Secretariat

1973 Triple Crown Winner Profile

Sire: Bold Ruler
Dam: Somethingroyal

Owner: Meadow Stable
Breeder: Meadow Stud
Trainer: Lucien Laurin
Primary Jockey: Ron Turcotte

Race record: 21 starts, 16 wins, 3 seconds, 1 third
Earnings: $1,316,808

Many racing fans consider Secretariat to be the gold standard by which great horses are measured. Certainly he stands alone among Triple Crown winners, with his unmatched blend of speed and stamina generating record-breaking victories in all three spring classics.

Nicknamed “Big Red” thanks to his chestnut coat, Secretariat was nearly unstoppable as a juvenile. A homebred racing for Meadow Stable, the son of Bold Ruler finished a troubled fourth in his debut, but crossed the wire first in his remaining eight starts. Partnering with jockey Ron Turcotte, the late-running Secretariat utilized a powerful stretch kick to record runaway victories in the Sanford, Hopeful, Futurity, Laurel Futurity, and Garden State S.

Only a controversial disqualification in the Champagne prevented Secretariat from going undefeated in stakes company as a 2-year-old, but this technical defeat didn’t discourage his supporters. When votes were counted for the 1972 Eclipse Awards, Secretariat was named Horse of the Year.

Subsequently syndicated for stud duty at the record price of $6.08 million, Secretariat lived up to lofty expectations with a jaw-dropping 3-year-old campaign. Early victories in the Bay Shore (G3) and Gotham (G2) signaled his readiness for a strong season, and while he suffered a shocking defeat when third in the Wood Memorial (G1), he was later found to be suffering from a mouth abscess that may have compromised his performance.

Secretariat recovered in time for the Kentucky Derby, where he delivered a performance unmatched to this day. After settling near the back of the pack, Secretariat launched a wide, sustained rally, running every quarter mile faster than the previous to win by 2 1/2 lengths in the record-shattering time of 1:59 2/5. He was just as dominant in the Preakness, unleashing an early bid around the first turn to seize command and never look back. Again he won by 2 1/2 lengths in 1:53, the fastest Preakness ever run.

Trainer Lucien Lauren didn’t let Secretariat rest on his laurels leading up to the Belmont Stakes. It had been 25 years since a horse had won the Triple Crown, and Lauren—recognizing Secretariat thrived on hard work—sent the colt to work 6 furlongs in 1:12 1/5, a mile in 1:34 4/5, and a half-mile in :46 3/5 during the final two weeks before the Belmont.

The result of Lucien’s stiff training was perhaps the singular greatest performance in the history of American racing. After dueling for the lead through blazing fractions of :23 3/5, :46 1/5, and 1:09 4/5, Secretariat put away his pursuers and started widening his advantage with every stride. He broke records all the way to the finish line, crossing the wire 31 lengths clear in the blazing time of 2:24, obliterating the previous Belmont Stakes records of 25 lengths and 2:26 3/5.

Secretariat continued to race with success through the end of his 3-year-old season. While he suffered surprising defeats in the Whitney H. (G2) and Woodward (G1), he made up for these losses with a runaway triumph against a stellar field in the Marlboro Cup Invitational H., where he ran 1 1/8 miles in the world record time of 1:45 2/5. Later, he demonstrated his ability to handle turf while dominating the Man o’ War (G1) and Canadian International (G2), the former in course record time.

Once again voted Horse of the Year, Secretariat retired to stud at Claiborne Farm, where he sired 1986 Horse of the Year Lady’s Secret and 1988 Preakness/Belmont champion Risen Star. Secretariat’s daughters proved influential as broodmares, most notably producing the acclaimed stallions A.P. Indy (Horse of the Year in 1992) and Storm Cat.

Upon Secretariat’s death from laminitis in 1989, it was estimated that his heart weighed 22 pounds, more than twice the typical weight of an equine heart. But the necropsy simply put a number on a fact every racing fan already knew—that Secretariat had the heart of a champion.