miff Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Interesting fodder for the Conspiracy
> People.Surprised me to learn that several horsemen
> at Belmont that observed IHA said they would have
> strongly considered running him.One who watched
> him for almost three weeks noted the tendon had
> looked very puffy on Friday compared to the weeks
> prior.
>
>
> Goodrich recalls the back story of Majestic
> Prince, Belmont
> June 7, 2012 by sidfernando
>
> Wednesday night on Twitter, after following a
> discussion among fans speculating on I’ll Have
> Another’s physical condition for the Belmont, I
> made the following statements about Majestic
> Prince, the undefeated Derby and Preakness winner
> of 1969 as he entered the Belmont (all grammar as
> is from the 140-character model of Twitter):
>
> In ’69, Johnny Longden didn’t want to run Frank
> McMahon’s undefeated Derby, Preakness winner in
> Belmont as he was hurt. Owner insisted on going
> for TC. Majestic Prince ran 2d to Arts and Letters
> and never ran again, w record 10 starts, 9 wins.
> No championship, either.”
>
> Majestic Prince was a record-priced yearling by
> Raise a Native who lived up to his looks on the
> racetrack. Trained by ex-jock Johnny Longden and
> ridden by Bill Hartack, Majestic Prince like I’ll
> Have Another was a chestnut from California who
> entered the Derby off a win in the Santa Anita
> Derby. Coincidentally both colts also wore
> Sure-Win bridles, but after that comparisons are
> harder to make.
>
> He share with me some very intimate details about
> Northern Dancer & Iron Leige too.. As for Majestic
> Prince.. He absolutely loved the horse from the
> 1st time he ever got on him as a 2 yr old. The
> true story, from Bill to me was this: The horse
> came out of the Preakness with a tendon, a pretty
> significant strain. Longden didn’t want to tell
> McMahon because he wanted 2be certain of the
> situation, he waited a week.
>
> During that 1st week, he did not train one single
> day (of course) and the swelling in the tendon
> subsided with medication, ice and rest. Longden
> and Hartack were pretty close (2 pretty tough guys
> and fellow riders) & kept this very close to their
> vest bout the horses condition. After about 10-12
> days (Hartacks recall) they took him out and
> galloped him as quietly as possible, which Bill
> said wasn’t easy, and the tendon of course, popped
> right back up… So Longden rested him more and told
> the owner who sorta refused to believe the horse
> couldn’t run in the Belmont. Thinking naively,
> (“they’d come so far!!) Longden kept working on
> the horses tendon (Johnny was a tough old horseman
> too).
>
> Longden told Bill the horse was never gonna run
> again, and owner was going nuts. Longden (mostly)&
> Bill decided that if he was never gonna run again
> no matter what then they’d just kiss him into the
> Belmont, keep their fingers crossed – see if they
> could pull off the win. Johnny told Bill that the
> horse missing virtually all 3 weeks of training
> was going to make it very unlikely but the seeing
> the rest actually helping him coming of the
> Derby/Preakness… Longden and Bill were BOTH
> convinced that the horse would not breakdown, Bill
> said if he thought he would breakdown, he wouldn’t
> have agreed to ride him. He told me worst case,
> he’d have to ease him at some point in the race.
>
> So they decided to run and see if they could pull
> it off… win or lose they knew he’d never run
> again. Of course you know the rest. They almost
> pulled it off…
>
> That’s it… a little long but that’s the true story
> as told to me by Bill H
In broad strokes, that\'s about how I understood that scenario to go down. Was at Anita when MP won the Santa Anita Derby . . . remains in the top three among the best-LOOKING good horses I ever saw . . .
