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In the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century, Secretariat was second to Man o' War. At age two, Secretariat finished fourth in his 1972 debut in a maiden race, but then won seven of his remaining eight starts, including five stakes victories.
- Secretariat Holds the Fastest Time in the Kentucky Derby. Secretariat is most well-known for his incredible performances in the 1973 Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont.
- Secretariat’s First Start Was Rough. Though Secretariat’s racing career was legendary, it didn’t start that way. In his first start, a horse named Quebec cut in front of the field, leading to a chain reaction that caused the chestnut to get bumped hard.
- Secretariat’s Owner Was a Woman. When Secretariat won the Triple Crown, the racing industry was still heavily dominated by men. However, his owner was a woman called Penny Chenery.
- Secretariat’s Heart Was Two and a Half Times Bigger Than Average. Not only was Secretariat was known for being kind-hearted, but he also had a big heart in the literal sense.
- Secretariat’s fate rested on a coin toss. In the fall of 1969, stable owners Ogden Phipps and Penny Chenery met in the offices of the New York Racing Association for what turned out to be one of the most important coin tosses in sports history.
- Secretariat was named Horse of the Year twice. After losing his very first race, at Aqueduct on July 4, 1972, Secretariat lost just once more in his two-year-old campaign, and even that was due to a controversial disqualification in a race.
- Secretariat lost the run-up to the Derby. Secretariat easily won the first two races as a three-year-old, before running a disappointing third in the Wood Memorial, his final tune-up before Churchill Downs.
- Secretariat set records that are still standing today. As the 1973 Derby began, Secretariat broke out of the gate last, before quickly moving up on the field.
- Secretariat didn’t live very long. When it comes to horse lifespan, the average a horse is expected to reach is around 25 to 30 years old. I detailed this further in my separate article about horse age, which you can look up right here if you’re interested.
- He didn’t show much promise as a stud. As far as Secretariat’s stud career goes, he didn’t show much promise at first. Shortly after horses retire from racing, they begin their careers as studs, and many of them often sire hundreds of horses before they pass away.
- His debut race went poorly. Even though he ended up becoming one of the best racehorses in the world, Secretariat’s debut race went rather poorly. The race took place on July 4, 1972, at the Aqueduct Racetrack.
- His daughters produced incredible sires. Even though Secretariat did not produce a leading sire son, his daughters made up for this shortcoming. They produced 24 Grade/Group 1 winners, which boosted Secretariat’s own prestige.
Apr 30, 2018 · Secretariat crushed the competition—first by 10 lengths, then 20, and eventually a gob-stopping 31 lengths—to become horse racing’s first Triple Crown winner since 1948.
He won by nine lengths in 1:47 flat, only one-fifth of a second off the track record for 1⅛ miles owned by Damascus. Facing older horses for the first time in the Whitney at Saratoga, Secretariat broke poorly and suffered a shocking defeat by a length to Onion.
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Sired by 1957 Horse of the year Bold Ruler, and foaled by Somethingroyal, Secretariat was born March 30, 1970 at Penny Chenery’s (then Penny Tweedy) The Meadow Stud in Virginia. In 1972 he won 7 of his 9 races and was named Horse Of The Year, only the second 2 year old to earn that honor.
