Legends of the Track: Iconic Horse Racing Tales from the Past and Present.
Thursday Edition - February 22nd, 2024 (Edition 9)
IN TODAY’S EMAIL
Horse of the Day: Secretariat (KY)
Classic Races: 2001 Breeders’ Cup Classic. “Tiznow! Wins It for America.”
Legends of the Sport: Pat Eddery (IRE)
The World’s Greatest Racecourses: Chester (England)
Where in the World? Can you name the North American Racecourse?
HORSE OF THE DAY
HORSE OF THE DAY - SECRETARIAT (USA)
Secretariat: TWICE the Heart: Veterinarian Swerczek Shares the Untold Story
It wasn’t until his death on October 4, 1989 when perhaps one of the biggest secrets to Secretariat’s success was discovered. While many are aware of the discovery of Secretariat’s abnormally large heart, only a glimpse of that historic day and what inspired a lifetime of his legacy has been told. Thomas Swerczek, DVM, Ph.D., performed the necropsy (an autopsy performed on an animal) on Secretariat shortly after he was euthanized. Dr. Swerczek shares the untold story of that day and one of the most incredible discoveries of his career.
Photo by Pred Milenkovich
New Secretariat statue with Jockey, Ron Turcotte, aboard was unveiled at Keeneland in Nov. 2019, and nows takes center stage in the trafficcircle at Alexandria and Old Frankfort Pike in Lexington, KY. Sculptor,Jocelyn Russell.
CLASSIC RACES
2001 BREEDER’S CUP CLASSIC - “TIZNOW! WINS IT FOR AMERICA”
Tiznow and Sakhee at Belmont Park | Racingfotos
No Breeders’ Cup stirred up the emotions of Americans quite like the 2001 Breeders’ Cup Classic. Belmont Parks is just 12 miles from Ground Zero, where some 3,000 American lost their lives and the impact of this tragedy could be felt at the 2001 Breeders’ Cup just six weeks after the tragedy. When the American horse Tiznow charged down the lane trying to make history by becoming the first horse to ever win a second Breeders’ Cup Classic, the colt’s fight and perseverance created a buzz through grandstands. Tiznow’s effort and Tom Durkin’s call magnified this moment that will forever be remembered as an iconic moment in horse racing. Watch this excerpt from the TVG original documentary, “Tiznow! Wins It for America.”
Watch the race seen through the eyes of hall of fame jockey Chris McCarron and the rest of Tiznow’s connections who tell the story of racing great, Tiznow.
LEGENDS OF THE SPORT
PAT EDDERY (IRE)
Shy legend of track who lost his way. Pat Eddery’s early death after battling alcoholism was a distressing end to a glorious career, says Nick Townsend.
(REX/Getty Images)
Pat Eddery in 2004 with (from left) wife Carolyn and daughters Nicola and Natasha
In death, all but the gravest weaknesses invariably receive absolution, judgements are placed in suspension and eventually airbrushed from memory. It makes the candour of Pat Eddery’s daughter Natasha in recalling her father’s final years a rare and courageous gesture.
Her father, who passed away aged 63 after a suspected heart attack, was to the remainder of us a sporting phenomenon spanning four decades, but not one to propel his ego into the public consciousness. He was certainly never a man to exhibit Frankie Dettori-like exuberance – though there were a multitude of occasions on which he could have been forgiven for doing so – nor was he regarded with quite the awe of the enigmatic Lester Piggott, that merciless pillager of major prizes.
Pat Eddery joins Trainer Vincent O’Brien in the Racing Hall of Fame
Read the full article originally posted in the Independent Newspaper.
WORLD’S GREATEST RACECOURSES
THE WORLD’S OLDEST RACECOURSE - CHESTER (ENGLAND)
History seeps out of every corner and every crevice of Chester Racecourse. The city walls that run alongside the finishing straight, offering the casual spectator a perfect viewpoint, is a constant reminder of its past way before the first recorded horse races were held, thought to be as far back as 1511.
During the Roman occupation of Britain the present site was underwater and served as an important harbour. Over several centuries the River Dee, that still winds around the far side of the course, silted up forming an island where the course now stands.
After a stone cross was erected, the area was called The Roodee using a mixture of Norse and Saxon languages. The name, meaning The Island Of The Cross, is still used today as an alternative for Chester Racecourse.
Read the Full Article produced by Great British Racing
Drone Trip - Take a ride around Chester Racecourse via a Drone
Enable and Frankie Dettori winning the 2017 Cheshire Oaks from Alluringly
WHERE IN THE WORLD
CAN YOU NAME THE NORTH AMERICAN RACETRACK?
Riders Up!
Best, Steve
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