I have been hearing that Secretariat used steroids during his career. They say thats why his heart was bigger than other x factor horses. I did read though that steroids were legal in racing in the 1970's and 80's. I think its possible he could have been, but I doubt it.
I can't comment on Secretariat, but I am intrigued by your question. I read the Dorthy Ours book about Man O War, and I was shocked and horrified to learn all that went on in the glory days of racing. She talked about "hop" horses extensively because Sir Barton was a hop horse as was his dam. Man O War was not a "hop" horse, but I really had no idea that kind of stuff went on.
I know steroids were used as recently as Big Brown and Curlin. Arguably those two were never the same horses once they got off the "juice"
I guess that's why Curlin won in Dubai and then all his dirt races once he got back home. Not sure when he was put on steroids and when he was removed from them. Do you? For sure know?Originally Posted by mimi6920
The Obama admin mantra -
The 1st 4 years - "It's Bush's fault."
The next 4 years - "I don't know nuthin'."
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When acquired by Jackson in March 2007, he was given steroids by Asmussen. Helen Pitts, stated she never gave the horse steroids for the first two races of his career when she trained him.
He ran 3rd in the Derby, 2nd in the Belmont, 3rd in the Haskell. So how did steroids enhance his performance?
According to this article, Curlin was taken off steroids in January 2008. He won all his dirt races in 2008, and that's after winning in Dubai and coming back to the U.S.
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/hor...ory?id=3482329
The Obama admin mantra -
The 1st 4 years - "It's Bush's fault."
The next 4 years - "I don't know nuthin'."
Life is what happens to you when you're making other plans - Betty Talmadge
Steroids take a while to get out of the system and he had to get off them prior to Dubai. He had that awesome World Cup, and then for whatever reason he regressed. I attributed some of the regression to steroids, but my ideas may or may not be correct. It is a theory that can't really be tested. I remember he won the Stephen Foster, but he didn't beat much (Einstein and Grasshopper were the only "name" horses in the field if I remember correctly), and he won the JCGC (there were no good horses in that field), but that was about it I think. Whether he tailed off because his system was finally clean, or because he was past his prime, or the trip to Dubai, I really don't know. I would think that all three elements probably played factored into his return to earth. I am not saying he was a bad horse, but I don't think the dominant three year old Curlin that won the World Cup was the same horse that ran here in the second half of his 4 year old year. That is my opinion.
There was also The Woodward.
The Obama admin mantra -
The 1st 4 years - "It's Bush's fault."
The next 4 years - "I don't know nuthin'."
Life is what happens to you when you're making other plans - Betty Talmadge
I didnt know Curlin used steroids. I know Big Brown did though.
The issue of medications used has been a subject of discusion for a lonnnngggggg time. I don't think we'll ever know if Secretariat raced on steroids.
Here's an article in LIFE Magazine - January 31, 1955 - pages 92 - 94
HORSE DOPING STILL A BLOT ON RACING
http://books.google.com/books?id=5VM...page&q&f=false
The Obama admin mantra -
The 1st 4 years - "It's Bush's fault."
The next 4 years - "I don't know nuthin'."
Life is what happens to you when you're making other plans - Betty Talmadge
I forgot about the Woodward. He beat those monster racers, Past the Point and Divine Park in that. And according to the Bloodhorse, he had to labor to do it. We can agree to disagree on this. I believe steroids did enhance Curlin's performance. And as the for the Secretariat question, I am sure we will never know.
I do think steroids might've had an impact on his performance at four, but also...a lot of horses regress returning from Dubai. It's a consistent worry. They did right by him by going early and getting him used to the track, but there was a lot of criticism on the way that they ushered him back to the states almost immediately after the race. That may be neither here nor there, but many horses go over to Dubai and are never quite the same. The fact that he was a superstar in Dubai - three months after coming off the steroids - always made me believe he suffered a bit from the experience.
Still, he won against anyone who would face him on dirt in the States, which is all you can ask for.
And listening to some big out a' town jasper, hearing him tell about horse-race gamblin'.
Not a wholesome trottin' race, no, but a race where they sit down right on a horse!
Like to see some stuck-up jockey boy sittin' on Dan Patch?
Make your blood boil? Well, I should say!
C'mon! A horse can only beat the competition that runs against him. He bettered his time in The Woodward from the Steven Foster and bested it almost a full second from the same distance he ran as a 3-year old in the Arkansas Derby.
But, the fact remains that as a 3 year old, when he was on steroids, he lost 3 races.
The discussion is moot, for sure. But, personally I don't see where Curlin was a lesser horse at 4-years old.
The Obama admin mantra -
The 1st 4 years - "It's Bush's fault."
The next 4 years - "I don't know nuthin'."
Life is what happens to you when you're making other plans - Betty Talmadge
Insane Crazy, I totally agree that Dubai can take it out of a horse. Because of how events converged, it is difficult to untangle the causal mechanisms at work. I think all factors played a role.
And Ballerina, I agree as well that a horse can only beat who shows up. However, you mention steroids didn't help Curlin because he lost 3 races as a three year old. My point is that he faced much better competition as a three year old than he did as a four year old/post steroids. Give me Hard Spun, Rags to Riches, or Street Sense any day over Grasshopper, Divine Park, and Past the Point. So we don't know how he would have done against these better horses without steroids.
You're right. We don't know. It's all hypotheticals. The horse deservedly won HOY two years in a row. Good 'nuf for me.
The Obama admin mantra -
The 1st 4 years - "It's Bush's fault."
The next 4 years - "I don't know nuthin'."
Life is what happens to you when you're making other plans - Betty Talmadge
Legal at the time, and I'm quite sure they are not the only two top-level (or lower, for that matter) horses that were being given steroids during that era.
Two-year-olds were also routinely "pumped up" for sales.
First rule: Try always to do what's right for the horse. The people part will work out. -- Josh Pons, Merryland, 2007
Anyone with mane or tail hair, from Secretariat's two or three year old seasons can have the hair analyzed, for drugs of any kind. Anyone game?
Nu
I remember hearing about some early fertility concerns and the belief, or suspicion, that these might have been due to the steroids not having cleared his system. But its been a long time! And he stayed a massive horse all his life, so he wasn't just "pumped up."
I ran marathons. I saw the Taj Mahal by moonlight. I drove Highway 1 in a convertible. I petted Zenyatta.
He stayed a fat horse. His handlers fed him to an early grave.
he stayed very muscled but gained fat on top of it. it was all too much weight and I'm sure had a lot to do with his laminitis.
I have heard people say that Secretariat's care at Claiborne was mismanaged, but I find it hard to believe they were such rubes that they ouldn't know how to feed a horse. Frankly, he looks like every insulin resistant horse I've ever known and insulin resistance wasn't something that people really knew much about back then.
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