The 2023 Belmont Stakes celebrates the 50th anniversary of Secretariat’s Triple Crown sweep.
The legend known as “Big Red” is impossible to forget, from the statue at Belmont Park’s paddock to the animated logo of the race featuring his likeness.
Secretariat’s story has captivated fans of all ages and backgrounds for many logical reasons. Here, we’ll delve into some of the “whys” behind that.
Read more: Belmont Stakes 2023 Contenders, Pretenders, and Longshots for ‘Test of Champions.’
Reliving Secretariat’ beds 1973 Multiply Crown victories
Secretariat famously entered the 1973 Kentucky Derby coming off a loss.
He was defeated in the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, and his start was far from auspicious. He broke slowest among the 13 runners on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs.
However, in the first three legs of the Triple Crown, Secretariat did something horses aren’t supposed to do. Instead of getting slower as the race went on, he and jockey Ron Turcotte ran each quarter-mile faster than the previous one. The result was a last-to-first victory in a track-record time of 1:59 2/5.
Two weeks later, he won the Preakness at Pimlico. He moved from last to first on the clubhouse turn and coasted home. The race’s time was a subject of controversy for decades until the Maryland Jockey Club intervened. Secretariat was ruled to have run the race in 1:53 flat, which gave him yet another record.
Secretariat assures immortality throughout 1973 Belmont Stakes
Simply four other 3-year-olds lined up against Secretariat in the final leg of the Triple Crown. Sports Illustrated reporter Bill Nack (who literally wrote the book on Secretariat) described the atmosphere at his barn the morning of the race in ESPN’s SportsCentury series:
“The fittest I’ve ever seen a horse. His eyes were big as saucers, his nostrils were flared, he was nickering, his ears were pricked, his muscles were rippling, and he was walking around on his hind legs. I remember thinking to myself, ‘boy, what are we going to see today?'”
What fans saw was one of the most dominant performances in American horse racing history. After dueling rival Sham into submission early in the race, Secretariat quickly pulled away from the rest of the field. Track announcer Chic Anderson’s call has entered horse racing lore:
“Secretariat is widening now! He is moving like a tremendous machine! Secretariat by twelve, Secretariat by fourteen lengths on the turn! Sham is dropping back. It looks like they’ll catch him today, because My Gallant and Twice a Prince are both coming up to him now. But Secretariat is alone! He’s out there almost a sixteenth of a mile away from the rest of the horses!”
He hit the wire clear by 31 lengths and stopped the timer in 2:24 flat. Four decades later, that remains the fastest time for the 1 ½-mile race in North American history.
No other Belmont winner comes close. The fastest time since Secretariat was in 1989, when New York horse racing fan favorite Easy Goer crushed Triple Crown hopeful Sunday Silence in 2:26 flat. Still, Easy Goer would have finished about 10 lengths behind Secretariat.
Hollywood problems and absences
If you think this sounds like a Hollywood movie script, you’d be right. The movie Secretariat hit theaters in 2010 and did reasonably well, grossing over $60 million at the box office.
However, most of what you might think you know is not accurate.
For starters, Secretariat was only part of what turned Meadow Stable into a prominent horse racing enterprise. One year earlier, Riva Ridge won the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, and would have been denied the Triple Crown by a muddy track at the Preakness. Riva Ridge was inducted into horse racing’s Hall of Fame in 1998 but isn’t mentioned in the movie.
Additionally, the movie portrays Sham as Secretariat’s main rival. He finished second in both the Derby and the Preakness. However, it implies that Sham won the Wood Memorial. He did not; in fact, the winner of that race, Angle Light, shared the same trainer as Secretariat (Lucien Laurin).
Lastly, Los Angeles Times horse racing writer Bill Christine criticized the portrayals of several major horse racing figures. In particular, he deemed the on-screen depiction of Sham’s trainer, Frank “Pancho” Martin, “too hot,” and the likeness of Ogden Phipps as “embittered.”
What happened to be able to Secretariat following your Belmont Levels?
Secretariat ran six more times after the Belmont and recorded seven more wins. He finished his career with 16 victories in 21 lifetime starts and received Horse of the Year honors in both 1972 and 1973.
Prior to his 3-year-old season, Secretariat was syndicated as a stallion prospect for a then-record $6 million. While he did sire Hall of Fame runner Lady’s Secret, his most significant influence in the breeding shed came through his daughters as broodmares. Secretariat’s bloodlines are carried by many prominent males sired by those mares, including Storm Cat and AP Indy.
Secretariat died in 1989 after battling laminitis. Interestingly, an autopsy on the great horse revealed a massively enlarged heart, one that likely contributed to his on-track exploits and records still celebrated 50 years later.
Andrew Wine is a Content Manager for Catena Networking and an award-winning blogger and handicapper. Originally from upstate New York, he now resides in Northern California.
