Racing's 8th Triple Crown winner. Some people say he is the best horse who ever stepped foot on the track. From ESPN's Jewels of the Triple Crown www.freehorsera...
1948 Before Cy even ran the Derby... "Citation's done more than any horse I ever saw...and I saw Man o' War." ("Sunny" Jim Fitzsimmons, HOF trainer of two Triple Crown winners, Omaha and Gallant Fox). "Other trainers thought Ben Jones was nuts running Citation against older horses in his first two starts as a 3 yo. But he did it. He beat the others easily. That horse could do anything." "It's like a junior high school football player playing against college players."
After the Belmont: Arcaro-"He's the greatest horse I've ever seen, let alone ridden!" Tied Count Fleet's record time for the Belmont:"Had Citation been pressed, chances are he would have smashed the Belmont record." "Turns on speed like a high-powered auto whenever Arcaro shows him the whip...He ran so fast he scared me!...I shouldn't have let him win by so much, but for that kind of money, I couldn't take any chances..."
10/40: "When Citation went out of his division as a 3yo in the 2-mile JCGCup and Empire Cup (1-5/8 mi)and beat older horses with the same ease as he'd been beating 3yo's, even some of the more cautious critics dropped their reserve & came right out with the opinion that Citation wasn't merely as good as MOW--he was better. "He's the best horse the track has ever known, and he's just started to run"...Grantland Rice.
I like to see them this way: A great after each war: World War 1, MoW; World War II, Citation; Vietnam War, Secretariat. We're still waiting for a great horse out of the Iraqi War.....
@evyn10014 I'm reading about Sotemia, a 5yo mare, who on 10/7/1912 at Churchill Downs, ran 4 miles in 7:10.8, for a new world record that still stands. That averages out to ~1:45/mi.. It is said that jockey just galloped her in, winning by 11 lengths...and when Sotemia returned to her stall "she looked like she could run another couple of miles..." Now that's when horses were horses (and mares were mares!)
I was always amazed at that 54-0 record Kincsem posted. Just another case of the virtual impossibility of comparing horses across continents, centuries/eras, etc.
In the International Gold Cup, 10/48: "Citation pulled away, leaving the others groggy as usual, but if it is true that the ankle already was hurting him, the effort through the final furlong must be regarded as testimony to his supreme courage and class."
Don't forget that Citation besides winning the Triple Crown in 1948 managed to squeeze in the Jersey Derby only one week before the Belmont Stakes. Citation won 4 major 3 yo races in the same time span that other TC winners win 3 races. They once asked Arcaro who was the better horse that he rode, Whirlaway or Citation. He acknowledged that Whirlaway was a great horse but said that when he touched the whip to Citation that it was like stepping down on the accelerator in a souped-up Cadillac. Jimmy Jones told Arcaro that there was no horse ever born that Citation couldn't run down.
Richard Yanco Citation was 19 for 20 his 3 year old year with only one second place beaten by a length on an off track while carried wide! It’s unbelievable! Can you imagine a horse nowadays racing 20 times in a season and winning 19 times against the greatest horses!
Not sure what you are saying. I don't think I said the Jersey Derby was run on Memorial Day. The DRF chart says that he won the Jersey Derby by 11 weeks between the 48 Preakness and Belmont. I am not sure of what the exact date was. Why all caps? Is there an issue?
Ben Jones (1948): "Citation is just like a businessman at a conference where hes making a big deal. He's the most business-like horse to run in decades. There's no show-boating or displays of temperament. He submits calmly to the saddling and then unconcernedly goes out to beat the brains out of any horse who dares to challenge him.
No matter who people say was the greatest of all. Citation is in my mind always going to be right up there. Aside from his obvious talent,he had the intangable known as heart. Even when he wasn't at his best(some would argue he wasn't rested enough to get back there)he was still a horse who in order to beat him you had to really run,for he wasn't going to just quit and give it to you. The ability to deal with adversity and keep coming is very admirable in my book.
Over the course of a stellar training career, James E. "Sunny Jim" Fitsimmons trained three Kentucky Derby winners, four Preakness Stakes winners, and six Belmont Stakes winners. Included were two Triple Crown champions Gallant Fox in 1930 and his son Omaha in 1935. Fitzsimmons record of 13 classic wins as a trainer stood unmatched for many, many years until it was finally broken by trainer D. Wayne Lukas in 2013. Fitzsimmons was a man who knew his way around a thoroughbred and knew what it took to turn one into a champion. Fitzsimmons was once asked, "what did you think about Citation"? He calmly responded, "I can say without a second's hesitation that Citation was the best horse I ever saw, and lest we forget, I saw Man O'War." High praise indeed from the highly placed.
"Sunny" Jim Fitzsimmons, Hall of Fame trainer, said about Cy, even before he won the Derby, "Citation's done more than any horse I ever saw ... and I saw Man o' War." During 1948, Cy was frequently compared to MOW, who died the previous year. In fact, he was looked upon as his successor. Ron Hale (and I) feel that MOW and Cy are the best ever. Pick your favorite.
From "They All Roared": "...while [Secretariat's] dominance in the [Triple Crown] made him legendary in the public's mind, [he] never had a year like Citation did in 1948." "...many racing aficionado's consider [Citation's] accomplishments the greatest in the history of the sport."
From the 1949 "The American Racing Manual": "Citation...swept the platter clean. [He}broke the jinx that forbade a Futurity winner to go on and capture the Derby...in training from early February til mid-December...scored in 19 of 20 starts...his only defeat was...a fluke...He delighted the public and...fascinated the severest clinic...a phenomenon for whom any lover of the thoroughbred horse can be grateful...
1948: 15 Stakes starts, 15 wins...half of them against top older horses, 35 of them...races from 6 furlongs to 2 miles...won the Stars & Stripes while hurt...won on all track conditions...could have broken several records if allowed to run...a walkover in the Pimlico Special... If you know of a horse that can match that record, let me know... King Citation...the greatest and most underappreciated horse ever!!
Arcaro (11/2/48)--"He is the only horse I ever saw who can take the lead or come from behind and lose and come on again. And he can do it on any kind of track...He is the toughest, the best, and the greatest horse this country has ever seen. I can't speak for Europe, I haven't ridden over there, but I will ride him against their best and gamble I'll win...It's almost impossible to make him run easily. He takes hold of the bit and starts flying..he always wins going away..."
Our great grandfathers saw the greatest horse to ever run - Man-o-war. Our grandfathers saw the greatest horse to ever run - Citation. I sat with my father to see the greatest horse to ever run - Secretariat. I'm sad future generations will never see what we have seen.....
Here you are in the place of the greatest 3 year old who ever lived!! Not forcing you, steering you. His sophomore year was unmatched by any horse before or since. If he hadn't been hurt and missed his 4 year old season, who knows?
"Citation is the only horse I ever saw make 3 runs in a Derby. Arcaro rode him like he was driving a Cadillac...push on the gas, let up, push on the gas, let up...and on that final push, that was it...he ran by Coaltown like Coaltown broke his leg!!"
This horse won 27 of his first 29 races,think about that for a moment. At 3 he destroyed the best older horses in training,he did it early in his 3 yr. old year,and than in the summer and fall. If he hadn't been injured(missing his 4 yr. old season)he probably wouldn't have lost many races. When he came back,he was never just right physically,yet it took a VERY GOOD HORSE CALLED NOOR to best him. Most of their contests had CY carrying way more weight,and it almost always came down to a nose CONT
Frank: U took the words out of my mouth....When looking at a horse's achievement over his entire racing life, I really don't think any house comes close to Kelso, even my fave Citation. An unremarkable looking horse, he was loved by his fans, King Kelly....If bearing weight is the mark of a great horse, Kelso did it and won many times...Arcaro was lucky enough to ride both Kelso and Big Cy!!
Did you know Citation used to kick people? Like, a lot. He also tripped to his knees at the Belmont when he came out of the gate. And he still won. Amazing horse!
Al Snider drowned in March 1948 after riding Cy during February at Hialeah's 4 races. He really developed a rapport with Cy. So Jones called on Arcaro again (as he did with Whirlaway). Arcaro had two chances to ride him before the Derby. After the Chesapeake>KDerby, Cy won 16 straight races, a record that stood until tied by Cigar in 1996.
Danny: I know that. I read the Nack book. When I started my interest in horseracing, I like you, worshipped him. Studied his Belmont like some people study their bible. But then I started reading about other horses and decided that his fame was mostly because of the TV set....and beauty, and of course Belmont. Not the things one judges a horse's whole career by...
@CitationTheGreat There were 4 TC winners in the 1940's. Arcaro rode Whirly in 1941 and Cy in 1948. Totally different horses of course. In the KD, Whirly set the track record; Coaltown, in mud this time, was setting fractions equal to Whirly's. But he was a miler (Sprinter of the Year), the mud tired him. Cy could run all day, and breezed by him doing the final 1/4 in :25 and change. Coaltown had enuf left to beat My Request for second. The Calumet two were one entry...
The other point is Citation's case there was clearly a concerted effort to run him extraordinarily often in order make him the 1st horse to win $1 million. They ran him around the clock and even running 20 times there was no way he would make it as a 3 yr old. The evidence that his handlers tried to conserve his energy whenever possible in order to achieve this goal is overwhelming. Even the racing cards of his 3 yr old races typically read "eased up", "in hand", "easily", "breezing" etc.
we certainly have been fortunate to have such grand athletes in our thoroughbreds....today we have so many horses running from the starting gates it takes away from the possiblity or showing just what a horse can do.
Cy was a great horse and was up there with MOW until 73 when Secretariet broke track records one after another. Cy would have been right near Sec at the end of most races excluding the Belmont of course. But wow what a burst of speed he displayed. Cy was truly one of the top 3 of all time with Sec and MoW. Hands down and no doubt about it.
Agreed, in the final furlong, Turcotte saw the timer, & gave SEC an aggressive hand-ride through the wire. However, watch the REST OF THE RACE & pay CLOSE ATTENTION to the consistent 90/100 degree angle of Turcotte's forearm & upper arm. That immediately tells you Turcotte was holding back the remaining 11 furlongs! When jockey's push horses, that arm angle ranges between 150-180 degrees. Look at Pincay's arms the first 6 furlongs vs. Turcotte! That clearly says SEC was running on his own!
Stepn: Longevity can be laughed at today. Although geldings have to be discussed apart from colts, Kelso was like no other horse. No other horse did the things he did. He didn't set many records, win by any large margins, but simply beat most horses that faced him over his long career. Certainly, one of the greatest, weight-bearing, long-lasting stallions in American racing!!
My belief that Secretariat is the greatest thoroughbred in racing history is obviously subjective. I saw Secretariat before, during, and after his Triple Crown run in 1973, and he will always have a special place in my heart. I can make strong, tangible argument that "Big Red" is the "best" based on the fact that his three Triple Crown race times are, to this day, 40 years later, still in the record books. My home is a virtual thoroughbred museum, with Secretariat as the focal point.
From "And the Fans Roared": "Overall, Citation won 27 of his first 29 races with two [excusable, 2 lengths total] seconds, an unrivaled accomplishment in the sport of horse racing."
Absolutely Bruce! Prove Out ran two incredible races in the Woodward and Jockey Gold Cup in the fall of '73. When you really look at the complete picture of America's greatest horses ever, you can place the names of SEC, MOW, Citation, Kelso, Dr. Fager, Spectacular Bid, and Count Fleet in a basket and pick any name with absolutely no shame. All kidding aside, any one of those horses could beat the other on any given day. Peace! Joe
Cy won his KD 10 days before I was born!! I'm a war baby. I had a game in the 1950's (Kentucky Derby). Simple, like games were in those days. One of the horses name was "Citation". I just loved the name. Later, I read Phil Georgeff's book about him (I am friends with Phil), and just became obsessed with this horse and what his owners put him though. I just got out of college when I say Sec win the TC. Didn't care for horseracing though. Girls took up more of my time!!!
I agree. We've had many great horses, but none have done what Citation did in his sophomore year. Except for that one bogus loss at the 6F sprint with Arcaro first time up, he would have been 20 for 20. Beat older horses 7 times ran one mile on Wednesday, then the Jockey Club Gold Cup, then 2 miles, on Saturday, winning easily. Out with injuries at 4, come back at 5, wins 2, second place 7 times, Beaten by Noor, but tugged much more weight than Noor did. "Boss, that horse ain't human!"
10/48: "Count Charles de Breil, steward of [France's Jockey Club], said...that he had never seen a greater thoroughbred...He was amazed at Citation's aptitude for a distance of ground in combination with the 'foot' that the colt was ready to display whenever asked...One had the impression he considered Citation a champion without peer." "By mid-October, Citation's stature had grown to such an extent that he could be compared only with himself."
World-class vet Dr. Thomas Swerczek performed Secretariat's autopsy & clearly stated "I never saw such a perfect anatomically structured thoroughbred as Secretariat", and he was NOT just referring to his heart. Don't you get it? It was no coincidence that SEC could produce early bursts of world-class speed & STILL maintain atypical staying power at the end of 9+ furlong races. ONCE AGAIN, 5 to 10 extra lbs would not have hindered this unparalleled running machine. GOD YOU ARE BLIND!
I could not agree more my man. Bid was truely underrated. But we could sit around all day and contemplate who was the greatest. You have to mention Cy, MoW, and Sec when you say the greatest as a sure top five of all time. You have to look at longevity and not just 3 races that Sec ran. MoW and Cy were surely consistant and pretty much demolished all competitors.
Bruce - here is what makes SEC stand above the rest: In a SINGLE 3-year old season, he set 2 official dirt track world records at 1-1/8 and 1-1/2 miles with the latter untouchable forever, & his 1-1/8 mile record only bested by a single length. He set 2 "unofficial" world records "pulling up" 1/8 mile AFTER the wire at 1-1/4 and 1-5/8 miles, & he was within 3 & 5 lengths of add'l world records for the 1-3/16 and 1 mile distances. NO HORSE EVER could boast speed consistency like that...PERIOD!
Fact is that Kelso won 5 straight horse of the year, 4 Jockey Club Gold Cups one with a record run, and other achievements that may make him the greatest horse/gelding ever....a great horse walks with his legs, gallops with his lungs, resists with his heart, but wins with his spirit and character....Forego obviously had that in spades...running on those gams....but no other horse has done what Kelso did, against tough horses, not even CY...and that makes him immortal to me...
10/9/48: Max Hirsch, trainer, who saddled several opponents of MOW 28 years ago..."He's the greatest horse I've ever seen...looks like he can do anything...If we ever seen another like him, we'll be lucky." Bill Finnegan, trainer..."Citation is the best horse I've ever seen, and I saw MOW race several times...no freak horse...he can run past horses at any time in a race and doesn't have to wait until they get tired to come on to win..."
From the 1949 "The American Racing Manual": ...Many foreign horsemen were present at Belmont last October. They [declared] [Citation]the equal,if not superior, of any horse in England or on the Continent..." "...Citation's great speed was in response to Arcaro's demand. This was true in his races throughout the year." "He has the power to excel, and the flash, but it is suppressed until needed."
Let's remember that, between his Preakness and Belmont, Cy won the Jersey Stakes in track record time. "If it was today, you'd probably be kicked out of the Trainers' Union." First horse to win the Belmont Futurity and win the Derby. First horse to win the Derby Trial and the Derby. Ran the one mile Trial, then three days later, ran the Derby. Tied The Fleet's Belmont Stakes record: Arcaro: "Too bad I didn't know that; I'd have let him run a few jumps at the head of the stretch."
GREAT POINT about Count Fleet! A truly remarkable horse, I believe he belongs with MOW, SEC, and Citation. Also, I think Count Fleet was faster than Citation, just my opinion. Regarding Spectacular Bid, I loved that horse but what hurt his all-time legacy is the fact he NEVER won a 1-1/2 mile race. The same issue UK enthusiasts are feeling with Frankel because he neaver raced longer than 10.5 furlongs! You have to perform strongly at 12 furlongs if you want to be considered the greatest!
I made the statement that SEC is number one and Citation is number two, ALL-TIME. I wanted to put into context how GREAT of a racehorse "Cy" was, for those who don't know much about Citation. After all, Citation raced over 60 years ago. For that matter, many people weren't around when Secretariat ended the 25-year Triple Crown drought in 1973, and the impact SEC had on a country that was deeply divided over the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal was deepening.
Citation was a great horse no doubt about that, Secretariet had the triple crown in 73 and is the greatest triple crown winner ever and his records will be hard to beat. But MOW was untouchable with Citation right behind. Sec takes 3rd place.
Another great example of SEC's supernatural ability.....EVERY....and I repeat EVERY great racing analyst clearly stated that NO HORSE EVER could have maintained the pace SEC did in the Preakness AFTER he exploded "3 horses wide" from last to first in an approximate 22 second or less quarter fraction run. Especially considering Pimlico has the sharpest turns on a North American track, it is incomprehensible that SEC could have stayed in front with a horse as fast as Sham chasing him!
10/19/48 (INS) "Never before has there been a horse unanimosly acclaimed as at least the equal of Man o' War. "This honr goes to Citation. Among his backers are many who insist he is even greater than America's original greatest horse." Ben Jones: "Citation could beat any horse I ever saw at any distance, sprinting or over a route of ground."
"Most horses have one move in a race; Citation, he had about eight!" Whenever Arcaro wanted more speed, he shook his stick, or chirped in Cy's ear. The Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont in October was 2 miles. Cy went right to the front and stayed there to the end, and whenever a challenger made a move at him, Arcaro simply "changed gears" and opened the lead. He galloped him in, as usual, and could have tied Kelso's record if pushed. But hey...he had just won a race 3 days before...
Exactly. I know a person who actually saw the Washington Futurity, and he told me it was obvious that Cy was being held back.. After that, he beat Bewitch every time he faced her, even in his last race in 1951. That "loss" plus the bogus loss in the Chesapeake Trial in which he was interfered with, if tossed out would have made him 29 for 29 in his first two years, unheard of before or since....no other horse like him....my favorite....
Arcaro took that back when he became aware that the Belmont was not run against any stiff competition, and Sec was running against the clock. The other horses finished at about 2:30. Yeah, Sec was a fast horse with a 20 lb heart, but he did not break records in every race. He was only 9 for 11 at 3, 75%, the least of most of the great horses. That is why Sec fans put the emphasis on speed. It was the fastest TC , if that means anything...
FYI, out of respect for this forum & Citation, I've made my LAST post on this board. I do have to admit I respect your devotion for Citation and any of the horses you have chosen to admire. We all are over-zealous of our heroes and while I will argue to my grave for SEC, I sincerely respect the fact you likewise will do the same. Nothing will ever sway our opinions, and I guess that is the nucleus for ANY sports related argument. Like I previously stated, EVEY horse we've spoken of is iconic!
Pimlico Special, 10/29/48 - "Like a true king, Citation will walk alone...A score of other horses were eligible...All got handsome engraved invitations, but all graciously declined...Citation had beaten most of them one or more times." Arcaro: "If Cy had been tightened for the Special, he would have broken every record in the book. I couldn't hold him." J. Jones: "A race designed to determine the best, and no horses want to face him. What a tribute to his greatness!"
Turcotte may have "always" stated that Sec could have shaved 1.5 to 2 seconds off his Belmont time, but it isn't like he looked back, saw he had a huge lead, and eased up on Sec. The official line reads that Sec was "ridden out" which means Turcotte finished the race with Sec under a vigorous hand ride. He wasn't easing up on Sec at all.
Arcaro said a lot of things that he didn't mean and took back. But to the end he said Citation was the best horse he ever rode, and that "trainers and people that knew, all to this day say that he was the best 3 year old that ever lived." Kelso was a gelding and raced until he was 8; Cy was a stallion and raced until 6. Kelso had an outstanding career, probably the best of any horse in this century. That can't be said of Secretariat.
sl: re: forego: "There is a quality that manifests itself in stress of competition, in a market, a game, or a war. It is comprised of determination, and courage, and gallantry. It is called valor. It commands the respect of all, wherever found, in friend or foe, man or horse. Forego had it."
@rscarbro100 That's the most sensible thing I've ever heard you say. It's especially silly to compare them on the basis of speed. Swaps vs. Nashua, Seabiscuit vs. War Admiral...match races like these are what the public likes, but only prove that one horse was faster than the other on that particular day.
Well, I can believe that after watching the video. I enjoy the videos of the great horses who lived before my time. You learn alot about them studying the way they ran. It's funny people compare great horses from different periods trying to say one was greater than another when there are too many variables to make valid comparisons. It's like football. The saying goes on any given Sunday any team can win. Same with horses. Once a race starts, anything can happen.
Pay close attention because I am a professional baseball coach that slept with the physics of baseball philosophy. Lighter bats with average mass generate more energy at contact with a baseball than a heavier mass bat that produces less bat speed. Simple proof - why do you think players Chet and cork batts? Bar speed far outweighs bat mass in determining how far a baseball is hit. Not not trying to give you a hard time but these are the facts!
Another implication of Wellman's study is that if Forego carried 128 lbs like Slew did when he ran 1:45.8 at Belmont rather than 135 lbs, he might have finished in 1:45.1 and broken the WR. If he had run the distance carrying 124 the way Secretariat did, he may have gone under 1:45.
Just about genius! I have read virtually EVERY Bloodhorse magazine dating back to 1969 & ALL of the post-1973 TC magazines CLEARLY state that Sham would have been an EASY TC winner without SEC. Additionally, DRF forms consistently stated the same, and why not? Sham's competition finished a full 8 Lengths behind him in BOTH the Derby & Preakness...8 lengths in BOTH races! Save the possibility of breaking down, he would have cruised to a Belmont victory.
Citation was before my time. Didn't know much about him other than he was a TC winner. It's wonderful to see a clip like this and see some of these great horses from the past in action. What's so surprising to me is that in studying his running it looks like he is out there for a brisk gallop. The horse looks to me like he was holding something back in these races. He's not driving hard, not really reaching or extending himself. Wow. What could he have done with some competition??
Bruce - Sec ran great in the mud! In the bay shore, he ran through 3 horses in a paste like mud in the stretch like the horses weren't even there. In the Woodward, he ran a 2:26.6 1.5 miles without any dirt trang for 2.5 weeks! With that said, some experts feel the mud can actually help a horse run easier if the underlying surface is hard....helps them glide? Your thoughts on that?
Phipps: Hi. As you can see, I'm a Citation fan, but I can acknowledge the greatness of other horses. The Bid is one of then. How the Bloodhorse book could make him #10 makes the whole book suspect. He was just incredible and did things that make other horses look like platers.
Eddie believed in the Jones' dictum: "Time only counts when you are in prison." They told him to ease Cy when he got into the lead. Cy never let any horse pass him, and could catch any horse in front of him. That is much more important that absolute time. "He didn't try to win by any number of lengths. He just beat any horse who showed up." That's what horseracing is about. Not absolute time. Some races are not even times. The horse that gets his nose to the wire first WINS!!
TEARS?! Citation's story brings tears, not Sec's. Injured in his last race at 3 at Tanforan (which he still won, beating older horses), he should have been put to stud, like Sec. But he sat out his 4th year with injuries, the made to race in his 5th year, and could have ended his career then if Noor carried a little more weight. But no, he was forced to race at 6. Jimmy Jones wanted him to continue, but Mrs. Wright said "No", and finally he was retired. Great movie!!!
Plain Ben: "Maybe he's the best I ever had...maybe he's the best I ever saw...maybe he's even the best there's ever been." Arcaro: "He's the doggondest horse I ever rode...I swear he has 10 moves. He can move for you at the start, the turn, the back stretch or anywhere else!" "Whether the pace be fast or slow, whether he is asked to to sprint at the start, middle or finish, or all three, Citation has what it takes..."
8 or 9 gears, drop of the hands, loosen the reins. Most horses have one move in a race. Some of the great ones have two. Cy could pour it on anytime Arcaro asked him to according to Eddie, break out of a pack of horses with incredible speed, then Arcaro would simply gallop him home. In the 2-mile Jockey Club Gold Cup, Cy broke to the lead from the start and stayed in front the whole distance, putting on speed whenever other hoses started to close, and won by 8 lengths.
@rscarbro100 Yes, I've seen the video on youtube. Whoever said that that Arcaro threw that 6f sprint at Havre de Grace? Not Phil. Not Eddie. It was interference pure and simple. Hefty tired in the awful mud and drifted towards the outside rail, with Eddie on his right. Eddie called it a mistake being outside of two horses and never blamed Cy for the loss. After all, it was his first ride on Cy after Snider's disappearance. He didn't lose another for the rest of the season.
From the 1949 "The American Racing Manual": "It was Citation's year...Calumet Farm's great colt dominated, not only the three-year-old division...but the entire thoroughbred sport...the best since Man o' War...the only argument was whether the new champion was superior to 'Big Red'...When the KD was discussed, it was not a question of Citation's winning it, but of who might dare to run against him..." Of what other horse can this be said?
Arcaro said he never let him race...never had to...but in the Derby, Escadru was closing space on Cy, so Arcaro let out a notch by dropping his hands..."He ran so fast, he scared, so I had to pull him back in...." Then, he went ahead and won by 8 lengths, not 31 like Sec, but lengths won by means nothing...
@eckythimble Well, it is less strange when you realize that the great majority of ALL thoroghbreds are foaled in the months of March and April...that's a fact...springtime...at least north of the Equator... South of the Equator, Argentina and Australia for example, most colts are foaled in October, September...autumn up here, but springtime down under...Phar Lap was born in October...
Anyone know what year it was that Arcaro was interviewed there when he was talking about the trainers and owners saying Citation was the greatest three year old ever? Interesting.
Jimmy Jones 1950: "It's important [speed], yes, but class is harder to beat." "Citation has beaten a field jam-packed with blazing speed by as much as 3 lengths with his ears pricked. He does everything easy." Ben Jones, who has seen, many, many great horses in his days, in 10/48: "I was thinking that [Cy] could beat any horse I've ever seen at any distance." "He has whipped them all...takes the older horses with the same ease as the 3yo's...greatest race horse of all time..."
Attempting to compare horse who competed in 1919 to one who raced in 1948 and 1973 is well...just crazy. Time is only one factor, track conditions and the completion are equally important. Each was the best of their generation and that is the only real "fact" in this discussion.
1948: Horse of the Year; Champion 3-year-old colt; Triple Crown; Handicap Horse of the Year; 2nd to Coaltown for Sprinter of the Year. Arcaro: "I hope they make a match race between Cy and Shannon II...Citation will be tightened up for such a race...people will see the greatest runner of these times and probably records will fall..." "Sure, he'll finally be beaten. They'll begin to pile weight on him as a 4yo to the point that he can't win...but he'll give 'em a run!"
At the Belmont Sham's rider was instructed to hang close to Sec. Sec's pace increased from start to finish. Sham wasn't injured, but faded due to the fast pace. Sec's rider was instructed to let Sec run at his own pace and not to hold him back. Sec's heart was 22 lbs and Sham's was 18 lbs. Sec larger engine is what made him better than Sham, and Citation. Citation, would have lost to Sec in all 3 Triple Crown races, the true test, due to the time lapse beteen each race.
In closing Bruce, I truly respect MOW, Citation, Count Fleet, Swaps, etc. However, my opinion is that some of SEC's incomparable & uncontested supernatural like achievements (accelerating an ENTIRE 10F race, setting world records via TWO post-wire furlong gallops, his Belmont Stakes, his unprecedented Preakness early clubhouse turn without tiring at the end, his Marlboro Cup, etc.) set him apart from the rest. He surpassed the standard genetic limitations of a horse. Best to you...Joe
Citation's 19 for 20 three y.o. campaign was the greatest thre y.o. campaign in history. Man O'War and Native Dancer lost one race in their entire career by narrow margins(as close to perfection a horse can get). Secretariat was phenomenal in the Triple Crown, but he did lose the Whitney, Wood Memorial and Woodward to Onion, Angle Light and Prove Out.
I'm glad to see my opinion vindicated by your grandpa! I do have that book where Cy is rated 3rd. Bah! MOW was fantastic, was unbeaten at 3, but didn't race against older horses, face stiff opposition, etc. Sec lost 3 stakes races out of 12. Rightly considered, Cy should have been 20 for 20 at 3. Incredible! Did you read all the quotes by contemporaries on this site? I can't think of another horse receiving this much praise from so many experts.
Citation's problems began after the 20th race when he ran at Tanforan on a track underlain by concrete. He developed on osselet and the abuse began when, hell-bent on running him again the following month, they resorted to the risky & discredited practice of pin-firing to speed heeling. They ignored the pleadings of his jockey who urged them to rest Citation & cool him down for 3-4 months. The procedure didn't work, Citation would not run again for over a year, & he was never the same again.
Jimmy Jones: "He's a very sensible horse. He's a doer, but n ot a ravenous eater. With a horse that's racing as hard as he is, it's somewhat of a problem to keep flesh on them, but h is disposition helps. Nothing upsets him." "Probably his most impressive race was the Sysonby Mile, which he won by 3 lengths eased up, running the mile in 1:36."
Regarding excessive racing, Secretariat actually EXCELLED with excessive work/running. Remember, he ran TWO 1.5 mile races in 9 days (Woodward & MOW), setting a record in his FIRST Turf race (MOW) & running a super 2;26.6 in the rain soaked mud in his Woodward loss to Prove Out with ZERO training on dirt for 2.5 weeks...are you kidding me??? Would Citation or any other horse have bested a 2;25.8 time..NO WAY! Had SEC been ready for that race, he would NOT have tired in the stretch.
con't: FYI, my theory on extra weight is NOT due to SEC never racing at 4, especially considering my 2 other favorite horses along with SEC are Dr.Fager & Spectacular Bid. Obviously, carrying extra weight would elevate their legacy to an even higher stature. While there are some inconsistencies with stellar 4-year-olds handling extra weight, if you look throughout history, you will see that many of the superior horses had no major issues with the extra 6 - 10 lbs.
Hollie Hughes was 10 times more respected than ANY trainer ever & was a DIEHARD MOW advocate, always stating NO HORSE will EVER top him! That is until Secretariat came along. After SEC's 3-year-old season, Hughes clearly stated Secretariat was the ultimate horse, the greatest and fastest he has ever seen, even RELUCTANTLY placing him over MOW. The problem with most of the pre-1960 analysts/trainers/jockeys is that they stubbornly LIVE IN THEIR ERA's, refusing to concede to post 1960 legends.
Bruce - not MY comparison, but a series of world-class vets/doctors who came up with this analogy based on anatomical growth/structures vs. growth rates. I don't claim to be a doctor or vet, and i'm only trying to make some sense of the data that is presented to us from the experts in their fields. Fact remains older horses carry more weight than 3-year olds because of their considerable physiological advantage. I don't make the rules..LOL.
The horse that puts his nose across the wire first wins the race. Don't even need to time it. That's relative time, and that is what horseracing is about. Doesn't matter if it is 2:24, 2:26, 2:28, or 2:30. Cy won in 2:28.2, after a stumble at the gait, pulled himself up and stayed in front, then left the rest behind, while Arcaro kept him under double wraps and galloped him in. All great horses have speed. They don't always need to use it.
There is no mathematical formula that defines what you call "iconic stature".but winning & win percent is huge.The objective in horse racing is WINNING. That drives purses & betting, Citations 19 of 20 is a singular achievement that will never be equaled. Could Sec have run 2:24 if that had been his 11th race? How would he have performed in the Woodward, MOW, & CI if those had been races 18, 19, & 20 of his 3rd yr? Citation couldn't possibly have been in top shape for so many races but he won.
@1948BigCy Yup he was an amazing horse. Love the Fleet as well, Kelso, and the Doctor. Used to love Secretariat till I got into with some of his groupies... ha, still love that horse well despite the rabid nature of his fans. Take care.
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1948 Before Cy even ran the Derby...
"Citation's done more than any horse I ever saw...and I saw Man o' War." ("Sunny" Jim Fitzsimmons, HOF trainer of two Triple Crown winners, Omaha and Gallant Fox).
"Other trainers thought Ben Jones was nuts running Citation against older horses in his first two starts as a 3 yo. But he did it. He beat the others easily. That horse could do anything."
"It's like a junior high school football player playing against college players."
That is one gorgeous horse. He was on cruise control for all three TC races. Thanks for posting.
After the Belmont: Arcaro-"He's the greatest horse I've ever seen, let alone ridden!"
Tied Count Fleet's record time for the Belmont:"Had Citation been pressed, chances are he would have smashed the Belmont record."
"Turns on speed like a high-powered auto whenever Arcaro shows him the whip...He ran so fast he scared me!...I shouldn't have let him win by so much, but for that kind of money, I couldn't take any chances..."
Citation had such a fluent stride! A thing of beauty!
10/40: "When Citation went out of his division as a 3yo in the 2-mile JCGCup and Empire Cup (1-5/8 mi)and beat older horses with the same ease as he'd been beating 3yo's, even some of the more cautious critics dropped their reserve & came right out with the opinion that Citation wasn't merely as good as MOW--he was better.
"He's the best horse the track has ever known, and he's just started to run"...Grantland Rice.
There were 3 great horses for 3 great eras. Man'O War, Citation, and Secretariat. One for my grandpa, one for my father, and one for me
I like to see them this way: A great after each war: World War 1, MoW; World War II, Citation; Vietnam War, Secretariat. We're still waiting for a great horse out of the Iraqi War.....
Bruce Robbins If we need wars to produce great horses, I would prefer we didn't have any of either.
Bruce Robbins we got American Pharoah!
@@Icyhotboo Oh, I agree. What person would wish for a war, for anything? It was a simple chronological fact that I observed.
@@bre1408 Yeah, I guess AmPhar is it!!! Does this mean in another35 years there will be a war????
@evyn10014 I'm reading about Sotemia, a 5yo mare, who on 10/7/1912 at Churchill Downs, ran 4 miles in 7:10.8, for a new world record that still stands. That averages out to ~1:45/mi.. It is said that jockey just galloped her in, winning by 11 lengths...and when Sotemia returned to her stall "she looked like she could run another couple of miles..."
Now that's when horses were horses (and mares were mares!)
I was always amazed at that 54-0 record Kincsem posted. Just another case of the virtual impossibility of comparing horses across continents, centuries/eras, etc.
In the International Gold Cup, 10/48:
"Citation pulled away, leaving the others groggy as usual, but if it is true that the ankle already was hurting him, the effort through the final furlong must be regarded as testimony to his supreme courage and class."
Don't forget that Citation besides winning the Triple Crown in 1948 managed to squeeze in the Jersey Derby only one week before the Belmont Stakes. Citation won 4 major 3 yo races in the same time span that other TC winners win 3 races. They once asked Arcaro who was the better horse that he rode, Whirlaway or Citation. He acknowledged that Whirlaway was a great horse but said that when he touched the whip to Citation that it was like stepping down on the accelerator in a souped-up Cadillac. Jimmy Jones told Arcaro that there was no horse ever born that Citation couldn't run down.
Richard Yanco
Citation was 19 for 20 his 3 year old year with only one second place beaten by a length on an off track while carried wide! It’s unbelievable! Can you imagine a horse nowadays racing 20 times in a season and winning 19 times against the greatest horses!
NO JERSEY DERBY WAS RUN MEMORIAL DAY 1948
Not sure what you are saying. I don't think I said the Jersey Derby was run on Memorial Day. The DRF chart says that he won the Jersey Derby by 11 weeks between the 48 Preakness and Belmont. I am not sure of what the exact date was. Why all caps? Is there an issue?
The Jersey Derby that Citation ran and won was at the Garden State Race Track in New Jersey USA, Not the Jersey Derby on the English Island of Jersey.
@@richardyanco3229 LIMITED VISION
This was an amazing horse.
chris: e-mail me at albtruss2000@yahoo.com...have you watched the ESPN documentay on Cy? Bill Christie is on it...
Bruce Robbins
That's where I saw the name...couldn't place it! Thank you. I will email you.
Ben Jones (1948):
"Citation is just like a businessman at a conference where hes making a big deal. He's the most business-like horse to run in decades. There's no show-boating or displays of temperament. He submits calmly to the saddling and then unconcernedly goes out to beat the brains out of any horse who dares to challenge him.
No matter who people say was the greatest of all. Citation is in my mind always going to be right up there. Aside from his obvious talent,he had the intangable known as heart. Even when he wasn't at his best(some would argue he wasn't rested enough to get back there)he was still a horse who in order to beat him you had to really run,for he wasn't going to just quit and give it to you. The ability to deal with adversity and keep coming is very admirable in my book.
Over the course of a stellar training career, James E. "Sunny Jim" Fitsimmons trained three Kentucky Derby winners, four Preakness Stakes winners, and six Belmont Stakes winners. Included were two Triple Crown champions Gallant Fox in 1930 and his son Omaha in 1935. Fitzsimmons record of 13 classic wins as a trainer stood unmatched for many, many years until it was finally broken by trainer D. Wayne Lukas in 2013. Fitzsimmons was a man who knew his way around a thoroughbred and knew what it took to turn one into a champion. Fitzsimmons was once asked, "what did you think about Citation"? He calmly responded, "I can say without a second's hesitation that Citation was the best horse I ever saw, and lest we forget, I saw Man O'War." High praise indeed from the highly placed.
Man O'War will always be king in my book. But what a wonderful horse. Thanks for finding and posting these great vids, its appreciated.
"Sunny" Jim Fitzsimmons, Hall of Fame trainer, said about Cy, even before he won the Derby, "Citation's done more than any horse I ever saw ... and I saw Man o' War."
During 1948, Cy was frequently compared to MOW, who died the previous year. In fact, he was looked upon as his successor. Ron Hale (and I) feel that MOW and Cy are the best ever. Pick your favorite.
From "They All Roared": "...while [Secretariat's] dominance in the [Triple Crown] made him legendary in the public's mind, [he] never had a year like Citation did in 1948."
"...many racing aficionado's consider [Citation's] accomplishments the greatest in the history of the sport."
Most horses have one move in a race; some have two; Citation moved whenever Arcaro asked him to...
Unlike any other horse, before or since...
From the 1949 "The American Racing Manual":
"Citation...swept the platter clean. [He}broke the jinx that forbade a Futurity winner to go on and capture the Derby...in training from early February til mid-December...scored in 19 of 20 starts...his only defeat was...a fluke...He delighted the public and...fascinated the severest clinic...a phenomenon for whom any lover of the thoroughbred horse can be grateful...
1948: 15 Stakes starts, 15 wins...half of them against top older horses, 35 of them...races from 6 furlongs to 2 miles...won the Stars & Stripes while hurt...won on all track conditions...could have broken several records if allowed to run...a walkover in the Pimlico Special...
If you know of a horse that can match that record, let me know...
King Citation...the greatest and most underappreciated horse ever!!
Arcaro (11/2/48)--"He is the only horse I ever saw who can take the lead or come from behind and lose and come on again. And he can do it on any kind of track...He is the toughest, the best, and the greatest horse this country has ever seen. I can't speak for Europe, I haven't ridden over there, but I will ride him against their best and gamble I'll win...It's almost impossible to make him run easily. He takes hold of the bit and starts flying..he always wins going away..."
Our great grandfathers saw the greatest horse to ever run - Man-o-war. Our grandfathers saw the greatest horse to ever run - Citation. I sat with my father to see the greatest horse to ever run - Secretariat. I'm sad future generations will never see what we have seen.....
Here you are in the place of the greatest 3 year old who ever lived!! Not forcing you, steering you. His sophomore year was unmatched by any horse before or since. If he hadn't been hurt and missed his 4 year old season, who knows?
"Citation is the only horse I ever saw make 3 runs in a Derby. Arcaro rode him like he was driving a Cadillac...push on the gas, let up, push on the gas, let up...and on that final push, that was it...he ran by Coaltown like Coaltown broke his leg!!"
This horse won 27 of his first 29 races,think about that for a moment. At 3 he destroyed the best older horses in training,he did it early in his 3 yr. old year,and than in the summer and fall. If he hadn't been injured(missing his 4 yr. old season)he probably wouldn't have lost many races. When he came back,he was never just right physically,yet it took a VERY GOOD HORSE CALLED NOOR to best him. Most of their contests had CY carrying way more weight,and it almost always came down to a nose CONT
Frank: U took the words out of my mouth....When looking at a horse's achievement over his entire racing life, I really don't think any house comes close to Kelso, even my fave Citation. An unremarkable looking horse, he was loved by his fans, King Kelly....If bearing weight is the mark of a great horse, Kelso did it and won many times...Arcaro was lucky enough to ride both Kelso and Big Cy!!
Did you know Citation used to kick people? Like, a lot. He also tripped to his knees at the Belmont when he came out of the gate. And he still won. Amazing horse!
Al Snider drowned in March 1948 after riding Cy during February at Hialeah's 4 races. He really developed a rapport with Cy. So Jones called on Arcaro again (as he did with Whirlaway). Arcaro had two chances to ride him before the Derby. After the Chesapeake>KDerby, Cy won 16 straight races, a record that stood until tied by Cigar in 1996.
Danny: I know that. I read the Nack book. When I started my interest in horseracing, I like you, worshipped him. Studied his Belmont like some people study their bible. But then I started reading about other horses and decided that his fame was mostly because of the TV set....and beauty, and of course Belmont. Not the things one judges a horse's whole career by...
@CitationTheGreat There were 4 TC winners in the 1940's. Arcaro rode Whirly in 1941 and Cy in 1948. Totally different horses of course. In the KD, Whirly set the track record; Coaltown, in mud this time, was setting fractions equal to Whirly's. But he was a miler (Sprinter of the Year), the mud tired him. Cy could run all day, and breezed by him doing the final 1/4 in :25 and change. Coaltown had enuf left to beat My Request for second. The Calumet two were one entry...
The other point is Citation's case there was clearly a concerted effort to run him extraordinarily often in order make him the 1st horse to win $1 million. They ran him around the clock and even running 20 times there was no way he would make it as a 3 yr old. The evidence that his handlers tried to conserve his energy whenever possible in order to achieve this goal is overwhelming. Even the racing cards of his 3 yr old races typically read "eased up", "in hand", "easily", "breezing" etc.
we certainly have been fortunate to have such grand athletes in our thoroughbreds....today we have so many horses running from the starting gates it takes away from the possiblity or showing just what a horse can do.
Cy was a great horse and was up there with MOW until 73 when Secretariet broke track records one after another. Cy would have been right near Sec at the end of most races excluding the Belmont of course. But wow what a burst of speed he displayed. Cy was truly one of the top 3 of all time with Sec and MoW. Hands down and no doubt about it.
Agreed, in the final furlong, Turcotte saw the timer, & gave SEC an aggressive hand-ride through the wire. However, watch the REST OF THE RACE & pay CLOSE ATTENTION to the consistent 90/100 degree angle of Turcotte's forearm & upper arm. That immediately tells you Turcotte was holding back the remaining 11 furlongs! When jockey's push horses, that arm angle ranges between 150-180 degrees. Look at Pincay's arms the first 6 furlongs vs. Turcotte! That clearly says SEC was running on his own!
Stepn: Longevity can be laughed at today. Although geldings have to be discussed apart from colts, Kelso was like no other horse. No other horse did the things he did. He didn't set many records, win by any large margins, but simply beat most horses that faced him over his long career. Certainly, one of the greatest, weight-bearing, long-lasting stallions in American racing!!
My belief that Secretariat is the greatest thoroughbred in racing history is obviously subjective. I saw Secretariat before, during, and after his Triple Crown run in 1973, and he will always have a special place in my heart. I can make strong, tangible argument that "Big Red" is the "best" based on the fact that his three Triple Crown race times are, to this day, 40 years later, still in the record books.
My home is a virtual thoroughbred museum, with Secretariat as the focal point.
From "And the Fans Roared":
"Overall, Citation won 27 of his first 29 races with two [excusable, 2 lengths total] seconds, an unrivaled accomplishment in the sport of horse racing."
Absolutely Bruce! Prove Out ran two incredible races in the Woodward and Jockey Gold Cup in the fall of '73. When you really look at the complete picture of America's greatest horses ever, you can place the names of SEC, MOW, Citation, Kelso, Dr. Fager, Spectacular Bid, and Count Fleet in a basket and pick any name with absolutely no shame. All kidding aside, any one of those horses could beat the other on any given day. Peace! Joe
Cy won his KD 10 days before I was born!! I'm a war baby. I had a game in the 1950's (Kentucky Derby). Simple, like games were in those days. One of the horses name was "Citation". I just loved the name. Later, I read Phil Georgeff's book about him (I am friends with Phil), and just became obsessed with this horse and what his owners put him though.
I just got out of college when I say Sec win the TC. Didn't care for horseracing though. Girls took up more of my time!!!
I agree. We've had many great horses, but none have done what Citation did in his sophomore year. Except for that one bogus loss at the 6F sprint with Arcaro first time up, he would have been 20 for 20. Beat older horses 7 times ran one mile on Wednesday, then the Jockey Club Gold Cup, then 2 miles, on Saturday, winning easily. Out with injuries at 4, come back at 5, wins 2, second place 7 times, Beaten by Noor, but tugged much more weight than Noor did. "Boss, that horse ain't human!"
Cont: he actually set a world record for a mile in 1:33 and change. That was Cy at less than a 100%. He was one of the best.
Eddie Arcaro was careful with his words. Citation was the greatest horse he ever rode. He said this after what he saw Secretariet do on the track.
10/48: "Count Charles de Breil, steward of [France's Jockey Club], said...that he had never seen a greater thoroughbred...He was amazed at Citation's aptitude for a distance of ground in combination with the 'foot' that the colt was ready to display whenever asked...One had the impression he considered Citation a champion without peer."
"By mid-October, Citation's stature had grown to such an extent that he could be compared only with himself."
World-class vet Dr. Thomas Swerczek performed Secretariat's autopsy & clearly stated "I never saw such a perfect anatomically structured thoroughbred as Secretariat", and he was NOT just referring to his heart. Don't you get it? It was no coincidence that SEC could produce early bursts of world-class speed & STILL maintain atypical staying power at the end of 9+ furlong races. ONCE AGAIN, 5 to 10 extra lbs would not have hindered this unparalleled running machine. GOD YOU ARE BLIND!
I could not agree more my man. Bid was truely underrated. But we could sit around all day and contemplate who was the greatest. You have to mention Cy, MoW, and Sec when you say the greatest as a sure top five of all time. You have to look at longevity and not just 3 races that Sec ran. MoW and Cy were surely consistant and pretty much demolished all competitors.
Bruce - here is what makes SEC stand above the rest: In a SINGLE 3-year old season, he set 2 official dirt track world records at 1-1/8 and 1-1/2 miles with the latter untouchable forever, & his 1-1/8 mile record only bested by a single length. He set 2 "unofficial" world records "pulling up" 1/8 mile AFTER the wire at 1-1/4 and 1-5/8 miles, & he was within 3 & 5 lengths of add'l world records for the 1-3/16 and 1 mile distances. NO HORSE EVER could boast speed consistency like that...PERIOD!
"Suicidal" would describe Secretariat's fractions in the 1 1/2 mile Belmont Stakes.
Fact is that Kelso won 5 straight horse of the year, 4 Jockey Club Gold Cups one with a record run, and other achievements that may make him the greatest horse/gelding ever....a great horse walks with his legs, gallops with his lungs, resists with his heart, but wins with his spirit and character....Forego obviously had that in spades...running on those gams....but no other horse has done what Kelso did, against tough horses, not even CY...and that makes him immortal to me...
10/9/48: Max Hirsch, trainer, who saddled several opponents of MOW 28 years ago..."He's the greatest horse I've ever seen...looks like he can do anything...If we ever seen another like him, we'll be lucky."
Bill Finnegan, trainer..."Citation is the best horse I've ever seen, and I saw MOW race several times...no freak horse...he can run past horses at any time in a race and doesn't have to wait until they get tired to come on to win..."
I actually saw Citation listed in the pedigree of one of the horses that was running in one (or more) of this year's (2015) Triple Crown races.
From the 1949 "The American Racing Manual":
...Many foreign horsemen were present at Belmont last October. They [declared] [Citation]the equal,if not superior, of any horse in England or on the Continent..."
"...Citation's great speed was in response to Arcaro's demand. This was true in his races throughout the year."
"He has the power to excel, and the flash, but it is suppressed until needed."
Let's remember that, between his Preakness and Belmont, Cy won the Jersey Stakes in track record time.
"If it was today, you'd probably be kicked out of the Trainers' Union."
First horse to win the Belmont Futurity and win the Derby. First horse to win the Derby Trial and the Derby. Ran the one mile Trial, then three days later, ran the Derby.
Tied The Fleet's Belmont Stakes record:
Arcaro: "Too bad I didn't know that; I'd have let him run a few jumps at the head of the stretch."
GREAT POINT about Count Fleet! A truly remarkable horse, I believe he belongs with MOW, SEC, and Citation. Also, I think Count Fleet was faster than Citation, just my opinion. Regarding Spectacular Bid, I loved that horse but what hurt his all-time legacy is the fact he NEVER won a 1-1/2 mile race. The same issue UK enthusiasts are feeling with Frankel because he neaver raced longer than 10.5 furlongs! You have to perform strongly at 12 furlongs if you want to be considered the greatest!
I made the statement that SEC is number one and Citation is number two, ALL-TIME.
I wanted to put into context how GREAT of a racehorse "Cy" was, for those who don't know much about Citation. After all, Citation raced over 60 years ago.
For that matter, many people weren't around when Secretariat ended the 25-year Triple Crown drought in 1973, and the impact SEC had on a country that was deeply divided over the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal was deepening.
Citation was a great horse no doubt about that, Secretariet had the triple crown in 73 and is the greatest triple crown winner ever and his records will be hard to beat. But MOW was untouchable with Citation right behind. Sec takes 3rd place.
Another great example of SEC's supernatural ability.....EVERY....and I repeat EVERY great racing analyst clearly stated that NO HORSE EVER could have maintained the pace SEC did in the Preakness AFTER he exploded "3 horses wide" from last to first in an approximate 22 second or less quarter fraction run. Especially considering Pimlico has the sharpest turns on a North American track, it is incomprehensible that SEC could have stayed in front with a horse as fast as Sham chasing him!
10/19/48 (INS) "Never before has there been a horse unanimosly acclaimed as at least the equal of Man o' War.
"This honr goes to Citation. Among his backers are many who insist he is even greater than America's original greatest horse."
Ben Jones: "Citation could beat any horse I ever saw at any distance, sprinting or over a route of ground."
"Most horses have one move in a race; Citation, he had about eight!" Whenever Arcaro wanted more speed, he shook his stick, or chirped in Cy's ear. The Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont in October was 2 miles. Cy went right to the front and stayed there to the end, and whenever a challenger made a move at him, Arcaro simply "changed gears" and opened the lead. He galloped him in, as usual, and could have tied Kelso's record if pushed. But hey...he had just won a race 3 days before...
Exactly. I know a person who actually saw the Washington Futurity, and he told me it was obvious that Cy was being held back.. After that, he beat Bewitch every time he faced her, even in his last race in 1951. That "loss" plus the bogus loss in the Chesapeake Trial in which he was interfered with, if tossed out would have made him 29 for 29 in his first two years, unheard of before or since....no other horse like him....my favorite....
Arcaro took that back when he became aware that the Belmont was not run against any stiff competition, and Sec was running against the clock. The other horses finished at about 2:30. Yeah, Sec was a fast horse with a 20 lb heart, but he did not break records in every race. He was only 9 for 11 at 3, 75%, the least of most of the great horses. That is why Sec fans put the emphasis on speed. It was the fastest TC , if that means anything...
FYI, out of respect for this forum & Citation, I've made my LAST post on this board. I do have to admit I respect your devotion for Citation and any of the horses you have chosen to admire. We all are over-zealous of our heroes and while I will argue to my grave for SEC, I sincerely respect the fact you likewise will do the same. Nothing will ever sway our opinions, and I guess that is the nucleus for ANY sports related argument. Like I previously stated, EVEY horse we've spoken of is iconic!
Pimlico Special, 10/29/48 - "Like a true king, Citation will walk alone...A score of other horses were eligible...All got handsome engraved invitations, but all graciously declined...Citation had beaten most of them one or more times."
Arcaro: "If Cy had been tightened for the Special, he would have broken every record in the book. I couldn't hold him."
J. Jones: "A race designed to determine the best, and no horses want to face him. What a tribute to his greatness!"
Turcotte may have "always" stated that Sec could have shaved 1.5 to 2 seconds off his Belmont time, but it isn't like he looked back, saw he had a huge lead, and eased up on Sec. The official line reads that Sec was "ridden out" which means Turcotte finished the race with Sec under a vigorous hand ride. He wasn't easing up on Sec at all.
Arcaro said a lot of things that he didn't mean and took back. But to the end he said Citation was the best horse he ever rode, and that "trainers and people that knew, all to this day say that he was the best 3 year old that ever lived."
Kelso was a gelding and raced until he was 8; Cy was a stallion and raced until 6. Kelso had an outstanding career, probably the best of any horse in this century. That can't be said of Secretariat.
sl: re: forego:
"There is a quality that manifests itself in stress of competition, in a market, a game, or a war. It is comprised of determination, and courage, and gallantry. It is called valor. It commands the respect of all, wherever found, in friend or foe, man or horse. Forego had it."
@rscarbro100 That's the most sensible thing I've ever heard you say. It's especially silly to compare them on the basis of speed. Swaps vs. Nashua, Seabiscuit vs. War Admiral...match races like these are what the public likes, but only prove that one horse was faster than the other on that particular day.
Well, I can believe that after watching the video. I enjoy the videos of the great horses who lived before my time. You learn alot about them studying the way they ran. It's funny people compare great horses from different periods trying to say one was greater than another when there are too many variables to make valid comparisons. It's like football. The saying goes on any given Sunday any team can win. Same with horses. Once a race starts, anything can happen.
Pay close attention because I am a professional baseball coach that slept with the physics of baseball philosophy. Lighter bats with average mass generate more energy at contact with a baseball than a heavier mass bat that produces less bat speed. Simple proof - why do you think players Chet and cork batts? Bar speed far outweighs bat mass in determining how far a baseball is hit. Not not trying to give you a hard time but these are the facts!
Another implication of Wellman's study is that if Forego carried 128 lbs like Slew did when he ran 1:45.8 at Belmont rather than 135 lbs, he might have finished in 1:45.1 and broken the WR. If he had run the distance carrying 124 the way Secretariat did, he may have gone under 1:45.
Just about genius! I have read virtually EVERY Bloodhorse magazine dating back to 1969 & ALL of the post-1973 TC magazines CLEARLY state that Sham would have been an EASY TC winner without SEC. Additionally, DRF forms consistently stated the same, and why not? Sham's competition finished a full 8 Lengths behind him in BOTH the Derby & Preakness...8 lengths in BOTH races! Save the possibility of breaking down, he would have cruised to a Belmont victory.
Citation was before my time. Didn't know much about him other than he was a TC winner. It's wonderful to see a clip like this and see some of these great horses from the past in action. What's so surprising to me is that in studying his running it looks like he is out there for a brisk gallop. The horse looks to me like he was holding something back in these races. He's not driving hard, not really reaching or extending himself. Wow. What could he have done with some competition??
Bruce - Sec ran great in the mud! In the bay shore, he ran through 3 horses in a paste like mud in the stretch like the horses weren't even there. In the Woodward, he ran a 2:26.6 1.5 miles without any dirt trang for 2.5 weeks! With that said, some experts feel the mud can actually help a horse run easier if the underlying surface is hard....helps them glide? Your thoughts on that?
Phipps: Hi. As you can see, I'm a Citation fan, but I can acknowledge the greatness of other horses. The Bid is one of then. How the Bloodhorse book could make him #10 makes the whole book suspect. He was just incredible and did things that make other horses look like platers.
Eddie believed in the Jones' dictum: "Time only counts when you are in prison." They told him to ease Cy when he got into the lead. Cy never let any horse pass him, and could catch any horse in front of him. That is much more important that absolute time. "He didn't try to win by any number of lengths. He just beat any horse who showed up." That's what horseracing is about. Not absolute time. Some races are not even times. The horse that gets his nose to the wire first WINS!!
TEARS?! Citation's story brings tears, not Sec's. Injured in his last race at 3 at Tanforan (which he still won, beating older horses), he should have been put to stud, like Sec. But he sat out his 4th year with injuries, the made to race in his 5th year, and could have ended his career then if Noor carried a little more weight. But no, he was forced to race at 6. Jimmy Jones wanted him to continue, but Mrs. Wright said "No", and finally he was retired. Great movie!!!
Plain Ben: "Maybe he's the best I ever had...maybe he's the best I ever saw...maybe he's even the best there's ever been."
Arcaro: "He's the doggondest horse I ever rode...I swear he has 10 moves. He can move for you at the start, the turn, the back stretch or anywhere else!"
"Whether the pace be fast or slow, whether he is asked to to sprint at the start, middle or finish, or all three, Citation has what it takes..."
8 or 9 gears, drop of the hands, loosen the reins. Most horses have one move in a race. Some of the great ones have two. Cy could pour it on anytime Arcaro asked him to according to Eddie, break out of a pack of horses with incredible speed, then Arcaro would simply gallop him home. In the 2-mile Jockey Club Gold Cup, Cy broke to the lead from the start and stayed in front the whole distance, putting on speed whenever other hoses started to close, and won by 8 lengths.
@rscarbro100 Yes, I've seen the video on youtube. Whoever said that that Arcaro threw that 6f sprint at Havre de Grace? Not Phil. Not Eddie. It was interference pure and simple. Hefty tired in the awful mud and drifted towards the outside rail, with Eddie on his right. Eddie called it a mistake being outside of two horses and never blamed Cy for the loss. After all, it was his first ride on Cy after Snider's disappearance. He didn't lose another for the rest of the season.
From the 1949 "The American Racing Manual":
"It was Citation's year...Calumet Farm's great colt dominated, not only the three-year-old division...but the entire thoroughbred sport...the best since Man o' War...the only argument was whether the new champion was superior to 'Big Red'...When the KD was discussed, it was not a question of Citation's winning it, but of who might dare to run against him..."
Of what other horse can this be said?
Arcaro said he never let him race...never had to...but in the Derby, Escadru was closing space on Cy, so Arcaro let out a notch by dropping his hands..."He ran so fast, he scared, so I had to pull him back in...." Then, he went ahead and won by 8 lengths, not 31 like Sec, but lengths won by means nothing...
@eckythimble Well, it is less strange when you realize that the great majority of ALL thoroghbreds are foaled in the months of March and April...that's a fact...springtime...at least north of the Equator...
South of the Equator, Argentina and Australia for example, most colts are foaled in October, September...autumn up here, but springtime down under...Phar Lap was born in October...
Anyone know what year it was that Arcaro was interviewed there when he was talking about the trainers and owners saying Citation was the greatest three year old ever? Interesting.
Jimmy Jones 1950: "It's important [speed], yes, but class is harder to beat." "Citation has beaten a field jam-packed with blazing speed by as much as 3 lengths with his ears pricked. He does everything easy."
Ben Jones, who has seen, many, many great horses in his days, in 10/48: "I was thinking that [Cy] could beat any horse I've ever seen at any distance."
"He has whipped them all...takes the older horses with the same ease as the 3yo's...greatest race horse of all time..."
Attempting to compare horse who competed in 1919 to one who raced in 1948 and 1973 is well...just crazy. Time is only one factor, track conditions and the completion are equally important. Each was the best of their generation and that is the only real "fact" in this discussion.
1948: Horse of the Year; Champion 3-year-old colt; Triple Crown; Handicap Horse of the Year; 2nd to Coaltown for Sprinter of the Year.
Arcaro: "I hope they make a match race between Cy and Shannon II...Citation will be tightened up for such a race...people will see the greatest runner of these times and probably records will fall..."
"Sure, he'll finally be beaten. They'll begin to pile weight on him as a 4yo to the point that he can't win...but he'll give 'em a run!"
I'd add Forego, Affirmed, Damascus, Buckpasser, Swaps and a number of others to that list as well.
At the Belmont Sham's rider was instructed to hang close to Sec. Sec's pace increased from start to finish. Sham wasn't injured, but faded due to the fast pace. Sec's rider was instructed to let Sec run at his own pace and not to hold him back. Sec's heart was 22 lbs and Sham's was 18 lbs. Sec larger engine is what made him better than Sham, and Citation. Citation, would have lost to Sec in all 3 Triple Crown races, the true test, due to
the time lapse beteen each race.
These magnificence animals.
In closing Bruce, I truly respect MOW, Citation, Count Fleet, Swaps, etc. However, my opinion is that some of SEC's incomparable & uncontested supernatural like achievements (accelerating an ENTIRE 10F race, setting world records via TWO post-wire furlong gallops, his Belmont Stakes, his unprecedented Preakness early clubhouse turn without tiring at the end, his Marlboro Cup, etc.) set him apart from the rest. He surpassed the standard genetic limitations of a horse. Best to you...Joe
Citation's 19 for 20 three y.o. campaign was the greatest thre y.o. campaign in history. Man O'War and Native Dancer lost one race in their entire career by narrow margins(as close to perfection a horse can get). Secretariat was phenomenal in the Triple Crown, but he did lose the Whitney, Wood Memorial and Woodward to Onion, Angle Light and Prove Out.
I'm glad to see my opinion vindicated by your grandpa! I do have that book where Cy is rated 3rd. Bah! MOW was fantastic, was unbeaten at 3, but didn't race against older horses, face stiff opposition, etc. Sec lost 3 stakes races out of 12. Rightly considered, Cy should have been 20 for 20 at 3. Incredible!
Did you read all the quotes by contemporaries on this site? I can't think of another horse receiving this much praise from so many experts.
Citation's problems began after the 20th race when he ran at Tanforan on a track underlain by concrete. He developed on osselet and the abuse began when, hell-bent on running him again the following month, they resorted to the risky & discredited practice of pin-firing to speed heeling. They ignored the pleadings of his jockey who urged them to rest Citation & cool him down for 3-4 months. The procedure didn't work, Citation would not run again for over a year, & he was never the same again.
Jimmy Jones: "He's a very sensible horse. He's a doer, but n ot a ravenous eater. With a horse that's racing as hard as he is, it's somewhat of a problem to keep flesh on them, but h is disposition helps. Nothing upsets him."
"Probably his most impressive race was the Sysonby Mile, which he won by 3 lengths eased up, running the mile in 1:36."
Regarding excessive racing, Secretariat actually EXCELLED with excessive work/running. Remember, he ran TWO 1.5 mile races in 9 days (Woodward & MOW), setting a record in his FIRST Turf race (MOW) & running a super 2;26.6 in the rain soaked mud in his Woodward loss to Prove Out with ZERO training on dirt for 2.5 weeks...are you kidding me??? Would Citation or any other horse have bested a 2;25.8 time..NO WAY! Had SEC been ready for that race, he would NOT have tired in the stretch.
con't: FYI, my theory on extra weight is NOT due to SEC never racing at 4, especially considering my 2 other favorite horses along with SEC are Dr.Fager & Spectacular Bid. Obviously, carrying extra weight would elevate their legacy to an even higher stature. While there are some inconsistencies with stellar 4-year-olds handling extra weight, if you look throughout history, you will see that many of the superior horses had no major issues with the extra 6 - 10 lbs.
Hollie Hughes was 10 times more respected than ANY trainer ever & was a DIEHARD MOW advocate, always stating NO HORSE will EVER top him! That is until Secretariat came along. After SEC's 3-year-old season, Hughes clearly stated Secretariat was the ultimate horse, the greatest and fastest he has ever seen, even RELUCTANTLY placing him over MOW. The problem with most of the pre-1960 analysts/trainers/jockeys is that they stubbornly LIVE IN THEIR ERA's, refusing to concede to post 1960 legends.
Bruce - not MY comparison, but a series of world-class vets/doctors who came up with this analogy based on anatomical growth/structures vs. growth rates. I don't claim to be a doctor or vet, and i'm only trying to make some sense of the data that is presented to us from the experts in their fields. Fact remains older horses carry more weight than 3-year olds because of their considerable physiological advantage. I don't make the rules..LOL.
The horse that puts his nose across the wire first wins the race. Don't even need to time it. That's relative time, and that is what horseracing is about. Doesn't matter if it is 2:24, 2:26, 2:28, or 2:30. Cy won in 2:28.2, after a stumble at the gait, pulled himself up and stayed in front, then left the rest behind, while Arcaro kept him under double wraps and galloped him in. All great horses have speed. They don't always need to use it.
There is no mathematical formula that defines what you call "iconic stature".but winning & win percent is huge.The objective in horse racing is WINNING. That drives purses & betting, Citations 19 of 20 is a singular achievement that will never be equaled. Could Sec have run 2:24 if that had been his 11th race? How would he have performed in the Woodward, MOW, & CI if those had been races 18, 19, & 20 of his 3rd yr? Citation couldn't possibly have been in top shape for so many races but he won.
@1948BigCy Yup he was an amazing horse. Love the Fleet as well, Kelso, and the Doctor. Used to love Secretariat till I got into with some of his groupies... ha, still love that horse well despite the rabid nature of his fans.
Take care.