His records may well stand forever because he had a BIG HEART. Literally and figuratively. God bless the immortal Big Red!

***** I too was taken to the races as a little girl, by my grandfather. I have since been to many races. several Kentucky Derbies, Preakness, and last year The Belmont, where I had the privilege of meeting Ron Turcotte. I was able to visit Claiborne Farm last year to pay my respects to this amazing horse. Mary, I enjoyed your post and someone who appreciates Secretariat as much as I do.

Just think what we might have seen if he raced as a fully mature 4 year old.

👏🏼

I was there, crying as well.

I never get tired of seeing him race. I think he’s the greatest horse of all time

His gleaming coat, that red mane whipping in the wind. Must have been heavenly, an immortal moment in time.

How amazing that must have been.. this beautiful horse perfect the United to this Nation during corruption and War.. not only did he save Penny's farm.. Secretariat about innocent and happiness to us all I remember asking my stepmother what just happened and she said what the blank look on her face I don't know I've never seen this before and she loved horse racing big red was everything to me

You are so fortunate, I am glad you saw something so spectacular!

How awesome for you!!🥰👊🏻It must have been incredible!!

@@barbarapope349 Coincidentally, I just watched the movie Secretariat last night. I still cry when I watch that unbelievable race. What a horse. I feel blessed that I was actually there.

You can definitely tell they’re related in their strides. Sham had tremendous hind quarter power plus an 18 lb heart to boot. Pincay pulled Sham up once he cracked a quarter and stopped pulling on the reins. Nearly killed a legendary horse but I’m thankful for him saving Sham.

@@Psyfi85..I still feel so badly for Sham. His owner should have put aside his ego, and realize his horse was up against a super horse. The jockey said he was instructed to keep up with Secretariat all the way. He should have just made sure Sham got second place, which he would have easily done. No shame in 2nd place finish in all three Triple Crown races against a once in a lifetime phenomenon.

@@nrw7798I feel so badly for Sham too. I wish he’d had better humans on his team. Certainly no shame in coming in second to Secretariat. I’m glad he survived and was able to go on to retire to stud. I hope he was treated well.

"That was the day he felt terrific. He just felt like running." ~ Penny Chenery

Bill Nack told a story that somebody showed him secretariat before he even ran and said one day this horse will make people forget Riva Ridge. And that turned out to be true.

And just marvel at the fact that Secretariat never truly had to be whipped by his jockey to produce world record- shattering times on ANY SURFACE and races of ANY LENGTH!!

I think if he did go to the whip it would've pissed him off,,you dont whip the greatest horse in history

@@jackbatts1074 He didn't need the whip to get him to perform. Why beat him for doing what he was born to do. (I agree with you)

I saw the Woodbine track the other day in Toronto.I wish Ronnie had been able to ride Big Red there for his last race.

Enjoyed your interesting description. Thanks for sharing!

@@hattiem.7966 I wish the same.

Damn right brought tears to my eyes! My mom was part owner of ABERCROMBIE Pacer of the year 1979. Broke the worlds record at that time dead last ar the 3/4 pole.

..lo

Me too!!

ditto..........i was 13, and can still remember it like it was yesterday.......i remember balling when he passed and now like you , when i see him race i always tear up at the call.....i loved that horse

Chick Anderson never got thec credit for making his part of magic happen!!!!

I have watched it ever since 1973 and your right he was beyond amazing .

​

Me too❤

Still the greatest horse that ever lived Belmont best sporting event I ever witness Love you Secretariat with all my heart

You must not follow athletics

@@allfiner Phil obviously does! I agree with him. What Big Red did at Belmont would be like Wilt Chamberlain scoring 300 points in a single game, or Bob Beamon long jumping half a football field, or Frank Shorter or Abebee Bikila running a marathon in 45 minutes...not gonna happen! Big Red's physiologically normal heart noted at autopsy was a whopping 1.25 to 1.5 times larger than what would've been expected for a thoroughbred horse his size. This type of genetic trait immense advantage will never be found in one human being because of how indiscriminately and randomly humans breed.

I watched it on tv too and all of our jaws just dropped ....i still cannot believe it was 50 years ago. Recently it was discovered that Secretariat had a genetic mutation called factor x which gave him a heart that was almost 3 times the size of a normal thoroughbred horse's heart, which gave him the ability to pump blood and energy to his incredibly perfect horse's lungs, body and legs. This is something we will never see again....sort of like having Pavarotti in our lifetime.

⁠@@elizabethavolck7784both he and Sham got the X factor passed down through their dams who were sisters by the great Princequillo. They both had tremendous hind quarter power also

@Psyfi85 yes....Secretariat's body and hind quarters are perfect. He was embalmed and buried in silk in an oak casket on the farm where he was born. I can't believe it was 50 years ago, and his records in all 3 racesxhave never been beaten. How do you know the x factor was passed down? The horse genome was sequenced in 2006, and the x factor is still just a theory....but it is a good one.

@@elizabethavolck7784 he was buried at Claiborne Farm not Meadow stable, and yes it is technically only a theory but it was proven Princequillo only passed the gene down through broodmare offspring, then they pass it along.

That was 51 years ago, and it brings tears to my eyes even now.

Watch the Preakness race. He went by all the other horses like they were still in the barn

@@elizabethhillard5837 he is the GOAT

@@fishinwidow35 For me it was the Preakness, the way he popped out and just ran over all those horses and then just cruised home for the win.

@@12floz67 I agree. He blew by all the other horses and no whip.

@@fishinwidow35 Yeah, it really was special

Just amazing!

Anyway you try to describe how magnificent big red was it’s an understatement

I watched the Belmont in 1973 on tv. I was 28 years old. After watching secretariat that day, I felt I had watched something magnificent. I was wrong, he was more than magnificent. There has never been a horse ever as fast as Secretariat. All three of the triple crown records that he set in 1973 still stand. There has not been any sporting event since the 1973 triple crown that even comes close to what took place in 1973. And I seriously doubt there will ever be again any athlete who matches Secretariat.

Beyond greatness

@@elizabethavolck7784 Yes, "beyond greatness" is what took place that special afternoon at a racetrack in New York. It was less than an hour's drive from me and I so wish I was there.

That was the voice of Chick Anderson who was the Churchill Downs track announcer. He also called the Preakness and the Belmont but for TV only. The track announcer at Belmont at that time was Dave Johnson.. Chick ended up calling races at Suffolk Downs in Boston and sadly died in the booth of a heart attack while calling a race. Excellent "race caller".

"Secretariat is all alone, he's almost a 16th of a mile in front of the other horses". That's the best in my opinion.

As good as the do you believe in miracles quote? !!!!!

Hello Jennine

I take it as a fact that God incarnated in a horse called Secretariat in 1973.

Like they say …..secretariat was God’s horse

Hello Sydney

Sham was a beast 2

Lafite Pincay was my favorite jockey in the 70s, but Big Red was my favorite of all time. Too bad Sham was a year too young or too old to avoid Big Red.

That was my thought. Sham was also a magnificent horse. His ill luck was that he came along the same year as Secretariat.

You are right

Nobody says it, but Sham would have given Man of War a really hard time. Sham would have been the Triple crown winner if not for Secretariat. He also would have set some track records if he hadn't been 2nd. He was merely the wind beneath Secretariat's wings.

Really puts his greatness in perspective. Thank you for your post. Tears and chills every time I watch this!

so true that Turcotte knew to let Secretariat do what he wanted to do--- a great jockey on an other-worldly horse.

@@marilynshively670 Ronnie said later on that Secretariat that day just acting different almost like he wanted to put a mark on this race. He flat out stated that day nothing was going to stop him from winning. Every time Sham got in front of him he would get angry and speed up. Finally Ronnie said he felt him go screw this and threw it into another gear and was like catch this if you freaking can.

Interesting considering a video clip of Lucien Lauren where he says he told Ronnie to just "put him on a long hold and let him run his own race."

It gives me goosebumps!!

It gives me goosebumps what a magnificent animal!

"Do you believe in miracles? Yes!"

Hello Marcy

I feel exactly the same. We got to watch God incarnate as a beautiful and sweet horse.

Hello Julie

It really gets to me when I think about this horse might actually have done this for Ronnie and the fans there that day. I can’t explain it but I really think he did. Thank you Red.

Northernlites: I agree 100%. People who saw this and were unmoved don’t know what it is to really live. If not this, what on earth could move them?

you're

northernlitez1 what?

American Pharoah was awesome!!!! I'm 60, and I saw Sec do his thing. AP was also a big, calm, horse. AP had the power to do all 3 races, and run them as he pleased. He knew how to sprint, and he knew how to keep his pace for the long run. The jockey is just a fly on the back when you have a horse under you who knows what the race is and how to run it. The really truly competitive horse sees everything and knows what to do. If he's caught in behind, and he knows he's got the balls to run, he'll move to the outside and pour it on! Jockey doesn't matter to a really competitive horse.

I used to train QH's, and Index horses (QH and Thoroughbred mix) for the track. Generally, it's not a good mix for the track. I ended up training a lot of beautiful gaming horses, and some some really sweet pleasure horses. I did have one really good racing mare, Go Miss Wine, daughter of Depth Charge, grand-daughter of Go Man Go. She was a huge big boned sorrel, 15.3. She was a lazy girl in training, but I could just FEEL her power as I was riding her. She didn't like training sessions, she'd always lag no matter how I pushed her. But get her against another horse, she just poured on the power! On the track, against other horses, she was a witch! One race in Ajax, we were coming up on the outside, closing in. We're pounding along, one horse in front of us. Missy (Go Miss Wine) all of a sudden did a freak out. She didn't want me on her back. She took one quick stride to the right, threw me off balance and I fell off. I hit the ground, rolled, and was back on my feet before I even knew what happened. She went on and won the race by 5 lengths! Crazy bitch! Her owner, my boss at that time, retired her to brood mare after he saw what she could run. But, she had attitude, and she was a winner! She was SOO laid back, you could drop a bomb under her belly and she'd just give you a sideways look, ears still sideways. I've trained a lot of other horses in my career, and all horses have attitudes to one degree or another, but I've never met another horse like her. She could look like she's dead on all four corners, looks like a zombie as I'm bringing her into the barn to saddle up for training. She'd hang her head as I'm tacking her up. But once you're on her back she's a MAJOR MAJOR powerhouse! I'd get her in the gates and she's just quivering. She was just waiting to EXPLODE! And she didn't mess up as she exploded, she was right straight forward. She didn't like being behind. She had her own mind. Her and I had never been behind before, and on that particular day she threw me, we were third, boxed in behind the two front horses. She wanted to go to the outside, I wanted her to come up between the front runners. She HAD to have her way! She veered quickly to right, threw me off balance and tossed me off, and went on to do exactly what she wanted to do. She didn't need me.

Wow, that's fascinating! I didn't even know they ran Index horses. The power of racehorses is simply incredible...my Paint mare wasn't a racehorse that I know of, but she has a lot of speed and acceleration that's pretty amazing to feel when you're on her back.

Any horse can turn it on, they are amazingly powerful animals. We generally don't ask for that power when we're just using them as riding horses. But when you're training race horses, bred to explode, you can't help but get all excited when you've trained that horse for months, loved that animal like your own child, and then you get to feel that animal quiver under you in the gates, and you know you're riding a bomb as soon as that gate opens!!! Hopefully your bomb goes straight forward. I trained a few horses that went sideways coming out of the gate, like a bronc coming out of the chute! No amount of training could get them to look forward, to focus coming out of the gate. Not every horse bred for racing will become a racehorse. Some of my babes became gaming horses, some became 'family pet' bomb-proof babysitters! Horses have attitudes and personalities just as diversified as our own. Don't do anything to a horse that you wouldn't do to your own children. A horse actually requires more honesty and trust than humans do. It takes a lot to earn a horse's trust, and if you break that trust, it's broken forever. A human can forgive and forget, a horse doesn't. I should probably shut up for now, and hit the hay.Thanks for listening. Cheers...Brenda

@@TheBrendadale So true about horses! I've never raced one, but when I was younger I lived for a while in an area where horses were the only reliable way to travel; and they each have such amazing and individual personalities. They know who they can trust, and who they can't, and they never forget. I wish I could still keep a horse where I live now. I never even learned to drive and I miss being able to ride. There's nothing in the world like feeling a horse running beneath you and knowing she knows the path even better than I do. It's the closest to flying I can feel without wings.

You are absolutely right the same happens to me..........but we are going to meet the Big Red in heaven and to watch him run in splendor forever

Silverio Suárez McAuliffe I can't wait until that day that I see him run in heaven :) Footage of him makes me cry everytime.

Grace Crandall The unbelivable great races of Big Red are already engraved in golden words in eternity, so just close your eyes connect to your heart and Secreatriat's heart and feel him floating along the heavenly racetraks

Silverio Suárez McAuliffe As I watch old videos of Secretariat winning the Belmont, I am fortunate to have been alive, and involved in Tbred horses back then...I do agree it is a moving, and motivating moment...brings tears to my eyes as well. . Penny Chenery/Tweedy said: "Secretariat won the Derby and Preakness and (at the Belmont) he just wanted to show what he could do on a mile and a half track". It is doubtful if we will ever see a horse greater than Secretariat, yet his blood runs in the veins of current great horses, like California Chrome....go Big Red.

Me too.

Everyone I know who watched it said it was mythological, unexplainable. He changed the world, forever. As for Sham, he is my black stallion. Never wavered, all heart and courage to stand alone against the best ever.

I owned and raced some fine horses at that time but Secretariat was by far the most unbelievable horse the world has ever seen race!

As I said, we in the stands could not believe what was seeing. I was way to young to bet, but anyone could watch.

2018 And still the BEST PERFORMANCE EVER!!! GReat horse Great Athlete 2018 And all his records stand. No one like him

@@sphinxrising6563 Wow, you're so lucky to have seen him in real time and in person! What a moment that must have been!

I really liked the way Penny described that feeling you're talking about when he pulls away. As she put it, "that's when it got to be surreal." Thanks for sharing your story - I love good stories like yours, that include how you all felt, not just what you did or said.

Watched it standing up with my mouth open.

The Black Stallion soundtrack gets me every time..Sham is mine.

phillymanpete Just in case you might be interested...in the Gotham Mile, Sec slammed both sides of the starting gate with his ribs, got the 3/4 in 1:08 and 3/5th's with the mile in 1:33 and 2/5th's. Pulled up at 10 furlongs in 1:59 and 2/5th's. A newspaper article cited that he went to the winner's circle with a dry coat and with no blowing from the nostrils !!!

@@robertbartles6290 truly amazing. We will never see anything like him again.

So well said! I had just graduated high school that year and remember watching Secretariat in all three races. But the Belmont race stands apart in my mind and will always remember feeling in awe of this great horse! Anyone watching that day knew they had just watched something special and also knew that they would never see anything like it again! RIP Big Red!

Pat Lynch of the New York Racing Association is the source of the quote mentioned. For commentary by him, Bill Nack , Heywood Hale Broun, and others, as well as much footage including isolation of Red in the Preakness, see ESPN Sports Century - Secretariat.

You are SO LUCKY that you got to see him! EVERY time I see footage of him I cry because I missed him

Your comment brought me to tears Never get tired of watching... Always in AWE

I was just telling my son just how rare that horse is.

StuStewart. No other horse will ever do what Secretariat did. He was and, shall remain, the GREATEST OF ALL TIME.🙌🐴🏆🏇🙌💖

And to have witnessed his accomplishments, what an amazing blessing!

Sherry Walker 5 years since you posted and I agree! What a thrill to watch this big red horse run. He was perfection.

Grover Garver Bob Costas oughta try running a mile and a half... Maybe he can beat 2:24 ..that's 2 hrs and 24 mins. :)

Grover Garver AND I AGREE!!!!! Such a ONE-OFF spectacular performance!!! To NEVER be matched again in any sport! I think anyone who actually saw this will never forget it! 2 3/5th seconds might not mean much to the average person, but it's an incredible lead when you think about how fast these horses are running. In most races, a quarter second is the difference between first and last! It's hard to fathom that the distance he had ahead of the other horses could be covered in the time it takes you to put your hand up and snap your fingers! They were all so wonderful. Sham, of course, was the horse I wanted to really see test Secretariat. He'd done it before. They were head and head at the first, then Sham dropped back like a lead balloon. I felt so bad that Sham was last . I sooo wanted Sham to challenge him to last furlong. But Big Red just had to do his thing that day. I think he would have just gone faster and faster if he were allowed to do it that day. Who knows what that horse could have done!

Grover Garver I saw this also happen, I was in college, I still get excited watching the big red horse!!!

Grover Garver I am very proud of American Pharaoh. and I don't think they should change a thing in the rules of the Triple Crown, that is what makes it great. But I will be 65 the 4th of July and I grew up with sports being from Oklahoma and nothing much else to do. And I also grew up with horses, and that race at the Belmont Stakes, with that performance by Secretariat, was breath taking. To say it was the greatest achievement in all of sports is TRITE. But It was!!!

ard767 It's because Bob Costas never played sports, of any kind, that's why he doesn't get it.

+Roseann Cherasaro A world record that still stands and probably always will. To run with that kind of heart when not even being challenged....that's greatness.

+Tom R Oh yes! I sing that song a lot. I saw him work once live and in person it made my hair stand up on end. There is only one ❤🏇🏇🏇🏇

Hello Angie

I watch American Pharoah's Belmont quite often and Rachel Alexandra's Woodward as well. However, when I watch Secretariat's Belmont, my jaw drops because even today I still cannot quite believe what I am seeing. There will never be another like him.

Don't forget to watch Secretariat at Woodbine Memorial, his last race! That one was pretty special too.

+Marilyn Shively brilliant

+IslandGirl 9152 His Hopeful as a two year old was a brilliant sign of things to come; looks a lot like his Preakness!

+IslandGirl 9152 His Hopeful as a two year old was a brilliant sign of things to come; looks a lot like his Preakness!

Get real or get out...

Make no mistake, Secretariat was indeed "our's" - a true celebrity with the looks, the brains and the performance, he was the people's horse!

@@4orrcountryand when God told him, “Come on Secretariat, gotta go, time to fly!” he almost did!

I only recall one other horse that race that brought goosebumps.Forget the name of the movie based on his life, but the horse started out as a fire horse, was sold into trotting all out racing, but refused to break his trot & still won, but went blind on his final race & still won.I would say that ranks right up there with Secretariat.

Y was there only 5 runners in a big race

Martin Wilson same peeps same

I will never forget watching this race on television and being mesmerized by what I was watching! I remember breaking down in tears as he was coming down the stretch and you couldn’t even see the other horses! Every time I watch this I still get chills and very often tear up watching this magnification animal perform what can only be described as the greatest performance by any racehorse ever! I have watched sports of all kinds my entire life (I’m 74)

I can't get enough of this horse!

Make no mistake, those were the best horses of the time, Sham's times in the Kentucky derby and Preakness were among the best all time, and he was beaten soundly both times. The Belmont run was on another level, it will never be approached. There's no equal in any sport. He was only 3 years old, what if that wasn't his best performance, it boggles the mind!!

@@josephdavis9171 exactly my thought I when saw these race in '73. In all three races for the triple crown Secretariat was still in full stride at the line. In Belmont I think he could have done another full lap. In all of his finishes he was never expired. In The Derby and Preakness he barely got to his stride and speed before the finish line. I will always consider Secretariat "ready to run" by the end of Belmont. ...at the end Big Red was ready to open it up. All great horses in their era, as Sham, the one thing that Sea Biscuit, War Admiral, American Pharoah and two dozen other greats could not do was display the pure power and speed without expiration at the end in Belmont. Belmont is the longest. There is none other. Run Red Run.

If you watch the end of the Derby he galloped out another 1/4 of a mile in the soon to be record Belmont time.

He was gliding the last quarter of the track. Galloping with little effort and still pulling away from the field.

Abby Ziegler i was there

True.

+PepsiMama2 Not even close, maybe the greatest horse of that year but "Onion" would have something to say about that also. If you only knew more about the racing game you would be saddened beyond belief so I will just leave it there and I am glad you had an enjoyable time but don't make any bets, j

Saddened beyond belief??? Oh come on, don't leave me hanging.. Explain it to me...

Hey J Good, you're full of it... Secretariat OWNS the track records at ALL THREE Triple Crown Races, with a World Record time of 2:24 flat of 1.5 miles on Dirt! Those races are of the Top 5 races in the world. Perhaps you can play again when you brush up on actual FACTS next time!

Ruthless Hack ty Secretariat is the fastest racehorse ever!!!!! If u don't believe me look it up no horse has ever ce close to the speed Secretariat had

Smile!

They were both dusting the other horses. But when Big Red really pulled away from Sham, I think it was more so that Sham was slowing. It seemed like Red sped up in the final stretch though.

@@rong9404incredible how far out in front they were and how quickly. My Gallant was the son of Gallant Man! Ironically the horse that had held the Belmont record, it was all fate. Sham is my favorite horse because of his courage, beauty, and iron will. If any horse truly represented Princequillo, it was Sham.

very well put

oooh. beautifully said!

And his big heart.

Brenda Dale The 12th Triple Crown win just happened, American Pharaoh was the first Triple Crown Winner since 1978. Quite the achievement... but nowhere close to Secretariat's win.

Kevin McD yeah, no, American PHAROAH just became the 12TH triple crown winner, and the first since AFFIRMED won the triple crown in 1978.

Kevin McD I still have to go back to Sec's win, and I still have to get all teary eyed. I know another has taken his crown (for the 3rd time) but Sec is still my super hero. I was SOOOO happy to see American Pharoah take the crown, but for as long as I live, Secretariat will always be my true crown prince.

+Scott Rackley And I'm so glad for him. Please all you Secraphiles please don't pee on AP's parade.

+Brenda Dale Amen to that!!! Mine too!