You should not consider every part you see in sports activities films. In Hollywood, the reality is usually twisted to boost the storyline.
Opposite to what was portrayed within the film “Rudy,” Notre Dame coach Dan Devine didn’t object to apply squad participant Daniel Ruttiger taking part in within the recreation. He was the one who got here up with the concept.
And within the film “Secretariat,” every part is misunderstood as to who really saved Meadow Secure and its horse racing operations from monetary spoil. It wasn’t Huge Pink.
It was Rival Ridge.
“Riva Ridge got here alongside at a time when the steady’s fortunes have been down,” Meadow Secure proprietor Penny Chenery informed the journal in 2012. thoroughbred instances Story (Chennery handed away in 2017). “My father (Christopher T. Chenery) was unwell and my brother and sister wished to promote the ranch. I used to be informed that I used to be the one one who was having enjoyable with horses, so I made a decision to promote the ranch and put the cash into one thing we get pleasure from doing. However I resisted and mentioned I would not promote the horse whereas my father was alive. Then Riva Ridge got here alongside and have become champion (in 1971) and so they stopped pushing me to promote.”
“Then we may have gotten Secretariat with a flip of a coin, however with out Riva Ridge, Secretariat would have been in another person’s palms. And who is aware of what historical past would have been like? The world may need been denied considered one of its nice racehorses.”
To not point out a film that conveniently ignores a horse who deserves a minimum of a supporting function.
“I used to be dissatisfied within the film, as a result of it portrayed one thing that was totally different from actuality,” Chenery mentioned. “However I simply mentioned to myself, ‘That is Hollywood.’ They could not have two heroes.”
In some methods, Lever Ridge’s non-existent function within the movie “The Secretary” displays his profession. The Nineteen Seventies, when he raced, had extra horse expertise than another decade within the historical past of the game, and he was one of many decade’s biggest stars. He gained 17 of 30 races, together with two Triple Crown races, making him the twelfth millionaire in horse racing and qualifying for the Horse Racing Corridor of Fame.
Like different horses of his period, he could have been held up by Secretariat, however to these round him, particularly Penny Chenery, he had nothing however admiration for the Meadow steady’s ‘different’ champion of the Nineteen Seventies.
“I’ve ridden nice horses like Tom Rolfe, Damascus and Northern Dancer, and he was pretty much as good as any of them,” mentioned Ron Turcotte, a daily rider for Secretariat and Riva Ridge. thoroughbred instances story.
Nonetheless, regardless of these impeccable {qualifications}, he’s remembered by many because the Secretariat’s stablemate.
The very best instance is the primary Marlboro Cup in 1973, when the race was created as a showcase for the Secretariat. That day, Riveridge ran sturdy sufficient to beat each horse on this planet aside from one. On the end line, Secretariat gained by three and a half lengths in a world file time over 5 of the game’s greatest horses in coaching with Rivaridge.
“Riva Ridge educated brilliantly (for the Marlboro Cup) and ran quick sufficient to set a world file. He nonetheless misplaced,” mentioned Eddie Maple, who rode Riva Ridge for Turcotte in that $250,000 race. thoroughbred instances. “It tells fairly a narrative. Sadly, nobody remembers who got here second within the massive race.”
First Touchdown’s homebred colt Rivalidge has completed first extra typically than second in his three years on the racetrack.
His debut at Belmont Park on June 9, 1971 was one of many few bumps in his illustrious profession. The horse, who was despatched off at odds of 2-1 by coach Lucien Rollin, was hit firstly of the race however by no means fired and completed seventh, 16 lengths behind jockey Chuck Baltazar.
Reveridge, who added blinkers, bounced again along with his first win and an allowance win, however in his stakes debut he was a 1.30-to-1 favourite in opposition to Nice American, however was dissatisfied when he bumped into site visitors early within the race and fell to eighth behind Chevron Flight.
Turcotte was then introduced in to trip Riveridge within the Flush Stakes at Saratoga. Riveridge tried to expire firstly, however Turcotte guided him to the rail and gained by two and a half lengths.
After the win, Turcotte informed Rollin that Liveridge had a worry of operating in a crowded discipline, which wanted to be addressed to get one of the best out of the younger, gifted stallion.
“The subsequent day (after the flash) I went to Lucien’s barn and informed him Rivalidge had the potential to be one of the best two-year-old horse I’ve ever ridden. He simply laughed,” coach Turcotte mentioned. “However for that, I informed him I wished to work with him for a month and educate him the way to run alongside different horses. Lucien would not take part in that. He already had one other race scheduled at Saratoga and wasn’t going to skip it. At the moment, I mentioned to him, “Lucien, you is usually a champion or a claimer. That is your mission.” However he gave me a month to consider it.
Turcotte then took Riva Ridge to high school to work with Rollin’s two different horses, ridden by Charlie Davis and Tommy Feliciano.
“You’ll be able to see the e-book on the duvet, however you may’t really see what’s inside,” Davis mentioned. thoroughbred instances. “We opened the e-book ‘Riva Ridge’ that August. This horse’s progress was very spectacular and gave us all nice satisfaction. He nonetheless ran as laborious as he may, however he realized to chill out a bit of bit.”
The time spent educating Riva Ridge to chill out paid off with back-to-back wins within the Belmont Futurity, Champagne, Pimlico Laurel Futurity, and Backyard State Stakes, making Riva Ridge the 1971 Champion Two-12 months-Outdated Stakes.
Liveridge, a favourite for the winter Kentucky Derby, gained the Hibiscus Stakes at Hialeah Park in his 3-year-old debut, however then had a disappointing run within the Everglades Stakes on a tough monitor and completed fourth.
River Ridge atoned for that setback with a decisive four-length victory within the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland and exited the Kentucky Derby as the favourite with three wins and two losses.
He gained the Derby by 3 1/4 lengths, giving Meadow Secure its first back-to-back Rose victories.
“I used to be so excited when River Ridge gained the Derby,” Chenery mentioned. “My father was nonetheless alive (he handed away in January 1973) and I fulfilled his dream and biggest want in horse racing by successful the Derby. I’ll all the time be grateful to Riva Ridge for doing that.”
Because the Triple Crown traveled to Pimlico for the Preakness, storm clouds adopted, making a sloppy monitor for the sequence’ central jewel. Throughout his profession, six of River Ridge’s 13 losses got here on moist monitor or turf.
“That rain made me sick,” Turcotte mentioned. “I hoped they’d scratch him and run Higher Case (which gained the Wooden Memorial within the mud), however they mentioned if Riva ran Higher Case second, he would remorse it ceaselessly. They scratched Higher Case, however I knew Riva Ridge could not deal with that mud.”
Turcotte’s instincts have been right, as 3-10 favourite Riva Ridge completed in fourth place behind long-shot B-B-B.
“It merely wasn’t meant for him to win the Triple Crown,” Chenery mentioned.
Returning to dry monitor, Liveridge gained the Belmont Stakes by seven lengths and the Hollywood Derby by a large margin.
The victory at Hollywood Park was Riveridge’s final victory in 1972, and 5 consecutive losses, together with two wherein he completed behind Key to the Mint, opened the door for Key to the Mint to be named the champion 3-year-old colt of the 12 months.
The Meadow Stables crew could have been upset that Riveridge was snubbed by Eclipse Award voters, however they took nice consolation in Secretariat being named Horse of the 12 months for 1972 as a two-year-old.
In 1973, River Ridge gained the Massachusetts Handicap, Brooklyn Handicap, and Stuyvesant Handicap, and was named that 12 months’s Champion Handicap runner, however his accomplishments have been obscured in a 12 months that included solely Secretariat and Secretariat.
Riva Ridge’s profession ended on a disappointing word with a final place end within the 1973 Jockey Membership Gold Cup, after which he and Secretariat went to stud at Claiborne Farm.
“I used to be so shocked once I noticed the Claiborne groom lead them onto the van ramp and put their shins on it,” Chenery mentioned. “I knew this was it. A reporter tried to ask me questions, however I could not converse. I used to be so choked up that I simply left.”
Chenery mentioned he spent the following 45 minutes strolling across the farm alone, his thoughts spinning over the previous two years and draining all his feelings.
“Finally I modified my thoughts and got here again,” Chenery mentioned. “I wished to be alone, however I felt a way of loyalty to the sport. I knew I could not simply stand in a nook and cry like a highschool lady.”
Chenery was a frequent customer to each of Claiborne’s horses, and because the years handed, his bond with Riva Ridge turned much more particular.
“As time went on, I referred to as the workplace and he would not acknowledge me,” Chenery mentioned. “I used to be simply considered one of 100 individuals who referred to as his title each day. However simply earlier than he died (in 1985), Riva Ridge perked up when he heard me name him. So once I speak concerning the two horses, Secretariat is the folks’s and Riva Ridge is mine. There are hundreds of thousands of individuals within the Secretariat who care about him. However he did not want me. He was my hero and he knew I used to be going to do one thing. ”
He is actually a hero. Because it turned out, it was Riva Ridge who saved the legendary Meadow steady.
Notice: This text was initially revealed in December 2015 and has been up to date.
enjoyable info
- Riva Ridge syndicated for $5.1 million. A 12 months in the past, Secretariat was syndicated for a world file $6.08 million.
- Riva Ridge was inducted into the Horse Racing Corridor of Fame in 1998.
- Within the 1971 Backyard State Stakes, Liveridge defeated the 1971 champion two-year-old filly Numbered Account and his closest rival at three years previous, Key to the Mint.
- The final two Kentucky Derby winners competed within the $28,000 Stymie Handicap on September 20, 1972 at Belmont Park. Liveridge gave Canonero II 13 kilos to complete second, 5 lengths behind the 1971 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner. Canonero gained the race with a time of 1:46 1/5 for the mile and a time of 8 seconds for the Stymie. Secretariat then broke that file on the Marlboro Cup with a time of 1 minute 45 seconds 2/5.
