Secretariat (horse)

"His only point of reference is himself." - Charles Hatton, The Daily Racing Form, about Secretariat

Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989) was an American thoroughbred race horse and is widely regarded as one of the greatest racehorses of all-time. (Sire: Bold Ruler; Dam: Somethingroyal), born at Meadow Farms Stables in Caroline County, Virginia.

Trained by Canadian Lucien Laurin and ridden by fellow Canadian jockey Ron Turcotte, he won the 1973 Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes (June 9), making him the first Triple Crown winner in a quarter of a century, long enough that many racing fans had thought it would never happen again.

Secretariat's race records in the Derby and the Belmont stand to this day; his run in the Belmont is not only a race record, but the world record for a mile and a half (2.4 km) on a dirt track. He set a new speed record in each of the Triple Crown races, the only horse in history to do so (although he was not officially recognized as the Preakness record holder because the official timer malfunctioned).

On the morning of the Belmont, America was primed to see Secretariat become the first Triple Crown winner in twenty-five years. It's no coincidence that Secretariat was featured on the covers of three prominent magazines the week prior: Time Magazine, Newsweek and Sports Illustrated. But nobody expected the pure and absolute domination that Secretariat exhibited.

His winning margin of more than 31 lengths in the long and grueling Belmont Stakes is remembered as one of the most dramatic events in thoroughbred racing history and one of the most incredible individual athletic achievements ever, both human and non-human.

Only four horses joined Secretariat in the Belmont field, including Sham, who had finished second in both the Derby and Preakness. Both horses set a blistering early pace, opening a 10-length cushion on the others. But while Sham faded after the halfway mark (ultimately finishing last), Secretariat astonished spectators by picking up the killing pace - eventually straining the television cameras' wide-angle capability as they struggled to keep the distant challengers in the same frame.

In one of the best-known of American sports calls, CBS Television broadcaster Chic Anderson -- later Belmont Park's track announcer -- punctuated Secretariat's powerful move on the final turn of the Belmont this way:

...Secretariat is blazing along! The first three-quarters of a mile in 1:09 and four fifths. 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, as My Gallant and Twice a Prince are both coming up to him now. But Secretariat is all alone! He's out there almost a sixteenth of a mile away from the rest of the horses! Secretariat is in a position that seems impossible to catch. He's into the stretch. Secretariat leads this field by eighteen lengths, and now Twice a Prince has taken second and My Gallant has moved back to third. They're in the stretch. Secretariat has opened a twenty-two length lead! He is going to be the Triple Crown winner! Here comes Secretariat to the wire. An unbelievable, an amazing performance! He hits the finish twenty-five lengths in front! It's going to be Twice a Prince second, My Gallant third, Private Smiles fourth, and Sham, who had it today, dropped back to fifth."

In fact, the champion's winning margin was fully 31 lengths - a distance it took careful examination of videotape and trackside photographs to measure. Almost as iconic as the still and video images of Secretariat blowing away the competition was the scene of owner Penny Chenery Tweedy waving her arms in exultation (and relief) in the Belmont owners' boxes. Anderson:

An amazing, unbelievable performance by this miracle horse -- and look at Mrs. Tweedy! (laughing) She's having the time of her life!

A lesser-known but perhaps more awesome accomplishment of his took place in that year's Derby. On his way to a still-standing record time in that race (1:59 2/5), he achieved the unheard-of feat of running each quarter-mile (402 m) segment fractionally faster than the one before it. The successive quarter-mile times were: 25 1/5, 24, 23 4/5, 23 2/5 and 23.

He was nicknamed "Big Red" by his legion of fans, and in a survey of the 100 greatest athletes of the 20th century by ESPN, he was listed 35th, one of three non-humans on the list.

Secretariat was voted Horse of the Year, the most prestigious honor in racing, both as a two-year-old (the first horse so honored at that age) and at age three. He was retired to stud at the end of that racing season, after four more victories and two second-place finishes. His last two races were on grass, and he won them both. Altogether, he won 16 of his 21 career races and finished out of the money just once - in his debut as a two-year-old, when he was jostled coming out of the gate and finished fourth.

In 1974, Secretariat was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.

Secretariat became a beloved figure with fans and non-fans of horse racing coming to see Big Red standing at stud. He was generally perceived as a disappointment at stud; however, this view of Secretariat as a stallion is not shared by most racing insiders. Secretariat sired a substantial number of major stakes winners, including 1986 Horse of the Year Lady's Secret and 1988 Preakness and Belmont Stakes winner Risen Star. His "failure" as a stallion was mostly due to his inability to produce offspring as great as he was—an unrealistic expectation, even for a truly great horse. During his lifetime he sired as many as 600 foals.

In the fall of 1989, Secretariat was afflicted with laminitis, a painful and incurable hoof condition. His condition failed to improve, and he was euthanized on October 4. He is buried at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky. In death, he received the ultimate honor for a horse—he was buried whole. By tradition, the only parts of a Thoroughbred buried are their head (to symbolize intelligence), heart (to symbolize strength), and legs (to symbolize power).

Before his burial, he was autopsied at the University of Kentucky; the veterinarian who performed the autopsy found that Secretariat's heart was the largest he had ever seen in a horse—approximately twice the size of a normal horse's heart. Unlike most enlarged hearts, Secretariat's showed absolutely no signs of disease.

On October 16, 1999, in the winner's circle at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky, the United States Postal Service honored the great horse, unveiling a 33 cent postage stamp with his image.

In the Blood-Horse magazine ranking of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century, Secretariat was ranked #2.

Race record at age 2:

• Wins:
  • Sanford Stakes
  • Hopeful Stakes
  • Belmont Futurity
  • Laurel Futurity
  • Graden State Stakes
  • Champagne Stakes (disqualified to 2nd)

Race record at age 3:

• Wins:
  • Kentucky Derby (new track record)
  • Preakness Stakes (new track record)
  • Belmont Stakes (new world record)
  • Bay Shore Stakes
  • Gotham Stakes (tied track record)
  • Arlington Invitational
  • Marlboro Cup (new world record)
  • Man O' War Stakes (new course record)
  • Canadian International

• Second:
  • Woodward Stakes
  • Whitney Stakes

• Third:
  • Wood Memorial Stakes

ja:セクレタリアト