I heard that after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, racing on the west coast ground to a halt and horses, including Whirlaway, couldn't ship back east either. Is that accurate? I wonder what he would've gotten up to if he hadn't gotten stranded.

They show it every year at Derby time.

In the meantime, here's a good video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o-5TR0m5N8

By the way, it's 37 years ago today that Ruffian faced off against Foolish Pleasure.

That was a neat clip; thanks for posting it. Easy to see how he got his nickname.

Ruffian was a mediocre filly
 

"Ruffian, Burning from the Start" by Jane Schwartz still one of the best racetrack books I've ever read.

very good book. another i don't remember ever recommended, josh pons diary from merryland. 'two years in the life of a racing stable'.

nan mooney's 'my racing heart' is another good one.

yeah, old longtail. but i caught a mistake during the derby narration. his derby time didn't last til secretariat broke it-northern dancer was the first to hit the 2.00 minute mark. don't know if anyone else in those intervening years topped w'away, but i know ND did.

She talks in these videos
http://www.derbytrail.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44095
as does Jacinto Vasquez, Frank Whiteley, Bill Nack, and a host of others, about Ruffian. It's difficult to reconcile that even to this day, when I think of Ruffian racerunning I get a huge smile and goosebumps, tempered with yet still profound sadness. She was just so freaking awesome.

Mike, I enjoyed the book, too. If you haven't already, pick up a copy of Three Strides Before the Wire, another favorite of mine.

Wow. So many, "what if's" there. I remember crying when I heard she was gone.

Thank goodness that today, we rarely lose horses to drugs and anesthesia. One good thing to contemplate.

Great video of Whirlaway, thanks. I hope the new owner of Calumet decided to reopen the farm, and the cemetery, to tours again. I love their old race training barn, and the cemetery rivals Claiborne.