Horse Racing thread

That's incredible. I think I read that it is only the second time in the race's 152 years a horse has won from that pole position.
 
If you guys like stories of competitive greatness check out the story of Sham. Secretariat is pretty obviously the best race horse of the last 50-100 years, and if you're into all that stuff check out Sham's story.
 
Simpleton said:
If you guys like stories of competitive greatness check out the story of Sham. Secretariat is pretty obviously the best race horse of the last 50-100 years, and if you're into all that stuff check out Sham's story.
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I’ve seen it and I concur. It is a really good story. Finished second to Secretariat in the Kentucky Derby and if it hadn’t been for injuries would have been talked about in the same conversations as Secretariat. Here is a fairly short video about him.

 
Sham was an extraordinary horse. Just ran up against the GOAT. Any other year, and he’s a runaway triple crown winner, and known as one of the greatest racehorses ever. But even in defeat, he should still be remembered that way. Truly a remarkable horse.

Secretariat is the greatest ever. But he has Sham to thank for those speed records that will never be broken. Without him, he wouldn’t have had to push so hard.
 
Cotton said:
I’ve seen it and I concur. It is a really good story. Finished second to Secretariat in the Kentucky Derby and if it hadn’t been for injuries would have been talked about in the same conversations as Secretariat. Here is a fairly short video about him.

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Not only that but Sham's unofficial (but basically official) Derby time is still the 2nd fastest ever, behind Secretariat of course. What made me think of Sham after yesterday's race was how the one huge horse got scratched right before the race for throwing the rider off, and then they actually took the 10-12 or however many of the horses out of the gates to let them walk around afterwards before re-loading them.

The year Sham ran something similar happened, except it happened with some of the horses that were already in the gates, but instead of letting the handful of horses out who were already in the gates (including Sham) they just kept them in, and then loaded the others who were walking around (including Secretariat) after they got it sorted out.

So Sham ran the 2nd fastest Derby time ever despite all of that nonsense going on, which would've been handled very differently now, and which Secretariat didn't have to deal with in the moment.

He also has one of the top 5-10 fastest Preakness times ever (unofficially).
 
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NoDak said:
Sham was an extraordinary horse. Just ran up against the GOAT. Any other year, and he’s a runaway triple crown winner, and known as one of the greatest racehorses ever. But even in defeat, he should still be remembered that way. Truly a remarkable horse.

Secretariat is the greatest ever. But he has Sham to thank for those speed records that will never be broken. Without him, he wouldn’t have had to push so hard.
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Yea it's really an amazing story that I don't think many people are well aware of, even those who follow horse racing unless they're old enough to have seen it back then.

Sometimes I think about how yes, being a Triple Crown winner is an amazing thing, but in the grand scheme of things isn't it even more amazing to be the one who pushed the absolute GOAT, the likes of which we might not see for 100+ years, to unthinkable heights just to hold you off?

If Sham had been born any other year he probably would've won the Triple Crown, but if that were the case would Secretariat be what he became?

He'd have won the Triple Crown one way or the other, but would he have set records in all three that people who weren't even alive back then still talk about in hushed terms? Obviously not.
 
Separately, I love that you guys know about Sham and if I ever get pissy at you in the years to come over Cowboys idiocy just remind me of that, and all is forgiven.
 
Simpleton said:
Separately, I love that you guys know about Sham and if I ever get pissy at you in the years to come over Cowboys idiocy just remind me of that, and all is forgiven.
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