What I’ve never been able to define is how a horse can run the 2,400 meters with constant 12″ splits like Secretariat did at the Belmont. Horses aren’t supposed to do that. Lucien Larin (credit https://albatrozusa.blogspot.com/2011/07/lucien-laurin-primeira-parte.html
Secretariat – the Thousand Words which never explain
Of countless social media posts, he is considered the greatest Champion of all time. His Triple Crown racing performances never cease to amaze.
Big Red had the most even and kind disposition than any other horse I ever knew ..he was bold without being aggressive he was a very calm horse he could be playful yet always ready to respond to you
Ron on Secretariat’s temperament – (credit FB Post Secretariat horse lover (group)
his best game was around turns. He could fly around turns: faster than any horse I’ve ever seen, before or since. never saw a horse run as rast as he did that day, from a point leaving the backstretch to the head of the stretch.
Lucien Laurin, Secretariat’s trainer
The Secretariat pedigree and profile has been examined by bloodstock appraisals finest – the X heart gene probably most discussed of all. https://www.horsenation.com/2015/06/04/secretariats-genetic-x-factor-the-secret-to-the-triple-crown/
His extraordinary phenotype was the stride, the physical & ‘alert’ intelligence and the supernatural unexplainable high-performance ability.
The question – where or how does Secretariat breed to, or from.
The perennial complexity is to attempt a little more than usual accounts.
Nowadays science contains wonderful detail; recruit it and the details emerge.
It wasn’t till I discovered different modelling references and their Haplotype outcome to versions, the greater History of the old breed in Thoroughbred, that uncoiled finer and better appreciation that possibly merited and distinguished the great Secretariat.
The complexities and expanse narrowed to a pre-destined Type that was present and bred on, only to appear itself, as G Haplotype inherited through.
It is sum of the Parts and those parts introduces Haplotype: cluster affinities to explore that came surprising. This does not exclude or negate any other superior contributors, (hybrid crosses) but certainly different modelling references and their Haplotype outcomes represent.
Thus constructively, Secretariat unravels just a little more.
Finding the potent Type necessary I’ve often entertained can it appear to many duplications as reinforcement or to, one alone individual. Pedigree discussions are usually towards a Balanced sex arrangement, however there are many pedigrees that are just not so plainly obvious, unless onwards at depth 5th generation beyond.
We do know critical mass of seemingly differing yet ‘same’ source incurs its type, to splay deep the ultimate.
First principle assessment: the pheno-Type expressed & the Haplotype alike affirms the integrity. The integrity of the Thoroughbred, though Hybrid is cross-bred to either those strains or not. It is the responsible Haplotype that aligns and so….
integrity
Secretariat – Cyllene
The ‘Best Horse in the World’ – 5x Cyllene (family 9-e)
Fair Play (family 9-e)
Teddy (family 2-n)
Cyllene a symmetrical chestnut colt, inherited a wonderful temperament. Cyllene sired four English Derby winners in 1909 and 1910 and also led the Sires List in Argentina. He was a horse that could accelerate more than once during a race and he was able to pass this gift to many of his progeny, especially to his tall son Polymelus.
Designing Speed in the Racehorse – Ken McLean
This contempt for Phalaris recalled the time when his own paternal grandfather, Cyllene, was equally despised. Winner of the Ascot Gold Cup (Gr.1), Cyllene had been exported to Argentina in 1908, before obtaining the title of leader in the statistics of winners’ parents in GB in 1909 and 1910. Aware of his mistake, the Crown of England sent a blank cheque to his Argentine owner, Mr. Raúl Chevalier – Haras Ojo de Agua, to retrieve the stallion. The cheque was immediately returned to the sender with the mention: “Sorry, Cyllene is priceless!”. And he stayed in Argentina… ttps://purosanguedecorrida.blogspot.com/search?q=cyllene
Comprehending Haplotye G – Cyllene alike influence is to take insights at Secretariat’s grand-dam Imperatrice.
Imperatrice has 4s x 7d Cyllene, its supporting pheno @ Haplotype G/family9-b has Dark Ronald + Teddy, family 2-n.
Secretariat’s dam Somethingroyal by Princequillo to Princequillo distaff, dam Mindful by Minoru by Cyllene.
Secretariat’s sire Bold Ruler: – through sire Under Fire (GB) 9-f distaff contributor + Fair Play (fam. 9-e) and the sire, Tail-Mail to Cyllene.
Numerously – integral lines are also heavily influenced by Bend Or where by the GSB stands its status-quo versus assertion (by science) Doncaster is Tadcaster, in factoring Clemence. Clemence (Martha Lynn) @ Haplotype L4. (Here, it is suggested the above shown Haplotype Tables G:L are co-affinity albeit ‘minimal’ occurrence, yet let’s say it certainly exists!) The Neolithic horse was G haplotype first, the whatever domestic breeding development L4.
By various documentations, both book references and scientific summary, leads a conclusion that the ‘waves’ of thoroughbred development are much longer than one can appreciate readily. Most English modern thoroughbred history has been examined to its 300-yr ‘history’ upon closure’ GSB and with that context, goes no further, thence as so speed-gene appears confined. https://www.equisport.pt/en/news/horse-racing/the-speed-of-the-thoroughbred-derives-from-the-shetland/
Bower et al. (2011) investigated the maternal origins of the Thoroughbred in context with a number of British and Irish pony breeds.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7029099/
The G haplogroup contains a large number of Shetland individuals.
Exploration of what classic-speed (a fast pace with stamina to do so) is to maintain upon an integrity, that has been rather narrated or defined to the source, Shetland.
As afore commented @ the G Haplotype, ‘it’ ancestral-central to the species. And one can find & naturally… stems to many across type bred. It it was already there…the prominent G haplotype has large phenotype landscape, again duly the ancestral state.
The “G” haplotype is one of the recognized mtDNA haplogroups in all horses yet further an inner ‘core’ to the modern superior thoroughbred.
It is remarkable that Ken McLean (australian bloodstock writer) indicated by his (then) much important research where Ken prompted those individuals to figuring those and to a period-in-time before Haplotypes were scientifically revealed.
He reveals…
“Cyllene and his son Polymelus have pedigree patterns skewed towards stamina whereas their male descendants Phalaris and Pharos have pedigree patterns reflecting a lot more fast fiber muscle, muscle type essential for early-maturing speed”.
“Since Polymelus descends in female line from Brown Bess, I need to show the relationship he has with Carbine, sire of English Derby winner Spearmint. The genetic connection is quite important. When the strains of Polymelus and Spearmint were united, it produced outstanding stakes winners, among the the Tesio-bred champion Nearco, the father of Nearctic, Nasrullah, Royal Charger and Dante”.
“Bend Or’s chestnut son Bona Vista (also the sire of Cyllene) is a vital link in the evolution of speed”.
How Secretariat goes recognized in today’s pedigree hallmarks more towards @G Haplotype much more than one can possibly suspect.
Best, fine example is Japan’s globe trotter colt Forever Young – 2024 Saudi G1 winner and 2025 winner to defeat another very fine racehorse in Romantic Warrior (IRE) https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/283184/forever-young-leads-worlds-best-racehorse-rankings
On pedigree, Forever Young has 5×5 Secretariat – 4x Somethingroyal.
Alzao (USA) broodmare sire of Deep Impact has family 9-h (Haplotye G2) Forever Young’s distaff to family 9 (Clever Trick) and his distaff 2-b dam Forever Darling refers reserves the G Haplotype (n.b. Haplotype table above.) The broodmare sire Congrats (USA) has distaff & 4x multiple to La Troienne family, a daughter of Teddy (fam 2-N) with 10x Teddy.
Secretariat challenged beliefs what a racehorse could do and as sire both the public or commercial expectations ran high “no pressure Red, but….”.
Curiously, he did lay the genetic framework – the lines that place integrity, are as follows:
Let’s see – Australian bred Kingston Rule, a Melbourne Cup race record with a time of 3:16:3 (Secretariat – Rose of Kingston by Claude 6x Cyllene + 2nd dam sire Better Boy, family 2N, daughter Terlingua > Friar Rock (fam. 9e) + Selene whose dam is by Minoru by Cyllene.
General Assembly – at 2 yrs, 1st Hopeful S. @ 3 yrs 1st Travers S.(G1,Sar) – 6×6 Fair Play + Sickle (by Phalaris/Polymeus/Cyllene from Selene
Secretariat daughter – 1986 Horse of the Year, Lady’s Secret from dam Great Lady M has 5x Selene + 10x Cyllene + 3x Teddy
Terlingua – Friar Rock – Menow – Teddy – 8x Cyllene & there, to her son Storm Cat …6x Fair Play – 12x Bend Or – 9x Cyllene + Bull Lea (the line of Teddy) + Chop Chop (the line of Teddy) + Sun Again (the line of Teddy)
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references:
Designing Speed in the Racehorse – Ken McLean
Links cited as above.
TBL post – Secretariat and Carbine, ad infinitum
https://www.bloodlines.net/TB/PedigreeMatters/Fams/EquineGeneticGenealogy.htm (n.b.this Link is down, but are charts referred).
Research work – Copyright ©️
The Thoroughbred Link 