Secretariat, the champion and most beloved thoroughbred
racehorse of all time, finally has been honored with a bronze statue worthy of
the incredible accomplishments of such a super horse.
A magnificent new statue has been installed in the home of
Bluegrass racing, Lexington, Kentucky, to honor the Triple Crown champion of
1973. Today, forty-six years after the astonishing success of
Secretariat, many of the world records Secretariat achieved remain unbroken, a
testament of the superiority of the champion.
Renowned sculptor Jocelyn Russell created a
larger-than-life monument of Triple Crown racehorse
Secretariat. Known as the “people’s champion” Secretariat completed
the most amazing Triple Crown record in history.
Nearly 50 years ago he galloped memorably into our lives,
muscles pulsing hard beneath a coat of brilliant red, hooves stretching farther
forward in a stride longer than any horse before or since. He was a wonder,
Secretariat, a vision of the perfect horse who left us all too soon.
Just as Secretariat was red, or chestnut, in real life, his
bronze monument bears a red patina. He could not look more lifelike, which was
Russell’s concern all along when she accepted this commission 18 months ago.
The artist said many times that she knew her audience would
be a tough sell, in the heart of horse country.
Virginia-bred Secretariat’s final home at Claiborne Farm
Kentucky just up the road from Lexington in the heart of thoroughbred horse
farms, is a revered stop for Kentucky horse fans ever since Secretariat retired
from racing in 1973 until his death in 1989 at age 19.
A reprint of an earlier article of the life of Secretariat
follows.
Kentucky Derby Countdown - Secretariat 1973 -
The Greatest Triple Crown and Thoroughbred Champion of all Time
Secretariat - The People's Champion
It is Kentucky Derby week and once again time to share our top thoroughbred stories of the legends of Horse Racing. Our next offering is the greatest champion in our history, Secretariat.
I had occasion to see this magnificent horse in Kentucky and to watch the three races along with millions of Americans as Secretariat not only made history but shattered records every time he stepped on a the track at a Triple Crown race.
Although Seattle Slew and Affirmed both won the Triple Crown the same decade of the 1970's the performance by Secretariat stands alone in the history books.
Enjoy a flashback to the most incredible six minutes in horse racing history.
The Kentucky Derby - 1973
The Preakness Stakes - 1973
The Belmont Stakes - 1973
Secretariat’s Record-Breaking Run, 46 Years Later
(Originally posted 2017)
Forty-six years ago Secretariat galloped to victory at the Belmont Stakes, capturing the final leg of the Triple Crown and becoming the first horse in 25 years to achieve one of sport’s most difficult feats. In a career that spanned just 21 races over the course of a year, the 3-year-old thoroughbred captured the hearts and minds of a nation weary from the soon-to-be-ended Vietnam War and ongoing Watergate investigations. Four decades after Secretariat entered the record books, check out eight surprising facts about one of America
1. Secretariat’s fate rested on a coin toss.
In the fall of 1969, stable owners Ogden Phipps and Penny Chenery met in the offices of the New York Racing Association for what turned out to be one of the most important coin tosses in sports history. The winner would receive the recently born foal of the sire Bold Ruler and the mare Hasty Matelda, while the loser would get a second foal from Bold Ruler with a different mare, Somethingroyal. Phipps won the coin toss, but Chenery won for the record books: In March of the following year Somethinroyal gave birth to a red chestnut colt with three distinctive white “socks” on his legs–Secretariat. Chenery went on to fame as the legendary horse’s owner, while the Phipps family, successful breeders for six generations, didn’t win the Kentucky Derby until May of this year, when Orb captured the 139th Race for the Roses.
2. Secretariat was named Horse of the Year twice.
2. Secretariat was named Horse of the Year twice.
After losing his very first race, at Aqueduct on July 4, 1972, Secretariat lost just once more in his 2-year-old campaign, and even that was due to a controversial disqualification in a race. At the end of that season, he was unanimously voted the winner of the Eclipse Award as Horse of the Year—the first 2-year-old to be so honored. In fact, only one other 2-year-old has won the award: Favorite Trick, in 1997. He was a shoo-in the following year, when his Triple Crown wins earned him top honors in every major racing award.
3. Nerves were on edge when Secretariat lost the run-up to the Derby
Secretariat easily won the first two races as a 3-year-old, before running a disappointing third in the Wood Memorial, his final tune-up before Churchill Downs. With many in the racing world dismissing his chances at theDerby Derby
Secretariat easily won the first two races as a 3-year-old, before running a disappointing third in the Wood Memorial, his final tune-up before Churchill Downs. With many in the racing world dismissing his chances at the
4. Secretariat set records that are still standing today.
As the 1973Derby
As the 1973
5. Secretariat was a media superstar.
Secretariat-mania reached a fever pitch as he prepared for the final leg of the Triple Crown: The week before the Belmont, Sports Illustrated, Time and Newsweek magazines featured him on their covers in the same week—an unheard of accomplishment that has never been repeated. After his victory, demand for the thoroughbred’s time grew go great that his owners hired theWilliam Morris Agency to oversee his public appearances, surely making him the rare horse with a Hollywood agent. His fame continued long after his career ended. He was inducted into the Horseracing Hall of Fame just a year after winning the Triple Crown. In 1999, the U.S. Postal Service issued a commemorative Secretariat stamp, making him the first equine to earn the honor; and ESPN named him to their list of the 100 greatest athletes of the 20th century.
Secretariat-mania reached a fever pitch as he prepared for the final leg of the Triple Crown: The week before the Belmont, Sports Illustrated, Time and Newsweek magazines featured him on their covers in the same week—an unheard of accomplishment that has never been repeated. After his victory, demand for the thoroughbred’s time grew go great that his owners hired the
6. Secretariat won the Belmont
Racing against only four other horses inNew York Derby
7. Secretariat bailed out his financially beleaguered owners even before he won the Triple Crown.
Helen “Penny” Chenery had inherited her father’s Meadow Stable inVirginia
Racing against only four other horses in
7. Secretariat bailed out his financially beleaguered owners even before he won the Triple Crown.
Helen “Penny” Chenery had inherited her father’s Meadow Stable in
8. Secretariat was euthanized at just 19 years old.
Secretariat’s record off the track was not as successful as it had been on it. Put out to stud in late 1973, he sired nearly 600 foals, including one horse that sold for more than $1 million at auction—but nearly all of his male offspring failed miserably at the racetrack. Secretariat’s grandsires fared a bit better, with grandsons A.P. Indy a Horse of the Year winner and great-granddaughter Rags to Riches the 2007 Belmont Stakes champion. In the fall of 1989, the 19-year-old champion developed laminitis, an incurable hoof condition; he was euthanized in October of that year.
