Secretariat

By Scott Wells
President & General Manager

Although I think of myself as a fairly young man, barely in middle age and quite “up on things,” many of the truly young people who work with me at Remington Park remind me that they were just small children the first time I worked here 20 years ago. That means that although I’ve seen all of the amazing advances in technology that they’ve seen, they (probably most of YOU, who are reading this), don’t remember firsthand a good part of what I’ve seen. A lot of it is old-fashioned stuff and either you wouldn’t care about it or your parents have already bored you with “Back when WE were young we had to….(name your primitive chore…use a pay phone, rub sticks together to make fire, etc.).” But there is one thing I wouldn’t trade for the 20-plus years which separate me from my young friends: I saw Secretariat. I not only saw him, I touched him. No big deal? Yeah, it’s a big deal. And on October 10, YOU are going to have the opportunity to get really close to him in a way that amazes even me. I’ll tell you about it.

You’re going to be seeing and hearing a lot about Secretariat in the next few months as billboards and ads appear and the movie about him opens and receives a big international push toward the Oscars. So you may as well have the inside information and impress your friends with your knowledge. Yes, Secretariat was a racehorse. Yes, he was exceptional, or they wouldn’t be releasing a movie about him. To put it in perspective, though, they made a movie about Seabiscuit and on his best day Secretariat would’ve beaten Seabiscuit about the length of a football field. Secretariat not only appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, but also on the covers of Newsweek and Time magazines. He was owned by a beautiful, classy woman whose family faced bankruptcy yet who had the courage to stand up to some rich and powerful men who really expected to take advantage of her. And Secretariat was ridden by a cute little guy named Ron Turcotte, who experienced the greatest extremes of any jockey in history. Pay attention to that last word, “history.” It’s not often that we get the chance to come into contact with something that’s really a part of history—someone or something which will still be noteworthy a hundred years from now. But, Secretariat and Ron Turcotte fit that category. The Kentucky Derby has been run now for 136 years and it’s had a winner every time. But only Secretariat and Ron Turcotte did it their way. The race is 1 ¼ miles. That’s 5 quarter-miles, back-to-back. Secretariat ran each quarter-mile faster than the last! His final quarter-mile was almost as fast as the best sprinters can go a quarter! His final time was the fastest in 136 years and will probably never be broken. But the Kentucky Derby was just the beginning of Secretariat’s legend. Next he blasted from last to first to win the Preakness. And then in the 1 ½ mile Belmont Stakes, he ran the greatest race ever run by any horse anywhere—winning by 31 lengths and breaking the world’s record by an incredible 2 3/5 seconds! The image of Secretariat charging away from his competitors is considered one of the most monumental feats in all of sports.

Ron Turcotte is coming to Remington Park on Oklahoma Derby Day as our special Guest of Honor! He’ll be signing some autographs and appearing in the paddock and winner’s circle. I mentioned that Ron has experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows of any jockey. You see, about five years after riding the greatest horse ever, Ron was paralyzed from the waist down in a racing accident and he has been confined to a wheelchair ever since. Since then he has dedicated himself to helping other injured jockeys. His appearance at Remington will benefit the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund. In my mind, what he has done in the face of personal tragedy makes him even more of a Champion off the racetrack as he was on it! I hope everyone who possibly can will turn out on October 10 to pay their respects to this remarkable man—and of course to enjoy Oklahoma’s greatest day of Thoroughbred racing—Oklahoma Derby Day!

Check our fan page for a surprise under the "Secretariat" tab :D
http://www.facebook.com/RemingtonParkFanPage