American Pharaoh vs. Secretariat

[Minn. Fatz]

No
doubt about it, American Pharaoh is a great horse and a worthy
champion. But now his connections are reportedly looking for some kind
of medal for him because he’s so far
undefeated as a 3-year-old. That might be worth something more than a
somewhat bigger stud fee if AP had run more races, counting his recent
post-Triple Crown triumph in the Haskell Invitational, than Secretariat
ran as a 2-year-old.

At
a similar point in his career, Big Red had run 16 races to AP’s nine.
He ran fourth in his first race, a maiden claimer; was disqualified and
placed second in the Champagne
Stakes as a 2-year-old; and lost three times (out of 12 races, two of
six after the Triple Crown) as a 3-year-old, finishing third to his
stablemate Angle Light and rival Sham in the Wood Memorial just before
the Derby and twice placing behind rabbits trained
by Alan “The Giant Killer” Jerkins. AP is so far undefeated since
finishing out of the money in the first race of his nine, also a maiden
claimer. In his two seasons, Secretariat won seven more races than AP
has run so far.

The
two horses have run only two races under identical conditions.
Secretariat won the 1973 Kentucky Derby over a fast track by 2 ½ lengths
in 1:59 2/5; AP won the 2015 Derby
by a length in 2:03. Secretariat won the 1973 Belmont Stakes over a
fast track by 31 lengths in 2:24; AP won the 2015 Belmont by 5 ½ in 2:26
3/5. AP won the Preakness over a sloppy track in 1:58 2/5, much slower
than Secretariat’s 1:53 or Farma Way’s track
record 1:52 2/5 for the distance (in
the 1991 Preakness Special as a late-blooming 4-year-old). In the 2015
G2 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn, AP covered a sloppy mile and a sixteenth in
1:45 3/5, winning by 6 ¼; Secretariat ran
the same distance over slop in the 1972 Laurel Futurity in 1:42 4/5,
winning by 8 -- as a 2-year-old.

The one mark against Secretariat might be that he had less racing depth, seldom taking the lead
and losing twice to speedsters who were allowed to set a comfortable
early pace. But while it’s no knock against American Pharaoh’s brilliant
campaign, if he had gone up against Secretariat
in each race of the nine in his career so far he might still be waiting
to break his maiden.

(And
while we’re talking about stud fees, it’s worth remembering that
Secretariat is best known as a sire of mares who in their turn bore
champions; in horse racing as well,
greatness sometimes skips a generation…)

[Tedlark]

Nice comparison Fatz but my money would be on Big Red.