Heartbreaker

Perfection is the condition, state, or quality of being free or as free as possible from all flaws or defects. Ruffian is the exact definition of perfection. Ruffian stunned the racing world with her undefeated career. Ruffian is one of the greatest racehorses ever to have set four hooves on a racetrack; some people could disagree. She was born April 17, 1972. Ruffian was a dark bay, almost black, filly. The way she won her races was incredible. She dominated the field from start to finish; she was never out of first place. Second, Ruffian won the U.S. Champion Filly 2 and 3 year old award (1974-75, best filly of the year) and the 4th U.S. Triple Tiara Champion (1975, Filly Triple Crown). Ruffian's legend wasn't meant to last. She died doing the very thing she loved to do which was racing. Third, on July 6th, 1975, a match race was scheduled between Ruffian and Foolish Pleasure. Ruffian was the odds on favorite to win. Fate had different plans for the filly. Ruffian would end up losing her life in this race. Records show that she won 10 out of 11 starts, but people say she was ahead when she broke down. 

Ruffian is one of the greatest horses to ever race. Her record is amazing. People could argue that she wasn't one of the greatest. Other people just didn't plain like her. After the ill fated match race, Leroy Jolley's (Foolish Pleasure's trainer) dad said something cruel about Ruffian. He said, " First time they threw some speed at her, and the bitch comes unbuckled!" When people heard him say this, they were shocked. It wasn't the fact that she came "unbuckled", but rather she told a bad step. Bad steps happen in horse racing, it's part of the sport as tragic as it is. There were other people who believed she was a great racer. Today, she is considered one of the greatest females racehorses of all time. 

Some of Ruffian's major accomplishments include winning the Champion Filly award two years running and winning the Filly Triple Crown. Ruffian first one the 2 year old Champion Filly of the year award in 1974. This award means that she was the best filly of the 2 year old racing season. Next year, she captured the 3 year old Champion Filly award in 1975. The same year, Ruffian won the 4th U.S. Triple Tiara Champion. This means she won the Filly Triple Crown. The Filly Triple Crown is made up of only fillies. The Triple Crown has mainly colts, but the occasional filly runs. Ruffian had an outstanding racing record. She had 10 starts and she won every one of them. Her running style was dominating. When she broke out of the gate, she was in the lead. There was never a race that she was ever behind. Jane Schwartz, author of Ruffian: Burning From The Start, talks about how Ruffian crushed the other horses from her dominating style. She quotes, "Now she was the toughest of all horses to beat: a heartbreaker." Ruffian destroyed the other horses she raced against and she was then known as a heartbreaker. It's ironic because she doesn't only break horses hearts, she'll break human hearts as well. 

On July 6th, 1975, the racing world would change. There was a match race scheduled between Ruffian and Foolish Pleasure. The race was called the "Equine Battle of the Sexes." Boy against girl, who was better? Ruffian was the favorite in the race. When the two horses broke out of the starting gate, Ruffian hit her right shoulder on the gate. She quickly got right back into the race. They raced hard and fast for the first quarter mile. It was then when the two jockeys heard the snap. Jane Schwartz quotes, "A quick, bright sound, like the snapping of a twig." Foolish Pleasure began to draw ahead. Jacinto Vasquez tried to pull the filly up. The only thing Ruffian wanted to do was run. She had such a strong will to run that she wouldn't stop. Vasquez finally had her pulled up. Track vets rushed out to help her. Ruffian had never had an injury like this before and she was thrashing around as the vets put an inflatable cast on her. The operated on her at a nearby horse hospital. The doctors operated for 3 hours. When Ruffian came out of the anesthesia, Ruffian began to run. She woke up thinking that she was still in the race. By moving her legs, she broke her left elbow from thrashing. The vets knew she couldn't undergo another surgery. The decision was made to euthanize her. Ruffian was buried at the Belmont infield, with her nose pointing towards the finish line. She is the only thoroughbred champion buried at Belmont Park. One last quote by Jane Schwartz, "The good ones always got hurt, sooner or later. The bad ones didn't run hard enough to do themselves any harm." Ruffian was one of the "good" racehorses, she always ran her heart out.

Only The Good Die Young

In the 2008 Kentucky Derby, there was only one filly entered. She was a tall dark grey filly. Her name was Eight Belles. Eight Belles had a pretty good chance of winning The Kentucky Derby. She had several tough opponents. One of them was Big Brown, the winner of the Derby. When Derby Day came, Eight Belles had her own group of supporters, and most of them were women. In the end, Eight Belles came in second place and Big Brown won the Derby. It was an amazing feat for the filly. Shortly after she crossed the finish line, Eight Belles collapsed. She broke both of her front ankles. The track veterinarians and track attendants were there with Eight Belles trying to make her comfortable. After several minutes of trying to help the injured filly, the men realized there was no hope in saving her. She was so injured that the men couldn't even move her off the track. The track veterinarians brought out a giant screen and put it around Eight Belles. Behind this screen, they put the filly down. Eight Belles is a filly to remember. She also brought up the question, did the veterinarians really do everything they could for the filly? The results of the filly's death has made the PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) alert and aware of the fact that there are things that are being done to horses that should come to an end.

Could the filly have been saved? Some people could argue that she could have. They say that maybe they should have tried to move her into surgery and operate on her legs. I don't think she could have been saved. There are risks when trying to move an injured animal, especially one that weighs about 1,000 pounds. The veterinarians said that they wouldn't have been able to move her because of the excessive trauma she had. The 2006 Kentucky Derby winner, Barbaro, received a similar injury, but only in one leg. After several months, Barbaro seemed to be improving. Soon after, Barbaro developed laminitis (an incurable hoof disease) and was put down. Eight Belles broke both of her ankles. It would have been unbearable for the young horse. A horse needs its legs to survive. In the end, I find it hard to believe that the filly could have been saved. She was too injured to move, and even if they did it would only take time for a disease or infection to take the young horse's life.

The death of Eight Belles was a wake up call for the PETA. PETA is the largest animal rights group in the world. When they heard about Eight Belles they took action. The group confronted the National Horse Racing Association (NTRA). PETA wanted the NTRA to ban drugs from being given to racehorses. The most common drug was steroids, which enhances the horses' muscles and breathing. The PETA didn't stop with drugs. They also wanted the NTRA to ban whips from being used in races. Some jockeys go overboard with hitting the horses. The horses could get physically and emotionally hurt if they were hit excessively. The last thing the PETA was trying to do was push the age back for racehorses to start racing. Horses can start racing at age 2. At 2 years old, a horse's bones haven't finished developing and has a higher chance of getting injured. This problem has arisen recently due to the way thoroughbreds are being bred. Sportswriter Sally Jenkins brings up this issue when she's talking about Eight Belles, "She ran with the heart of a locomotive, on champagne-glass ankles." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eight_Belles  This is a rising problem with today's thoroughbreds. They're bred for speed, not durability. Hopefully, in the future we can prevent an accident, like Eight Belles, from happening. It will always be a gamble with horse racing because in horse racing anything can happen.

What A Pleasure!

One of the most famous colts to ever run was a colt named Foolish Pleasure. He is a famous racehorse because of his records and honors, his grit and determination, and for his match race against Ruffian. During his 2 year old season, Foolish Pleasure was undefeated. This landed him the honor of being the undefeated 2 year old champion of 1974. When he turned 3, Foolish Pleasure was being aimed to run in the Kentucky Derby. His win in the Derby triggered a chain reaction to several events. 

People could say that Foolish Pleasure wasn't famous because of his loss in the Preakness and Belmont Stakes (which lost him the Triple Crown).  They could state that since two different horses won the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes, Foolish Pleasure wasn't a great horse. He was the standard mediocre horse. I think that Foolish Pleasure is a great horse because he was undefeated in his 2 year old season. He was also great because every time he ran, he gave it his all. Foolish Pleasure showed grit, determination, and the heart to always try his best. He reminds me of Seabiscuit. Seabiscuit had that grit and heart. These two horses were both bay, male and sort of like the redneck horses of racing. They always tried their best and were always relaxed when they raced. 

Foolish Pleasure was best known for his match race against Ruffian. It didn't start out as a match race. Originally the plan was to have Foolish Pleasure (Derby winner), Avatar (Belmont Stakes) and Master Derby (Preakness Stakes) race against each other to see who the best of the three horses. Except by the time this idea came through, Avatar was on his way back to California. The racing association paid the owners of Master Derby $50,000 dollars to withdraw. This became the match race of 1975. Foolish Pleasure would be running against a filly named Ruffian. Ruffian has never lost a race. This race ended in tragedy. Ruffian broke down. When both the jockeys heard the snap of her leg, Ruffian's jockey was frantically trying to pull her up. If Foolish Pleasure's jockey pulled him up to help, he wouldn't receive the purse. Foolish Pleasure continued around the track alone. He won the race, but a tragedy occurred. It wasn't much of a competition. Foolish Pleasure was remembered through his wins and his Derby win. He was also associated with racing's greatest tragedy. Foolish Pleasure was a great horse who had made an impression on racing history.

The Exciting, The Inspirational, The Tragic

A painting of Ruffian and Foolish Pleasure during the Match Race

What is a match race? A match race is a race between two competitors. In horse racing, match races are extremely rare. Only the best of the best horses compete in match races. Three of the most famous match include Man O' War vs. Sir Barton, Seabiscuit vs. War Admiral, and Ruffian vs. Foolish Pleasure. The race between Man O' War and Sir Barton was the first match race. Seabiscuit was the underdog in his race vs. War Admiral. Ruffian and Foolish Pleasure's race was to see who was better; female or male? Man O' War is a legend. Out of his racing career he won 20 out of 21 starts. His last race was a match race againist the champion older horse Sir Barton. The match race was scheduled for October 12, 1920. This was the first match race. The race was no contest. Man O' War was in front the whole race. He defeated Sir Barton by 7 lengths. The match race was Man O' War's final race before retiring to stud. This race is famous because it is the very first match race in America. 

During the Great Depression, there was one thing many people had faith in. They had faith in a little bay horse named Seabiscuit. He was a horse that needed a chance to prove himself. Seabiscuit's first trainers were cruel because when they would train and race him they would continually hit him with the whip. When Seabiscuit came to Charles Howard (owner), Tom Smith (trainer), and Red Pollard (jockey) he became a champion. Seabiscuit was liked by the people because he gave them hope. He was a horse that was tossed aside and now that he was given a chance he is a champion. In the match race againist him and War Admiral, Seabiscuit was called the underdog. He was a horse of unusual breeding. War Admiral had royal bloodlines. War Admiral was a winner of The Triple Crown. A match race was scheduled between these two horses on November 1, 1938. War Admiral's owner, Samuel Riddle, discussed the terms the race would be run under. First, there was to be a walk up start (no starting gate). Second, Riddle wanted it ran at War Admiral's home turf, Belmont Park. Finally, Riddle wanted the race to be 1 and 3/16th miles long. Seabiscuit won the race by 4 lengths over the champion War Admiral. This match race would be called the Match of the Century. 

Ruffian and Foolish Pleasure's race does not have a happy ending. The hype up before the race was who was better female or male. The race was known as the "Equine Battle of the Sexes." Ruffian was a beautiful, tall, and black filly. She had never lost a race. She was the only undefeated 3 year old in the country. Foolish Pleasure was a sleek, stocky, and bay colt. He had only lost a few races and was considered to be one of the best colts in the country. The match race was held on July 6, 1975. The favorite was Ruffian. When the starting gate opens, both horses burst out of the gate. As Ruffian shoots out of the gate, she hits her shoulder onto the starting gate. As she presses onward, she leaned on her right foreleg (right front leg). Ruffian was in front the first quarter mile by a nose. After another furlong she was in front by half a length. When suddenly both her sesamoid bones burst out of her right foreleg. Ruffian's jockey tried to pull her up, but Ruffian's will to run was greater than her pain. Evetually, he had her pulled up. Her hoof was flopping aimlessly around as she walked. After the sesamoid bones burst out of her leg and she kept running, her bones were exposed to the sandy dirt track. Meanwhile, Foolish Pleasure galloped around the track alone. Ruffian was given medical attention immediately. The doctors had her at a nearby track veterinarian. She underwent surgery that lasted 3 hours. When she came out of the anesthesia wore off, she began to run; as if she had never broke down. The attendents supervising her couldn't get her to stop flailing her legs. As she kept running, the cast on her right foreleg, she smashed her elbow. There was nothing the doctors could do for her. She was humanely euthanized on July 7th, 1975. The only race Ruffian lost was the race that claimed her life. People say that when she broke down, she was in front. This was the last match race ever run. Match races started off on an exciting foot. Some races were even inspiring. Others were heartbreaking. Match races have had an interesting role in the sport of horse racing. During its short existence, some match races will be remebered as the exciting, the inspirational, and the tragic.

The UPS Hopeful

Big Brown winning The Kentucky Derby

In 1978, a chestnut horse named Affirmed won The Triple Crown. Thirty years later, a bay stallion attempts to win The Triple Crown. His name is Big Brown. Big brown was named after the mail service, UPS. It was only naturally that UPS would be sponsoring Big Brown for his bid to the Triple Crown. Big Brown had never lost a race in his career. He had only raced 4 times before he was entered in The Kentucky Derby. Many people doubted him because he wasn't as experienced as the horses were. Another concern that people had was whether or not his post position (position where a horse is placed inside the starting gate) would affect him. Big Brown was in position 20. He was the farthest horse from the rail. Generally in races you want the position nearest the rail, but in The Derby it may not be the best position to start in, yet anything can happen in a horse race. 

On Derby Day, the crowd was buzzing with anticipation. Who would be the next Derby winner? Some of Big Brown's biggest rivals were Eight Belles (the only filly (female) horse in the race) and Colonel John. When all the horses were loaded in the starting gate, there was a hush of silence then the starting gates burst open. Out come 20 horses charging down the stretch in front of the grandstand. Big Brown sits tight in 4th place; waiting for the perfect time for him to make his move. When it came down to the final stretch, Big Brown made his move and bursted like a rocket into 1st place. Big Brown won The Kentucky Derby by 5 and 1/2 lengths. The next race his owner and trainer aimed him at was The Preakness Stakes. On Preakness day, everyone was expecting Big Brown to dominate the field in the stretch for home like he did in the Derby. Big Brown did not disappoint his fans. He won the Preakness by 5 lengths. No one even came close to him. Everyone had complete faith in him that he could very well be the next Triple Crown winner. He had The Belmont Stakes to knock down and then he'd make history. As fate would have it, Big Brown would lose The Belmont. He would come in last place. Days prior to the Belmont, Big Brown developed a crack in his hoof which was repaired and ready to go. Many people thought that this could have been a result of his hoof hurting. We'll never know why he lost, all we know now is that next year is another year for a Triple Crown hopeful.

Super Horse

Secretariat in front by 31 lengths

There have only been 11 Triple Crown winners. One of the most renowned Triple Crown winners was Secretariat. He won The Kentucky Derby and The Preakness by 2 and a half lengths, nosing Sham out of the competition. Sham was his main competition. At The Belmont, Secretariat won by 31 lengths. That is still a record today. Sham came in last out of the 5 horses that ran in The Belmont. Secretariat became famous for his Triple Crown win. He was on the cover of Newsweek, Time,  and Sports Illustrated all in the same week. This is highly unusual for a racehorse. Secretariat only lost 5 races in his career. He lost his maiden race (a racehorse's first race), The Champagne Stakes, The Wood Memorial, The Whitney Stakes, and The Woodward Memorial. Some people say he lost The Wood Memorial, The Whitney Stakes, and The Woodward because they all start with 'w.' 

On the first Saturday in May of 1973, Secretariat would be running in the Run for the Roses. He ran the mile and a quarter in 1:59 2/5. He beat his old rival, Sham. Secretariat won by 2 lengths. Two weeks later in Pimlico, Secretariat won The Preakness Stakes. He won by 2 and a half lengths, and once again he beat Sham. Secretariat broke the track record with a time of 1:53. After winning two legs of the Triple Crown, Secretariat was declared a Super Horse. History took place in the 1973 Belmont Stakes. Secretariat won the Belmont Stakes by an amazing 31 lengths. He set a new world time, 2:24 for the mile and a half. With his win, he became the 9th winner of the Triple Crown. The first since Citation in 1948. After his Triple Crown win, Secretariat only raced 6 more times before he retired. In Secretariat's stud years, he produced about 663 foals in about 13-14 years. Secretariat didn't foal any winners, he foaled 6 great offspring in his whole stud career. Secretariat died October 4th, 1989 of laminitis. Laminitis is an in-curable hoof disease. He had to be out down. It was October 4th, 1989, that he was given lethal injection, and that racing would lose one of its greatest horses ever.

Legacy

Frank Whiteley (on right with horse Tom Rolfe, after The Preakness.)

Frank Whiteley Jr. is one of the greatest racehorse trainers of all time. Whiteley was born in 1915 and raised in Centreville, Maryland. During his youth, he was around horses and that's when he decided he wanted to train racehorses. At 21 years of age, Frank became a professional trainer in his home state. 

Frank Whiteley's first champion was a horse by the name of Tom Rolfe. Tom Rolfe was Whiteley's first classic winner. The classic race that Tom Rolfe won was The 1965 Preakness Stakes. Whiteley's second champion was a horse named Damascus. Damascus won the 1967 Horse of the Year award. This award is a big honor because it's based on how many stakes races they win that season. Whiteley is most well known in the racing world because he trained the brilliant filly, Ruffian. Ruffian is considered to be one of the greatest American thoroughbreds of either gender. Ruffian was undefeated in 1974 and 1975. She became champion filly because of her dominant style on the racetrack. The only race she lost was the race that cost her her life. A few years after Ruffian, Whiteley had another champion, Forego. He was a bay gelding. There aren't many geldings that can accomplish as much as Forego did. Forego won an Eclipse Award (an award that honors the champion of the sport) for being the Outstanding Older Male Horse for 4 consecutive years (1974-1977). He also won 3 consecutive Eclipse Award for being Horse of the Year (1974-1976) and 1 for being Outstanding Sprint Horse (1974). Whiteley trained several champion racehorses, these 4 are his most remembered.  Frank Whiteley passed away in May 2008 and some of his memorable racehorses are his legacy.