Secretariat Page #7

- Time to see who's got the real horse.

- [Crowd cheers, applauds]

The horses are in the gate.

Secretariat a bit uneasy, but that seems

characteristic for him.

[Starting bell]

- And they're off!

- Yeah, he goes right to the back.

Horses breaking nicely.

Angle Light moving from the outside.

Secretariat settling in

at the rear of the pack.

- OK. It's OK.

- Come on, Ronnie.

Heading toward the rail.

Step Nicely in second.

Sham in good position running in third.

Secretariat seems to be laboring.

- Go, Red!

- He always does this. It's OK.

Angle Light holds the lead

into the turn. Sham in perfect position.

Sham moves up.

Secretariat pressing forward.

- Come on, Red!

- Go! Go!

Come on, Red! Come on!

[Panting]

Pincay's waiting for Turcotte to move.

Now, Red, now!

- [Overlapping cheers]

- Whoo!

Come on.

Angle Light and Sham driving for home!

Secretariat starting to challenge!

- They straighten away in the stretch!

- [All shouting]

Angle Light holding on to the lead now.

Sham second, far outside is Secretariat!

Coming on the 16th pole,

Angle Light in front

by a length and a quarter.

Sham is second.

- God.

- What's he doing?

Angle Light in front.

Sham on the outside.

Sham and Angle Light driving

to the wire! Secretariat fading!

- No!

- Go! Go!

It's Angle Light and Sham!

Angle Light and Sham at the wire!

Secretariat a stunning

and distant third!

[Shouts] All right, Sham! Way to go!

[Exhales heavily]

You know I speak for everyone. One loss

can happen. Two is non-performance.

- I understand.

- I'm sure you do.

Another son of Bold Ruler,

all speed and no distance.

- [All clamoring]

- Magnificent! Magnificent!

Next time we'll bury him even worse!

You cost me ten grand, Turcotte!

Hey, loser!

Who are you calling a loser?

Think you can do any better?

- Eddie!

- [Lucien] Ronnie. Ronnie!

- What was that?

- He didn't fire. He didn't sound right.

- What do you mean?

- In his other races

- he sounded like a freight train.

- Come with me. Just go inside.

Sit!

We just lost a race

that we could not afford to lose!

We finished third. Third!

In front of Ogden Phipps!

I've got a slew of other investors here.

What am I supposed to tell them?

Just tell them the truth.

The horse had a bad day.

The horse? We're blaming the horse now?

And you? How could you hold him back

that long? What were you thinking?

I didn't hold him back.

I rode him the same way I always do.

The only reason Sham didn't

beat us worse is because

his jockey couldn't believe what

was happening! He was waiting for you.

The only reason I don't fire you both

is we're leaving for Kentucky tomorrow.

Do what you think is right, ma'am.

It's not Ronnie's fault.

He had him where he should be.

Well, if it's not the horse

and it's not Ronnie

then you had better figure out

what happened today

and you had better fix it!

Because if that is the best he can do

at this distance, we are finished!

[Exhales]

[Speaks French]

[Thunder rumbles]

- Has he eaten anything?

- Nothing.

And this a horse that's

never missed a meal in his life.

- How much oats you usually give him?

- Sixteen quarts.

- Twenty-five pounds of hay.

- A day?

That's more than a couple

of pregnant mares would put away.

Yeah, well...

OK, now. Easy.

I'm not going to hurt you.

I don't think he the one

going to get hurt, Doc.

- [Snorts]

- Settle down.

Lucien, you want to give me a hand here?

- No, thanks.

- You scared of him?

This horse has been waiting two years

for me to put a hand next to his mouth.

I'm not going to do that.

- [Snorts]

- Ooh.

I think I got your problem here, Lucien.

He's got an abscess.

- [Rock music playing]

- [Telephone rings]

Hello?

I'm calling for Kate Tweedy, please?

It's her mother.

[Man] Kate! Your mother's on the phone.

Mom!

Oh, I... I just wanted

to see how you're doing.

Uh... Hey, I'm kind of busy right now.

We're getting ready for a march.

Mom? Are you OK with that?

Oh...

Kate...

...our political beliefs can change,

but our need to do

what we believe is right...

... that doesn't.

I'm proud of you.

Thanks, Mom.

Hey, I got to go. Can we talk later?

Sure.

- Are you all right?

- Sure. Yeah, we'll talk later.

OK. Bye.

[Sobs]

Doc found a big abscess in Red's lip.

It probably hurt him

all the way around the track.

Ain't nobody seen it because Red won't

soften up his mouth for nobody but you.

- Oh... Lucien...

- Forget it.

Let's get him ready for the Derby.

[Penny] Ronnie!

I am so sorry.

I didn't know what happened before.

Apparently...

[indistinct chattering]

[Male announcer] In preparation for

the 99th running ofthe Kentucky Derby,

please welcome Secretariat!

- [Crowd cheering]

- [Woman] We love you, Big Red!

- Story's over here.

- Do you think Secretariat is ready?

We're very excited.

- Is Secretariat ready for this race?

- Yes, indeed.

Listen, we'll take care of the horse,

you take care of the reporters.

I don't know what to say.

You're as big a story as the horse, OK.

If you want him fit,

you take care of them.

- Welcome to the Derby.

- Thank you.

So that's Pancho

over there with Sham, right?

Sure is.

Can't wait till you win this Derby,

so we can go home.

[Whistles]

I keep hearing rumors.

Secretariat's got bone chips,

bad ankles, bad knees.

Sham's burning up the track

and Secretariat has gone missing.

- So is his owner.

- She'll be at the press conference.

The only thing she hates worse than

talking about herself is backing down.

[Indistinct chatter]

[Man] I can't wait much longer.

All right, gentlemen,

I guess we're going to get started.

Let's open it up for questions.

[All clamoring]

Pancho, is it true you're predicting

Sham's victory?

Lucien, there are rumors

your horse is hurt. Any comment?

Pancho, how are you feeling

about Sham's readiness?

Fantastic! You've all seen his workouts.

He's never looked better.

[All murmuring]

Penny, Sham's turning in

awesome workouts.

- When will you work Secretariat?

- Soon.

Any concern Secretariat will run

the same way he did his last race?

- Yes.

- [Laughter]

Pancho, some people think Secretariat

didn't appear to be himself

- in Wood Memorial.

- "Didn't appear to be himself?"

Is thatjournalism-ese

for getting your butt whipped?

[Crowd laughs]

[Pancho] Horseracing is unforgiving

for trainers, horses and housewives.

- [Crowd groans]

- [Pancho] Let me tell you

what you're going to hear

from the Secretariat people.

Excuses, excuses, excuses!

[Pancho] Let me tell you what

you're going to hear from me.

We beat Big Red at the Wood, and

we're going to beat him here again.

Any comment, Miss Tweedy?

How much pressure are you feeling

from your investors right now?

Well, it's like every other

all-or-nothing,

multimillion-dollar gamble

we housewives make every day.

[Crowd laughs]

Miss Tweedy didn't hear me,

so I'm going to make it very clear.

Secretariat is going down.

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