The State Budget Sham

   The title of this post belies the content, as it's not about the Oklahoma State Budget - but about Sham, the great American thoroughbred of 1973.
   A couple weeks ago I wrote about an event and competitor which affected me more deeply than anything else in my life, up to that time (1973). This column/blog usually concerns itself with politics and education, but occasionally departs that topic for more interesting and personal topics. Secretariat winning the triple crown of thoroughbred racing in 1973 was one such event which had a dramatic effect upon my psyche, as I actually wept while watching the ending of the 1973 Belmont Stakes. I became "choked up" as Secretariat pulled away from the competition, winning by 31 lengths. I thought at the time that I became emotional because of the "perfection" that Secretariat, the "Tremendous Machine" or "Super Horse" exhibited. In my mind, it was akin to watching Elvis Presley sing "An American Trilogy".
   The "rest of the story", though, is Secretariat's perfect race is not the real reason for my emotional response. After several weeks of reflection, I came to the conclusion that I became choked up - not because Secretariat ran the perfect race that day, but because I sympathized so deeply with Sham. Many racing fans believe Sham was the second greatest thoroughbred of all time, but second greatest was not good enough in 1973. Most people don't even recognize the name.
   Many horse racing experts say that a thoroughbred will "die on the track" rather than quit running. The thoroughbred is committed to racing, while the jockeys and owners are only dedicated. Sham had beaten Secretariat in the Wood Memorial, just before the 1973 Kentucky Derby, but he had simply "awakened a sleeping giant" as Secretariat beat Sham in the Derby by two and a half lengths. Most people don't realize that Sham had knocked out two teeth just as the race began by slamming his head into the gate. He had broken the Kentucky Derby record, but still placed second. Sham went on to place second in the Preakness as well, but then came the legendary Belmont race. I expected Sham to win the Belmont Stakes, because it's very difficult to any competitor (Secretariat) to beat another three times in a row. As I related two weeks ago, Sham immediately took the lead as the gates opened, and led until Secretariat pulled up alongside. He then bolted in front a couple more times, and looked as though he may actually pull off a victory. But entering the last quarter, Secretariat, like a nitrous oxide propelled race car - flipped the switch... and like a "tremendous machine", as the announcer called him, shot to the finish line. My throat began to get tight and I silently wept, as Secretariat vanquished the competition by some 31 lengths. But it was not Sham who was second that day - Sham had faded to dead last... "31 lengths to eternity" according to one sports writer. I believe I wept that evening not because I was witnessing the greatest thoroughbred in the history of the sport, but because I was witnessing maybe the second greatest ever, die of a broken heart. One of the trailing jockeys to both Secretariat and Sham said that he actually could see Sham's heart breaking.
   My father, an old rodeo cowboy who was blind, also had tears streaming silently down both cheeks as he "listened" to the broadcast on the old black and white TV. He too could imagine Sham's breaking heart. Sham didn't die right away, however, as his heart was too big and strong to succumb so easily. As a matter of fact, when autopsied, it was discovered that Sham's heart weighed an astounding 18 lbs., two times larger than the average thoroughbred's heart. It was maybe the second largest heart ever recorded, behind only Secretariat, whose heart was estimated to weigh 22 lbs.
   Sham never raced again. He retired to stables in Kentucky for the next 20 years. At around 3 AM on the morning of April 3, 1993, the night watchman at Walmac Farm gave Sham a bucket of oats - as he had been restless all night. At around 4 AM, the watchman returned to see if Sham had consumed his oats. Sham lay dead in his stall... finally succumbing to a heart attack. I firmly believe that Sham died of a broken heart. Not many people knew, and fewer still even cared.
   I believe Sham was just as much a sports hero as Secretariat, as he also broke the track records at the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, and had almost "left it all on the track" at the Belmont. It is said that some animals can sometimes think like human beings, reflecting on their past and looking ahead to the future. Horses are believed to be one such animal, and I think that the 1973 Belmont Stakes hurt Sham for the rest of his life. Maybe in his mind, he was the world's greatest loser - we'll never know...