Book Review: Secretariat’s Offspring Agonistes

A stroll down the 500 block of East Maxwell Street in Lexington, Kentucky brings you to the awninged door of Black Swan Books. If your pursuits are less catholic, then Mike Courtney's seemingly endless maze of heaving shelves can accommodate even the most scrupulous bibliophile of rare Kentuckiana and equine sport culture.

Say, you're looking for a past volume on the two-time Horse of the Year Secretariat, then copious choices await. More recent works like William Nack's Secretariat: The Making of a Champion (2002) and Lawrence Scanlan's The Horse That God Built (2007) are ubiquitous.

But across the canon, you might find that there is something sorely lacking when it comes to  'Big Red' hagiography. No author has quite delved deep enough into the offspring of this champion who has continued to top Thoroughbred history by an unsurmountable 31 lengths.

That is, until now.

As the 50th anniversary of Secretariat's historic Triple Crown run is almost here, author Patricia McQueen has done all of us a massive service by rolling out her magisterial study, Secretariat's Legacy: The Sons, Daughters and Descendants Who Keep His Legend Alive, published this Mar. by SL Publications.

Despite its girth, this is decidedly not a traditional coffee table-style book with pretty pictures. Rather, this is a seriously sourced monograph, replete with revisionist perspective. Namely, that some of the bloodline critics got it wrong in memoriam, Secretariat's progeny were not agonistes. Instead, when we step back, they have on the whole made a sizable contribution to the future of this sport. Some did not 'stamp his get,' as the equine phrase goes, but there were those that certainly begat his running ability and passed it on. With an expert photographic portfolio as proof, McQueen effectively argues that the much-debated sire's influence deserves another look.

It all began for the author while she was in college. Curiosity in the Triple Crown winner took her on a pilgrimage to Kentucky in 1982 to see the fellow himself. The sire's subsequent death in 1989 propelled her down a path to locate and snap pictures of Secretariat's remaining band that would carry forth his legacy. One picture led to one story, and then the dominoes fell, as she documented as many offspring as she could.

McQueen's highly-readable style takes us along Secretariat's pedigreed shedrow where we meet Dactylographer–the sire's first stakes winner, sales toppers like Miss Secretariat and Grey Legion make an appearance, as does popular Old Friends social media darling Tinners Way. A bevy of international success stories inform us about the sire's reach that stretched from France to Japan.

We also hear some wonderful anecdotes, like the one the author tells about the unusual in-utero journey of Fanfreluche, one of Secretariat's most productive mares. Thieves absconded with her in June 1977 from Claiborne Farm, and after five months, an FBI sweep of the Bluegrass uncovered her location when she was discovered on an innocent farm after she was found wandering along a country road.

More evidence piles up, curated and culled expertly by McQueen. The chapter entitled 'The Lukas Touch' is especially rich with stories of how 'The Coach' believed Secretariat should be crossed with fast, precocious mares. Crimson Saint produced a number of these types, including Lukas runners like Terlingua, Pancho Villa, Navajo Pass and one of the last three of his progeny still alive, Border Run. From Lady's Secret and Risen Star to the influence of Storm Cat, Gone West and A.P. Indy and all the way to Bricks and Mortar, Authentic and Knicks Go, 'Big Red' is still with us.

With a foreword by Kate Tweedy and Leanne Ladin, plus an excellent appendix listing all 62 stakes winners, Secretariat's Legacy has closed the canonical 31-length gap in the scholarship. Patricia McQueen ensures that this 'Super Horse's' offspring are agonistes no longer.

Clearly, it's time to reserve a spot on the shelf at Black Swan Books.

Secretariat's Legacy: The Sons, Daughters and Decedents Who Keep His Legend Alive by SL Publications, 298 pages, photos, appendix, glossary, March 2023.

 

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2023 Calendar Celebrates Terlingua

The 2023 Secretariat's Legacy calendar will celebrate the Triple Crown winner's daughter Terlingua, who set six stakes records on the racetrack and then produced the great stallion Storm Cat. The 2023 edition is the sixth annual fundraising calendar honoring Secretariat and his descendants. The first five calendars in the series, which started with the Living Legends theme honoring the remaining Secretariats, have raised $28,000 for equine charities over the years.

“I am very grateful to all the racing fans–especially Secretariat fans–who have supported both the Living Legends calendar series and the newer Secretariat's Legacy series, which began last year when honoring Weekend Surprise,” said writer/photographer Patricia McQueen, whose creative project is part of her research work on Secretariat as a sire. Her book, Secretariat's Legacy, will be published in early 2023.

As in previous calendars, the Tony Leonard Collection continues to generously support the series with a beautiful photo of Secretariat and Ron Turcotte before the Belmont S. Turcotte has generously agreed to autograph a limited number of calendars to help raise additional funds.

All profits from the sale of the calendar are allocated to three organizations: Bright Futures Farm and Canada's Long Run Thoroughbred Retirement Society, both accredited by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance; and Victory Alliance Ranch, an equine rescue and sanctuary supporting veterans and special needs children.

The calendars are available for $25 each at www.SecretariatCalendar.com. Free shipping within the U.S. is included.

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’22 Secretariat Calendar Supports Charities

The 2022 Secretariat's Legacy calendar, which features the Triple Crown winner's legendary daughter Weekend Surprise and her descendants, is now available at SecretariatsLegacy.com for $25. Proceeds from the sale of the calendars goes to Bright Futures Farm, an equine rescue and sanctuary accredited by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance; Old Friends, another TAA-accredited organization; and Victory Alliance Ranch, an equine rescue and sanctuary supporting veterans and special needs children.

The calendar series was launched in 2018 and has raised more than $22,000 for charities.

“Racing fans, especially Secretariat fans, have loved the Living Legends calendars, and I hope they will enjoy this new take on Secretariat's legacy through his important descendants,” said writer/photographer Patricia McQueen, whose creative project is part of her research work on Secretariat as a sire.

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Secretariat’s Legacy Calendar To Benefit Old Friends, Among Other Charities

A new calendar honoring Secretariat features his legendary daughter Weekend Surprise and her descendants. The Secretariat's Legacy calendar is the continuation of a series originally celebrating the last living sons and daughters of Secretariat (“Secretariat's Living Legends”), but with only one son and one daughter left, it was time to make a transition.

While the theme has changed, the goal is the same – to celebrate Secretariat through his descendants and raise much-needed funds for equine charities. For the second straight year, the beneficiaries are Bright Futures Farm, Old Friends and Victory Alliance Ranch.

The calendar series launched in 2018 has raised more than $22,000 for charities through 2021. “Racing fans, especially Secretariat fans, have loved the Living Legends calendars, and I hope they will enjoy this new take on Secretariat's legacy through his important descendants,” says writer/photographer Patricia McQueen, whose creative project is part of her research work on Secretariat as a sire.

The 2022 calendar is all about Weekend Surprise, and she is featured on the cover and in the January spread. Secretariat's stakes-winning daughter was 1992 Kentucky Broodmare of the Year, and her important descendants included in the calendar are:

  • Summer Squall, her son who won the 1990 Preakness Stakes;
  • A.P. Indy, her 1992 Horse of the Year son who went on to elite status as a sire;
  • Charismatic, the 1999 Horse of the Year by Summer Squall;
  • Mineshaft, the 2003 Horse of the Year by A.P. Indy;
  • Rags to Riches, A.P. Indy's champion daughter who won the 2007 Belmont Stakes;
  • Bernardini, the 2006 champion 3-year-old colt by A.P. Indy;
  • Honor Code, A.P. Indy's final champion, a member of his last crop;
  • Tapit, A.P. Indy's grandson who is a legendary sire himself;
  • California Chrome, a two-time Horse of the Year and great grandson of A.P. Indy; and
  • Justify, the 2018 Triple Crown winner and great-great grandson of A.P. Indy (and Storm Cat).

As in previous calendars, the Tony Leonard Collection continues to generously support the series with a beautiful photo of Secretariat after the Preakness Stakes with Ron Turcotte aboard. Mr. Turcotte has kindly agreed to autograph a limited number of calendars to help raise even more funds.

As noted, all profits from the sale of the calendar are allocated to three worthy organizations: Bright Futures Farm, an equine rescue and sanctuary accredited by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance; Old Friends, another TAA-accredited organization; and Victory Alliance Ranch, an equine rescue and sanctuary supporting veterans and special needs children.

The calendars are available for $25 each at www.SecretariatsLegacy.com. Free shipping within the U.S. is included. Everyone who orders a 2022 Secretariat's Legacy calendar will also receive a free four-page tribute to the “Last Secretariats,” who have all been included in the Living Legends series; only 33-year-old Border Run and 32-year-old Trusted Company remain.

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