Cory Tell All Sports: Horse Racing History Book

Horse Racing History Book

Cory Tell All Sports Horse Racing History Lists:

Top Twelve Race Horses Of All-Time:

1. Secretariat (Race Horse from 1972-1973)
Record: 21 starts - 16 first place finishes; 3 second place finishes; 1 third place finish; 1 non-top three finish
Triple Crown: Kentucky Derby Winner (1973); Preakness Stakes Winner (1973); Belmont Stakes Winner (1973)
Memorable Performances: 1973 Kentucky Derby - First place finish with a track record 1:59.40 s run, including a faster time each successive quarter mile to win by 2 1/2 lengths over Sham; 1973 Preakness Stakes - First place finish with a Preakness Stakes record 1:53.0 s running time to win once again by 2 1/2 lengths over Sham; 1973 Belmont Stakes - First place finish by a triple crown record 31 lengths with a record for any 1 1/2 mile race on dirt with a time of 2:24.0 s; 1973 Marlboro Cup Invitational Handicap - First place finish by a then record on a 1 1/8 mile course with a time of 1:45.40 s

2. Man o' War (Race Horse from 1919-1920)
Record: 21 starts - 20 first place finishes, 1 second place finish
Triple Crown: Preakness Stakes Winner (1920); Belmont Stakes Winner (1920)
Memorable Performances: 1920 Preakness Stakes - First place finish with a 1:51.06 s running time in the 1 1/8 mile race, including a Pimlico track record 1:38.60 s opening mile; 1920 Belmont Stakes - First place finish by 20 lengths with a 1 3/8 mile Belmont Stakes record 2:14.20 s running time; 1920 Lawrence Realization Stakes - First place finish with a racing record on a 1 5/8 mile course with a time of 2:40.80 s

3. Citation (Race Horse from 1947-1951)
Record: 45 starts - 32 first place finishes; 10 second place finishes; 2 third place finishes; 1 non-top three finish
Triple Crown: Kentucky Derby Winner (1948); Preakness Stakes Winner (1948); Belmont Stakes Winner (1948)
Memorable Performances: 1948 Kentucky Derby - First place finish in a 2:05.40 s run to win by 3 1/2 lengths over Coaltown; 1948 Preakness Stakes - First place finish by 5 1/2 lengths with a 2:02.40 s running time; 1948 Belmont Stakes - First place finish to tie the then 1 1/2 mile Belmont Stakes record running time of 2:28.20 s, becoming the last triple crown winner for 25 years; 1950 Santa Anita Park Race - First place finish with a 1:11.40 s time to win his then record 16th straight race

4. Count Fleet (Race Horse from 1942-1943)
Record: 21 starts - 16 first place finishes, 4 second place finishes, 1 third place finish
Triple Crown: Kentucky Derby Winner (1943); Preakness Stakes Winner (1943); Belmont Stakes Winner (1943)
Memorable Performances: 1942 Champagne Stakes - First place finish with a track record 1:34.80 s run; 1943 Kentucky Derby - First place finish in a 2:04.00 s run to win by 3 lengths; 1943 Preakness Stakes - First place finish by a near race record 8 lengths with a 1:57.40 s run; 1943 Belmont Stakes - First place finish by a then race record 25 lengths with a then 1 1/2 mile Belmont Stakes record 2:28.20 s running time to finish off the triple crown

5. Seattle Slew (Race Horse from 1976-1978)
Record: 17 starts - 14 first place finishes, 2 second place finishes, 1 non-top three finish
Triple Crown: Kentucky Derby Winner (1977); Preakness Stakes Winner (1977); Belmont Stakes Winner (1977)
Memorable Performances: 1977 Kentucky Derby - First place finish by 1 3/4 lengths over Run Dusty Run with a 2:02.20 s run; 1977 Preakness Stakes - First place finish by 1 1/2 lengths over Iron Constitution, Run Dusty Run, and Cormorant with a 1:54.40 s run in the then 3rd fastest 1 3/16 mile Preakness Stakes; 1977 Belmont Stakes - First place finish by 4 lengths over Run Dusty Run with a 2:29.60 s running time; 1978 Marlboro Cup Invitational Handicap - First place finish by 3 lengths over Affirmed with a time of 1:45.80 s

6. Affirmed (Race Horse from 1977-1979)
Record: 29 starts - 22 first place finishes, 5 second place finishes, 1 third place finish; 1 non-top three finish
Triple Crown: Kentucky Derby Winner (1978); Preakness Stakes Winner (1978); Belmont Stakes Winner (1978)
Memorable Performances: 1978 Kentucky Derby - First place finish by 1 1/2 lengths over Alydar with a 2:01.20 s run; 1978 Preakness Stakes - First place finish by a neck over Alydar with a 1:54.40 s run; 1978 Belmont Stakes - First place finish by a head over Alydar with a 2:26.80 s run, including the fastest final mile in race history, becoming the last triple crown winner for 37 years; 1979 Jockey Club Gold Cup - First place finish with a 2:27.40 s run to win over Spectacular Bid

7. Native Dancer (Race Horse from 1952-1954)
Record: 22 starts - 21 first place finishes, 1 second place finish
Triple Crown: Kentucky Derby Second Place Finisher (1953); Preakness Stakes Winner (1953); Belmont Stakes Winner (1953)
Memorable Performances: 1953 Preakness Stakes - First place finish over Jamie K and Royal Bay Gem with a 1:57.80 s run; 1953 Belmont Stakes - First place finish once again over Jamie K and Royal Bay Gem with a 2:28.00 s run; 1953 Travers Stakes - First place finish with a time of 2:05.60 s in a 1 1/4 mile race to become the 4th horse to win the Preakness, Belmont, and Travers Stakes

8. Spectacular Bid (Race Horse from 1978-1980)
Record: 30 starts - 26 first place finishes, 2 second place finishes, 1 third place finish, 1 non-top three finish
Triple Crown: Kentucky Derby Winner (1979); Preakness Stakes Winner (1979); Belmont Stakes Third Place Finisher (1979)
Memorable Performances: 1979 Kentucky Derby - First place finish in a 2:02.40 s run to win by 2 3/4 lengths over General Assembly and Golden Act; 1979 Preakness Stakes - First place finish by 5 1/2 lengths over Golden Act with a 1:54.20 s running time in the then 3rd fastest 1 3/16 mile Preakness Stakes; 1980 Strub Stakes - First place finish with a record for a 1 1/4 mile race on dirt with a time of 1:57.8 s

9. Kelso (Race Horse from 1959-1966)
Record: 63 starts: 39 first place finishes, 12 second place finishes, 2 third place finishes, 10 non-top three finishes
Memorable Performances: 1960 Lawrence Realization Stakes - First place finish to tie the racing record on a 1 5/8 mile course with a 2:40.80 s running time; 1964 Jockey Club Gold Cup - First place finish with a racing record on a 2 mile dirt course with a time of 3:19.1 s; 1964 Washington D.C., International - First place finish with an American racing record on a 1 1/2 mile turf track with a time of 2:23.4 s; 1965 Whitney Stakes - First place finish in a 1:49.80 s run on a 1 1/8 mile track at the age of 8

10. Dr. Fager (Race Horse from 1966-1968)
Record: 22 starts: 18 first place finishes, 2 second place finishes, 1 third place finish, 1 non-top three finish
Memorable Performances: 1967 Gotham Stakes - First place finish with a 1:35.20 s time on a mile dirt track to win over rival Damascus; 1968 Suburban Handicap - First place finish with a 1:59.60 s time on a 1 1/4 mile dirt course to win over Bold Hour and Damascus; 1968 Washington Park Handicap - First place finish with a racing record on a 1 mile course with a time of 1:32.20 s.

11. War Admiral (Race Horse from 1936-1939)
Record: 26 starts - 21 first place finishes, 3 second place finishes, 1 third place finish, 1 non-top three finish
Triple Crown: Kentucky Derby Winner (1937); Preakness Stakes Winner (1937); Belmont Stakes Winner (1937)
Memorable Performances: 1937 Kentucky Derby - Wire-to-wire first place finish with a 2:03.20 s run to win by 1 3/4 lengths over Pompoon; 1937 Preakness Stakes - First place finish by a head over Pompoon with a 1:58.40 s run; 1937 Belmont Stakes - First place finish with a then 1 1/2 mile Belmont Stakes track record 2:28.60 s run to complete the triple crown

12. American Pharoah
Record: 11 starts - 9 first place finishes, 1 second place finish, 1 non-top three finish
Triple Crown: Kentucky Derby Winner (2015), Preakness Stakes Winner (2015), Belmont Stakes Winner (2015)
Memorable Performances: 2015 Kentucky Derby - First place finish by a length with a time of 2:26.65 s; 2015 Preakness Stakes - First place finish with a time of 1:58.46 s to win by 7 lengths, becoming the first horse to win the the race from the number 1 position since 1994; 2015 Belmont Stakes - Wire-to-wire first place finish by 5.5 lengths with a 2:26.65 s time to become the first triple crown winner since 1978, including running the fastest closing Belmont quarter-mile at 24.32 s; 2015 Breeders' Cup Classic - First place finish with a track record running time of 2:00.07 s to complete the grand slam of horse racing

Honorable Mention: 13. Forego, 14. Damascus, 15. Buckpasser, 16. Tom Fool, 17. Cigar

Top Three Most Memorable Horse Racing Moments/Races Of All-Time:

1. Affirmed vs. Alydar III in the 1978 Belmont Stakes From Belmont Park in Elmont, New York
Race Order: 1. Affirmed, 2. Alydar, 3. Darby Creek Road, 4. Judge Advocate, 5. Noon Time Spender
Race Stats: Affirmed - Started in number 3 post position; 1/4 mile at 0:25, 1/2 mile at 0:50, 3/4 mile at 1:14, 1 mile at 1:37 2/5, 1 1/4 mile at 2:01 3/5, 1 1/2 mile at 2:26 4/5; Alydar - Started in number 2 post position; lost by a head to Affirmed
Memorable Moments: Start of the race - Affirmed jumped out to an early 1/2 length lead before the first turn with Alydar trailing him from behind while riding on the rail. 1/2 Mile Mark - After following just behind Affirmed for the first 50 seconds, Alydar ran right up next to Affirmed from the outside and the horses opened up a 6 length lead on the rest of the field in a slow opening 3/4 mile run. Final 1/4 Mile - Alydar made a move after the quarter pole for the final 1/4 mile and took a slight lead over Affirmed. Final Stretch - Affirmed took a nose lead over Alydar on the inside as the horses raced side-by-side at a historic closing pace and Affirmed maintained a head advantage over Alydar until the finish line.
Significance: After winning the Kentucky Derby by 1 1/2 lengths over Alydar and the Preakness Stakes by a neck over Alydar, Affirmed completed the Triple Crown by beating Alydar by a head to win the Belmont Stakes in the greatest head-to-head rivalry in racing history. Affirmed's running time of 2:26.80 s was - at the time - the third fastest by a Triple Crown winner at the Belmont, and his final mile was the fastest in race history. Affirmed became the only horse in history to win the Triple Crown the year after another horse had just accomplished the feat, as Seattle Slew had won the Triple Crown in 1977. Affirmed was the last horse for 37 years, until American Pharoah in 2015, to cap off the Triple Crown with a win at the Belmont.

2. Secretariat's Record Setting 1973 Belmont Stakes Run From Belmont Park in Elmont, New York
Race Order: 1. Secretariat, 2. Twice a Prince, 3. My Gallant, 4. Pvt. Smiles, 5. Sham
Race Stats: Secretariat - Started in number 1 post position; 1/4 mile at 23 3/5, 1/2 mile at 46 1/5, 3/4 at 1:09 4/5, 1 mile at 1:34 1/5, 1 1/14 mile at 1:59, 1 1/2 mile at 2:24
Memorable Moments: Start of the race - Secretariat began the race in a good position along the rail to pass My Gallant for the lead and Sham came from the number 6 post position to get on the onside of Secretariat before the first turn. 1/2 Mile Mark - Sham ran side-by-side with Secretariat on the inside, and the two horses opened up a 10 length lead over the next horse in the field. 3/4 Mile Mark - Secretariat began to quicken up his pace and took a 1 1/2 length lead over the tiring Sham, who began to fall behind by several more lengths as Secretariat pulled away. Final 1/2 Mile - Leading by 14 lengths going into the final turn, Secretariat was way out in front of the rest of the field, as Sham pulled up in exhaustion. Final Stretch - Secretariat continued to run at a blistering pace to win the Belmont Stakes.
Significance: After winning both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes by 2 1/2 lengths over Sham, Secretariat's Belmont Stakes victory made him the first horse to complete the Triple Crown in 25 years since Citation in 1948. Secretariat set the track record with a time of 2:24, which broke Going Abroad's record for a race on a 1 1/2 mile dirt course and still stands today. Secretariat won the Belmont by a triple crown record 31 lengths in the most dominating performance in horse racing history.

3. Seabiscuit vs. War Admiral in a Match Race in 1938 From Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland
Race Order: 1. Seabiscuit, 2. War Admiral
Race Stats: Seabiscuit - 1:56 s time; War Admiral - Four lengths behind Seabiscuit
Memorable Moments: Start of the race - Knowing the importance of getting off to a fast-start in a two horse battle, especially against a speedy horse like War Admiral, Seabiscuit took an early 2 length lead in the match race. 1/2 Mile Mark - War Admiral closed the ground on Seabiscuit and the horses ran nearly side-by-side, trading off the lead in the race for 1/2 mile until the 1 mile mark. Final 3/16 Mile - In the final stretch, Seabiscuit took a length lead after the final turn and continued to extend his lead on War Admiral until he crossed the finish line in a track record time.
Significance: Called by many the "match race of the century," Seabiscuit upset 1937 Triple Crown winner War Admiral by four lengths in the 1 3/16 mile run. Despite the fact that Seabiscuit's long-time jockey John "Red" Pollard fractured his leg before the race and had to be replaced by George Woolf, making the already heavily favored War Admiral an even larger favorite at 1-4 odds by most bookies, Seabiscuit pulled off the stunning victory over the racing champion. Seabiscuit was voted the American Horse of the Year in 1938 over War Admiral, who won the award in 1937, as a result of his victory in their head-to-head race.

Honorable Mention: 4. Secretariat Going from Last-to-First in the 1973 Preakness Stakes, 5. Affirmed vs. Alydar II in the 1978 Preakness Stakes

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About Me

About Me:

Welcome to my blog, Cory Tell All Sports. Before you begin to read my posts and sports opinions, you should get to know to know some things about me and learn about my favorite teams. You can keep up to date with my blog activity by following me on twitter at https://twitter.com/ctellallsports and by listening to the podcasts that I record with my friends and family on SoundCloud at https://soundcloud.com/ctellallsports or at http://corytellallsports.blogspot.com/search/label/Telling%20It%20All%20Podcast

My Teams:

My dad and his father were die hard Colts fans when they lived in Baltimore. My grandfather witnessed back-to-back NFL Championships when the Colts beat the Giants in 1958 in "The Greatest Game Ever Played" (I love watching that Alan Ameche TD run in OT) and then again in 1959 behind the play of Johnny Unitas. On my dad's 9th birthday on January 12, 1969, he had to watch Joe Namath come through on his guarantee to defeat the heavily favored Colts in Super Bowl III. However, my dad got his childhood wish of seeing the Colts win the Super Bowl, as they knocked off the Cowboys in Super Bowl V two seasons later due to a long John Mackey TD reception and a Jim O'Brien game-winning FG in the final minute. My dad continued to keep tabs on his Colts when he was at graduate school in the Baltimore area. During the 2000s, I had to undergo years of anguish and disappointing playoff defeats like my dad experienced (the loss to the Steelers in the 2005 playoffs still hurts). However, Peyton Manning (with the help of Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Dwight Freeney, and the rest of the squad) finally led my Colts to a Super Bowl. I could not have been happier after the Colts came back from a 21-3 deficit against the Patriots in the AFC Championship game behind an 80-yard game-winning drive TD in the end of the 4th quarter and then went on to beat the Bears in Super Bowl XLI. The Tracy Porter interception against the Saints in the Super Bowl during the 2009 season still gives me nightmares, but the 14-year run with Peyton Manning was a magical one. While it was obviously upsetting to see the only Colts quarterback that I have ever known leave Indianapolis in 2012, it was time to move on to the future with Andrew Luck.

When I was a little kid, I went to Boston every summer on my way up to, and back from, camp in Maine. My family went to a bunch of Red Sox games and I fell in love with Fenway Park and the team. Although any Red Sox playoff success was hard to believe for a tortured Sox fan during the early 2000s, Boston won five World Series prior to trading Babe Ruth to the Yankees in 1920. We do not have to talk about what happened over the next eight decades from Ted Williams having to play hurt during a 7 game World Series loss to the Cardinals in 1946 to the Bucky Dent home run for the Yankees in the 1978 tie-breaker game to the Bill Buckner error in game 6 of the 1986 World Series against the Mets. After Aaron Boone hit his walk-off home run in game 7 of the 2003 ALCS against the Sox, I thought I would never see a World Series win. Although all the heartbreak felt like perpetual despair, the struggle for a title made it feel so sweet when the Sox overcame the Yankees in the ALCS after being down 3-0. I will never forget Dave Roberts stealing second base off Mariano Rivera and Bill Mueller driving him home to tie the score in game 4, Big Papi's walk-off home run in extra innings of that contest or walk-off hit in game 5, Curt Schilling's bloody sock performance in game 6, or Johnny Damon's grand slam in game 7. The feeling of finally reaching the mountain top in 2004 by sweeping the Cardinals in the World Series was the pinnacle of my sporting fandom. To make things even better, my beloved Sox came back from 3-1 down against the Indians in the ALCS before sweeping the Rockies in the World Series in 2007 and then had the "Boston Strong" World Series season in 2013.

My love of the New Jersey Devils comes from knowing many of their players and coaches since several of them live in my local New Jersey area. Although I was disappointed over the firing of John MacLean in 2010 and the team's lack of recent success, I will never forget the dominance of the Devils from the late 1990s to the early 2000s. After winning the Stanley Cup for the first time in 1995, the Devils made three of four Stanley Cups from 2000 to 2003, winning in 2000 and 2003. The Stanley Cup in 2000 was incredible because the Devils came back from a 3-1 deficit in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Flyers and then won the cup by beating the Stars in game 6 in 2 OT thanks to a series-clinching goal by Jason Arnott. I will never forget the excitement of the Stanley Cup Finals three years later when the Devils beat the Ducks in a thrilling 7 game series, once again behind the play of legendary net-minder Martin Brodeur along with veterans Scott Niedermayer, Scott Stevens, and Patrik Elias. Although the Devils came up a little short in 2012, I will never forget the overtime goals in games 6 and 7 against the Panthers in the first round, beating the Rangers in the Conference Finals, and getting to the Stanley Cup behind a 40-year old Martin Brodeur.

When I was in London with my family for a vacation, I begged my parents to take me to a soccer game (or as they call it in the UK, a football match). There were no games in London at the time because of an international break, so at the very least, I wanted to buy some team gear. There were Chelsea shirts everywhere in the city and I fell in love with the Chelsea blue. Little did I know that Chelsea, a club that had limited success in English football prior to the arrival of Gianluca Vialli and Gianfranco Zola in the late 1990s, had been taken over in 2003 by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. Abramovich injected millions of dollars into the club, and transformed the Blues into a top English, and European, side. I feel as though I am Chelsea's good luck charm as the team has won the Premier League five times since my trip to London in 2003 and also won four FA Cup titles, three League Cup titles, and a Europa League (my impact may have been less than the likes of club legends Petr Cech, John Terry, Claude Makelele, Frank Lampard, and Didier Drogba). I will admit that John Terry's slip in the penalty shoot-out against Manchester United in the 2008 Champions League Final is still hard to watch. However, my Blues finally won the Champions League in 2012 with their improbable victory over Bayern Munich in penalty kicks, thanks to a late Drogba goal to tie the game, after having already overcome a 3-1 first leg deficit against Napoli in the round of 16 and beating title holders and favorites Barcelona in the semifinals.

Although I do not have one favorite NBA team, I like watching the league as much as any other sport. The level of play in the NBA is exceptionally high, and the modern game is so enjoyable to watch because of how teams spread the floor offensively to give their best players space to operate. It has been a pleasure to grow up during the era of LeBron James, one of the five greatest players in the history of the NBA, and I have marveled at Stephen Curry's shooting ability ever since his days at Davidson. The star power in the NBA with players like LeBron, Curry, Durant, Kawhi, Westbrook, and Harden cannot be matched by any of the other professional sports leagues in the world. The NBA has had so many unforgettable moments over the last 5 years from the Ray Allen three in game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals to Klay Thompson's 11-three pointers in the Warriors miraculous win against the Thunder in game 6 of the 2016 Western Conference Finals to the Cavaliers coming back from 3-1 down to beat the Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals behind an all-time performance from LeBron James.

The Lafayette Leopards have a special place in my heart (my dad went to college there), but I loved the Maryland Terrapins as a little kid. I was not close to being born during the Lefty Driesell years when the Terps had Tom McMillen, Len Elmore, and John Lucas during the 1970s and Adrian Branch and Len Bias during the 1980s, and I was too young for the Steve Francis teams of the late 1990s. I faintly remember the Terps Final Four run in 2001, which ended when they squandered a 22-point first half lead in a loss to Duke in the National Semifinals (as if blowing a 10-point lead to the Blue Devils in the miracle minute earlier that season was not enough). Although I was just 7 years old the following season, I remember my dad telling me not to celebrate too early when the Terps took a big lead over Kansas in the National Semifinals (the Duke losses had conditioned my dad to fear for the worst) and I recall being in Maryland for the team's victory over Indiana in the NCAA Championship Game. Maryland's title team with Juan Dixon, Steve Blake, Byron Mouton, Lonny Baxter, and Chris Wilcox was so special to me because it was the first time I was alive to see one of my favorite teams win a championship. Although the Maryland football team has not enjoyed the same success as the basketball team (even with their flashy Under Armour uniforms), the football program should continue to rebuild. However, as a student at Johns Hopkins, I'm on the side of the Blue Jays when the Maryland schools meet on the lacrosse field.

Now you know everything about me and my favorite teams!

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