GrrlScientist is an evolutionary biologist, ornithologist, aviculturist, birder and freelance science and nature writer. A native of the Pacific Northwest, she relocated from Seattle to NYC with her parrots after earning a BS in Microbiology (emphasis in Virology) and PhD in Zoology (Ornithology) from the University of Washington. In NYC, she was the Chapman Postdoctoral Fellow at the American Museum of Natural History for two years, pursuing part of her "dream" research project by reconstructing a molecular phylogeny of the parrots of the South Pacific islands. GrrlScientist and her five parrots are currently relocating to Germany, where she will continue writing her blog while also writing a book and learning German. (Meanwhile, her parrots will continue to nibble on her extensive personal library.) If you appreciate GrrlScientist's writing, you can help pay her living expenses by hiring her to "blog" your conference, speak at your club or write articles for your publication (or by clicking on the Paypal button below). If you read an essay on this blog that you especially enjoyed, please nominate it for inclusion in 
tags: Secretariat, horseracing, Triple Crown, streaming video
I hope that Big Brown wins today's Belmont Stakes here in New York, and in fact, I think he will win, especially since his only potential contender of note, Casino Drive, was scratched this morning. If Big Brown manages to win today, he will become only the 12th horse in more than 125 years to win the Triple Crown winner, and our first in 30 years. But do I think that Big Brown is of the same caliber as Secretariat? Not a chance. Big Brown is simply the best individual among a very poor crop of race horses (with the exception of Eight Belles, who is dead). Take a look at what the legendary Secretariat did -- not only did he destroy the Belmont field with the largest ever margin of victory for that race, but he set a new track record and a new world record for the distance, too. [5:04].
Even though Secretariat never raced as a four-year-old (the group who syndicated him demanded he retire from the track at the end of his three-year-old year), he ran against older horses and won convincingly, often tying or setting track records in the process. Secretariat's dominance on the racetrack continues to this day through the victories of his many talented offspring.
Life Science
Comments
The world record still stands. And if you could somehow line up every horse that's ever run the Belmont Stakes and send them off together, none of them would finish less than ten lengths behind Secretariat.
Posted by: Kevin W. Parker | June 10, 2008 5:17 PM
I think Dr. Fager's 1968 world record in the mile set while he carried 134 pounds gives nothing away to Secretariat's great Belmont run. Both were great performances. Secretariat's 1 1/2 mile record was finally eclipsed on Turf in 1989, but it was done by a horse carrying only 121 pounds. Dr Fager's mile record was finally beaten on turf in 2005, but it was done by a horse carrying 116 pounds or 18 less than Fager. Both dirt records still stand.
Posted by: Steve | May 20, 2009 7:22 PM