318
no matter how many times i watch secretariat's 1973 belmont stakes performance i always find myself a little more at peace with my inner demons.
watch the video and find four minutes of awesome respite in a world where unbridled exaltation is at a massive premium.
i dont find horseracing particularly exciting but i live and die for historic moments in sports; secretariat ran the guttiest race of any horse's life all the while authoritatively demonstrating that you dont need to have 46 chromosomes to be a tremendous athlete.
on june 9th, 1973, he ran the fastest, most captivating one-and-a-half miles in the annals of equestrian sports.
according to wikipedia, ron turcotte, secretariat's jockey, "could sense secretariat wanted to be let loose, and he did so, letting him shift into high gear and run his own race."
in perhaps the most spine-tingling race ever captured on film, secretariat exploded at the halfway marker and proceeded to annihilate his world-class competition in electric fashion. the final stretch saw secretariat so ridiculously far in front of his opposition that even with the camera pulled all the way back he was the only horse visible in frame as he barrelled across the finish line.
the camera operator had to widely pan left once secretariat crossed the line just to find the other horses.
i find it difficult not to smile and feel a surge of overwhelming empowerment as i listen to track announcer chic anderson's voice become increasingly strained with an eclectic mix of incredulity, exasperation and hysteria as his now legendary call described history in the making:
"...he is moving like a tremendous machine! secretariat by 12, secretariat by 14 lengths...secretariat is all alone! hes out there almost a 1/16 of a mile away from the rest of the horses! secretariat leads this field by 18 lengths...secretariat has opened up a 22 length lead! an unbelievable, an amazing performance!"
secretariat ran one-and-a-half miles in two minutes and twenty-four seconds, thirty-one lengths ahead of the runner-up.
nearly 35 years later secretariat's record time still stands.
watch the video and find four minutes of awesome respite in a world where unbridled exaltation is at a massive premium.
i dont find horseracing particularly exciting but i live and die for historic moments in sports; secretariat ran the guttiest race of any horse's life all the while authoritatively demonstrating that you dont need to have 46 chromosomes to be a tremendous athlete.
on june 9th, 1973, he ran the fastest, most captivating one-and-a-half miles in the annals of equestrian sports.
according to wikipedia, ron turcotte, secretariat's jockey, "could sense secretariat wanted to be let loose, and he did so, letting him shift into high gear and run his own race."
in perhaps the most spine-tingling race ever captured on film, secretariat exploded at the halfway marker and proceeded to annihilate his world-class competition in electric fashion. the final stretch saw secretariat so ridiculously far in front of his opposition that even with the camera pulled all the way back he was the only horse visible in frame as he barrelled across the finish line.
the camera operator had to widely pan left once secretariat crossed the line just to find the other horses.
i find it difficult not to smile and feel a surge of overwhelming empowerment as i listen to track announcer chic anderson's voice become increasingly strained with an eclectic mix of incredulity, exasperation and hysteria as his now legendary call described history in the making:
"...he is moving like a tremendous machine! secretariat by 12, secretariat by 14 lengths...secretariat is all alone! hes out there almost a 1/16 of a mile away from the rest of the horses! secretariat leads this field by 18 lengths...secretariat has opened up a 22 length lead! an unbelievable, an amazing performance!"
secretariat ran one-and-a-half miles in two minutes and twenty-four seconds, thirty-one lengths ahead of the runner-up.
nearly 35 years later secretariat's record time still stands.
posted by megaton at 12:58 AM
1 Comments:
that's fucking amazing!
Post a Comment
<< Home