RUFFIAN 1975 THE MATCH RACE BELMONT PARK 8X10 PHOTO JACINTO VASQUEZ UP
Ruffian (April 17, 1972 – July 7, 1975) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won ten consecutive races, including the Acorn, Mother Goose and Coaching Club American Oaks, then known as the American Triple Tiara, the filly equivalent of the Triple Crown. She was on the lead at every point of call in every race she ever ran and set new stakes records in each of the eight stakes races she won. Her dominating wins caused her to be named the American Champion filly at both ages two and three.
Ruffian's eleventh race was run at Belmont Park on July 6, 1975. It was a match race between her and that year's Kentucky Derby winner, Foolish Pleasure. The "Great Match" was heavily anticipated and attended by more than 50,000 spectators, with an estimated television audience of 20 million. Ruffian was in front by half a length when she changed leads, followed by a crack audible to both jockeys. Both of the sesamoid bones in her right foreleg had snapped. Vasquez tried to pull her up, but the filly would not stop. She went on running, pulverizing her sesamoids, ripping the skin of her fetlock and tearing her ligaments until her hoof was flopping uselessly. Vasquez said it was impossible for him to stop her. She still tried to run and finish the race. Video showed Ruffian was startled by a bird in the infield and took a bad step.
Ruffian was immediately attended to by a team of four veterinarians and an orthopedic surgeon, and underwent an emergency operation lasting twelve hours, during which she had to be revived twice after she stopped breathing. Ruffian was euthanized shortly afterward at 2:25 a.m. on July 7, 1975
Ruffian was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1976. The Blood-Horse magazine ranked her as the top filly or mare of the twentieth century in their list of the top 100 American racehorses of the 20th century, and number 35 overall. Her story was told in the 2007 film Ruffian and numerous books.
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