Brushes with Legends

Among the colts that came in from a yearling sale at the barn I worked was a little bay colt by Shecky Greene. As one of several grooms we split up yearlings coming in from sales and Shecky proofed to be a tough little horse but plain, overlooked in many ways. His sire perhaps epitomized this.

Shecky Greene had the misfortune of not being able to select the year he was born. He was born in a year of monsters. 1970 was a year of legends, no two ways about it. With the phenomenal competition of Secretariat and Sham as two of the top horses of any era people forget other horses in that Triple Crown series. Sham would have been heads and shoulders above the competition in any other year and ran his heart out in the Belmont trying to stop a force that racing has not seen since. In the 1973 Kentucky Derby when the gates opened Shecky Green set a scorching pace that was sizzled further when Secretariat broke the race record previously set by Northern Dancer. Angle Light, Shecky Greene and Royal and Regal took the lead and first time past the stands Shecky Green showed the way in a field that included Forego, Our Native, My Gallant and of course Secretariat and Sham. At stud from the same foal crop was Mr Prospector.

Sometimes the forgotten horses were outstanding too!

 In a trip of a lifetime in 1981 the college judging team at Black Hawk East Community College had some time between the Quarter Horse Congress competition in Ohio and the Arabian Nationals in Louisville. The class took to the road as the obvious stopping point between the two points was horse country USA. The Kentucky Horse Park was a treat but there were two stops that for me eclipsed all others. The first was Claiborne Farm where Secretariat - yes I touched him - came from his pen and struck a pose like the king that he was. Ignoring him in the next field was a little bay horse named Riva Ridge. Nearby Drone, *Nijinsky II and other legends grazed. Spectacular Bid had just been retired as had Coastal, who defended every inch of space over the fence of HIS paddock. The graveyard at that time had some of the best horses in Thoroughbreds - *Nasrullah among them. Today there are more.

The other stop that trip was Spendthrift Farm. Nashua. Exclusive Native. Seattle Slew. Affirmed. J O Tobin. Slew was very matter of fact. Where Secretariat came out quietly but with a presence of royalty Slew walked out like an ordinary horse who just happened to do remarkable things. The photos have long been lost, unfortunately, but the memories remain of a chance to see legends.

Then there's the ones whose ending remains a mystery, such as "Pepper." Registered name Zanzibaba she had a cleft palate and could not race. She was broke to ride but couldn't run away as with in a half mile or so she'd be backing off for air. By Babaslew, a well bred son of Raja Baba out of Our Charmer, Pepper was out out Pleasant Times by Zanthe with a bottom side to Prince John. She survived an accident with a car and later was stolen by an ex spouse, who refused to say what was done with her and the other horses. She'd be 22 now if she were still alive, but chances are a scarred up bay ordinary mare probably met her end in a less than regal way.

Be they champions or relatives, the Thoroughbred is an incredible creature.