Thank you, thank you so much... I remember watching these races , and that Belmont race especially, was epic.
I wasn't into horse racing then, only horsepower. Where I worked, older guys were into the track. So I became mildly interested. And thus, Secretariat made an imprint on me; that horse made an impression on someone outside the sphere of the equine world like no other horse could ever do. Only the greatest could ever touch the hearts as he did. When I watched, I somehow sensed that I was witnessing the greatest there ever was, or would be.We were lucky enough to see it. His records will probably stand for a million years. I was lucky enough to meet Penny Chenery at the Secretariat Festival about 4yrs ago? She died two years later.
I used to train with a guy who had clients who owned race horses. He knew about good sprint times. I mentioned the 3/4 mile time in the '73 Belmont of 1:9.4 and he looked at me like I had lobsters coming out of my ears. He said that's fast for a sprint horse let alone having to run another 3/4 of a mile.
If you look at him compared to the other horses in the videos, he's a frickin beast! They say his heart was much larger than the average race horse.
Most people don't realize Ms. Chenery bred Riva Ridge who won the KY Derby and Belmont in '72 losing the Preakness because of a muddy track. She almost had back to back Triple Crown winners.
Had the Secretariat Sports Illustrated Sportsman/Athlete of the year magazine cover
I think they tattoo a number in the mouth some where.
Sham, all but forgotten, and still the only other horse that ran the Derby under 2 minutes.