Secretariat (horse)

Secretariat
Secretariat Belmont Park
Sire	Bold Ruler
Dam	Somethingroyal
Damsire	Princequillo
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	1970
Country	USA
Colour	Chestnut
Breeder	Meadow Stud
Owner	Meadow Stable
Trainer	Lucien Laurin
Record	21:16-3-1
Earnings	$1,316,808
Major wins
Hopeful Stakes (1972) Laurel Futurity (1972) Kentucky Derby (1973) Preakness Stakes (1973) Belmont Stakes (1973) Man O' War Stakes (1973) Canadian International (1973)
Awards
9th U.S. Triple Crown Champion (1973) U.S. Horse of the Year (1972 & 1973) Timeform rating: 144
Honours
U.S. Racing Hall of Fame (1974) U.S. Postage Stamp (1999) #2 - Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century Statue at Belmont Park & Kentucky Horse Park Secretariat Stakes at Arlington Park
Last updated on October 30, 2006

Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989) was an American thoroughbred racehorse considered by many to be the greatest of all time. He was affectionately nicknamed "Big Red" by his owner because of his size and brillant chestnut color.

Sired by Bold Ruler out of the dam Somethingroyal, Secretariat was born at Meadow Farm in Doswell, Virginia. Owned by Penny Chenery, he was trained by Canadian Lucien Laurin and ridden by fellow Canadian jockey Ron Turcotte. Secretariat won the 1973 Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes, making him the first Triple Crown winner in a quarter of a century.

Background

The story of Secretariat began with the toss of a coin in 1968 between Christopher Chenery of Meadow Stables and Ogden Phipps of Wheatley Stables. The idea of a coin toss came from Phipps, the owner of Bold Ruler, and Bull Hancock of Claiborne Farms as a way to get the very best mares for Bold Ruler, and when the toss went their way, to add well-bred fillies to their own broodmare band. Bold Ruler was considered one of the important stallions of his time. He could carry weight and go distances like no other horse. After his racing career, Bold Ruler was retired to Claiborne Farms but still was controlled by the Phipps family. This meant he would be bred to mainly Phipps' mares and not many of his offspring would find their way to the auction ring. Phipps and Hancock agreed to forgo a stud fee for Bold Ruler in exchange for getting to keep one of two foals produced by the mare he bred in successive seasons or two mares he bred in the same season. Who got which foal or even first pick would be decided by a flip of a coin.

In 1968, Chenery sent two mares named Hasty Matelda and Somethingroyal to Bold Ruler, and in 1969, a colt and filly were the result. In 1969, Hasty Matelda was replaced by Cicada, but she did not conceive. Only one foal resulted between Bold Ruler and Somethingroyal. As stated in the original agreement, the winner of the coin toss could pick the foal he wanted but could only take one, while the loser would get the other two. Both parties assumed Somethingroyal would deliver a healthy foal in the spring of 1970. The coin toss between Penny Chenery and Ogden Phipps was set for the fall of 1969 in the office of New York Racing Association Chairman Alfred Vanderbilt II with Hancock as witness. As Vanderbilt flipped the coin, Phipps called "Tails!" The coin landed tails up. Phipps decided to take the weanling filly out of Somethingroyal, leaving Chenery with the colt out of Hasty Matelda and the unborn foal of Somethingroyal.

On March 30, just 10 minutes past midnight, Somethingroyal foaled a bright red chestnut colt with three white socks and a star with a narrow blaze. Almost immediately, the colt was thought to be too pretty, a title that would haunt him early in his racing career and then earn him fame for his beauty as a Triple Crown winner. By the time the colt was a yearling, he still was without a name. Meadow's secretary, Elizabeth Ham, had submitted 10 names to the Jockey Club, and all 10 were denied for one reason or another. Approval finally came with the 11th submission, a name Ham herself picked from a previous career association, Secretariat.

The Triple Crown

The Kentucky Derby

Nicknamed Big Red, he won the Kentucky Derby by gradually moving up on the field in the backstretch, then overtaking rival Sham in the middle of the dash for home. Making Secretariat's Derby win more impressive is that Sham's time of 1:59 4/5 would have won any other running of the Kentucky Derby, before or since.

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 "negative splitting", running each quarter-mile (402 m) segment faster than the one before it. The successive quarter-mile times were: 25 1/5, 24, 23 4/5, 23 2/5 and 23.

The Preakness Stakes

Secretariat didn't wait long to make his presence known in the Preakness. In last place as the horses moved past the stands, Big Red made a big leap forward on the first turn. CBS Television sportscaster Chic Anderson:

But HERE comes Secretariat, he's moving fast, and he's going to the outside — he's going for the lead and it's right NOW he's looking for it!

Despite constant left-handed whipping by jockey Laffit Pincay, Jr., Sham could not overtake Secretariat, who won by two and a half lengths. The main controversy of the race was its time. The infield flashed a time of 1:55. The Pimlico clocker had informed them that he had clocked a time of 1:54 2/5, while at the same time two Daily Racing Form veterans had clocked it 1:53 2/5 which was faster than the track record. Two tapes of the horses were played side by side and were reclocked and slowly examined and Secretariat got to the finish line first on tape. The Maryland Jockey Club discarded both electronic and The DRF time and went with 1:54 2/5 as the official time. In some programs, both DRF and official time are printed.

The Belmont Stakes

File:Secretariat-Belmont.JPG

Secretariat's statue at Belmont Park

Only four horses joined Secretariat for the June 9, 1973, running of the Belmont Stakes, including Sham, who had finished second in both the Derby and Preakness. With so few horses in the race, and with Secretariat expected to win, no "show" bets were taken. Before a crowd of 67,605, 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. Turcotte has said in documentaries that he could sense the horse wanted to be let loose, and he did so, letting the horse shift into "high gear" and run his own race.

In one of the best-known of American sports calls, 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 12, Secretariat by 14 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 16th 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 18 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 22-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 25 lengths in front!"

In fact, the champion's winning margin was 31 lengths — a distance it took careful examination of videotape and trackside photographs to measure. During Anderson's call of the stretch run, the CBS camera had to pull back to keep both Big Red and his opponents in the frame, and as a result caught a poignant image in TV sports history — the backs of tens of thousands of cheering Belmont Park spectators cheering and applauding as Secretariat neared the wire. 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!

Secretariat's stride at the finish was so powerful that it took jockey Ron Turcotte nearly two furlongs to pull him up. His winning margin of 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. Time Magazine, Newsweek, and Sports Illustrated featured Secretariat on their covers on June 11, 1973, the first to be featured on all three magazines' covers in the same week. Nobody expected the pure and absolute domination that Secretariat exhibited. Bettors holding 5,617 winning on-course Tote tickets have never redeemed them.

Final race

After three more victories and two second-place finishes in 1973, Secretariat won his last race with another impressive performance. With jockey Ron Turcotte out with a five-day suspension, Eddie Maple rode Secretariat to victory in the Canadian International Stakes on grass and against older horses. He not only won the race but set the record for the largest margin of victory over a field that included the best horses from North America and Europe.

Most people expected Secretariat to win the race at Woodbine Racetrack that day, so they placed a win wager but never cashed the ticket.

Altogether, Secretariat won 16 of his 21 career races and finished out of the money just once — in his debut as a 2-year-old, when he was jostled coming out of the gate and finished fourth.

Honors and retirement

Secretariat was voted the Eclipse Award for 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 as a three-year-old. Secretariat demonstrated his superiority on grass with a win in the Canadian International Stakes against the best horses his age and older from around the world. His performance on grass earned him the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Male Turf Horse.

His 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 recognized as the Preakness record holder because the official timer malfunctioned).

ESPN listed Secretariat 35th of the 100 greatest athletes of the 20th century, one of three non-humans on the list.

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 at his stud farm. Secretariat sired a substantial number of major stakes winners, including 1986 Horse of the Year Lady's Secret, 1988 Preakness and Belmont Stakes winner Risen Star, and the 1990 Melbourne Cup winner Kingston Rule, who still holds the race record. 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. He sired as many as 600 foals. He has also had several other major descendants in his bloodline, including 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Smarty Jones, 1992 Horse of the Year and prolific breeder stallion A.P. Indy, Secretariat's grandson through mare Weekend Surprise, who was sired by another Triple Crown winner, Seattle Slew.

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 necropsied at the University of Kentucky; Dr. Thomas Swerczek, the veterinarian who performed the necropsy, found that Secretariat's heart was the largest he had ever seen in a horse — approximately three times the size of a normal horse's heart. Dr. Swerczek states in correspondence:

"Certainly, after performing autopsies on several thousand thoroughbred horses, including mares and stallions, no other horse came close to Secretariat’s heart size. The second largest heart I found was the heart of Sham, who actually broke the Kentucky derby record, but still lost to Secretariat. Sham’s heart weighted 19 pounds. The third largest heart I found was stallion Key to the Mint, which was 16 pounds. The majority of all others were smaller, in the range of 10 to 12 pounds. Bold Ruler, the sire of Secretariat had an average size heart. The heart size seemingly is inherited from the female side of the pedigree. When I performed the autopsy on Secretariat, which was necessary because of insurance and we needed to determine the cause of the laminitis, the cause of destruction, I did a cosmetic autopsy. The reason being I did not want to dismantle such a remarkable specimen and the farm personnel and handlers were present to immediately collect all organs in large plastic bags which were immediately returned to the farm to be buried with the body. Normally, with other horses we can keep all organs and the body for further study, or to preserve large specimens, like the heart, but I was not allowed to do this with Secretariat. For this reason, all specimens were immediately collected and returned to the farm, and I did not get a chance to weigh the heart. However, by comparing it to numerous other hearts I got actual weights on, I am certain the weight was between 21 to 22 pounds. So I considered the heart weight officially as 21 pounds. The heart was in perfect shape, not diseased in any way, but just considerably larger than any other horses I autopsied." (see reference below)

A normal heart size for a Thoroughbred is 8½ pounds. The great New Zealand race horse, Phar Lap, had a heart size of 14 pounds. This new information led the way for new research to be conducted on factors leading up to great thoroughbreds and the size of their hearts. Known as the X-factor, it leads to an enlarged heart size being given by the dam to her foal, even as she acquired it from her sire. This is why Secretariat was such a valuable broodmare sire. He passed on the X-gene to his daughters, who in turn passed it on to their offspring.

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 2005, Secretariat appeared once more in ESPN Classic's show Who's No. 1?. In the list of "Greatest Sports Performances" (by individual athletes), the horse was the only non-human on the list, his run at Belmont ranking second behind Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game.

Race record at age 2:

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

Race record at age 3:

• Wins:
  • Kentucky Derby (new track record)
  • Preakness Stakes (timers clocked him as establishing a new track record, but a malfunctioning official timer did not)
  • 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 Stakes

• Second:
  • Woodward Stakes
  • Whitney Stakes

• Third:
  • Wood Memorial Stakes

Timeform awarded Secretariat the second highest timeform rating ever. 144, behind only French horse Sea Bird II.

Pedigree

Pedigree of Secretariat

Sire Bold Ruler dkb/br. 1954	Nasrullah b. 1940	Nearco b. 1932	Pharos
			Nogara
		Mumtaz Begum	Blenheim II
			Mumtaz Mahal
	Miss Disco b. 1944	Discovery	Display
			Ariadone
		Outdone	Pompey
			Sweep Out
Dam Somethingroyal b. 1952	Princequillo b. 1940	Prince Rose	Rose Prince
			Indolence
		Cosquilla	Papyrus
			Quick Thought
	Imperatrice dkb/br. 1938	Caruso	Polymelian
			Sweet Music
		Cinquepace	Brown Bud
			Assignation (F-No.2-S)

External links

• Secretariat - The Super Horse
• Unofficial Thoroughbred Hall of Fame
• Quick online racing game, inc. Secretariat
• Historiography on Secretariat
• Secretariat's Derby

References

• Correspondence with Dr. Thomas Swerczek 05/30/2006
• The official Secretariat website
• Woolfe, Raymond G. Secretariat. (2001) The Derrydale Press. ISBN 1586670670