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Kelley asked in SportsHorse Racing · 6 months ago

Do you think we'll ever see a Triple Crown winner to challenge Secretariat's time?

7 Answers

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  • 2 weeks ago

    Yes, only because never is an awfully long time.  Records are made to be broken.  It may take a long time, but such a horse will one day exist.

  • 2 months ago

    Secretariat was 'one in a million', and seems that the family and all who worked with and handled the horse actually loved him. He just loved to run.  Maybe, maybe in about 40 years a strong but lighter horse might beat the record.  Maybe.

  • 4 months ago

    Anything can happen. Having said that, I became a racing fan in 1977. Horses ran more often and ran longer distances. There was no Breeders Cup, the one day to save your horse for. Horses had to compile a good solid resume built on winning a good number of Grade 1s and 2s in order to win an eclipse. (Okay, I acknowledge the east coast bias that existed, and the inordinate amount of weight that the Jockey Club Gold Cup had, but all in all, the claim for supremacy didn't boil down to one day).

    In the opinion of many, the breed simply does not have the strength, stamina and durability it once had. Classic distance racing has taken a big hit. Races that were held at a mile and half have been shortened to a mile and a quarter; mile and a quarter to a mile and an eighth. The Jockey Club Gold Cup was run at 2 miles until 1976. The Coaching Club American Oaks was a mile and a half. I remember the Monmouth Oaks being run at a mile and an eighth. Also at Monmouth, their big handicap of the year for older horses was always run at a mile and a quarter. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I've read that thoroughbreds are now bred deliberately for speed over endurance. Now, if a horse runs a solid mile and an eighth, he's lauded as the next coming of Forego.

    Call me a fossil, but I don't think the changes that I've seen in the 40+ years of following thoroughbred racing have been for the better. Better policing regarding abuse and improvement in the safety and treatment of the horses, yes; but everything else? On the balance, I'd have to say no. 

  • 6 months ago

    Never say never I say. It will no doubt be a tough feat due to the way race horses are train nowadays. I'm optimistic and doubtful at the same time though. The closest any horse has come to breaking the record was back in 2001, when Monarchos won with a time of 1:59:97. That’s more than a half-second slower than Secretariat, pretty impressive but still short.  Record breaking moments is what keeps my excitement, hopes and interests alive in this sport.

  • 6 months ago

    No, I don't. Not in my lifetime.

  • 6 months ago

    No, I don't think so.

    Most trainers/owners want their horse to go just fast enough to win, to reduce the risk of injury and to save him for future races. 

    In the Belmont, Secretariat's owner said "let him run."   He responded with a THIRTY ONE length victory and a world record time of 2:24.00.  That's a full 2 seconds over the next fastest, Easy Goer with 2:26. 

    It's also the fastest time for any 1.5 mile race on any track in the US.

    His Derby and Preakness records are about a half second faster than the competition, IIRC.

    Sure, it'll probably happen someday...  but I doubt I'll live to see it!  Once they move to artificial surfaces, anything might happen.

  • 6 months ago

    yes, as the saying goes, all records are made to be broken. It will take a very good horse on a lightning fast track . all conditions must be perfect.

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