The Triple Crown
The Triple Crown, Secretariat and Bill Nack
The Triple Crown, Secretariat and Bill Nack
POSTED 5/16/2018
This post started as a look at the pursuit of the Triple Crown by the winner of this year's Kentucky Derby, Justify. The Preakness, the second leg of the Crown, is this Saturday, and Justify is the 4-to-9 favorite. This will be the 100th running of what has become known as the Triple Crown - the races for three-year-old thoroughbreds at Churchill Downs, Pimlico, and Belmont - since Sir Barton won in 1919. There have been twelve winners of the Triple Crown - the most recent being American Pharaoh in 2015.
This post started as a look at the pursuit of the Triple Crown by the winner of this year's Kentucky Derby, Justify. The Preakness, the second leg of the Crown, is this Saturday, and Justify is the 4-to-9 favorite. This will be the 100th running of what has become known as the Triple Crown - the races for three-year-old thoroughbreds at Churchill Downs, Pimlico, and Belmont - since Sir Barton won in 1919. There have been twelve winners of the Triple Crown - the most recent being American Pharaoh in 2015.
Considered to be the greatest racehorse of all-time, Secretariat won the Triple Crown in 1973. After winning the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, "the colt graced the covers of Time, Sports illustrated and Newsweek, and he was a staple of the morning and evening news. Secretariat suddenly transcended horse racing and became a cultural phenomenon, a sort of undeclared national holiday from the tortures of Watergate and the Vietnam War."
Considered to be the greatest racehorse of all-time, Secretariat won the Triple Crown in 1973. After winning the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, "the colt graced the covers of Time, Sports illustrated and Newsweek, and he was a staple of the morning and evening news. Secretariat suddenly transcended horse racing and became a cultural phenomenon, a sort of undeclared national holiday from the tortures of Watergate and the Vietnam War."
Bill Nack, the author of those lines, passed away just two weeks before this year's Kentucky Derby. He was best known for his chronicles of Secretariat's life and death, and his book on Secretariat was the inspiration for the 2010 movie. As Sports Illustrated's remembrance put it: "He stands among the best sportswriters in the history of the genre, and in many ways, among the best writers of any kind. When he stopped typing, he was a giant personality, full of endless good charm, disarmingly well-read and all times, given to entertain."
Bill Nack, the author of those lines, passed away just two weeks before this year's Kentucky Derby. He was best known for his chronicles of Secretariat's life and death, and his book on Secretariat was the inspiration for the 2010 movie. As Sports Illustrated's remembrance put it: "He stands among the best sportswriters in the history of the genre, and in many ways, among the best writers of any kind. When he stopped typing, he was a giant personality, full of endless good charm, disarmingly well-read and all times, given to entertain."
Sports Illustrated republished his 1990 article on Secretariat, "Pure Heart". It was chosen as one of the most memorable stories in the 60 years of SI. Below are a couple of "Secretariat" movie trailers and a link to the marvelous "Pure Heart" article by Bill Nack.
Sports Illustrated republished his 1990 article on Secretariat, "Pure Heart". It was chosen as one of the most memorable stories in the 60 years of SI. Below are a couple of "Secretariat" movie trailers and a link to the marvelous "Pure Heart" article by Bill Nack.
RJC, 5/16/2018
Justify Wins the Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown
Justify Wins the Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown
POSTED,6/9/2018
Leading nearly wire-to-wire, Justify became the 13th Triple Crown winner and the 2nd to win it with an undefeated record, ,the other was Seattle Slew. The oldest jockey to win the Triple Crown, 52-year-old Mike Smith, rode Justify to a 1-3/4 length win in the Belmont Stakes.
Leading nearly wire-to-wire, Justify became the 13th Triple Crown winner and the 2nd to win it with an undefeated record, ,the other was Seattle Slew. The oldest jockey to win the Triple Crown, 52-year-old Mike Smith, rode Justify to a 1-3/4 length win in the Belmont Stakes.
Left Photo is by Michael Reeves/Getty Images