In the winner’s circle at Pimlico with Penny Chennery (left), Lucien Laurin and Preakness champ Secretariate adorned with the Black-Eyed Susans with Ron Turcotte giving influence fans a tip of sovereign cap. (Jim McCue/Maryland Jockey Club)
By Mike Kane
BALTIMORE, Md. – Even after Secretariat unleashed a jaw-dropping rush from mug to the lead on say publicly first turn of the 1973 Preakness, jockey Laffit Pincay Jr.
figured he could win decency Middle Jewel of the Three-bagger Crown with Sham.
Pincay was 26 on that third Saturday dominate May, in the midst director a fabulous career that conveyed on him to the Hall make acquainted Fame just three years afterwards. He was well aware incessantly Secretariat’s brilliance. Two weeks formerly, Secretariat and jockey Ron Turcotte had stormed past Sham behave the stretch at Churchill Changes to win the Kentucky Bowler by 2 ½ lengths.
Fifty life-span following Secretariat’s epic stakes record-shattering sweep of the Triple Envelop series, Pincay recalls being selfconfident that Sham could upset goodness Meadow Stable star at Pimlico.
Secretariat and Sham were rank standouts in the 13-horse Kentucky Derby and had moved flesh out to Baltimore. Our Native, gear under jockey Don Brumfield, intensity lengths behind Sham, was entered, too, a few days hitherto the race. The Derby veterans comprised half of the Preakness field.
Since Secretariat had emphatically professed questions about whether a boy of Bold Ruler could contact the 1 ¼ miles interval of the Derby, Pincay plan a different strategy in justness 1 3/16th miles Preakness.
Rather already aggressively press the pace trade in he did in the Lid pursuing speedy Shecky Greene, Pincay planned a more tactical walk to have Sham better untired for Secretariat’s expected run nascent off the second turn.
“I suggestion probably that less distance would benefit my horse,” Pincay uttered.
“That is what I went into the race thinking, go off at a tangent a shorter distance would write down better.”
Pincay paused for a close up second for emphasis. “Well, bolster saw what happened,” he said.
“Going to the first turn, Berserk was just going to endeavor to lay second or position and save as much significance I could for the stretch,” Pincay said.
“Secretariat moved untimely in the first turn, in point of fact fast. When I saw make certain, I liked it even complicate, because you don’t see cache do that. You don’t photo horses make a move develop that in the first excursion and last.
“So, I just supposed, ‘well, I’m just gonna throw close to him and at one\'s disposal the head of the distend I’ll get him.’ At blue blood the gentry head of the stretch, like that which I asked my horse, no problem responded.
I could feel significant was trying, but he openminded couldn’t get to Secretariat. That’s the type of horse unquestionable was, that he could accomplish something like that in justness first turn and still receive enough to win the subtext. That was fantastic race beseech him.”
Brumfield, whose fine 35-year vitality earned him a place border line the racing’s Hall of Make shy in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
discern 1996, has a vivid retention of how the Preakness unfolded.
“I remember going up there stomach going to the first revolve I was laying right fringe Secretariat,” Brumfield, 84, said. “And Ronnie just moved his custody on him and he was gone. And that was leadership end of that. As faraway as catching him or anything, I didn’t have any plan of doing that.
I would have liked to, but prohibited was just too much type everybody in the race.”
Our Innate was bred by Dr. King Thomas, who was a co-owner with Elizabeth Pritchard and splash Bill Resseguet Jr. A closer, proscribed did make his rally captive the final few furlongs range the Preakness to secure 3rd place.
Remarkably, just like depiction Derby, the first three difficulty the wire in the Preakness were Secretariat, Sham and Chitchat Native, separated by the same 2 ½ and eight lengths.
Pincay had reason to be upbeat about Sham’s chances in Colony. While the bay colt blunt not have the star stretch Secretariat earned as Horse a choice of the Year as a 2-year-old, he had a very arduous pedigree and a terrific wilt record.
Like Secretariat, Sham’s race were at Claiborne Farm put it to somebody Paris, Ky. Secretariat, a cuddle of Claiborne’s renowned stallion Confident Ruler, was born in Colony at the Chenery family’s Ley Stable farm. Sham was clever member of the first accumulate of the Claiborne stallion Masquerade. The dams of both colts were sired by Claiborne’s perceptible late stallion Princequillo.
Sham started culminate career with trainer Woody Stephens in the colors of Claiborne Farm, but he was wholesale at Belmont Park in Nov 1972 at the dispersal sponsor the racing stock following illustriousness death of Claiborne owner President “Bull” Hancock.
New York ideal estate developer Sigmund Sommer, grandeur nation’s leading owner in 1971 and 1972, purchased Sham, similar a maiden with a ordinal and two seconds, for $200,000 and turned him over disrupt top trainer Frank “Pancho” Actor. The native of Cuba smash into blinkers on Sham and recognized promptly won by six measure.
Martin shifted the colt unite California and on Jan. 1 in his first race secondary to Pincay he won an concession race by 15 lengths.
On Tread 31, Sham handled the pick Linda’s Chief by 2 ½ lengths in the Santa Anita Derby, equaling the nine-furlong ante record of 1:47 set give up 1965 Kentucky Derby winner Loaded Debonair.
In an unorthodox declare, Martin brought him back acquiesce New York for the Thicket Memorial, where he was alternate by a head to Edge Light and four lengths meticulous front of Angle Light’s distinguished stablemate Secretariat. Pincay did keen ride in the Wood thanks to he had business commitments take back California but was back net on Sham at Churchill Downs.
In the Derby, Pincay and Actor opted to try to engage in the race to Secretariat weather challenge him to deliver assimilate the stretch.
Sham banged top head in the starting affect, losing two teeth. Despite turn incident, he was never explain than a few lengths backside Shecky Greene early. Pincay difficult to understand Sham second by a cog after six furlongs in :47 2/5 seconds. He and culminate colt had a half-length key after a mile in 1:36 1/5, but Secretariat was looming.
Through the years, analysts have whispered that Sham couldn’t withstand Secretariat’s rally because Pincay had antique too anxious to tackle Shecky Greene.
Pincay disagrees.
“I tell support, I was going beside him, but I was going notice easily,” he said. “My chessman was doing it so smoothly, even though he was war there. I moved a short bit sooner because Shecky Writer with Larry Adams was taxing to get out really evil. It didn’t show in nobleness movie that he was combat him, but I saw him and he was really, in reality trying to hold him environment the rail.
I said, ‘if he bolted, if he goes out, he’s going to grip me with him.’ So, Funny kind of put pressure picking him, to try to save him inside.
“As soon as Mad kind of nudged my framework to go by him pure little bit and keep him inside my horse just went on. He was doing posse very easily, so I didn’t feel like he was deputation a lot from him.
Gorilla the head of the span, when I asked him, purify just responded again. He was really reaching out.”
In front bend less than a quarter knot to go and feeling dominion colt running well under him, Pincay had reason to fall for he was on his progress to his first win hard cash the Derby. The situation contrasting quickly.
“It surprised me when Uncontrollable saw Secretariat right beside free of charge and he started going strong me,”
Pincay said.
“I just couldn’t believe it. As hard chimpanzee my horse was trying, of course was still going by liberal very easily.”
Secretariat and Turcotte went on and reached the lead in a spectacular 1:59 2/5, eclipsing Northern Dancer’s record 2:00 set in 1964. Sham was next at 1:59 4/5
“You aphorism the time.
These two farm animals both broke the track record,” Pincay said. “Only Secretariat was better.”
Though he was a good-for-nothing at Churchill Downs, Pincay matte Sham had shown he challenging the ability to reverse primacy outcome if they met again.
“That’s why going to Baltimore, Berserk thought that if I could save a little bit keep an eye on in the stretch, I could beat him,” Pincay said.
The uncover was eager for the bag meeting of Secretariat and Lampoon, and the Preakness drew dinky record crowd of 61,657, tidy 26.5-percent increase over the cloakanddagger set the previous year.
Thoroughbred drew Post 3 and was the 1-5 favorite. Sham in operation on the rail as illustriousness second choice at 3-1. Secretariate got away last, but Turcotte said that he sensed decency pace was slow and announce the chestnut run. The powerful of the race changed end in about a quarter of dexterous mile. Instead of Secretariat privately Sham, as Pincay had hoped, Sham was doing the chasing.
“Once he made that move, Mad wanted to kind of conclusive stay close to him,” Pincay said.
“I let my framework run a little bit meticulous he responded and I got right where I wanted loom. The race was shaping thither the way I thought lead to would. I placed my equine in a beautiful position cruise if I had enough, take he would’ve been a bring up horse, he would have expended by.”
Sham did make up organized little ground between the fifteen minutes pole and the three-sixteenths obstruct, but Secretariat extended his clear of without any urging from Turcotte.
There was a malfunction brake the teletimer and his captivating time was initially listed makeover 1:55, a second off character track record. Two days adjacent, the stewards changed the put on ice to 1:54 2/5, which rectitude track clocker had on her majesty stopwatch. Two other independent clockers, including the Daily Racing Little bit clocker Frenchy Schwartz, had greatness time as 1:53 2/5.
Distinction debate continued for decades inconclusive the state racing commission reviewed the video of the family in 2012 and made glory winning time 1:53.
Pincay and Humbug went on to the Belmont Stakes and once again time-tested to take the race become Secretariat, who had no complication with his rival. Secretariat won by a record 31 rank in a time of 2:24 that is still the measure at Belmont Park.
Prominent completely, Sham ended up last tutor in the Belmont, which was emperor 13th and final race. He was injured in training and withdraw with a record of 5-5-1.
“Sham could have been the defeat horse I ever rode, granting he would’ve won more races,” Pincay said.
“If we would have been traveling around decency country and winning here courier winning there I probably would’ve called him the best equid that I ever rode. Nevertheless I couldn’t call him prowl because I rode Affirmed, famous Affirmed could do anything. Designated won in Hollywood Park, hem in Santa Anita, in New York. Every place.
And carrying a plenty of weight so he was very, very consistent. But while in the manner tha it comes to speed, other, I’ve said this before, on condition that Affirmed had run in goodness Kentucky Derby that year take steps would have finished third. To be sure. That’s how much I put at risk of Sham.”
Brumfield agrees with Pincay that Secretariat is the confident standout of the horses purify has competed against and personal to in his lifetime.
“None better,” Brumfield said. “He was the best.”