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Forty years ago yesterday, on March 30th/1970, Secretariat was foaled. The famous “Big Red” would be named Horse of the Year after both his two and three year old campaigns. His sweep of the Triple Crown would be highlighted by what many, including yours truly, still consider the greatest performance ever registered by a thoroughbred, his 31 length romp in the Belmont Stakes. Forty years seems like an awfully long time, but memories of the dazzling runner remain fresh thanks to the sites like You Tube where his glorious performances are suitably enshrined.

The colt’s final start was at Toronto’s Woodbine Racetrack in the Canadian International Stakes. In those days a horse had to work at least once across the dirt strip that divided the outer Marshall Course from the seven furlong inner track before being allowed to start in a race. Secretariat, already fit and ready to run, fulfilled his obligation by sizzling five furlongs in 57 and change, all the while in a nonchalant gallop. I have a tape of the work and it remains as breathtaking as most thoroughbred performances. In the International itself Secretariat was about to cruise by the late great Avelino Gomez and his mount, the redoubtable Kennedy Road, when Gomez suddenly, and with calculation, slammed his little colt into Secretariats side. But nothing could deter the “marvellous machine” and within strides he had imperiously waltzed to an open length lead. As the magnificent runner ran through the stretch, the bright lights of the inner tote cut through an evening fog and captured an image of flawlessness; Eddie Maple perched on the perfect animal, a red poem of speed, grace and power, ripping through the Canadian night.

Old timers cherished their memories of Man O’War, and other runners, like Cigar or Rachel Alexandra, have nestled in the welcoming hearts of horse fans. But there has never been another animal that was the equal of Secretariat. His accomplishments still boggle the mind of handicappers; a Kentucky Derby performance that saw him run increasingly faster quarter miles, or a Preakness where his misread of Ron Turcotte cues caused him to explode on the first  turn, going from last to the front, and yet somehow still managing to endure the blistering fractions for an astounding win.

At the height of his fame Secretariat was featured on the covers of Time, Newsweek and Sports Illustrated magazines. His red colour meshed with the blue and white silks of his owner to create a special emblem of American pride. In the post-Watergate, post-Vietnam, post-Nixon days, the runner was often viewed as a tonic, or diversion at least, from the sordid manifestations of American political excess. Secretariats Triple Crown, along with Muhammad Ali’s heroic reclamation of the Heavyweight Championship in 1974, remain the iconic moments of American sports in the 1970’s.

Secretariat was euthanized on Oct 4^th, 1989, after suffering from laminitis. His passing was mourned by millions. The colt is buried in the main cemetery of Claiborne Farms in Paris, Kentucky.

PUG LIFE…David Tua won a unanimous decision over Friday Ahunanya last night (or this morning?) in New Zealand. Tua weighed 240 lbs for the fight and now has two wins since a self imposed exile. His next move is anyone’s guess but, seriously, who could he not beat, outside of the Klitschkos, if properly motivated? Tua owns a one round knockout over John Ruiz and was only ever soundly beaten by Lennox Lewis and Ike Ibeabuchi (one’s retired, one’s in jail). His greatest shortcoming was his inability to control his weight. Whether the years on the sidelines have whetted his appetite for big paydays remains to be seen…couldn’t care less if Joe Calzaghe is a coke fiend. Could you?…

GRID IRON…the Sporting News describes Seattle Seahawk QB Matt Hasselbeck as “crumbling”…TMZ, of all sites, is reporting Donovan McNabb has no interest in ever playing for the Oakland Raiders. Since just about every passing acquaintance of the Eagle QB is spinning the same tale, I’m going to believe Donovan regards a trip to Al Davis’s asylum as just about the last place he wants to take his aging body…the Eagles have apparently given up on trading Michael Vick. The interest wasn’t there when the teams new GM pegged a second round pick as the price for the overrated pivot…Mrs Roy Williams was, indeed, paid his 9.5 million dollar bonus by the Dallas Cowboys last week. It is a mad, mad world. Williams is an underachieving, spoilt, lazy diva that, inexplicably, became the apple of Jerry Jones eye. The ‘Boys, despite giving up a first round pick for the ex Lion, should have bit the bullet and released the ineffectual wideout…

ICE…San Jose Shark Joe Thornton advises his “lower body” injury is not serious and will, thankfully, not impact his ability to float his way through another first round exit…is this really happening? Jose Theodore was crap again last night, surrendering 5 goals on 31 shots as his Washington Capitals lost 5-4 to the Ottawa Senators. The Caps have looked like solid favourites for the Cup in recent months but, like so many other contenders, their standing between the pipes is treacherous…two ongoing stories have hockey fans enthralled; the collapsing Chicago Blackhawks (losers of seven of their last nine), and the persevering Henrik Sedin (still nursing a narrow lead in the scoring race over Alex Ovechkin)…hard to believe the readily available Florida Panther star Tomas Vokoun was not picked up by a contender before the trade deadline…which would you rather see as a first round match-up, San Jose vs. Colorado or Calgary? Yeah, I thought so, go Flames…Marian Gaborik scored his 40^th goal of the season last night. The New York Ranger has answered every question this year and deserves accolades. The Rangers end their year with back to back games against Philadelphia, so their playoff hopes aren’t quite dead yet…no, I never expect to read of a Tuukka Rask shutout without cursing John Ferguson Jr. The ex Leafs GM trade of Andrew Raycroft for Rask will rank as one of the worst trades in NHL history. The bitch of the matter is I felt that way the second it was announced…

PONIES…the Santa Anita Derby, the Wood Memorial and the Illinois Derby are all on tap this weekend. These major preps for the Kentucky Derby will be followed by the Blue Grass and the Arkansas Derby on April 10^th and then, finally, the April 17th Lexington. We are down to the short strokes and trainers are crafting strategy needed to both properly prepare their animals for a peak effort but also, critically, to earn enough graded stakes money to qualify for the field. A nice runner like Connemara, for instance, looks like he’ll be spending the day in the barn. He hasn’t earned enough graded stakes moolah to earn a top 20 ranking…the Illinois Derby is going to be very interesting this year. Some major California runners have opted to get away from the synthetics of the West Coast and try their luck on the dirt. Clearly, they were not inclined to tussle with the awesome Eskendereya in the Wood, so have opted for the softer spot. Dave In Dixie and American Lion are two highly regarded Cali colts who will be slumming it in Chicago…Eskendereya and Awesome Act throw down in the Wood, a challenge that should tighten both colts perfectly for the Derby four weeks later…Lookin At Lucky will make his final start before the Run for the Roses in the Santa Anita Derby…

RANDOM…had to chuckle while reading writer Stan McNeal’s preview of MLB’s AL East; he neglected to even mention the Toronto Blue Jays…the Hoops Hype site is suggesting that careful observers of the court believe Chris Bosh is “mailing” in his efforts through the month of March. He is, they suggest, gone, gone, gone from the Big Smoke…Manchester United suffered a couple of blows yesterday. Despite scoring within the first two minutes they were still beaten in the Champions League quarter finals by Bayern Munich. More ominous was the injury suffered by Wayne Rooney. Man U has a cataclysmic match with Chelsea set for Saturday and the rematch with Bayern next week. The Red Devils can ill afford to play either of those matches without the player the best in the world this side of Lionel Mesi…the winner of the Man U - Bayern Munich pairing would be next matched with the winner of the Lyon - Bordeaux set, meaning, yeah, a paved road to the final…the odds on England in the World Cup were raised in bookie shops (5-1 to 6-1) across the United Kingdom with news of Rooney’s troubles. Perhaps a bit premature, the injury may be relatively minor, but it seems to speak to a fatalism concerning England’s chances in South Africa. Like long suffering Leaf fans, supporters of England embrace heartaches and bad news as inevitable…