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xbloodwingx (December 31, 1969 at 6:59 pm)
BE109, the worst part is that I've seen/heard people STILL trying to call Slew "the best of a crap crop." Even after all he did...some people never learn.
kellyjam1 (December 31, 1969 at 6:59 pm)
His 7F record at Aqueduct with 139lbs is one of the most amazing records ever. It stood for 31 years until it was broken by Artax @ 114lbs by only 1/5. To get 139 in a Sprint and set a record to boot makes Fager one of the best.
BE109 (December 31, 1969 at 6:59 pm)
A horse with Slew's running style (like Dr Fager),and the talent he had presents an almost impossible tactical problem for his foes. If you yourself go up and pressure him you are cooking your horse. If you lay back and come with one sustained move you will not catch him. Therefore someone has to sacrifice themselves to beat him. It is the old damned if you do and damned if you don't quandry. Slew didn't steal races,he grabbed them by the throat and took them!
BE109 (December 31, 1969 at 6:59 pm)
Some tryed to label Slew as a good horse in a bad lot. Look who he beat in this one,he went 1:33 3/5, and went 1 1/8in 1:45 4/5,just a couple fifths off the world record. A good horse in a bad lot? I bet those people felt pretty foolish when Slew finished his great 4 yr. old season.
bg147 (December 31, 1969 at 6:59 pm)
He stole that one. He goes 24 and then 47, and the other jocks are asleep at the wheel. What was that all about?
melc1949 (December 31, 1969 at 6:59 pm)
Sham was an excellent horse, with more "heart" than most. he also ran the 2nd fastest Kentucky Derby time ever, despite an accident in the gate. He ran his heart out, even when he was clearly beaten. You have to respect that. Being the "winner" isn't the only thing there is in life.
ihasch (December 31, 1969 at 6:59 pm)
Its funny that Beyer came up with a speed index to take track speed into account, noting that the tracks, especially at the Belmont, were not very fast, yet you just dismiss the whole enterprise. Sorry but records are records, and three records in the consecutive Triple Crown races is unprecedented.
i4uwe41 (December 31, 1969 at 6:59 pm)
Stop writing nonsense, AwsiDooger. Sham was a very good racehorse. Any other year and he might have won at least one of the Triple Crown races, if not more. I watched all the races that year and I remember that the jockey of Sham tried to go out fast in the Belmont and the strategy failed miserably. Sham was not that kind of horse. Secretariat was the best horse I ever saw race and I give Sham credit for staying close in the first 2 TC races. Very few horses could have done as well.
lowcountrycat (December 31, 1969 at 6:59 pm)
So now you are suggesting that Secretariat set records because he ran on fast tracks? How fast were they? Were they the fastest tracks ever? How did you make that determination?
AwsiDooger (December 31, 1969 at 6:59 pm)
IMO, track conditions played a huge part in the records. Media emphasized how fast they were. 35 years later it gets lost. Extreme conditions can't be properly applied in speed ratings. Bob Beamon jumped 29+ at altitude, nearly 2 feet beyond the record. Swimmers destroy world records in a freakishly fast pool. Mathematical estimates always undercut the numbers. You can't use averages among mediocre horses and apply to top horses in extreme favorable conditions. Beyers are flawed in that regard. |
