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 Three thoroughbreds during the past 70 years have captured the hearts of racing fans: Seabiscuit (pictured), Secretariat and Barbaro. Each was a gallant hero in his own way.
The three most talked about thoroughbreds in the past 70 years are a warhorse, a Triple Crown winner and a Kentucky Derby champion whose career was cut short.
You’ve gotta have heart
All you really need is heart
When the odds are saying’ you'll never win
That’s when the grin should start
Richard Adler and Jerry Ross collaborated on words and music for the musical Damn Yankees, which included You Gotta Have Heart, which debuted on May 5, 1955 on Broadway. Two days later Swaps defeated Nashua by 1 ½ lengths in the Kentucky Derby.
Secretariat wasn’t exactly a surprise 34 years ago – he was expected to become the first Triple Crown champion in 25 years. He didn’t disappoint and captured the Belmont Stakes by a whopping 31 lengths, running the 1 ½ miles in world record time of 2:24 that still stands today.
You’ve gotta have hope
Mustn’t sit around and mope
Nothin’s half as bad as it may appear
Wait’ll next year and hope
Seabiscuit was the talk of the country 35 years earlier after a less-than-stellar career. That was until he won two match races in ’38 within three months.
On Aug. 2 at Del Mar, he nosed out Ligaroti after dueling heads apart for the 1 1/8 miles although giving away 15 pounds. On Nov. 1 at Pimlico, Seabiscuit led ’37 Triple Crown winner War Admiral, both carrying 120 pounds, at every call of the 1 3/16 miles.
The grandson of Man o‘ War won by four lengths over the son of Man o‘ War and was declared Horse of the Year.
However, his crowning achievement was in ’40 after coming up lame and missing the ’39 season. He wasn’t through. His last race was the Santa Anita Handicap to avenge photo finish losses in ’37 and ’38. He defeated his stablemate Kayak II by 1 ½ lengths, setting the track record of 2:01 1/5 for 1 ¼ miles.
When your luck is battin’ zero
Get your chin up off the floor
Mister you can be a hero
You can open any door,
There’s nothin’ to it but to do it
Last year, Barbaro won the Kentucky Derby by 6 ½ lengths, the largest margin since Triple Crown champ Assault’s eight lengths in ’46. Only three others triumphed by that record number, including Triple Crown sensation Whirlaway five years earlier.
There were great expectations for Barbaro when he went to the Preakness. Funny Cide, upset winner of the ’03 Derby, captured the Second Jewel by 9 ¾ lengths – the best finish since the initial running in 1873 when Survivor scored by an estimated 10 lengths.
Then the unbelievable happened in the Run for the Black Eyed Susans: Barbaro came up lame. It turned out even worse for the son of Dynaformer – three bones were shattered in his right rear leg.
You've gotta have heart
Miles 'n miles n' miles of heart
Oh, it's fine to be a genius of course
But keep that old horse
Before the cart
Barbaro’s eight-month fight for survival, although ending in death, won’t be forgotten. His up-and-down battle on the road to recovery captured the attention of people outside the racing industry. He was the gamest of any athlete in sports history.
Barbaro means “Barbarian” in Portuguese. In horse racing, it means champion of champions.
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