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Al Kazeem gets up to win the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot! Posted 16 hours ago
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Free World rolls in the Centaur Stakes at Indiana Downs! Posted 4 days ago
Byrama romps in the Vanity!Posted 4 days ago

Sigmund Sommer

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What the Nation is saying about Owner Sigmund Sommer...

Sham was the Man at Santa Anita

In Saturday’s third race at Santa Anita, one of America’s top Kentucky Derby prospects, Goldencents will be favored to take his speed wire-to-wire in the Grade 3 Sham Stakes. If he does so and becomes a major force on the Kentucky Derby trail, it will be a fitting outcome for a race named after the ...Read More

Show All 12 Comments
Mike in SB · Wow six starts before the Derby as a three year old including beating Secretariat in the Wood and runing the Derby in less than 2 minutes. It sure makes todays horses with two Derby preps and six weeks between races look like a bunch of wimps. · 167 days ago ·

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Mary Z. · I wouldn't put the blame on the horses. · 167 days ago ·

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Floridaf · I agree with Mary Z. It's not the horses' fault that our breeding practices have changed over the years. But Mike, you certainly have a point. To continue upon that train of thought, Mike...it's no wonder why our racing rivalries are few and far between these days. The horses don't meet often enough on the track to establish any sort of rivalry. · 167 days ago ·

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AndyScoggin · Sham is as much a part of the great Secretariat story as any other horse. Linda's Chief was quite a good horse, too. · 167 days ago ·

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Mike in SB · I don't blame the horses and I really don't blame the breeding either. I think we are still breeding very good horses, the average horse today might be better at shorter distances, but horses like Rachel, Zenyatta, Curlin and Blame were as good as many of the horses from the old days. The problem in my opinion is the way they are raced and trained. This is either because it is more important to trainers not to lose than to win or it is because running on Lasix takes too much out of a horse and they really do need 6 weeks between races. Whatever causes horses today to run so few time, it is really hurting the sport. · 167 days ago ·

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rafirox · Nice article. · 167 days ago ·

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Mary Z. · I meant that I would also "blame" the training practices and the Salix. · 167 days ago ·

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Floridaf · Shackleford is another that comes to mind. He lost more than he won, but at least he had a full year's campaign each year. Jackson Bend, Calimonco, Get Stormy, and Baryshnikov had good campaigns, too, in terms of quantity. There are definitely still some that could hang with past champions, but there are definitely a variety of factors that are undermining the sport. It is difficult to point to any one thing and say this is THE reason why, but I truly believe breeding is a factor along with the things you mentioned, Mike. · 167 days ago ·

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Mary Z. · Oh, I just now clicked "read more" at Mike in SB's comment. Agree on much of it. · 167 days ago ·

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Waya · It's an interesting question as to who was the best of the horses to lose all three legs of the TC. I always thought Alydar, but certainly a case could be made for Sham. Thank you for reminding us of how really good he was, Brian. · 167 days ago ·

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BrianZipse · The best I've seen would be ranked as follows: 1) Alydar 2) Sham 3) Chief's Crown 4) Free House 5) Hard Spun 6) Cryptoclearance · 167 days ago ·

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rafirox · IMO, Alydar is by far the best ever to lose all three. Sham was an awesome horse. But, I think Alydar was even better. Total of two lengths off of Affirmed. He was always with him. Red really was too good for Sham, but Alydar was good enough to beat Affirmed, just barely couldn't do it. · 167 days ago ·

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Remembering … Sham

My father was sticking to his guns. All week long he had been saying he was going to bet Sham in the Belmont Stakes. Sounds a little crazy after the fact, but keep in mind, he was a horse who had run just about as good a combination of Kentucky Derby and Preakness as had ever been done, save one. An...Read More

Show All 32 Comments
J ReneeNeihart · This is your best work yet, Brian. **tears** Thank you! · 890 days ago ·

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zatt · Haha, my best work yet? Thank you Renee, I accept your great compliment happily ... although Sham did all the heavy lifting ;-) · 890 days ago ·

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fran.doos · Oh, you write the best stories about our famous horses. Thank you · 890 days ago ·

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zatt · Thank you, Fran! · 890 days ago ·

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ctunstill · Such a touching article and without internet I didn't know all of this about Sham, only seeing his triple crown attemp on TV. I'm so glad to know this. Thank you. · 890 days ago ·

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sharon234 · I had always wondered if Sham had inherited Princequillo's great heart, just as his greatest competition, Secretariat had. Brian, thanks so much for writing his story! · 890 days ago ·

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zatt · Thank you for reading guys ... it was a pleasure to write! · 890 days ago ·

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Mary AliceKier · Great tribute to the great Sham and important facts for new fans now coming onto the racing scene to help inform and preserve the legacies of these great horses of the tracks! Thanks! · 890 days ago ·

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GingerSmith · There should have been two winners of the 73 Triple Crown: Secretariat was the winner, crossing the wire first, but Sham won it on heart & soul. This was t he year I got hooked on these babies..., life was never the same again. · 890 days ago ·

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DarleneSanner · great piece,great memories, even greater horse I remember you too Sham · 890 days ago ·

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humphrey · Few people relalize what the Triple Crown took out of Sham and he lost a tooth at the starting gate from a serious head bump. How he managed to last so long and as well is an attribute to his real tough nature...Evne Mrs. Tweedy mentions that often · 890 days ago ·

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zatt · Not many sports have as rich a history as racing does. The Spring of 1973 was a fantastic example. Glad you enjoyed it, all! · 890 days ago ·

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humphrey · A good trivia question to pose to all the idiots who think they know racing when Derby time rolls around. Name the three colts that ran the Derby under 2 minutes. They know Red and Monarchos but forget Sham...No one said the WINNING time just the final time · 890 days ago ·

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icyhotboo · Great article about a great horse who was born at the wrong time. I I'll always remember Sham.How could anyone forget how courageous he was in defeat.The 60s and 70s produced some awsome race horses and he was one of them. · 890 days ago ·

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MichaelHorvath · I get goose bumps reading about Sham and you have certainly done him justice. I have read accounts where it is possible that Sham did not run the Derby in under 2 minutes but that would not take away from his greatness!!!! · 890 days ago ·

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zatt · Thanks icyhot, Michael ... How many of you think Sham would have won the Triple Crown if there had been no Secretariat in 1973? · 890 days ago ·

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MichaelHorvath · Eight lengths clear in the Derby and Preakness......He would have easily won the Triple Crown however, if Big Brown had not run in the Belmont, I would have also said he would have easily been a Triple Crown winner too. But Sham sure was a special, gifted and talented horse. · 889 days ago ·

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icyhotboo · If not for Secretariat when people talked of the great horses Sham would surely have been in the mix.Triple Crown, YES · 889 days ago ·

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LDP · Poor Sham, second to the big red star even in death. People often skip over him when talking about greatness, yet it was his own greatness that -as you mention- probably pushed Secretariat to immoratlity. · 889 days ago ·

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zatt · One of the greatest opportunities greatness can have is greatness to prove itself against. (That's a whole lot of greatness!) ;-) · 889 days ago ·

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MichaelHorvath · Had Sham finished a respectable second to Secretariat in that earth shattering Belmont, he may be remembered like Alydar is remembered. But the greatness of Secretariat has overpowered any thought or talk about Sham, and that is unfortunate. · 889 days ago ·

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MichaelPerrone · Had no idea as to the depth of Sham's accomplishments until now...Thanks! · 889 days ago ·

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humphrey · At autopsy, his heart was found to weigh 18 pounds, about twice the average Thoroughbred heart. He is buried on the Walmac farm. · 889 days ago ·

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cniema5 · What a great story. . . I loved it! As always, you always seem to bring tears to my eyes. Keep it up ZATT. · 889 days ago ·

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DarleneSanner · Was so sad tat Sham injured and retired Would have loved to see him as older horse taking on Forego What races they would have been · 889 days ago ·

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zatt · Amazing crop when you consider Forego as well ... it's a shame neither him or Big Red raced on. · 889 days ago ·

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humphrey · The great book Decade of Champions by Patrick Robertson hits the nail on the head, at no time was racing such a top to bottom extravaganza as the 70's · 889 days ago ·

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humphrey · Forego like many of the great gedlings got better with age. He ran 4th to Red and acutally won a race on the undercard the day of the monstrous Belmont in June 73 · 889 days ago ·

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MjHawk · I got goosebumps. That was a beautiful tribute. I didn't know that his heart was almost as big as Secretariat's, but I should have guessed. · 889 days ago ·

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LauraDepue · Wow, this was really good. I always thought that Sham didn't get the crdit that he deserved. If only heand Alydar were born in a differnet year · 889 days ago ·

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waya · Fantastic article on a horse who probably won the triple crown almost any other year. The Secretariat movie did him no justice. Thanks for the memories. · 888 days ago ·

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doodle9298 · Beautifully written and Heart-touching!! Hat's off to you, Brian! · 883 days ago ·

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