June 9, 1973 - A Tremendous Machine Remembered

 On this day, 40 years ago, the mighty Secretariat galloped home an easy victor of the Triple Crown.  The importance of the 1973 Belmont Stakes cannot be understated.  First of all, the colt known as "Big Red" - the same name given to his greatest historical rival, Man O' War, more than 50 years previous - ended a Triple Crown drought that had lasted for 25 years.  Not since Citation in 1948 had a horse accomplished the feat of winning those three Classic races, though some had come agonizingly close.  Secretariat didn't just win the Belmont, though.  He put in a timeless performance that ranks as one of the greatest accomplishments of all time in any sport.

It was clear from the get-go that this chestnut colt was something special.  He was a Horse of the Year as a two year-old, which is something rare indeed.  Doubt clouded the beginning of his three year-old career when he finished a dull third in the Wood Memorial behind Angle Light and Sham.  Rumors floated around Churchill Downs during Derby week - was the champion sound?  Would he run up to potential?  Secretariat entered the Derby with a lot of question marks.

Jockey Ron Turcotte and Secretariat silenced all naysayers.  In the entries for the Derby, he was coupled with Angle Light, and the two enjoyed 3-2 favoritism over the field.  Secretariat broke slowly, settling into last place, but slowly began to move past horses on the backstretch.  Impressively enough, the chestnut colt never showed any signs of tiring, running each quarter mile split faster and faster.  He pulled away convincingly in the stretch to win by 2 1/2 lengths.  Sham, his greatest earthly rival, finished second at odds of 5-2.  The crowd was stunned as the race time appeared on the toteboard.  1:59 2/5 for ten furlongs!  No Derby winner had ever run faster.  No Derby winner since has run faster.  Secretariat was for real.

In Baltimore, Secretariat broke last again.  This time, he wouldn't wait for the backstretch for the lead.  Big Red, with a tremendous rush, catapulted past horses on the first turn to take the lead.  In a race going a mile and three-sixteenths, this move would undo most horses, tiring them early and leaving them nothing for the stretch drive.  Secretariat, however, was not "most horses."  He dominated again, leaving his rival, Sham, in the dust.  Due to a timer malfunction, there was much dispute about his final time, which was originally listed as 1:54 2/5.  However, in June of 2012, after a long and arduous examination of historical tapes, his time was changed to 1:53 flat, giving him the record for the Preakness Stakes as well.

Secretariat was now a national celebrity, appearing on newspapers and magazines around the country.  His name was popular conversation in the spring of 1973.  His Derby and Preakness wins were among the greatest performances by any American Thoroughbred in history.  However, Big Red had not done his best work.  The June 9th Belmont Stakes was fast approaching, and racing fans held their breath in anticipation of the first Triple Crown winner since Citation.

Big Red was assigned the #2 post position but would break from the rail, as Knightly Dawn scratched from the race.  A huge throng of people had gathered at Belmont Park, excited to see the great champion in the flesh.  As the gates opened, Secretariat broke slower than the others, as usual.  My Gallant and Twice A Prince rushed toward the lead, as did Sham on the outside.  But like a chestnut rocket, Secretariat, with giant strides, was making up ground on his rivals and took the lead going for the turn.  His bay rival, Sham, joined him on the lead.  Secretariat's connections in the stand must have been more than nervous, for what animal could last a mile and a half at that speed?

They zipped through a quarter in 23 and change.  For a sprint, that was reasonable.  For the twelve furlong Belmont, that was much too quick for any horse to bear.  Sham and Secretariat were inseparable.  For a brief moment, Sham pushed his head in front, looking to get the jump on the Derby and Preakness winner.  That soon faded as Secretariat fought back.  Heads and noses bobbed as they flew down the backstretch.  The half went in 46 1/5.  One or the other would buckle soon under that hot pace.

You can almost pinpoint the exact moment that Secretariat broke Sham's heart.  It's a cliche line to use, but as Secretariat began to pull away from his rival, it is the only thing that comes to mind.  Three quarters in 1:09 4/5, and Sham was done.  Secretariat's lead increased as the gallant bay Sham fell back.  He would eventually finish last, exhausted from the Triple Crown and his battles with Secretariat.  My Gallant and Twice a Prince were giving each other quite the battle for second place, but no one was keeping up with Secretariat.

His lead kept increasing.  The crowd was amazed - off of that pace, how was Secretariat not being reeled in by a closer or two?  Big Red hit a mile in 1:34 1/5, much faster than most milers ran in their entire careers.  All of this he did without being pushed by his jockey.  He was running completely under his own power.  Entering the stretch he was twenty lengths in front.  He was all alone.

"He is moving like a tremendous machine!" Chic Anderson called into the microphone.  The roar from the crowd was deafening.  Aboard the mighty Secretariat, Ron Turcotte caught a glimpse at the toteboard and the fraction times.  As they hit a mile and a quarter in 1:59 flat, faster even than the Kentucky Derby, he knew he and his champion had a chance to make history and break a record.  He looked back over his shoulder; the horses were mere specks in the distance.  He gave Secretariat a few nudges and the colt responded explosively.  Secretariat streaked under the wire an easy winner.  The cameras panned away and focused on Twice A Prince, coming home in second, many lengths behind.

Turcotte had wanted a record; he must have been shocked at the final time.  2:24 flat.  No horse had ever run a mile and a half on dirt that fast.  No horse had even come close.  Secretariat is the only horse in history to ever have cracked the 2:25 mark for twelve furlongs on dirt.  And he did it so easily!

Racing officials eventually determined the margin of victory to be about 31 lengths.  That figure is in dispute by some; some say his final margin is more along the lines of Count Fleet's in 1943, which was 25 easy lengths.  The margin doesn't matter.  Like that performance or Man O' War's 100 length decimation of Hoodwink in the Lawrence Realization Stakes, figures are of no consequence when a horse does it so easily as to almost mock his rivals.  Coming back to the winner's circle, Big Red didn't even look tired.  He held his head high as they placed the carnations around his neck.  Penny Chenery, his owner, was all smiles.  His trainer and jockey glowed with satisfaction.  Secretariat would be known as one of the all-time greats from then on.

Yesterday's Belmont concluded the Triple Crown season of 2013.  The winner and his nearest rivals staggered home in just 2:30 4/5 - nowhere close to Secretariat's track record.  Even Easy Goer, who ran the 2nd fastest Belmont ever in 1989, was still two seconds slower than Secretariat.  People wondered on that fabled June 9th - would there ever be a Belmont performance to match Big Red's?  40 years later, with Secretariat holding records in all three Triple Crown races, the answer is still a resounding "no."