Secretariat's last footage.

[CountAllVotes]

The race horse Secretariat died today (Oct. 4th, 1989).

Today is the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi, the Patron Saint of Animals. His Feast Day falls on October 4th every year, the date that Secretariat passed away.

My what a fine horse Secretariat was! There will never be another!

[saidsimplesimon]

1. There are a few wild horse populations

barely surviving in the South West. They don't need a Patron Saint to "pray" for them. They need to be protected from humans who have taken their range for so-called "development", imo.

[in2herbs]

6. The wild horses also need protection from Trump and other republicans as every

budget Trump has proposed includes the "humane" euthanasia of the wild horse herds.

[a kennedy]

2. The greatest horse EVER......

I sill get chills seeing that Belmont Stakes race......

[CountAllVotes]

3. Secretariat - Belmont Stakes 1973

Who could ever forget the Belmont stakes? He nailed it by 25 lengths! Never another horse that moves like a "tremendous machine" shall be seen!

He was also the 4th great grandfather to Justify, the horse the won the Triple Crown this year! Good bloodlines never die!

[mobeau69]

11. He's running like a tremendous machine.

I remember when Johnny Carson showed his audience the cover of Time Magazine with Big Red's picture. Time had been running covers with photos of the various Watergate conspirators for some time and Johnny quipped that it was nice to see the other end of a horse for a change.

[CountAllVotes]

13. I love listening to the commentator

He is in a state of shock! His voice cracks and Secretariat speeds by.

I could watch this race a million times! *cough* (I probably have!)

Hail to the Great Secretariat!

[dixiegrrrrl]

12. Ahhh...I remember watching that...

or possibly seeing the race replayed.

That was a magical horse.

[montana_hazeleyes]

4. I've watched it probably at least a hundred times and

it's thrilling every time! Beloved Secretariat will never be forgotten.

[a kennedy]

5. Goose bumps again......

I have seen it at least that many times as well.......never ever gets old.

[CountAllVotes]

7. Me too!

Best damn race ever!

May the memory of Secretariat last forever!

[Kali]

8. friend of mine had one of his sons

http://musingsfromthemaresnest.blogspot.com/2017/09/an-unexpected-encounter-with-penny.html

[CountAllVotes]

17. Wow, what a gift!

Lucky your friend!

[George II]

20. For decades, Penny Tweedy never missed a running of the Belmont Stakes...

....she and Ron Turcotte signed photographs of Secretariat for racing charitable organizations. She was frequently up at Saratoga in August, too.

Back in the spring of 1993, twenty years after Secretariat won the Triple Crown, she was at Keeneland signing Secretariat posters. I have one in my "archives", one of my most prized racing possessions.

[BarbD]

9. Wow! What a horse!

Thank you so much. He was so very special.

[BobTheSubgenius]

10. The only horse ever that got faster as he the Belmont Stakes.

At each "milestone," he clocked a faster time than the previous segment. I remember watching him run that race all by himself. At least, that 's the way it appeared on TV.

A $2 bet paid $2.10, the least a parimutuel bet is allowed to pay. The vast majority of those tickets were never cashed.

[George II]

21. That was the Kentucky Derby, where he ran each quarter mile faster than the previous quarter mile:

25-1/5
24
23-4/5
23-2/5
23

To run the fifth quarter in 23-flat after already running a mile is unbelievable, the FIRST quarter in most two-turn races isn't run that fast.

In the Belmont, poor Sham ran with him for about 5/8 of a mile, then began to drop back and wound up last. He never raced again.

Going to the far turn, with about 1/2 mile to go, he was about 10 lengths ahead, increasing his lead to the finish. The final time was 2-3/5 faster than the previous record, and still stands as an American dirt record. Plus, he ran the fastest time of each of the three Triple Crown races, and those three records still stand.

[TomVilmer]

14. I thought he was a cartoon horse...

http://bojackhorseman.wikia.com/wiki/Secretariat

[George II]

15. I've watched that one many times over the years, gets me every time.

When he retired*, we knew we probably wouldn't see him again, but when it was announced that he died, it was a very sad day.

Living in NYC, I saw him several times - saw his first win live (his second race, I didn't bet on him), and saw his unbelievable win in the Belmont Stakes live, and a few others.

*His last public appearance was at Aqueduct in November 1974. It was a non-racing day, and yet more than 30,000 people showed up to see him.

[CountAllVotes]

16. I tear up watching Secretariat run

He was indeed "God's Horse".

May Big Red never be forgotten!

[Bob Loblaw]

18. One of the greatest athletes

of the last century

[Uncle Joe]

19. That was one fine horse.

Thanks for the thread CountAllVotes

[Rhiannon12866]

22. K&R! The Champion of Champions!

Thanks for the post, I loved that horse - he was the horse of a lifetime.

And I'm familiar with St. Francis's Feast Day. At my mother's church they had the Blessing of the Animals. She used to insist that I go with her and bring my dogs.