Bred for speed

Bred for speed

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, in Saratoga Springs, New York, is devoted to the sport of horse racing.
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Transcript

[Music in]

RACE ANNOUNCER: And they're off!

KATHRYN CRAVENS: The racers coming out of the gate can reach 40 miles per hour in about two and a half seconds. That statistic alone is amazing, but then when you compare that to a Ferrari, getting to 60 miles an hour in five and a half seconds, side by side it's just amazing.

RICHARD HAMILTON: And at one time all four legs are off the ground. That horse is "almost flying." Nothing is touching the ground.

CURT MUTH: The feeling when I'm on their backs, traveling at 40 miles an hour, that's undescribable.

NARRATOR: Thoroughbreds are a half ton of sheer power and muscle. Rest at top speed, a horse's heart rate increases by a factor of 10—a man's by a factor of 4.

LORI FISHER: That's what they're meant to do. That's why they were bred over two centuries ago, was to run.

PETER HAMMELL: It's that tension, that strength, that drive to win that really captures the Thoroughbred.

NARRATOR: Secretariat, Man o' War, Citation, and Seabiscuit—names etched into our collective memory—images of grace and stamina.

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York, tells the story of racing in America—from the early 18th century to the present day. Home to stories of the horses, the jockeys, the trainers, tracks, and trophies, the museum brims with racing memorabilia and a renowned collection of the finest equestrian art.

LORI FISHER: There's no other museum in the country that is devoted to the sport of Thoroughbred racing.

TOM GILCOYNE: Racing is the oldest sport we have in this country, and for a long time it was the only game in town.

[Music out]