Just watched General Assembly's 1979 Travers Stakes win again. Amazing. Final time of 2:00 flat in the slop. Just like a chip of the old block.
What a horse General Assembly was. Secretariat's best son, right?
He runs a record time in the Travers that year and then follows it up with a 1:21 in the Vosburgh to enter into a three way tie for the 3rd with the fastest time in that race - 3rd only to the Dr. himself who blew the race apart with a 1:20.20 which will never be equalled that I can see since they reduced the race to 6 furlongs and 2nd to Left Bank who was incredible that day. Talk about General Assembly's versatility.
Quote from: Man o Taz on December 10, 2015, 09:05:15 AM
What a horse General Assembly was. Secretariat's best son, right?
He runs a record time in the Travers that year and then follows it up with a 1:21 in the Vosburgh to enter into a three way tie for the 3rd with the fastest time in that race - 3rd only to the Dr. himself who blew the race apart with a 1:20.20 which will never be equalled that I can see since they reduced the race to 6 furlongs and 2nd to Left Bank who was incredible that day. Talk about General Assembly's versatility.
General Assembly was an awfully nice horse who looked a lot like his side as well. Why do you prefer him to Risen Star?
I'd say it's Risen Star because he won the Preakness and Belmont. Risen Star had a nice time in the Belmont. But General Assembly wasn't bad. Then you have to consider Lady's Secret. And Secretariat wasn't a great sire. I say he was especially on the female side. :rhrse:
Quote from: afleetphil on December 12, 2015, 01:05:00 PM
I'd say it's Risen Star because he won the Preakness and Belmont. Risen Star had a nice time in the Belmont. But General Assembly wasn't bad. Then you have to consider Lady's Secret. And Secretariat wasn't a great sire. I say he was especially on the female side. :rhrse:
Secretariat has been derided as a stallion because the expectations for him were so unrealistic, it was almost impossible for him to meet them. Through Weekend Surprise and Terlingua, however, he'll show up in pedigrees for generations. He was not a sire of sires though, by any means. I have a full brother to Terlingua--as well as Pancho Villa--Border Ron,
in my pasture so I like to defend his Pop whenever I can. Tinners Way was another nice son as well.
Quote from: curtis on December 12, 2015, 12:57:36 PM
General Assembly was an awfully nice horse who looked a lot like his side as well. Why do you prefer him to Risen Star?
Risen Star I like as well but - I guess I appreciate General Assembly's versatility a bit more.
Secretariat had the misfortune of being born after Northern Dancer. If N D had not been the site he was, an the sire of sires that he was, Secretariat would have been much more highly regarded as a sire. The N D influence was tremendous. Also, both descended from Nasrullah. Sec crossed with N D very well, also. That greatly influenced the perception of Sec as a grass sire, too.