In 1973, the three-year-old Secretariat won the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes – thus capturing the elusive Triple Crown of U.S. Thoroughbred racing. At this point, no horse had won the Triple Crown since the 1940s.
Not only did Secretariat win the three races; he also set new speed records for all three of them. As if this wasn´t enough, his 2:24 finnish at the 1 1/2 miles Belmont Stakes set a new world record for that distance. So far, no horse has broken Secretariat´s speed records for the three races, and his world record also stands.
All in all, Secretariat started in 21 races and won 16 of them. He earned a total of $1,316,808 in prize money.
After his impressive three-year-old season, Secretariat retired from racing to become a stud. Unsurprisingly, he became a sought after stud and sired 600 foals. Interestingly, the colts sired by Secretariat did not develop into remarkable race horses, but several fillies did, and Secretariat is also the maternal grandfather of succesfull racehorses of both sexes. It is believed that some genetic component that contributed to Secretariat´s success on the race track could only be passed on through his female offspring – who could then in turn pass it to both male and female offspring.
When Blood-Horse Magazine compiled their list of the best horses of the 20 th century, they put Man o´ War on first place and Secretariat got the second spot.
Basic info
- Secretariat was born in 1970.
- He was a chestnut colored stallion.
- Breeder: Christopher Chenery
- Owner: Christopher and Penny Chenery
- Trainer: Lucien Laurin
- Secretariat was euthanized in 1989 because of severe laminitis.
Secretariat´s pedigree
| Sire Bold Ruler |
Nasrullah | Nearco |
| Mumtaz Begum | ||
| Miss Disco | Discovery | |
| Outdone | ||
| Dam Somethingroyal |
Princequillo | Prince Rose |
| Cosquilla | ||
| Imperatrice | Caruso | |
| Cinquepace |
Secretariat´s racing record
Record: 21: 16-3-1
Examples of major Secretariat wins
Sanford Stakes (1972)
Hopeful Stakes (1972)
Futurity Stakes (1972)
Laurel Futurity (1972)
Garden State Futurity (1972)
Bay Shore Stakes (1973)
Gotham Stakes (1973)
Arlington Invitational (1973)
Marlboro Cup (1973)
Man o’ War Stakes (1973)
Canadian International (1973)
Kentucky Derby (1973)
Preakness Stakes (1973)
Belmont Stakes (1973)
Winning the 1973 Kentucky Derby
Secretariat didn´t just win the 1973 Kentucky Derby; he also set a new speed record for the race by finnishing in 1:59 2 ⁄ 5 . This Kentucky Derby record is still unbroken today.
Secretariat´s main competitor in the race was Sham, a very talented race horse who finnished on a time that would, in many other years, have been enough to win the race. This year however, Secretariat was there, and Sham therefore ended up second.
Winning the 1973 Preakness Stakes
Secretariat finnished the race in 1:53, setting a new – and still standing – speed record for the Preakness Stakes. Once again, Sham finnished second.
Winning the 1973 Preakness Stakes
Once again, Secretariat and Sham faced off. The three other horses (only five horses started this year) weren´t even expected to come close to these two super stars – and the expectation was proven right. Secretariat won the race at 2:24 with Sham as the runner-up. 2:24 was a new record speed for the Preakness Stakes and also a record speed for 1 ½ mile on dirt. Both records still stand.