Preakness time was officially corrected.
Bill is nothing but class
Magnificent horse with a great personality
I saw all three races on TV as they happened, and cried during the Belmont, as did so many others. Golfing great Jack Niclaus found himself weeping in his living room, watching the Belmont. Later, he asked his friend, CBS sports correspondent Haywood Hale Broun, "Brownie, what happened to me?" Broun replied, "Jack, you have spent your life striving for perfection, and on that day, you saw it." Hard to argue with that.
Since the big heart gene was passed to Secretariat by Something Royal, wonder if anyone has researched the passing of that gene to others of her colts. Secretariat was not her first colt but was born towards the end of her years as a brood mare.
One of my regrets in my lifetime was that I never saw Secretariat race in person. After watching this magnificent horse race I couldn’t define magnificent ,beauty any better than witnessing seeing this horse race.
Big red is just the best hands down
The Quarter Horse, Evening Snow, reached an attained speed of 55 M.P.H. when he set a previous world record for 1/4 mile. That’s a lot of velocity for an animal with 4 sticks for legs.
Khyyam That’s for sure…..Bill Nack could tell the story
Secretariat was a very cerebral thinker!. When he lost the wood it was because he had a cist in his mouth under his lip . They couldn't get him to eat the grain with molasses and during the race ronny kept giving red the bit but he wouldn't catch and go faster actually he faded to fourth.
Sham's jockey Pincay Jr. said many years after the Triple Crown that when he entered the home stretch leading the Derby, and knowing what a goad horse he had, that he thought they had won. he said he was shocked how easily Secretariat went by them. He said right then he knew it would be hard to beat "that horse".
American Pharoah's numbers were at least within the realm of Secretariat's. And part of the reason Secretariat will always be the greatest racehorse who ever lived is because his heart was over twice the size of the average racehorse. His uptake of oxygen was greatly enhanced, and it did give him an edge. Amazing feats, extraordinary awareness, superhuman courage and margins of victory are simply what it took to balance the books.
The all time greats, in no particular order, from America are Man O' War, Secretariat, Citation, Kelso, Count Fleet, and Native Dancer. From Europe it's always Brigadier Gerard, Sea Bird, Mill Reef, Nijinsky, and Shergar. You can argue a few of those horses from both countries had better overall careers than Secretariat. But no horse on that list would've gotten to within 10 lengths of Secretariat in the 73' Belmont. No horse. That was God showing off in equine form that day!!
I am never getting over big red best horse that ever lived i was honored to live to watch it in my life time😚
God? More like a horse showing off Lucky Genetics that it didn't know it had. He is by far the greatest. He is the GOAT. But if Secretariat was born in a stall in Saudi Arabia you'd have to say that "Allah was showing off in equine form that day." Or one of the other 2500 Gods recognized. Religion is a Sham.
Watching the three races this great horse won it is imply jaw dropping. And Bill Nack tell great storey about this fantastic horse.
That really was an amazing race to watch on tv, he was like a Lamborghini !
@@dickfitswell3437 , my apologies if my reference to God holding the reigns and showing off offended you. And while I also believe Secretariat being recognized by most as the greatest is rooted very much in fact, I think your recognizing religion as a sham is rooted entirely in opinion. And I feel certain you probably know that old saying: Opinions are like assholes, everybody's got one.......but most of them stink!! God Bless!
Rest in peace Big Red you were the greatest
I watched one interview of Mr. Back talking about Secretariat's race of the Belmont where he said Secretariat galloped out and either tied or set a record in the mile and 5/8ths .
Ive been inspired because of secratariot to do my job as a professional. ..... Do my job amen
The big red horse brought the country together.
Left-footed hours and they run anticlockwise turns well a fact most do not know.
Very Unusual.
They got him to be looked at by the team vet and discover that he had a hole in his lip. They got him right Eddie sweat gave him some home remedys from Mississippi and the hot rag on that cist to bring it to a head in time to heal up to be in the derby lineup and drop back as usual only to make a move in the back side of the track in 4.4 seconds one horse down. 4.0 run the other one down and he in fourth rounding the turn into the stretch 24.45 seconds in running down the cousin sham by 2 and winning by 3 in the derby and Preakness stakes by 4.
I recall Arabic winning the breeders cup juvenile. He made us see flashbacks of Secretariat in that race. All the way down to his color and markings. He just wasn’t a big horse like Secretariat. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be. Which is ok….Secretariat will never be equaled.
Arazi*
The 3 people that knew about the boil never mention it. Penny, Lucian, and Turcott none of them mention this fact in any interview I have seen. Thank you for sharing the truth of what happened at the Wood Memorial... they do the horse an injustice and this in my opinion shows how little respect they truly had for him. Penny even refers to him as a product, how cold. The mere fact that she said that tells me all I need to know about those 3
cut them a break.
Good racehorses love to run, so it's a damn shame humans have ruined the sport.
Whips should not be allowed, nor should humans get away with doping these majestic creatures. The thoroughbred has been overbred to the point where deaths are all-too-common. Horses that don't make good racers are cast aside. The negatives vastly outweigh the positives, thanks to human nature.
Maybe it is time to end horse racing, but I think it's a goddamn shame. Without racing we would never have seen Secretariat win the Belmont by 31 lengths. Every time I watch the video (either the real thing or the movie version), I get tears in my eyes. That was a transcendent moment.
Why must humans ruin everything we touch?
God created Secretariat He can create another if He wants to. More writers referenced God in documentaries about this horse than any other athlete I've followed. God revealed Himself to man through this horse.
What's so laughable about including Zenyatta among the greats like Secretariat. She earned over $7 mil. in her short career and pays her own way to be treated like a queen. How much did you earn during that same time period????
Secretariat is my favorite racehorse and i know all about him
Is there a difference between the American racing horse and the Arabic horses
All horses are descendents of three Arabian horses. Arabian races are primarily distance, not speed. Arabians excel in endurance racing while Thoroughbreds are bred for speed races. However, I think Big Red would have done great in endurance he was perfect in his conformation.
I've always heard Arabian horses are smaller and have one less vertebrae. Inside starters have an edge.
The book and movie came out too many years later.The Seabiscuit movie did better at the box office.
The fact you include Zenyatta as the first horse mentioned..while a great horse...next to Sec. in conversation is laughable.
Williams knack how are you going to say that turcott blew the race.
polopony?
A whole string of them.
I hope the Cia isn't involve in this. Trash....