The weekly news update featuring Secretariat Wins Triple Crown in Breathtaking Style
To all North Pole City Elves, those in Santa's Village, in the Lower 48 and all around the world, this is your weekly update for the week of June 6, 2022. I'm your host Walter "Mistletoe" Livingstone and I'm your co-host, Becky "Marshmallow" Livingstone, Let's go to press.
For the week of June 6, 2022 your sponsor will be Snowflake Snowmobiles. Guaranteed to start on the first try or we will give you a new one. That’s Snowflake Snowmobiles 195 Candy Cane Lane. Open 10-4 Monday - Friday.
Update from Santa's Village. Although the workshop is now a few weeks behind schedule, production is moving forward and the pace has been slightly picked up. Santa will be meeting with Edward Hinklemyer and the other supervisors again this week as he is worried that the all of the craftsman elves are working themselves too hard. He has asked that additional work breaks be mandatory and that there will be no overtime approved within the workshop, warehouses, and factories. Santa wants everyone to "not worry about being behind," and is sure production will be back on schedule soon.
The Security and Investigation Division has uncovered some evidence in the sabotage case and has called for a special emergency meeting with Santa and Edward Hinklemyer. All that we know at this time is that the meeting has been scheduled and should take place sometime this week. Once we find out more information we will pass it along.
Work has begun on Theodore E. Bear's webpage. The team has started working on some of the graphic designs and hope to have something posted out soon on the webpage. Please be sure to follow along on TAOLF.com for this new page coming out soon.
Temperatures will be in the lower thirties most of the week with a snowstorm expected on Friday. Predictions are that between 8 and 10 inches of snow will fall between Friday afternoon and Saturday morning and temperatures will drop to 10oF. Be sure to bundle up and prepare for the expected snowfall.
Winning the Triple Crown (the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes,) is a major feat that few horses have done. Only 13 horses have ever won the Triple Crown. On June 9, 1973, in a spectacular victory at the Belmont Stakes, Secretariat became one of those horses to win America’s coveted Triple Crown. In one of the finest performances in racing history, Secretariat, ridden by Ron Turcotte, completed the 1.5-mile race in 2 minutes and 24 seconds, which was a dirt-track record for that distance.
But what made Secretariat so special? Other horses had previously and have since won the coveted Triple Crown. As it turns out, Secretariat was fast enough to win the triple crown by finishing at record speed in each race. He also could also win on any surface and at any distance. His versatility and speed are why many racing fans consider him the greatest racehorse of all time.
Secretariat was born at Meadow Stables in Doswell, Virginia, on March 30, 1970. He was sired by Bold Ruler, the 1957 Preakness winner, and foaled by Somethingroyal, which came from a Thoroughbred line known for its stamina. Secretariat was an attractive chestnut colt that grew to over 16 hands high.
He ran his first race as a two-year-old on July 4, 1972, a 5 1/2-furlong race at Aqueduct in New York City. He came from behind to finish fourth; it was the only time in his career that he finished a race and did not place. By the end of 1972, he had won seven of nine races.
With easy victories in his first two starts of 1973, Secretariat seemed on his way to the Triple Crown. Just two weeks before the Kentucky Derby, however, he stumbled at the Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct, coming in third behind Angle Light and Sham. On May 5, he met Sham and Angle Light again at the Churchill Downs track in Louisville for the Kentucky Derby. Secretariat, a 3-to-2 favorite, broke from near the back of the pack to win the 1 1/4-mile race in a record 1 minute and 59 2/5th seconds. He was the first to run the Derby in less than two minutes.
Two weeks later, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland, Secretariat won the second event of the Triple Crown: the Preakness Stakes. The official clock malfunctioned, but hand-recorded timers had him running the 1 3/16-mile race in record time.
Then on June 9, 1973, almost 100,000 people came to Belmont Park near New York City to see if “Big Red†would become the first horse in 25 years to win the Triple Crown. Secretariat gave the finest performance of his career in the Belmont Stakes, completing the 1.5-mile race in a record 2 minutes and 24 seconds. This time knocked nearly three seconds off the track record set by Gallant Man way back in 1957. He also won that final race of the Triple Crown by a record 31 lengths.
Ron Turcotte, who jockeyed Secretariat, claimed that at Belmont he lost control of Secretariat and that the horse sprinted into history on his own accord.
After winning the Triple Crown, Secretariat would race six more times, winning four and finishing second twice. Then in November 1973, after just 2 years of racing, the “horse of the century†was retired and put to stud at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky. Among his notable offspring is the 1988 Preakness and Belmont winner, Risen Star. Secretariat was euthanized in 1989 after falling ill. An autopsy showed that his heart was two and a half times larger than that of the average horse, which may have contributed to his extraordinary racing abilities.
In 1999, ESPN ranked Secretariat No. 35 in its list of the Top 50 North American athletes of the 20th century. He was the only non-human on the list.
Based on the surveys collected during last month's meeting, the North Pole City Commerce Association will be holding a meet and greet breakfast this Friday morning at 7 a.m. at Mrs. Claus' Kitchen Cafeteria next to Santa's Workshop in Santa's Village. Most of the business owners in town agreed that it was sometimes hard for them to get away during the regularly scheduled meetings and they would like to start having these breakfasts earlier and in a centralized location. Mrs. Claus's Kitchen is geographically one of the most centered locations within North Pole City and the 7 a.m. start time will allow owners from all over town to come and meet before their shops open at 9 a.m. If the meeting is a success, the association will have these each month for all of the business owners. Breakfast will be supplied by Mrs. Claus' Kitchen.
The North Pole City Council has reported that the crews working on the streets and sidewalk replacement project went ahead and took care of the streets and sidewalks within city center and Santa's Village since the workshops were closed last week. This moves this section of the project ahead of schedule since it was planned to be completed in July during the summer break in Santa's Village. Now the work crews will be able to take their break too and spend time with their families during the July break.
Inspired by last week's golf outing, the North Pole City Sports League will be designing and building a miniature golf course in the basement of the Imagiporium that will be available to all elves that visit this building for fun and entertainment. The course is to feature 18 holes and have a Christmas Related theme. The new course is expected to be open some time at the end of July.
The Giftwrapping and Decoration Division of the Department of Elfland Security will be hosting a city tree decoration day this Wednesday afternoon at the City Tree in City Center. This is the time of the year when the tree is gone over to check for any lights that are out and to add and/or replace some of the ornaments on the tree. Everyone is welcome to come out and participate and lunch will be provided to all volunteers by Mrs. Claus' kitchen.
WELF-NPC North Pole City Radio would like to wish a very happy 450th birthday to Carl "Sweet Lips" Brighton. Carl has been a member of the North Pole City Elves Community Band now for over 300 years and is the one you hear featured playing the trumpet when the band marches past you in North Pole City. We wish you many more happy years.
This is Walter "Mistletoe" Livingstone and Becky "Marshmallow" Livingstone with the reminder: It takes less time to do things right than to explain why you did it wrong..
Have a good evening, and be sure to tune in next week for another WELF-NPC North Pole Radio News Update.
