Ruffian question?

Question

The only horse buried at the Belmont was Ruffian. Does anyone know why she is buried there and why no other horses have been?

Answer 1

Ruffian was the filly of the year for both her 2 and 3 year old year (1974 and 1975). Foolish Pleasure was the colt of the year. Ruffian had never been defeated, or even headed. She led right from the start in all her races.

It was decided to have a match race between Kentucky Derby winner, Foolish Pleasure and Ruffian, on July 7, 1975, at Belmont. She was about half a length ahead when both jockeys heard what sounded like a stick breaking. She had broken her leg.

Her jockey had a terrible time pulling her up. She wanted so badly to keep on running. She ran for quite some distance on the broken leg, massively compounding the damage. Her fetlock joint was totally dislocated, and she was running on the bare end of her cannon bone.

Heroic efforts were made to save her. She had lost so much blood that she stopped breathing twice during the surgery. At last, the surgery was completed, and a special cast applied, supported by a special shoe. She was returned to a recovery stall in the equine ICU unit.

As she came out of the anesthetic, she began to thrash around wildly. Attempts to restrain her were futile, and she eventually smashed the cast and further damaged the broken leg. She was euthanized.

I will never, ever forget watching that race. It was the saddest thing I have ever seen.

See the link below for the full story of this courageous filly.

Answer 2

Because that is the track where she raced her final race - the match race between her and Foolish Pleasure. She was in the lead when she broke her front leg and was unable to finish the race. They tried to save her and operated but she thrashed about when coming out of anesthesia and reinjured her leg and broke her other front leg. She was euthanized and buried at Belmont with her head facing down the homestretch.

Answer 3

She is buried there because she was an awesome filly and was racing @ Belmont when she shattered her leg which led to her being euthanized.  I'm guessing the folks @ Belmont thought it was a fitting burial place for her based on this!

Answer 4

she was a new york horse, the pride of new york, to be exact, and Belmont is the major track along with aqueduct, and saratoga....

Answer 5

She was buried there with her nose tward the finish line. there because that was where her last race was. poor girl.

Answer 6

Ruffian was buried in the infield at Belmont because that was where she ran her last race- and her grave is about a hundred yards from where she broke down during the match with Foolish Pleasure. As for why no other horses are buried there, I think this has to do with the fact that there really hasn't been anyone who has been of the caliber that Ruffian was. There have been many breakdowns and tragedies at Belmont since her death, but there really hasn't been a horse that people loved as much as they did Ruffian who has come along in recent years. Ruffian was NOT a New York bred horse- she was foaled and raised at Claiborne Farm in Kentucky, and she trained at the Camden Training Center in Camden, South Carolina before going to Belmont for the match race.