Few stories combine greatness and tragedy in the sports world like the story of the racehorse, Ruffian. She was born in 1972 at the famous Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky, and grew into a big, dark bay filly who got the nickname “Sofie the Sofa” because she was easy to ride. It was during her maiden race in 1974 where she proved her prowess on the race track; winning handily by 15 lengths, tying the track record. She earned instant respect and a fan base that would become devoted to her in life, and in death.
For a filly, she dominated, beating all the other fillies she was pitted against. She won every race she ran from that first wonderful and exciting outing, with one tragic exception. Sometimes she would start out the gate and stumble, or break badly. She always recovered and gained the lead, staying there all the way to the win. Ruffian loved to run, and her jockey, Jacinto Vasquez, often tried to slow her, to no avail.
She was so good, the famed trainer of Secretariat, Lucien Lauren, was quoted as saying, “As God is my witness, she may be better than Secretariat.” He was one who would know, having trained Big Red.
Ruffian was born to run. She had scorching speed, endless stamina, and tore up the track. But one thing would come back to haunt her. The fragile nature of the legs she earned from both her sire and her dam would be her tragic downfall, and break the hearts of racing fans the world over.
It began when fans clamored to have the mighty Ruffian race against the boys. At a time in history when gender equality was on the public consciousness, it seemed like the natural progression for her exploding career. But her owners and trainer were at odds over putting her up against the boys. Until the decision was made to have Ruffian race in a special event to increase public interest in the sport. The race would have Ruffian go against three horses, each of which had won one of the Triple Crown races. Ruffian was undefeated, but would she stay that way?
Sadly, the owners of the Belmont winning horse, Avatar, decided to pull their horse, leaving Ruffian against only two contenders, and eventually, the winner of the Preakness, Master Derby, backed out as well. The four-horse super-race was now down to two, a match race of sorts, between Ruffian and the Kentucky Derby winner, Foolish Pleasure. But they both had the same jockey, forcing Jacinto Vasquez to pick who he would ride. He chose Ruffian because he believed she was the better horse.
Excitement for the race was going through the roof. It became an all-out sports battle of the sexes as fans picked sides, and new fans to the sport joined in the fun. On the day of the race, July 6, 1975, there was a palpable thrill in the air at Belmont Park in New York, with over 50,000 people in attendance, and over 20 million watching on television. Ruffian and Foolish Pleasure would run a mile and a quarter. Soon, the world would know…
Ruffian took the lead out of the gate. But at the half-mile marker, she dropped her head down and acted erratically, swerving into Foolish Pleasure. Vasquez knew before the crowd that something was terribly wrong. Soon, everyone knew. Ruffian had somehow injured herself, yet she wouldn’t stop. She kept running, wanting to desperately take back the lead she always had on the track. Vasquez managed to slow her down and jumped off her back. He tried to keep her calm and supported her as she panicked and ran in circles.
Meanwhile, Foolish Pleasure ran across the finish line. But his win was tainted by tragedy. Ruffian, on another part of the track, was loaded into an equine ambulance and taken to a hospital near the track.
Her diagnosis was a snapped sesamoid bone in the right foreleg. She went right into surgery as her owners, trainer, jockey, the entire racing world, along with thousands of fans, waited for a positive outcome. Despite some rocky moments, Ruffian survived the surgery, but coming out of the anesthesia, she started moving her legs wildly, almost as if she were dreaming of being back on the track, and in the process, she broke her other leg. She couldn’t be given more anesthesia, so the painful choice was made to humanely euthanize her.
Like her sire and her dam before her, she died of a leg fracture. Her death, though mourned by the racing and non-racing world, couldn’t stop her legacy from continuing.
She is, to this day, considered one of the top greatest racehorses of all time. She won the Eclipse Award, considered the Oscars of racing, for Champion Two-Year-Old Filly, Champion Three-Year-Old Filly, and some say, had she continued to compete, could have risen to the ranks of Man O’ War, Citation, and Secretariat, the three greatest of all time according to Bloodhorse Magazine. Ruffian is the only “non-human” athlete featured on Sports Illustrated’s Top 100 Female Athletes of the 20th Century. She is # 53. Her legacy also included positive changes to equine medicine and surgery, which helped many horses who came after her, and in 2009, the $18 million equine medical center at Belmont Park was opened, and named in her honor.
Ruffian is buried in the infield of Belmont Park, where she ran her last race, but only in life. No doubt she is racking up the wins in racehorse heaven, against the girls…and the boys.
