Passage I

Eddie sweat: A Groom’s Groom

In 1973 the three-year-old colt Secretariat won each event of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (the Kentucky Derby,the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes), a feat accomplished only eleven times in the twentieth century. While many factors contributed to secretariats success—selective breeding, top-notch trainers, and a skillful jockey, to name a few—the expertise and diligent care of the horse’s groom, Eddie Sweat, who deserves some of the credit.(2)

Although often overlooked and underappreciated, a groom plays a significant role in the life of a racehorse. A groom’s basic tasks include washing and brushing the horse, trimming its mane and tail, and they clean its hooves.[A] A groom also cleans stalls and takes care of riding equipment.[B] Those whom witnessed Sweat with Secretariat attest that his care surpassed the usual duties of a groom. He’d talk to the horse constantly, he’d soothe him in Gullah, a Creole-English language commonly spoken in the South Carolina African American community Sweat grew up in.[C] After cooking Secretariat a mash of oats and corn, he’d watch him eat, taking note of any changes in appetite noticeable to him while the horse was eating. He’d also examine secretariat's teeth and take his temperature daily, attention to any signs of illness or distress.[D] Sweat would spend extra time massaging the horse’s legs, applying healing poultices made from herbs he had gathered. However, on nights before big races, he’d even sleep next to the horse’s stall.(10)

Sweat’s constant, companionship, and expert care kept Secretariat healthy and calm in a stressful racing environment(12). When a bronze statue honoring Secretariat was unveiled at the Kentucky Horse Park in 2004, it featured not only the Triple Crown champion and his jockey but his groom, Eddie Sweat, as well. The statue, depicting Sweat with his left hand gripping the lead rope, his right rests on the horse’s side, is a lasting tribute to Sweat’s exceptional care.