seretariat champion race horse

Secretariat was foaled ten minutes after midnight, on the morning of March 30, 1970, at Chris T. Chenery's Meadow Farm in Doswell, Virginia. He was an impressively large and strikingly attractive chestnut colt, with three white stockings and a white star and stripe. His sire, Bold Ruler, was a champion on the racetrack and boasted an outstanding stud career, leading the American Sires List eight times. His dam, Somethingroyal, by *Princequillo, was also the dam of the stakes winner Sir Gaylord, who had been favored to win the 1962 Kentucky Derby before lameness forced him to remain in the barn.






Secretariat was bred by Chris T. Chenery, but it was Mrs. Helen Chenery Tweedy, usually called Penny, who became famous as the owner of the great colt when she took over her ailing father's stable in the early 1970's. Her charm, together with the deeds of Secretariat and his stablemate Riva Ridge, prompted the press to declare Penny Chenery the "First Lady of American Racing."

Had it not been for the flip of a coin, Secretariat could have raced in the silks of the Phipps family. Chris Chenery had a foal sharing agreement with Gladys Phipps, and sent two broodmares to her stallion, Bold Ruler, each to be bred twice. If all went well, both mares would produce two foals in two consecutive years. After the first pair was born, a coin was flipped. The winner got the first choice of foals from the first pair, and the loser got the first choice of foals from the second pair. Somethingroyal was one of the mares involved in the 1969-1970 arrangement. The other mare, however, went barren in the second season. Therefore, when it came time for the coin flip, the winner would get only one foal, since it was the loser who chose first the second time. Ogden Phipps won the toss, choosing the Somethingroyal filly, named The Bride. The Meadow kept both Secretariat and the third foal.

Elizabeth Ham, Chris Chenery's secretary, was instantly impressed by Secretariat's good looks. She kept the farm journal, and the entries she made on July 28, 1970, included:



"Ch.C. Bold Ruler - Somethingroyal. Three white stockings - well made colt - might be a little light under the knees. Stands well on pasterns -Good straight hind leg-Good shoulders and hindquarters -You would have to like him."
Shortly after he was weaned, she was again inspecting the horses on the farm, and in reference to the chestnut son of Bold Ruler, Mrs. Ham once again recorded a compliment, this time writing, "Three white feet - A lovely colt." The word lovely was underlined twice. Elizabeth Ham was not alone in noticing Secretariat's good looks. Penny Chenery liked Secretariat when she first saw him, and when he arrived at Hialeah at the age of two, all she could say was "Wow!" A year later she called him sexy. Even the Meadow's trainer, Lucien Laurin, was impressed by the horse's appearance when he looked at the yearlings in the fall of 1971, although he commented that Secretariat was probably too good looking to be a success on the racetrack.

The name "Secretariat" had actually been the sixth name choice submitted to the Jockey Club for the colt. Penny Tweedy's first suggestion had been Scepter, and the other rejected names included Royal Line, SomethingSpecial, Games of Chance, and Deo Volente. In the end, it was Elizabeth Ham's suggestion that was finally judged to be acceptable by the Jockey Club, and the chestnut son of Bold Ruler and Somethingroyal was christened Secretariat.

Secretariat's formal training began when he was broken to saddle by Meredith Bales and Charlie Ross at the Meadow, and he then headed to Florida to begin his racing career. He was trained by Lucien Laurin, who had conditioned the 1966 Belmont Stakes winner Amberoid, as well as the champion filly Quill, and put under the care of Eddie Sweat, who groomed Riva Ridge. Exercise rider Jimmy Gaffney became Secretariat's first fan. He nicknamed the tall chestnut "Big Red" and spoke excitedly about the horse to his wife, Mary, and his mother, who knitted a pommel pad for the colt. Gaffney even went so far as to buy a pair of blue saddlecloths, having the name Secretariat stitched on each.

On July 4, 1972, Secretariat made his first start in an $8000 maiden race, run over 5 1/2 furlongs at Aqueduct. The chestnut colt went off as the favorite, but was bumped badly at the start by a horse named Quebec and barely avoided going down. Penny Chenery later described the break as a "mugging." Caught in traffic, Secretariat ran fourth behind Calumet Farm's Herbull. Despite the loss, his performance had been admirable. He had made three separate runs for the lead, and each time was gaining impressively before being blocked again.

In his next start, Secretariat broke his maiden by six lengths, beginning his campaign for championship honors and earning the praise of Charles Hatton, who as a writer for the Daily Racing Form had seen numerous champions on the racetrack, including Bold Ruler, Miss Disco, and Imperatrice. Watching the promising colt who carried their blood, he wrote:

"The cognoscenti give Mrs. Helen Tweedy's Secretariat a nod for potentiality. He has electrifying acceleration, duende, charisma, and starfire raised to the steenth power. He is also pretty good."
On July 31 he won again, this time at Saratoga. Charles Hatton commented that Secretariat fulfilled his mental ideal as no horse ever had, and Taylor Hardin asked to apply for breeding rights, adding that he had been the first to ask for breeding rights to Native Dancer in 1952. Bull Hancock was also enthusiastic about Secretariat's potential, although he didn't live to see him race again.

Secretariat's first stakes race came in his fourth start. He met the highly regarded and previously undefeated Linda's Chief in the Sanford Memorial at Saratoga, winning in a sharp 1:10. On August 22, he took the Hopeful Stakes by five lengths. Next he won the Futurity Stakes at Belmont Park by three quarters of a length over Stop the Music, and from there it was on to what seemed like a sure win in the Champagne Stakes.

In the Champagne, Secretariat was first under the wire, as expected, but was disqualified and placed second for bumping Stop the Music. The decision shocked the crowd, as well as Secretariat's connections, who felt that he hadn't bothered the other colt enough to warrant the ruling, especially since Secretariat had seemingly won with such authority. The red colt redeemed himself by winning the mile and one sixteenth Laurel Futurity in 1:42 4/5, despite a sloppy track. He then topped off the season with a win in New Jersey's Garden State Stakes, easily beating his stablemate Angle Light. For his efforts, he was voted not only Champion Two Year Old Colt, but Horse of the Year as well.

As a three-year-old, Secretariat was asked to overcome the myth that Bold Ruler's sons couldn't run the Kentucky Derby distance of a mile and a quarter so early in their three-year-old campaigns. Secretariat began the road to the spring classics in New York, making his three-year-old debut in the Bay Shore Stakes and winning despite being bumped and suffering traffic problems. He then won the Gotham Stakes by three lengths from Champagne Charlie.

After the Gotham, Secretariat was the odds-on favorite to win the Kentucky Derby and the Triple Crown. Then the Super Horse ran a dull third behind Angle Light and Sham in the Wood Memorial, stunning everyone, including the owner of Angle Light. Secretariat's loss was later blamed on an abscess under his lip, but no matter what the excuse, the Kentucky Derby picture was no longer clear.

Now, as the top three year olds in America gathered at Churchill Downs for the 1973 Kentucky Derby, Secretariat's ability to run the Derby distance was once again questioned. Secretariat was no longer considered to be an unbeatable super horse, and rumors about his soundness spread rapidly. CBS Television's Jimmy the Greek claimed "they" were "putting ice on his knees."

Finally, the first Saturday in May came, and Secretariat proved all the rumors to be false, running the mile and a quarter in 1:59 2/5, breaking Northern Dancer's previous Derby record, and beating Sham, who was also under the wire in less than two minutes, by 2 1/2 lengths.


Next, he won the Preakness, with Sham, who had been on bottled water since Churchill Downs, once again running second. Although the teletimer at Pimlico clocked Secretariat at 1:55, the Daily Racing Form disagreed. According to their watches, Secretariat had run the mile and three-sixteenths in 1:53 2/5. Therefore, according to the Form, Secretariat had broken the stakes record. CBS television agreed, and at a Maryland State Racing Commission hearing, CBS played the videotapes of Secretariat's Preakness and Canonero II's Preakness simultaneously, proving Secretariat's was faster. Despite the evidence, the time recorded by Pimlico's faulty teletimer was allowed to stand, but the Daily Racing Form boldly entered the time of 1:53 2/5 in their permanent records.

Having won two legs of the Triple Crown, Secretariat was declared a Super Horse, and his picture adorned the covers of Time, Newsweek, and Sports Illustrated. In the 1973 Belmont Stakes Secretariat amazed the nation, winning by over 31 lengths in the new world record time of 2:24 for the mile and a half. With his Belmont win, Secretariat became the ninth winner of the American Triple Crown, the first since Citation in 1948.


After the Belmont Stakes, Secretariat raced six more times. Following a win at Arlington Park, he lost the Whitney Stakes to Onion, trained by the "Giant Killer" H. Allen Jerkens, and it was discovered that the Triple Crown winner was coming down with a virus. After a short break he won the first running of the Marlboro Cup from his stablemate, Riva Ridge, who had won the 1972 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. Eclipse Award winning champion Cougar II, who later sired Gato Del Sol, ran third, with Key to the Mint, Kennedy Road, and Onion behind him.

Bad luck struck the red horse one more time. Entered in the Woodward Stakes to replace Riva Ridge, who would have disliked the sloppy track, a slightly out of condition Secretariat tired and finished second to another horse from the barn of Allen Jerkens. This time the victory went to Prove Out, a four year old by Graustark and out of Equal Venture, a full sister to 1946 Triple Crown winner Assault. Secretariat then went on to win the final two races of his career, the Man o' War Stakes and the Canadian International, which were his only two races on the grass.

Secretariat had earned $1,316,808 in his twenty-one career starts, visiting the winner's circle on sixteen occasions. He had won the Triple Crown, two consecutive Horse of the Year awards, and three additional Eclipse Awards. It is interesting to note that Secretariat's three major losses, in the Wood Memorial, Whitney Stakes, and Woodward Stakes, all occurred in races with names beginning with the letter W. His other two losses came in the Champagne Stakes, by disqualification, and in the maiden race at Aqueduct, through no fault of his own and with no major consequence.

The American public adored Secretariat, affectionately calling him Big Red, and even Super Red. It was said that he could have run for President and won. He was certainly more popular than was Richard Nixon in the summer of 1973. Between the Vietnam War and the Watergate Scandal, Americans had lost confidence in their political leaders, but the mighty red Secretariat, in his blue and white silks, provided the world with a much needed true American Hero. Secretariat brought fame to all those associated with him. Even Billy Silver, the stable pony, became a household name. When he retired to Claiborne Farm, where his sire and grandsire had spent their stud careers, thousands of visitors flocked to Paris, Kentucky, to see the hero. At first, Secretariat, as well as farm manager Seth Hancock, seemed to enjoy the admiring guests.

Then, when a demanding visitor scolded Seth for not setting up enough picnic tables, he decided to close the farm to tourists. The decision came none to soon, for Secretariat, like many human celebrities, had lost interest in his constantly present fans and now obviously preferred to be left alone.


As a sire, Secretariat was successful but not phenomenal, siring his best runners later in his stud career. The 1979 Travers Stakes winner and successful sire General Assembly; 1986 Horse of the Year Lady's Secret; 1992 and the 1988 Belmont and Preakness Stakes winner Risen Star are among his best offspring. His daughters have produced the champion Chief's Crown and the classic winning half brothers A.P. Indy and Summer Squall.

Secretariat died of the complications of laminitis in October of 1989, and is buried at Claiborne Farm, near the graves of his sire Bold Ruler, grandsire Nasrullah, and broodmare sire Princequillo.

history of horse racing

The competitive racing of horses is one of humankind's most ancient sports, having its origins among the prehistoric nomadic tribesmen of Central Asia who first domesticated the horse about 4500 BC. For thousands of years, horse racing flourished as the sport of kings and the nobility. Modern racing, however, exists primarily because it is a major venue for legalized gambling.

Horse racing is the second most widely attended U.S. spectator sport, after baseball. In 1989, 56,194,565 people attended 8,004 days of racing, wagering $9.14 billion. Horse racing is also a major professional sport in Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and South America.

By far the most popular form of the sport is the racing of mounted THOROUGHBRED horses over flat courses at distances from three-quarters of a mile to two miles. Other major forms of horse racing are harness racing, steeplechase racing, and QUARTER HORSE racing.

Thoroughbred Racing
By the time humans began to keep written records, horse racing was an organized sport in all major civilizations from Central Asia to the Mediterranean. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 638 BC, and the sport became a public obsession in the Roman Empire.

The origins of modern racing lie in the 12th century, when English knights returned from the Crusades with swift Arab horses. Over the next 400 years, an increasing number of Arab stallions were imported and bred to English mares to produce horses that combined speed and endurance. Matching the fastest of these animals in two-horse races for a private wager became a popular diversion of the nobility.

Horse racing began to become a professional sport during the reign (1702-14) of Queen Anne, when match racing gave way to races involving several horses on which the spectators wagered. Racecourses sprang up all over England, offering increasingly large purses to attract the best horses. These purses in turn made breeding and owning horses for racing profitable. With the rapid expansion of the sport came the need for a central governing authority. In 1750 racing's elite met at Newmarket to form the Jockey Club, which to this day exercises complete control over English racing.

The Jockey Club wrote complete rules of racing and sanctioned racecourses to conduct meetings under those rules. Standards defining the quality of races soon led to the designation of certain races as the ultimate tests of excellence. Since 1814, five races for three-year-old horses have been designated as "classics." Three races, open to male horses (colts) and female horses (fillies), make up the English Triple Crown: the 2,000 Guineas, the Epsom Derby (see DERBY, THE), and the St. Leger Stakes. Two races, open to fillies only, are the 1,000 Guineas and the Epsom Oaks.

The Jockey Club also took steps to regulate the breeding of racehorses. James Weatherby, whose family served as accountants to the members of the Jockey Club, was assigned the task of tracing the pedigree, or complete family history, of every horse racing in England. In 1791 the results of his research were published as the Introduction to the General Stud Book. From 1793 to the present, members of the Weatherby family have meticulously recorded the pedigree of every foal born to those racehorses in subsequent volumes of the General Stud Book. By the early 1800s the only horses that could be called "Thoroughbreds" and allowed to race were those descended from horses listed in the General Stud Book. Thoroughbreds are so inbred that the pedigree of every single animal can be traced back father-to-father to one of three stallions, called the "foundation sires." These stallions were the Byerley Turk, foaled c.1679; the Darley Arabian, foaled c.1700; and the Godolphin Arabian, foaled c.1724.

American Thoroughbred Racing
The British settlers brought horses and horse racing with them to the New World, with the first racetrack laid out on Long Island as early as 1665. Although the sport became a popular local pastime, the development of organized racing did not arrive until after the Civil War. (The American Stud Book was begun in 1868.) For the next several decades, with the rapid rise of an industrial economy, gambling on racehorses, and therefore horse racing itself, grew explosively; by 1890, 314 tracks were operating across the country.

The rapid growth of the sport without any central governing authority led to the domination of many tracks by criminal elements. In 1894 the nation's most prominent track and stable owners met in New York to form an American Jockey Club, modeled on the English, which soon ruled racing with an iron hand and eliminated much of the corruption.

In the early 1900s, however, racing in the United States was almost wiped out by antigambling sentiment that led almost all states to ban bookmaking. By 1908 the number of tracks had plummeted to just 25. That same year, however, the introduction of pari-mutuel betting for the Kentucky Derby signaled a turnaround for the sport. More tracks opened as many state legislatures agreed to legalize pari-mutuel betting in exchange for a share of the money wagered. At the end of World War I, prosperity and great horses like Man o' War brought spectators flocking to racetracks. The sport prospered until World War II, declined in popularity during the 1950s and 1960s, then enjoyed a resurgence in the 1970s triggered by the immense popularity of great horses such as Secretariat, Seattle Slew, and Affirmed, each winners of the American Triple Crown--the KENTUCKY DERBY, the Preakness, and the Belmont Stakes. During the late 1980s, another significant decline occurred, however.

Thoroughbred tracks exist in about half the states. Public interest in the sport focuses primarily on major Thoroughbred races such as the American Triple Crown and the Breeder's Cup races (begun in 1984), which offer purses of up to about $1,000,000. State racing commissions have sole authority to license participants and grant racing dates, while sharing the appointment of racing officials and the supervision of racing rules with the Jockey Club. The Jockey Club retains authority over the breeding of Thoroughbreds.

Breeding
Although science has been unable to come up with any breeding system that guarantees the birth of a champion, breeders over the centuries have produced an increasingly higher percentage of Thoroughbreds who are successful on the racetrack by following two basic principles. The first is that Thoroughbreds with superior racing ability are more likely to produce offspring with superior racing ability. The second is that horses with certain pedigrees are more likely to pass along their racing ability to their offspring.

Male Thoroughbreds (stallions) have the highest breeding value because they can mate with about 40 mares a year. The worth of champions, especially winners of Triple Crown races, is so high that groups of investors called breeding syndicates may be formed. Each of the approximately 40 shares of the syndicate entitles its owner to breed one mare to the stallion each year. One share, for a great horse, may cost several million dollars. A share's owner may resell that share at any time.

Farms that produce foals for sale at auction are called commercial breeders. The most successful are E. J. Taylor, Spendthrift Farms, Claiborne Farms, Gainsworthy Farm, and Bluegrass Farm, all in Kentucky. Farms that produce foals to race themselves are called home breeders, and these include such famous stables as Calumet Farms, Elmendorf Farm, and Green-tree Stable in Kentucky and Harbor View Farm in Florida.

Betting
Wagering on the outcome of horse races has been an integral part of the appeal of the sport since prehistory and today is the sole reason horse racing has survived as a major professional sport.

All betting at American tracks today is done under the pari-mutuel wagering system, which was developed by a Frenchman named Pierre Oller in the late 19th century. Under this system, a fixed percentage (14 percent-25 percent) of the total amount wagered is taken out for track operating expenses, racing purses, and state and local taxes. The remaining sum is divided by the number of individual wagers to determine the payoff, or return on each bet. The projected payoff, or "odds," are continuously calculated by the track's computers and posted on the track odds board during the betting period before each race. Odds of "2-1," for example, mean that the bettor will receive $2 profit for every $1 wagered if his or her horse wins.

At all tracks, bettors may wager on a horse to win (finish first), place (finish first or second), or show (finish first, second, or third). Other popular wagers are the daily double (picking the winners of two consecutive races), exactas (picking the first and second horses in order), quinellas (picking the first and second horses in either order), and the pick six (picking the winners of six consecutive races).

Handicapping
The difficult art of predicting the winner of a horse race is called handicapping. The process of handicapping involves evaluating the demonstrated abilities of a horse in light of the conditions under which it will be racing on a given day. To gauge these abilities, handicappers use past performances, detailed published records of preceding races. These past performances indicate the horse's speed, its ability to win, and whether the performances tend to be getting better or worse. The conditions under which the horse will be racing include the quality of the competition in the race, the distance of the race, the type of racing surface (dirt or grass), and the current state of that surface (fast, sloppy, and so on). The term handicapping also has a related but somewhat different meaning: in some races, varying amounts of extra weight are assigned to horses based on age or ability in order to equalize the field.

Harness Racing
The racing of horses in harness dates back to ancient times, but the sport virtually disappeared with the fall of the Roman Empire. The history of modern HARNESS RACING begins in America, where racing trotting horses over country roads became a popular rural pastime by the end of the 18th century. The first tracks for harness racing were constructed in the first decade of the 19th century, and by 1825 harness racing was an institution at hundreds of country fairs across the nation.

With the popularity of harness racing came the development of the STANDARDBRED, a horse bred specifically for racing under harness. The founding sire of all Standardbreds is an English Thoroughbred named Messenger, who was brought to the United States in 1788. Messenger was bred to both pure Thoroughbred and mixed breed mares, and his descendants were rebred until these matings produced a new breed with endurance, temperament, and anatomy uniquely suited to racing under harness. This new breed was called the Standardbred, after the practice of basing all harness-racing speed records on the "standard" distance of one mile.

Harness racing reached the early zenith of its popularity in the late 1800s, with the establishment of a Grand Circuit of major fairs. The sport sharply declined in popularity after 1900, as the automobile replaced the horse and the United States became more urbanized. In 1940, however, Roosevelt Raceway in New York introduced harness racing under the lights with pari-mutuel betting. This innovation sparked a rebirth of harness racing, and today its number of tracks and number of annual races exceed those of Thoroughbred racing. The sport is also popular in most European countries, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.

Steeplechase, Hurdle, and Point-To-Point Racing
Steeplechases are races over a 2- to 4-mi (3.2- to 6.4-km) course that includes such obstacles as brush fences, stone walls, timber rails, and water jumps. The sport developed from the English and Irish pastime of fox hunting, when hunters would test the speed of their mounts during the cross-country chase. Organized steeplechase racing began about 1830, and has continued to be a popular sport in England to this day. The most famous steeplechase race in the world is England's Grand National, held every year since 1839 at Aintree. Steeplechase racing is occasionally conducted at several U.S. Thoroughbred race tracks. The most significant race is the U.S. Grand National Steeplechase held yearly at Belmont Park.

Hurdling is a form of steeplechasing that is less physically demanding of the horses. The obstacles consist solely of hurdles 1 to 2 ft (0.3 to 0.6 m) lower than the obstacles on a steeplechase course, and the races are normally less than 2 mi in length. Hurdling races are often used for training horses that will later compete in steeplechases. Horses chosen for steeplechase training are usually Thoroughbreds selected for their endurance, calm temperament, and larger-than-normal size.

Point-to-point races are held for amateurs on about 120 courses throughout the British Isles. Originally run straight across country (hence the name), these races are now conducted on oval tracks with built-in fences, often on farmland.

race courses and turf clubs information

There are 60 racecourses in Great Britain, with a further two in Northern Ireland (Down Royal and Downpatrick):



Royal Calcutta Turf Club
P.O. Box. No.162, 11, Russell Street,
Calcutta -- 700071.
Grams: "Turf"
Phone: 2291103/2291104/2296357
Telex: 0215896/7928 CARC IN
Fax: 2172632/0572

More...
Royal Western India Turf Club Ltd.
Mahalakshmi Race Course,
Mumbai -- 400034
Phone : 3071398/4666, 3071401/3071438, 3053679
Fax: 022-2071437, 022-3090351
Telex: 011-75398 TURF IN
Gram: "Turf"

More...


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Bangalore Turf Club Ltd.
P.O. Box. No.5038,
Race Course Road,
Bangalore - 560001
Grams: HOSES
Phone: 2262391-2-3, 2266421/2260942/2264944
Telex: 845-2555 HORS IN
Fax: 080-2256995

More...

Madras Race Club Ltd.
P.O. Box. No.2639, Guindy,
Chennai -- 600032.
Phone: 2351171/2/3/5, 2350774
Fax: 044-2351553/0024
Telex: 041-8976-MRC IN
Grams: "RACES"
Ooty Office:
Phone: 0423-443943
Fax: 0423-441251


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Hyderabad Race Club
Malakpet, Hyderabad 500036, India
Tel, +0091-40-454 9491 / 92
Telex : 0425-6413 RACE IN,
Fax : (040) 454 8493

More...

Mysore Race Club Ltd.
Post Box No. 11,
Race course road,
Mysore - 570 010
Grams: "RACES"
Phone: 0821-521675
Fax: 0821-520248




Racing in Malaysia and Singapore
are conducted under the Rules of the
MALAYAN RACING ASSOCIATION
which has delegates from the following Turf Clubs:

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PENANG TURF CLUB

Racecourse
Batu Gantong Road
10450 Penang
Malaysia.

Tel: (604) 229 3233, 229 9284
Racecourse: (605) 229 9018
Fax: (604) 228 8478
Telegrams: "RACING" PENANG
http: www.penangturfclub.com

General Manager / Secretary:
Mr Robin Rizal P. H. TAN


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PERAK TURF CLUB
Racecourse
Jalan Raja Di Hilir
30350 Ipoh
Perak
Malaysia.
Tel: (605) 254 0505, 254 8084
Fax: (605) 253 6877
Telegrams: "RACING" IPOH

General Manager / Secretary:
Mr LIM Yew Leong


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SELANGOR TURF CLUB
Racecourse
Jalan Sungei Besi
57100 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia.
Tel: (603) 9058 3888
Fax: (603) 9058 5755

General Manager:
Mr Kaka SINGH Dhaliwal


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SINGAPORE TURF CLUB
1 Turf Club Avenue
Singapore Racecourse
Singapore 738078.
Tel: (62) 6879 1000
Fax: (62) 6879 1010
Telegrams: "RACING" SINGAPORE
http: www.turfclub.com.sg

Chief Executive: Mr YU Pang Fey
Deputy General Manager (Operations)/
Director (Racing): Mr LAU Kian Heng

famous race horses

great race horses
Brown Jack was a legendary stayer who dominated staying races around 1930. Originally trained to run over hurdles he was good enough to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup. After this he was switched with dramatic effect to run on the level. His forte was the Queen Alexandra Stakes at Royal Ascot. It was run over two and three quarter miles and was therefore the supreme test of stamina for a horse. Brown Jack made the race his own, winning it on no less than six occasions. His regular partner was the Champion Jockey, Steve Donoghue. He won other big stayers races too. These include the Ascot Stakes, Goodwood Cup, Doncaster Cup, Chester Cup and the Ebor Handicap. These races were often won carrying very large weights



The Brigadier graced the turf for three seasons between 1970 and 1972. During those three years he was more or less unbeatable with a career tally of seventeen wins from eighteen outings. His best distance was a mile, but he showed his versatility and class by winning at a mile and a quarter and a mile and a half. Joe Mercer was his constant pilot and he was trained by Dick Hern at West Ilsley. His catalogue of victories included a number of the top races such as the Middle Park Stakes, St James's Palace Stakes, Sussex Stakes, Goodwood Mile, Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, Champion Stakes, Lockinge Stakes, Prince of Wales's Stakes, Eclipse Stakes and King George VI Stakes. A great roll of honour by anyone's standard. A race, The Brigadier Gerard Stakes, has been named after him and is run at Sandown Park.


Alleged - Horse Racing History
Trained by the mighty Vincent O'Brien and ridden by the master jockey Lester Piggott, maybe it is no surprise that Alleged proved to be an outstanding horse. He met with defeat on just one occasion, in the St Ledger, where he was a close second. His main claim to fame though is his consecutive victories in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in 1977 and 1978. This is an outstanding achievement and without doubt marks Alleged down in the all time greats category. After his retirement he was sent to stud. He went on to produce two further classic winners in Midway Lady and Law Society.

winning tips for betting

With odds showing on the board, for each and every race you should thinking of playing:
1.) Ask the question "do I have an edge?" If yes, proceed. If no, skip the race.
2.) Ask the question "do I have value?" If yes, proceed. If no, skip the race.
3.) Examine carefully all of the wagering options for this race.
4.) Use the slot wagering strategy for exotic wagers.
5.) Can this be classified as a right situation? What are the right wagers for this situation?
Edge - ask the question "do I have an edge?" Is this a case that is clearly, without nagging reservations, one in which I feel strongly about my contender(s)? If there is any doubt lingering in my mind, I must skip the race.
To feel strongly about one or more contenders, it or they must in some way stand out above the others, such as being a "move" play or having a significant final fraction advantage, or both. To maintain a positive ROI I must be super-selective and feel completely comfortable with this race as a playable one that answers in the affirmative the first 2 questions of edge and value.
Value - ask the question "does this race present enough value?" Playing the thoroughbreds with the intention of making money and maintaining a positive ROI (as opposed to playing for "action" or recreation) is a speculative venture, much like investing in stocks or commodities. The potential return on my money has to be worth the risk.
Establishing Value Lines is extremely useful in determining value situations. If a win proposition (or propositions) has near-post odds of greater than my value line, the win bet is a go.
Wagering Options - once I have answered "yes" to the questions of edge and value, I'm ready to proceed with construction of wagers. I must examine a checklist of all available wagers to make sure I come up with the most appropriate for the situation at hand. For example, if the race in question were the 9th at Belmont Park, my checklist would include: win, win-place, exacta, trifecta, and superfecta as potential plays. I would then structure wagers according to the situation, which would include field size, number of contenders and preference from among the contenders.
Slot Wagering Strategy - if exotic wagers - exacta, trifecta, or superfecta are part of the wagering plan, then I will fill the win/place/show/4th slots with the contenders according to preference for each.
Right Situation and Wagers - is this a "right" situation, and if so, what wager(s) fit(s) this particular situation?
Right Situations
Small field - less than 7 entries - maximum of 3 contenders and no periphery plays
Mid-size field - 7-8 entries - maximum of 3 contenders and 1 periphery play
Large field - 9-12 or more entries - maximum of 3 contenders and 2 periphery plays
Small Field
3 contenders - preference of 1 over the others - bet the top choice to win at my value line or higher; key in 2 slots in the exacta and/or 2 or 3 slots in the trifecta (1/2-3, and lesser on 2-3/1 for the exactas; 1/2-3-4/2-3-4, and lesser on 2-3-4/1/2-3-4, and 2-3-4/2-3-4/1 for the trifectas if playable)
3 contenders - preference of 2 over the other - decide whether to bet to win on higher odds of top 2 picks at my value line or higher, or both if odds on each are minimum 8-1; key both in top 2 slots in exacta and/or trifecta plays as described above
3 contenders - like all equally - bet highest odds to win providing that horse is at or above my value line; box all in exacta if all 6 combinations pay at least $35; box all in the trifecta only if the odds of all 3 contenders total at least 15
Mid-size and Large Fields
The same basic process is used for these situations as for the small field situations. There should be no more than 3 contenders and 1 or 2 periphery plays, respectively. Review and decide on the proper wagers, including the win wager, and which of the contenders should be in which slots.

how to bet in haorse racing tips for betting

Studying the form
‘Form’ is simply the information and facts about a horse's past performances. You can find a summary of form in the national newspapers. If you would like a more detailed analysis, then the Racing Post has a wide range of statistical information.

Also, on the day, you can buy a racecard which contains basic form. Sometimes it also contains useful information such as which trainers or jockeys have a good record at that particular course.

Some factors worth taking into consideration when looking at form is whether the horse has won previously over a certain distance or going. Also you might want to look at the weight it’s carrying compared to previous races or whether it is going up or dropping down significantly in the class of the race.

Focusing on the horses
Studying the form can assist in picking winners but it's not the only component and it’s definitely worth actually having a look at the horses before the race, either in the pre-parade ring or the Parade Ring, to see how they’re looking.

The sort of signs you should be seeking in a potential winner are:·


A good muscle tone, often referred to as ‘condition’
Match this with a shiny coat, bright eyes, forward-pointing ears and an alert manner and you’re in with a good chance
Pay attention to how the horse moves. A relaxed forward stride is ideal but watch out for unnecessary agitation - the horse could well be wasting energy
Profuse sweating can be an indication of nerves, but don’t cut this out altogether as for some horses this is normal
Equally, don’t be put off by blinkers or visors, which are worn to help channel the horse’s concentration during the race








Make a limit and stick to it. If you wish to bet at the racecourse, include your limit as part of the cost of the day. That way, any winnings are a bonus, and any losses are part of the costs.
Don't chase losses. There is always another day.
Only bet what you can afford to lose. You alone can judge this.
Stay in control of your betting.