The Journey Of Penny And The “big Red” – How Secretariat Was Created

By Author: Lee Lane-Edgar
Total Articles: 365
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The greatest stories of the race horses have been those when the finest racing thoroughbreds, the champions of the race tracks, rose out of nothing, from the ashes. It has always been about the fight against the strongest competitor, the most prevalent contention, what a race horse overcame to establish himself or herself, against all odds, in an environment that wasn’t precisely friendly or easy.
When Secretariat emerged out of the unknown and the lost, he had the strongest competitors; in fact, during the last leg of the Triple Crown, one that he won by an unbelievably 31 lengths lead had only 5 contenders in all. In 1969, after the death of her mother, Penny Chenery was torn in between family, father and farm, not knowing which one needed her more. She fought however, she evolved through the metamorphosis of growing into a housewife from a daddy’s girl and eventually into the owner of the next biggest star racehorse world racing would every witness. Was her journey any short of a marvel, probably it wasn’t.
Having known about her father Christopher Chenery’s ailment and the sale of four leading broodmares ...
... from the Meadow Stable by their cheating trainer, Penny acquired all controls of Somethingroyal’s foal from Bold Ruler. Even though Bold Ruler foals weren’t known for their stamina but speed alone, the dam’s sire Prince Quillo was a long shot. Penny, having grown up on the farm, went with her instincts and put her chestnut colt that they fondly called “Red”, to practise. “Secretariat”, as he officially came to be known as, was named so by their family caretaker, Miss Ham.
“Red” no doubt had the most closely knit bandwagon of staff grooming him night and day, taking care of the minute details concerning him. His groom Eddie Sweat stayed with him till last, he was trained by Lucien Laurin and rode almost always by Ron Turcotte, more commonly referred to as “Ronnie”. The blue and white chequered silk against the red mud of the race tracks made him stand out instantly, he was a star the very first time he set foot on the racing grounds.
Except for the Belmont Stakes, the memorable victory by 31 lengths when he set the lead right in the early stages of the race; it was probably the only time when Secretariat ran ahead of the pack. Otherwise his primary racing pattern exhibited him stalking the pack for most sections of the distance, accelerating only after gaining sufficient momentum and taking the rest from the outside. “Red” was huge, his heart, as observed by the doctors during the necropsy, was the biggest they’d ever seen in their entire career.
The promising race horse, when finished fourth in his first race at Aqueduct, disappointed all his connections; however they soon discovered about a considerably large abscess in his mouth that hindered his full throttle. Holding back all that energy however was impossible and what soon followed was a remarkable streak of victories from 16 races out of a total 21, finishing in the money in 20. The odds amidst which “Red” grew up and the odds he overcame by defeating Sham, the then super racehorse were innumerable. Maybe that’s why the words fall short when a mention about the finest race horses finds its way on paper.
“Red” was purely an experience and it could only be lived. To revive the legendary magic, horseracegame.com has designed 3D simulation downloadable racing games that can be played for free on any gaming console by players all around the globe online. The equine lovers can register for free; become a part of the racing fraternity online and start polishing their skills at racing, right here, for free and online with a million other players from all corners of the world. Meet more followers of your favourite horses, breed new foals, manage your personal stable and also win real prizes. The features are unlimited and extremely exciting. Join the racing fraternity to explore and discover so much more