NY - Long Island: Belmont Park - Secretariat
Image by wallyg
It was here, on June 9, 1973, that Secretariat won the Belmont Stakes in dominating fashion to become the first horse in 25 years to win the Triple Crown. A statue, commemorating the greatest thoroughbred of all time stands outside in the paddock. Competing against only four horses before a crowd of 67,605, Secretariat won by 31 lengths in a time of 2 minutes and 24 seconds, which still remains the world record on dirt at the 1.5 mile. No horse has come within 1.4 seconds of that time. At the mile and 3/8 point, Secretariat had run faster than Man o' War's record from when the Belmont was run at that length.
Sired by Bold Ruler out of the dam Somethingroyal, Secretariat was born at Meadow Farm in Caroline County, Virginia in 1970. Owned by Penny Chenery, he was trained by Canadian Lucien Laurin and ridden by fellow Canadian jockey Ron Turcotte. Nicknamed Big Red, he won the Kentucky Derby in a still record time (1:59 2/5) over rival Sham whose 1:59 4/5 equals Monarchos' 2001 time as the second fastest in history. Even more impressively, he achieved the unheard of feat of "negative splitting", running each quarter-mile (402 m) segment faster than the one before it. Secretariat won the Preakness by two and a half lengths in a time that has been historically contested. The official time is recognized as 1:54 2/5, but two Daily Racing Form clockers claimed a time of 1:53 2/5 which would've broken the track record--a time that has since been matched twice and bested once. Secretariat never duplicated his Belmont Stakes performance, but continued to run impressively. His time of 1:45 2/5 for 1 1/8 miles, a world record at the time, in the inaugural Marlboro Cup. In winning his first start on grass in the Man o' War Stakes, he set a still standing track record of 2:24 4/5, without being whipped once.
Altogether, Secretariat won 16 of his 21 career races and finished out of the money just once. He won the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year twice--as the first two year old ever to be honored as such, and again as a three year old. In retirement at Claiborne Farm, he stood stud siring as many as 600 foals including the 1979 Travers Stakes winner General Assembly, 1986 Horse of the Year Lady's Secret, 1988 Preakness and Belmont Stakes winner Risen Star, and the 1990 Melbourne Cup winner Kingston Rule. His blood flows through many other notable racehorses, including 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Smarty Jones, and he is most noted as a broodmare sire.
In 1989, Secretariat was afflicted with laminitis and he was euthanized on October 4. In death, he was received the ultimate honor for a horse--he was buried whole at Claiborne Farm. Before his burial, he was necropsied at the University of Kentucky where he was discovered that his heart was approximately twice the size of a normal horse.
ESPN listed Secretariat 35th of the 100 greatest athletes of the 20th century, one of three non-humans on the list. In 1974, Secretariat was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.
Sea horse
Image by katmary
For the photoshop talent weekly contest week29 stallion
With thanks:
Background ArwenArts
Horse rubyblossom
Water brush lizard--queen
Birds Falln-Stock
Textures Pareeerica
and darkwood67
El General
Image by giumaiolini
Estátua do Parque Hopi Hari, em uma tarde nublada.
Photoshop: Sépia, Saturação, Blur Lens.
This photo tied for 3RD PLACE in the "POWER, BUT NOT ELECTRICITY"Contest in group "Winner's Circle".
09/03/2008
Itupeva/SP - Brasil
Black/Large bighugelabs.com/flickr/onblack.php?id=2325584295&post...
Publicada em:
www.nrg.co.il/online/55/ART1/852/943.html
jump
Image by Lamerie
entry in the Photoshop contest Week 205
Showjumper by dregsplod Thanks!
maternal
Image by jaci XIII
original image by rubyblossom.
created for photoshop contest week 250
texture by JoesSistah...
background is the FOTOLIA free downloads
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