Speaking of Riva Ridge....
Fwiw - Riva Ridge was a great stallion in the early 70s and stablemate to Secretariat but ran as a three year old in 1972.
RR won The Kentucky Derby in 72 (a year ahead of Secretariat) but on an off track at Pimlico he finished third in the 72 Preakness behind winner and a little known horse named Bee Bee Bee. RR came back to blow away 9 other horses by seven lengths at the Belmont that year.
As a two year in 1971 Riva Ridge won The Eclipse Award for two year old colts an award Secretariat would win in 1972. Both great horses shared Ron Turcotte as a rider whenever possible.
As a four year old Riva Ridge won five of the nine races he entered, set track records four times, and equalled the 1 1/8 mile track record at Suffolk Downs in winning the Massachusetts Handicap.
RR's winning time of 1:52 2/5 in the Brooklyn Handicap, raced that year at Aqueduct Racetrack, set a North American record for 1 3/16 miles on dirt. A record that while tied (by Farma in 1991 at Pimlico) still stands.
The two horses only faced each other once in a race that started out as a Match Race but ended up in The Marlboro Cup run at Belmont in record time, Secretariat, ridden by Turcotte, defeated Riva Ridge, ridden by Eddie Maple. The race had the Thoroughbred World holding it's breath as Secretariat and Riva Ridge headed the cast, with challengers that included: West Coast champion Cougar II, the Santa Anita Handicap winner; Kennedy Road, America’s top turf horse; Onion, the unlikely conqueror of Secretariat; Annihilate ‘Em, a swift new stakes performer; and Key to the Mint, the Rokeby Stable star who was a rival of Riva Ridge’s, and a bastion of the Eastern establishment.
What a field!
1973 Marlboro Cup at Belmont....Oldtimers like Viejo Dinosaur, Judge Wapner, Steak Tartar, OldmanTed, Gravy and many others who love horse racing please enjoy some nostalgia.. wil...
Onion beat it out of the gate to make the lead at the start of the race. However, Riva Ridge wouldn’t let him get away. Secretariat settled into fifth place on the outside, waiting.
Heading into the far turn, Riva Ridge pounced on Onion, and Secretariat commenced his move, too. As they turned for home, it was just Secretariat and Riva Ridge, and suddenly a match race, after all.
But that didn’t last long. Secretariat rolled away from Riva Ridge and hit the wire a three-and-a-half length winner in a new world record time of 1:45 2/5 for 1 1/8 miles on dirt.
Riva Ridge ran 30 races Won 17 including 12 major stakes races.
Champagne Stakes (1971)
Futurity Stakes (1971)
Laurel Futurity (1971)
Flash Stakes (1971)
Garden State Futurity (1971)
Blue Grass Stakes (1972)
Kentucky Derby (1972)
Belmont Stakes (1972)
Hollywood Derby (1972)
Brooklyn Handicap (1973)
Massachusetts Handicap (1973)
Stuyvesant Handicap (1973
Awards
U.S. Champion 2-Yr-Old (1971)
U.S. Champion Older Horse (1973)
Honours
United States Racing Hall of Fame (1998)
#57 - of The Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century.
The Riva Ridge Stakes at Belmont Park is still run every year.
He went to stud after his four year old season earning $1,100,00 early 1970s dollars.
Overshadowed by Secretariat. no doubt but Riva Ridge was still a great runner in his own right.
wil..
Fwiw - Riva Ridge was a great stallion in the early 70s and stablemate to Secretariat but ran as a three year old in 1972.
RR won The Kentucky Derby in 72 (a year ahead of Secretariat) but on an off track at Pimlico he finished third in the 72 Preakness behind winner and a little known horse named Bee Bee Bee. RR came back to blow away 9 other horses by seven lengths at the Belmont that year.
As a two year in 1971 Riva Ridge won The Eclipse Award for two year old colts an award Secretariat would win in 1972. Both great horses shared Ron Turcotte as a rider whenever possible.
As a four year old Riva Ridge won five of the nine races he entered, set track records four times, and equalled the 1 1/8 mile track record at Suffolk Downs in winning the Massachusetts Handicap.
RR's winning time of 1:52 2/5 in the Brooklyn Handicap, raced that year at Aqueduct Racetrack, set a North American record for 1 3/16 miles on dirt. A record that while tied (by Farma in 1991 at Pimlico) still stands.
The two horses only faced each other once in a race that started out as a Match Race but ended up in The Marlboro Cup run at Belmont in record time, Secretariat, ridden by Turcotte, defeated Riva Ridge, ridden by Eddie Maple. The race had the Thoroughbred World holding it's breath as Secretariat and Riva Ridge headed the cast, with challengers that included: West Coast champion Cougar II, the Santa Anita Handicap winner; Kennedy Road, America’s top turf horse; Onion, the unlikely conqueror of Secretariat; Annihilate ‘Em, a swift new stakes performer; and Key to the Mint, the Rokeby Stable star who was a rival of Riva Ridge’s, and a bastion of the Eastern establishment.
What a field!
Onion beat it out of the gate to make the lead at the start of the race. However, Riva Ridge wouldn’t let him get away. Secretariat settled into fifth place on the outside, waiting.
Heading into the far turn, Riva Ridge pounced on Onion, and Secretariat commenced his move, too. As they turned for home, it was just Secretariat and Riva Ridge, and suddenly a match race, after all.
But that didn’t last long. Secretariat rolled away from Riva Ridge and hit the wire a three-and-a-half length winner in a new world record time of 1:45 2/5 for 1 1/8 miles on dirt.
Riva Ridge ran 30 races Won 17 including 12 major stakes races.
Champagne Stakes (1971)
Futurity Stakes (1971)
Laurel Futurity (1971)
Flash Stakes (1971)
Garden State Futurity (1971)
Blue Grass Stakes (1972)
Kentucky Derby (1972)
Belmont Stakes (1972)
Hollywood Derby (1972)
Brooklyn Handicap (1973)
Massachusetts Handicap (1973)
Stuyvesant Handicap (1973
Awards
U.S. Champion 2-Yr-Old (1971)
U.S. Champion Older Horse (1973)
Honours
United States Racing Hall of Fame (1998)
#57 - of The Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century.
The Riva Ridge Stakes at Belmont Park is still run every year.
He went to stud after his four year old season earning $1,100,00 early 1970s dollars.
Overshadowed by Secretariat. no doubt but Riva Ridge was still a great runner in his own right.
wil..
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