Word: secretariat
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...poor Roman baker, Ottaviani, a brilliant canon lawyer, joined the Vatican Secretariat of State...
...once Secretariat broke the spell in 1973, there followed in quick succession a parade of superhorses. Seattle Slew won the title in 1977, Affirmed last year, and this year Spectacular Bid is the favorite to capture the Belmont Stakes on Saturday and, with it, the coveted Triple Crown. The new question: Why are there suddenly so many champions...
...quarter-century between Citation and Secretariat, the vagaries of racing luck saw six horses win the first two races of the Triple Crown, only to falter over the 1 ½-mile course of the Belmont Stakes. In 1958 Tim Tarn was leading the field with one-eighth mile to run when he broke his leg. In the 1953 Kentucky Derby, Native Dancer was bumped and then forced to go so far outside that he could have stopped for a mint julep in the clubhouse. He won the Preakness and the Belmont, but his Triple Crown was lost. Nashua, Needles, Damascus...
...factors in the mix that has produced so many dominant horses is that, for reasons science cannot explain, Bold Ruler has proved to be unusually adept at what breeders call "stamping his get," i.e., passing on his strong points to his descendants. Bold Ruler is the sire of Secretariat, the grandsire of Spectacular Bid, the great grandsire of Seattle Slew...
...stallion like Bold Ruler is more accessible for breeding than the sires of a generation ago. Before the second World War, a few wealthy racing families bred, foaled, raced and retired to stud much of the finest American bloodstock. "Today," says Lucien Laurin, trainer of Secretariat, "it's easier to get better breeding because it's more of an open breeding market." The reason: the proliferation of commercial breeders and the widespread syndication of top stallions. The owners of Spectacular Bid, as well as Seattle Slew, certainly are not members of racing's Establishment...