The story of the legendary Triple Crown winner travelled around the world – as, indeed, did a number of his offspring. In the first part of a two-part examination of how Secretariat’s offspring fared overseas, Patricia McQueen concentrates on his daughters
Secretariat was more than simply an American phenomenon, as his story resonated across the globe. After he entered stud, some of the syndicate members were eager to send their Secretariat foals to other countries, while others bought their Secretariats at auction and sent them to England, Ireland, France and points beyond.
Over the years, 90 Secretariats raced at least once in Europe; 11 of them won stakes races. All 11 were bred in Kentucky – five fillies and six colts. This article looks at the fillies; the next in this two-part discussion will cover the colts.
Bluebook shines bright at two
All five fillies won stakes races in France, but only one also took a stakes race in England. Her name was Bluebook, trained by the legendary Henry Cecil, and she ended up a sprint specialist once Classic aspipratons came to nought. Indeed, her only efforts as far as a mile were disappointing.
Born February 9, 1985, Bluebook was bred by Lady Tavistock from the Sharpen Up mare Pushy, a multiple Group winner in England during her own racing career. In the colors of Lord Tavistock, Bluebook made her debut at Newmarket on July 8, 1987, winning by a length at six furlongs under Steve Cauthen.
Cecil sent her right into Group company, and the chestnut filly responded by winning the G3 Princess Margaret Stakes at Ascot on July 25, also at six furlongs.
At the time, she was at the top of her generation of juvenile fillies in Britain, but nerves could get the best of her and she’d leave her race in the paddock. Such was the case in the G2 Lowther Stakes at York on August 20, when she reported home only fourth.
Given time off after that effort, a somewhat more relaxed Bluebook returned as a three-year-old in 1988 in the G3 Fred Darling Stakes, a recognised 1000 Guineas trial at Newbury on April 15. She was ready for the seven-furlong event, and Cauthen guided her home a length in front.
However, a step up in both distance and company for her Classic assignment in the 1000 Guineas was an epic failure. With Cauthen on the Cecil first string Diminuendo, she faded under Greville Starkey to next-to-last behind odds-on favourite Ravinella. (Diminuendo was third before winning the Oaks.)
Bluebook received a short freshening thereafter and returned in August, sent to trainer Alain Falourd in France. After two off-the-board finishes at a mile, Bluebook returned to shorter trips and rewarded her connections with two better performances.
First was the G3 Prix de Seine-et-Oise at Maisons-Laffitte over 6f on September 22. Well-placed early in the field of 12, she won by three-quarters of a length over Dixiella to earn a crack at the cream of Europe’s sprinting crop in the Prix de l’Abbaye on Arc day, October 2, at Longchamp.
Bluebook was quite well fancied but her nerves acted up once again before the five-furlong contest, in which she was close up early before being under pressure more than a furlong out. She held on pretty well to cross the line fifth in a ten-runner field, but was moved up to fourth after Cadeaux Genereux was disqualified and placed last for interference; Handsome Sailor was declared the winner of the famous French sprint.
Retired after that effort with a record of four wins in nine races, as a broodmare she produced only four foals, led by Irish stakes winner Nakayama Express and the stakes-placed Salt Lake.
Courageous Athyka
There’s nothing like a horse who excels in battle, fighting to the very end as the finish line nears. Athyka, a dual winner of the Prix de l’Opera in 1988 and 1989, was such a horse. The tough chestnut filly won six stakes races altogether in France in 1988 and 1989; five of them Group events.
Bred and raced by prominent French owner-breeder Jacques Wertheimer, Athyka was born on February 6, 1985. She was the best of 12 foals out of stakes-placed French runner Princesse Kathy, a daughter of Luthier.
Trained by Criquette Head, the Secretariat filly broke her maiden at Longchamp in her second start at two on October 11, 1987.
Off for the winter, Athyka found her best stride in her third start at three, taking Longchamp’s Prix des Tuileries at 1,800 metres on May 15, 1988. Two races later at the same distance, she went wire to wire under jockey Gary Moore to record her first Group win in the G3 Prix Chloe at Evry on July 2.
After two more good efforts, Athyka returned to the winner’s circle after the Prix de l’Opera (then a G2 event) at Longchamp on October 2. Under jockey Guy Guignard, she won the 1,850-metre event by a half-length over Quaff to wrap up her season. At year’s end, she was ranked only 5lb below France’s top-rated three-year-old filly Ravinella.
After a winter break, Athyka’s four-year-old debut in 1989 was a successful one. In the G3 Prix Corrida at Saint-Cloud on April 25, jockey Cash Asmussen had her on the lead soon after the start, and she won the 2,000-metre race by a half-length.
Guignard was back aboard for the remainder of her starts in France. The filly was third, behind only male rivals, in the 2,400-metre G2 Prix Jean de Chaudenay at Saint-Cloud on May 20. The next month, she defeated males by a neck to win the the G3 La Coupe at Longchamp. One final race against the boys was another good one, as she was a close third in the G3 Prix du Prince d’Orange at Longchamp on September 24.
Athyka closed out her French career with a repeat win in the Prix de l’Opera. The 1989 edition was run on October 8, four days after Secretariat died and it is tempting to muse that her sire would have been proud of her courageous victory. She led early in the race, was passed by other fillies in the stretch, then battled back to secure the victory by a head in a very tight finish.
Wrote John Francis Phillimore in European Racehorse: “Athyka’s second successive victory in the Prix de l’Opera was an essay in courage. Apparently swamped a furlong out, she fought back in the last 50 yards to come out best in a five-way photograph (distances: head, short head, dead-heat, nose!)”
Athyka was sent to Canada for a try in the G1 EP Taylor Stakes at Woodbine on October 22, but she faded to last behind British-trained Braiswick in the worst finish of her career. She reportedly hit herself before the race and it likely compromised her performance.
With a record of seven wins and four thirds in 16 starts, Athyka was retired to the breeding shed. The best of her 15 named foals was Atticus, a Kentucky-bred colt by Nureyev. A stakes winner in France, he became a G1 winner in America, winning the G1 Oaklawn Handicap on the dirt. At Santa Anita, the versatile horse also claimed a world record for a mile on the grass (1:31.89).
Two more French stakes winners for Criquette Head
Criquette Head – later to become Mme Head-Maarek after she married journalist Gilles Maarek in 2000 – also trained two other French stakes winners by Secretariat. The first was Riviere Doree, out of French G1-winner Riverqueen, by Luthier.
Born April 11, 1980, the chestnut filly made just four starts, all within a seven-week stretch at the end of 1983. After a close second in her debut at Evry on October 19, she broke her maiden at 2,000 metres at Longchamp a week later. Sent right into stakes company, she responded with a three-quarter-length win in the 1,600-metre Prix Coronation at Saint-Cloud on November 15.
The filly made just one more start, against the boys at Maisons-Laffitte on December 5 when she had a troubled trip and finished sixth.
Her broodmare career was similarly short. Riviere Doree produced only three foals, but she made the most of the opportunity. Her first in 1985 was Reve Dore, a son of Lyphard who was a stakes winner in France and also a winner in the US.
The mare’s second foal was the winner Rive Du Sud, a 1987 filly by Nureyev, who has a number of graded stakes winners among her female-line descendants.
Riviere Doree’s third and final foal was Rosa Nay. By Lyphard, the 1988 filly won one of eight starts in her native France before being sent to Japan. There are many graded stakes-winning descendants of Rosa Nay in Japan, including Rose Kingdom, the country’s champion two-year-old colt in 2009 who went on to win the Japan Cup.
The last of Head’s Secretariat fillies was Insijaam, a member of Secretariat’s final crop. She was one of two Secretariats born in 1990 who won stakes races in Europe; the other was English stakes winner Tinners Way, who went on to greater glory in the United States.
Born April 1, 1990, Insijaam was bred by Gainsborough Farm; she was sent to France to race in the name of Gainsborough’s owner Sheikh Maktoum Al Maktoum.
Out of the stakes-placed Lyphard mare Cadeaux D’Amie, Insijaam won her only start at two, taking a maiden race at Evry on December 4, 1992. The next year, the chestnut filly raced exclusively in stakes races, winning the 2,000-metre Prix de la Cochere at Evry on September 13 and the Prix Charles Laffitte at Longchamp on October 3.
Insijaam took a record of three wins and a second in seven starts to the breeding shed. Her best runner was the 2002 Sinndar filly Pictavia, who was G1-placed in England and Ireland before coming to the US, where she won the Drumtop Stakes at Belmont Park.
Only one raced in America
One more Secretariat was a French stakes winner, and she was the only one to also race in the US. The gray Pretty Secretary was out of the unraced Al Hattab mare Princess Hattab, and was bred by Phil T. Owens. Born April 10, 1986, she was purchased by Issam Fares for $100,000 as a yearling at the Keeneland July sale.
For her French races, Pretty Secretary was trained by Pascal Bary; later in her career she raced in the US while in the hands of trainer Phil Hauswald.
Sent to France, it took the filly five tries to break her maiden, finally winning going 2,000 metres at Bernay on August 7, 1989. Seconds in two more starts ended her campaign. She was most successful as a four-year-old in 1990, winning her seasonal debut at Saint-Cloud on March 14, besting 19 other runners of both sexes at 2,100 metres. After two thirds in three more starts, she won two straight races that summer, including her only stakes win, the Grand Prix de Clairefontaine on August 17 going 2,200 metres.
After one more French start, Pretty Secretary was sent to America, with no success in four more starts at four and five. She concluded her career with four wins, two seconds and two thirds in 18 starts.
As a broodmare, Pretty Secretary’s main claim to fame is as the second dam of Singapore Sling, who won several French jump races on his way to more than $600,000 in career earnings.
Secretariat’s Legacy by Patricia McQueen can be ordered here for $54.95 at secretariatslegacy.com
The road less traveled: how Secretariat’s sons left their mark in Italy, Hungary and Switzerland
Last of the family line: catching up with Maritime Traveler, the only living son of Secretariat
Up close and personal at the court of king Secretariat – recalling one acolyte’s pilgrimage
‘Ol’ Border knew it was time’: farewell to the oldest known Secretariat, gone at 34
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