Ruffian July 6, 1975

[RacingFan1992]

July 6th, 1975

We lost a racing legend

Ruffian

By Review out of Shenanigans by Native Dancer

Born April 17, 1972 - Died July 7, 1975

Champion 2 year old Filly 1974
Champion 3 year old Filly 1975 (awarded posthumously)

1974-1st place in her maiden, Fashion, Astoria, Sorority, and Spinaway Stakes

1975-1st place in the Caltha Purse, Comely, Acorn, Mother Goose Stakes and Coaching Club American Oaks becoming the fourth filly to win the Filly Triple Crown. Won at distances from 5.5 to 12 furlongs.

She was never headed by another horse in any of her races. Broke down on the backstretch of Belmont Park in "The Great Match Race" against Kentucky Derby winner Foolish Pleasure on July 6, 1975. She would be euthanized the next morning at 2:25. She is buried whole in the infield at Belmont Park with her nose pointed toward the finish line.

"As God is my judge, she maybe better than Secretariat" - Lucien Lauren, 1974.

YouTube (Short URL)

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by RacingFan1992

July 6th, 1975

We lost a racing legend

Ruffian

By Review out of Shenanigans by Native Dancer

Born April 17, 1972 - Died July 7, 1975

Champion 2 year old Filly 1974
Champion 3 year old Filly 1975 (awarded posthumously)

1974-1st place in her maiden, Fashion, Astoria, Sorority, and Spinaway Stakes

1975-1st place in the Caltha Purse, Comely, Acorn, Mother Goose Stakes and Coaching Club American Oaks becoming the fourth filly to win the Filly Triple Crown. Won at distances from 5.5 to 12 furlongs.

She was never headed by another horse in any of her races. Broke down on the backstretch of Belmont Park in "The Great Match Race" against Kentucky Derby winner Foolish Pleasure on July 6, 1975. She would be euthanized the next morning at 2:25. She is buried whole in the infield at Belmont Park with her nose pointed toward the finish line.

"As God is my judge, she maybe better than Secretariat" - Lucien Lauren, 1974.

https://youtu.be/WDYUsSkjE9Q

In many ways, the Foolish Pleasure-Ruffian match race may have been the worst day in the history of the sport in America. It was a good idea- Ruffian had beaten up mercilessly on all the decent fillies and mares on the East Coast, and there wasn't anything in California that she wouldn't have beaten either. Foolish Pleasure looked like a representative opponent and had cachet as a Derby winner. And it took off and became a publicity orgy- huge crowd, national television, the New York media, all sorts of attention, especially coming two years after Secretariat's Triple Crown and all the attention that got. It played into 1970's feminism too, just like the Billie Jean King-Bobby Riggs tennis match.

And then this happened. I'm sure it turned off tons of people, including a ton of casual female fans, from the sport for a long time. It was worse for the sport than the Go For Wand breakdown because far more people saw it.

Just a sad, sad day for everyone: for the connections of Ruffian, for the fans, for everyone who cares about the sport.

[Tom]

I remember that day like it was yesterday. Compared to today, we had very little TV racing to watch, so this was a BIG event. The horror of the breakdown was like a punch to the gut, and then, no internet, no way to get updates...friggin' dark ages.

I still never want to see another match race.

[46zilzal]

It was so loud a fracture that you could hear it aloud. Both sesamoids in her right lead leg right after changing leads.

[Inner Dirt]

I wasn't old enough to gamble when Ruffian was racing. The two what could have been fillies for me were Landaluce and Melair. I watched Landaluce win a stakes race by 21 lengths and watched Melair whip up on Preakness winner Snow Chief at Hollywood Park. Both their careers were ended by colic after 5 races or so, Landaluce unfortunately did not survive.

[Prytanis]

Was there that day

Was there for Go for Wand too

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by Prytanis

Was there that day

Was there for Go for Wand too

Go For Wand literally broke down directly in front of me. I have never forgotten it.

[classhandicapper]

Originally Posted by Inner Dirt

I wasn't old enough to gamble when Ruffian was racing. The two what could have been fillies for me were Landaluce and Melair. I watched Landaluce win a stakes race by 21 lengths and watched Melair whip up on Preakness winner Snow Chief at Hollywood Park. Both their careers were ended by colic after 5 races or so, Landaluce unfortunately did not survive.

Melair is a name you don't hear very often. Good one.

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by classhandicapper

Melair is a name you don't hear very often. Good one.

She ran a mile in 1:32 and change to beat the Preakness winner by open lengths. That doesn't happen very often.

[Spalding No!]

Originally Posted by dilanesp

She ran a mile in 1:32 and change to beat the Preakness winner by open lengths. That doesn't happen very often.

You also don't see a Preakness winner make his next start in a Grade 2...or in a race around one turn...or in a race carrying 127 lbs (giving 12 lbs to the winner)...or make his 8th start of the season (17th overall) in July.

Snow Chief had knee surgery about a week after the race.

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by Spalding No!

You also don't see a Preakness winner make his next start in a Grade 2...or in a race around one turn...or in a race carrying 127 lbs (giving 12 lbs to the winner)...or make his 8th start of the season (17th overall) in July.

Snow Chief had knee surgery about a week after the race.

The thing is, you make it sound like SC ran poorly. He didn't- he probably broke 1:34.

Also, this was the 1980's. Horses ran more often back then.

[Spalding No!]

Originally Posted by dilanesp

The thing is, you make it sound like SC ran poorly. He didn't- he probably broke 1:34.

Snow Chief was beaten 11 lengths, just saving 3rd from fellow Cal-bred Marvin's Policy (who was nearly 50-1). He would have been lucky to have broken 1:35.

This is a horse, omitting his Derby debacle, that had not lost a race in over 7 months at 6 different racetracks at distances spanning 7f to a mile-and-a-quarter, including 4 Grade 1s.

I'm sure all the people that bet the horse down to 3-5 thought he ran well. I'm sure his owners, who only ran because Hollywood Park offered an inflated purse contingent upon him starting in the race, thereby blowing a run at a $1 million bonus in NJ had he won the Jersey Derby-Haskell-Pegasus triple, thought he ran well.

Did I mention he had knee surgery a few days after the race?

[Inner Dirt]

Originally Posted by Spalding No!

Snow Chief was beaten 11 lengths, just saving 3rd from fellow Cal-bred Marvin's Policy (who was nearly 50-1). He would have been lucky to have broken 1:35.

This is a horse, omitting his Derby debacle, that had not lost a race in over 7 months at 6 different racetracks at distances spanning 7f to a mile-and-a-quarter, including 4 Grade 1s.

I'm sure all the people that bet the horse down to 3-5 thought he ran well. I'm sure his owners, who only ran because Hollywood Park offered an inflated purse contingent upon him starting in the race, thereby blowing a run at a $1 million bonus in NJ had he won the Jersey Derby-Haskell-Pegasus triple, thought he ran well.

Did I mention he had knee surgery a few days after the race?

I think the point is you are pissing all over what Melair did and are a Snow Chief homer? She was only a couple ticks off the world record for a dirt mile at the time and the fastest a filly had ever run the distance up to that point.
Snow Chief was as overrated as they come and a major disappointment to the locals in SoCal.

[Spalding No!]

Originally Posted by Inner Dirt

I think the point is you are pissing all over what Melair did and are a Snow Chief homer? She was only a couple ticks off the world record for a dirt mile at the time and the fastest a filly had ever run the distance up to that point.
Snow Chief was as overrated as they come and a major disappointment to the locals in SoCal.

Well, I don't think Dilan Esp needs a 3rd party to get his point across and nowhere in any of my posts did I mention (nor piss on) Melair.

Meanwhile, you seem to have no qualms about pissing on Snow Chief with one of the worst takes I've ever seen on this message board: An Eclipse champion, classic-winning Cal-bred that took his show on the road was overrated and a major disappointment?

It's pretty clear from my posts that all I was putting forth was that Snow Chief did not run his race in the Silver Screen.

Ironically, instead of bringing up the important points about Melair, a short-lived but consistently fast racehorse that ran one of the fastest flat miles around one-turn ever, you yourself originally only distinguished her Silver Screen win by her defeat of Snow Chief...a horse you apparently don't think much of.

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by Spalding No!

Well, I don't think Dilan Esp needs a 3rd party to get his point across and nowhere in any of my posts did I mention (nor piss on) Melair.

Meanwhile, you seem to have no qualms about pissing on Snow Chief with one of the worst takes I've ever seen on this message board: An Eclipse champion, classic-winning Cal-bred that took his show on the road was overrated and a major disappointment?

It's pretty clear from my posts that all I was putting forth was that Snow Chief did not run his race in the Silver Screen.

Ironically, instead of bringing up the important points about Melair, a short-lived but consistently fast racehorse that ran one of the fastest flat miles around one-turn ever, you yourself originally only distinguished her Silver Screen win by her defeat of Snow Chief...a horse you apparently don't think much of.

1. Snow Chief was really good. He came back and won the Strub over Ferdinand at 1 1/4 miles the next year.

2..Snow Chief's injury was not a result of being "overrun" in 1986. Back then horses ran more often. The Silver Screen was a legitimate spot and Snow Chief had won the Hollywood Futurity the previous year at the same distance. They just didn't realize how good Melair was.