Ruffian was a mediocre filly

[Merlinsky]

Originally Posted by Calzone Lord

ESPN did a one-hour SportsCentury on Whirlaway that they still run on ESPN Classic throughout the year.

They might have given him a little too much respect in that piece. They made him out to be a hero of World War II.

So did this congressman...

http://capitolwords.org/date/2006/06...-armed-servic/

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.

[OldDog]

Originally Posted by GenuineRisk

I'll look for the ESPN special; thanks! (I imagine some one has probably put it on YouTube if I can't find it on Netflix.)

They show it every year at Derby time.

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

[OldDog]

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

[GenuineRisk]

Originally Posted by OldDog

They show it every year at Derby time.

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

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

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

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by Ocala Mike

"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.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by GenuineRisk

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

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.

[OldDog]

Originally Posted by Ocala Mike

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

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.

[Riot]

Originally Posted by OldDog

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

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.