A Pure Heart

Pure Heart
Sporting Heritage
Sports Illustrated
02/06/11

In the Sports Illustrated article “Pure Heart”, a writer relives his past which describes the Triple Crown winner secretariat and the stories of the races he has been to. The article starts off at the Claiborne barn where Secretariat is about to pass on. The writer is so enthused by this compelling horse and describes him as a Greek mythological creature. During the autopsy, they recognize that Secretariat’s heart was twice as big then a regular horse heart. Only one Conclusion came to mind: Secretariat had more heart than any other horse, which made Secretariat somewhat, of a supernatural horse. The writer tagged along to watch the horse perform when secretariat was two years old. Even at a young age the horse was fast and stronger than most of the horses. Secretariat has set records with the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont stakes, and most notably he has won the Triple Crown. Not only was his spectacular racing a marvel but also the way that Secretariat captures people’s heart, people wanted to know all about secretariat. Once when Secretariat flew into Kentucky following his retirement there was a flock of people to see him, "There's more people out here to meet Secretariat than there was to greet the governor." Said the tower operator, "Well, he's won more races than the governor," replied the pilot. While reading the article, I felt what would it been like to the see this horse in action. The Belmont stakes must have really been a site to be at. I thought it was amazing that secretariat covered his faster on each turn during the race; eventually give him a huge lead to be left alone. Unfortunately Secretariat came down with laminitis, a hoof disease that eventually leads to his untimely death. Secretariat’s story is the epitome of perseverance.