Remembering Ruffian

Every so often, I check Netflix for movies about horse racing. There aren't that many, so I figure I've seen just about all of them. But every once in a while, something new pops up, and lo and behold, there was a movie about Ruffian I hadn't seen.

Sam Shepard plays the starring role, so it immediately had something going for it. The veteran actor and horse lover is cast as Ruffian's trainer, Frank Whiteley. For those who don't know, Ruffian was a champion filly in the mid-1970's. She ran 11 races, winning 10 of them. At every point of call in every race she ran, Ruffian was in front. She was so remarkably fast that no horse ever passed her.

Until her 11th race on July 6th, 1975.

It was a match race, of the sort you might remember from the movie Sea Biscuit. One horse against another. Ruffian's opponent was Foolish Pleasure, the colt that won the 1975 Kentucky Derby. It was rare that fillies raced against colts. It still is, for the most part, in this country. But the race came at a time when America was obsessed with the battle of the sexes, personified by Billy Jean King's win over Bobby Riggs in a tennis match.

The problem is -- horses ain't humans. And the speed of a match race can be unusually taxing. Maybe that's what led to the tragedy at Belmont Park. Perhaps it was something else. But Ruffian broke down in front of a nationally televised audience, as she tried to beat Foolish Pleasure to the wire. Several hours later, she was put down.

I don't recall seeing the race on TV, as I was only 5 years old, but I do remember strolling through the Ruffian exhibit at Saratoga a couple years back. I remember breaking down myself, from the weight of her memory.

For someone who loves horses and racing, days like July 6th, 1975 are almost too much to bear. Those painful moments make me question why I love this sport so much. They make me frustrated that perhaps another legion of potential fans will turn away in disgust as they see how cruel the sport can seem to these fragile creatures.

But had Ruffian been running free in the wild, she might've met the same fate. She could've taken a bad step and broken her leg, trying to outrun the colt next to her. Thoroughbreds are born to run. They love to run -- as far and as fast as they can. Yes, they are fragile, but there's always risk in any athletic endeavor. Because of horse racing, Ruffian was able to share her joy of running with millions of people. She did it exquisitely.

Ruffian ran like another famous runner of the 70's who died too young -- Steve Prefontaine. They both ran their guts out from the beginning of every race until they had nothing left. Something Steve once said seems appropriate here: "A race is a work of art that people can look at and be affected by in as many ways as they're capable of understanding."

For horsemen like Frank Whiteley, the health of the horse comes above all. There is no questioning that. Whiteley clearly struggled with the owner's decision to put Ruffian in that race. And I'm sure it pained him for the rest of his life.

I can't say Ruffian is a top-tier sports movie, but it does the job of telling her important story. Her death resulted in a wake-up call for horse racing. Match races became a thing of the past. It moved forward the discussion about the care of race horses, one that still continues today.

Last year, the Ruffian Equine Medical Center was opened. It is adjacent to Belmont Park, where Ruffian is buried.

Her nose is pointed toward the finish line.