- Updated 0908 GMT (1708 HKT) May 2, 2019 Secretariat crosses the finish line to win the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown, in 1973. (CNN) Very few horses, past or present, can.
- Secretariat was favored by the Thoroughbred Racing Associations of North America and the Daily Racing Form, while the National Turf Writers Association preferred La Prevoyante. In a rare occurence, both horses were two year olds. The filly's breeder/owner was Jean-Louis Levesque, who amazingly also owned a share in Secretariat.
The story of “Big Red” begins with a 1969 coin toss to determine who got first pick of the foals produced by sending certain Meadow Stable mares to Ogden Phipps’ important sire, Bold Ruler. Phipps “won” the toss and selected a weanling filly, thus leaving the Chenery family’s Meadow Stable with the yet-unborn 1970 foal out of Somethingroyal.
By the end of 1972, Secretariat was the first-ever, two-year-old Horse of the Year, edging out Claiborne-raised La Prevoyante in year-end balloting. In 1973, he became the darling of not just horseracing but the entire nation; he won the Triple Crown in record time for all three events; graced the covers of Time, Sports Illustrated and Newsweek; repeated as Horse of the Year; and forever raised the bar by which all Thoroughbreds are measured.
Between his two- and three-year-old seasons, Meadow Stable’s founder Christopher Chenery passed away, and daughter Penny Chenery called upon the new master of Claiborne Farm, 23-year-old Seth Hancock, to syndicate Secretariat in order to settle estate taxes without liquidating the farm’s bloodstock. Syndicating a colt who had not yet raced at three, with a record price tag of $6.08 million and contractual terms calling for him to race for Meadow Stables in 1973 was a monumental task, and in a matter of days Hancock pulled it off with established Claiborne clients as well as new investors.
Larger than life, Secretariat was more than the “Super Horse” Time magazine dubbed him when he graced its cover. The bright chestnut with three white stockings was the most celebrated racehorse of all time and the only non-human ranked among ESPN’s 50 Greatest Athletes of the 20th Century.
Secretariat is a well crafted family film in the vein of Seabiscuit. With a great cast headed by Diane Lane and John Malkovich, Secretariat is an entertaining picture directed by Randall Wallace.
Taking over the premier stall at Claiborne, that of his sire Bold Ruler, Secretariat left his enduring mark on the breed first through the exploits of his own sons and daughters (such as dual Classic winner, Risen Star, and Horse-of-the-Year, Lady’s Secret). More emphatically, his impact as a champion sire of broodmares reshaped the breed through some of the most celebrated sires of the last quarter-century, chief among them Storm Cat and A.P. Indy.
In 1989, after Secretariat was euthanized to prevent further suffering from incurable laminitis, a necropsy revealed what his fans always knew – Secretariat had a huge heart. His organs were all normal in size and shape except his heart which was twice the size and a third heavier than normal. “He was the man,” said Claiborne manager John Sosby, “He was the one they wanted to see … and rightly so.”
Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
Join Britannica's Publishing Partner Program and our community of experts to gain a global audience for your work! Marvin Drager
Secretariat, byname Big Red, (foaled 1970), American racehorse (Thoroughbred) who is widely considered the greatest horse of the second half of the 20th century. A record-breaking money winner, in 1973 he became the ninth winner of the U.S. Triple Crown (the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes). In his short, brilliant 16-month career, he came in first 16 times, second three times, and third once, winning a total of $1,316,808. At Belmont he won by an unprecedented 31 lengths and established the dirt-track record for a 11/2-mile race of 2:24.
Secretariat Meaning
Breeding and early years
Secretariat was born in 1970 at the Meadow Farm in Doswell, Virginia. In his debut race at the Aqueduct Racetrack in New York on July 4, 1972, Secretariat exhibited great speed and managed to finish a credible fourth, making up seven of over eight lengths on the leading horse in the last 1/4 mile. In his second race, 11 days later, he displayed the powerful stretch-running ability that would make him famous, gaining strength the farther he ran. He won easily by six lengths, making him the crowd favourite for his third race, on July 31, which he again won. That race marked his first ride by Ron Turcotte, who from then on was the colt’s primary jockey. With his first wins under his belt, the time had arrived for Secretariat to prove that he was something special. The six-furlong Sanford Stakes in New York on August 16 was his first event against high-end competition. Seemingly trapped going into the final turn, Secretariat knifed his way between horses down the stretch, flashed into the lead, and won by three lengths.
Five stakes races are generally regarded as barometers of the best two-year-olds: the Hopeful Stakes, Futurity Stakes, Champagne Stakes, Laurel Futurity, and Garden State Stakes. The winner of those races, or at least the majority of them, is considered to have won the “title” of best two-year-old. Secretariat had wins in the first two of the five races, and he consequently approached the Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park, New York’s richest race for juveniles, on October 14, 1972, as the 7–10 favourite. He finished first by two lengths, but the colt was officially dropped to second place behind Stop the Music. Apparently, Secretariat had bumped Stop the Music when Turcotte hit the colt with his whip in his right hand, causing Secretariat to duck left into his opponent; when Turcotte switched his whip to his left hand, the horse straightened out and went on to finish in front.
Secretariat rebounded from his near win to easily take the Laurel Futurity by eight lengths. The last race of the year for Secretariat, the Garden State Stakes in New Jersey, went as expected. He dawdled along in last place during the early stages of the race but then won easily. It was another of Secretariat’s signature last-to-first victories. In recognition of a season that consisted of seven wins in nine races, Secretariat was named the Horse of the Year, becoming the second two-year-old to capture that honour.
Secretariat Belmont Video
1973: Triple Crown
Three days into 1973, the owner of Secretariat’s stable died and the colt was soon syndicated for the sum of $6,080,000, a world record price at the time. Secretariat was sent to New York in February to prepare for his three-year-old debut in the Bay Shore at the Aqueduct Racetrack. He showed up at the race fit and had grown amazingly over the winter, adding an inch and a quarter to his height in six months. The colt drove through a sloppy track and a traffic jam of horses to win the Bay Shore by four and a half lengths.
His second outing came on April 7, in the one-mile Gotham Stakes, which he also won. In winning both the Gotham and the Bay Shore, Secretariat became only the third horse ever to win both races. This brought him to the third New York-based race of the season, the Wood Memorial Stakes on April 21. The Wood is traditionally regarded as the last important race in the eastern United States before the Kentucky Derby. Three of the eight previous Triple Crown winners—Gallant Fox, Count Fleet, and Assault—used the Wood as the springboard to their titles. Only eight horses went to the post, and when the race was over, 43,416 people sat dumbstruck: Angle Light had scored a smashing upset, finishing ahead of Sham and four lengths in front of Secretariat.
Derby Day on May 5 attracted 134,476 people to the festivities, making it the biggest crowd yet to attend Churchill Downs. The fans then bet a total of $7,627,965 on all of the day’s races, including over $3,200,000 on the Derby alone, which were also records. Thirteen Thoroughbreds marched to the post. Secretariat and Angle Light went off at 3–2 odds, with Sham the second favourite at 5–2.
Secretariat came out of the gate slowly as usual, cut sharply to the rail, and settled back to last place as the field came past the stands. He gained on horses through the backstretch and went to the middle of the pack. Sham, in the meantime, moved into second and remained there. On the far turn, Sham went into the lead while Secretariat continued to loop the field on the outside, finally moving up to the leader. In the final furlong it was a two-horse race. They met eye to eye for a moment until Secretariat pulled away. He won by two and a half lengths in the record-breaking time of 1:592/5, which stripped 3/5 second from the old mark.
There was now a wholly different attitude toward Secretariat as the Preakness Stakes approached two weeks later. By the start of the race, the number of challengers in the race had dwindled to just five, with the owners and trainers of the other horses exhibiting considerably more respect toward “Big Red,” who went off as the 5–10 favourite. Secretariat broke late and sat back in last place, five and a half lengths behind the leader, Ecole Etage. Going into the first turn, the pace seemed slow to Turcotte. His mount accelerated, going wide around horses to the dismay of the fans who feared an early burst of speed might hamper the colt’s stamina. With 3/4 mile to go, Secretariat took the lead and headed for home, never touched by the whip.
It was an easy victory by two and a half lengths over Sham and ten and a half over Our Native, marking the first time in the history of the Preakness that the top three horses duplicated exactly the finish of the Derby. The official time was announced as 1:55, which set off an unusual controversy. In the stands, two staffers of the Daily Racing Form timed the race with their own stopwatches and came up with 1:532/5, better than the record of 1:54 set by Canonero II in 1971. The embarrassed track officials stood by their guns until two days later, when they changed the time to 1:542/5. (In 2012 the Maryland Racing Commission voted to change Secretariat’s time to a track record 1:53 after hearing testimony from experts who analyzed video of the race.)
Having won both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, and with the Belmont Stakes approaching, Secretariat became the focus of much attention. He was featured on the covers of three national magazines: Time, Newsweek, and Sports Illustrated.
On Belmont race day, June 9, Secretariat roared out of his rail post. He faced only four challengers, with Sham his only cause for concern. Indeed, it shaped up as a match race, as Sham ran neck and neck with Secretariat, even moving into the lead momentarily. They straightened out into the backstretch at the 1/2-mile pole, and it was at this moment that Secretariat took off: by the time he was one mile into the race, he was some seven lengths in front.
When they moved into the homestretch, Turcotte spotted the fraction times on the tote board and suddenly realized there was a record to be had. He ducked his head down, tightened his grip on the reins, and for the only time in the race really rode Secretariat hard through the last 1/8 mile to the wire. The 69,138 fans went wild with excitement as Secretariat finished a stunning 31 lengths ahead of his next pursuer, Twice a Prince, in the time of 2:24. It was an unbelievable record, shattering the 1957 mark by 23/5 seconds. His time for the mile was 1:341/5, which topped his Derby mile time of 1:361/5.