Secretariat & The Season That Was.. 50 Years Ago (Part 2)

IMMORTALITY 

The entire sporting world was fixated on Belmont Park. If you hadn’t heard about Secretariat by now chances are you were living under a rock. About the only thing that worried the Secretariat camp was could he go the mile and a half. The entire world was about to find out. 70,000 fans filled Belmont Park in anticipation. A field of five lined up in the starting gate. The bell rang and the big horse was off to a good start. Sham was on the lead at the clubhouse turn.

When they hit the backstretch the two gladiators raced as one. Midway down the backstretch “Big Red” accelerated into a high gear. He began to eat up real estate like a fine tuned Ferrari. Sham was finished. Secretariat opened up a twenty length lead. Race caller Chic Anderson made this now famous comment. “Secretariat is moving like a tremendous machine.” The lead grew to an incredible 31 lengths at the finish line. Secretariat had reached out to immortality. He had crushed all opposition in a display that has never been duplicated. He was not only the eighth Triple crown Champion. In doing so he set track records in all three of the events that comprised the Triple Crown series. In the Belmont Stakes his time of 2:24 is a world record that stands to this day.

The Champ was given a breather and arrangements were made to resume his career at Chicago’s Arlington Park at the end of June. He won this one in a laugher. Next up, a trip to

Saratoga. He was pointed for the Whitney Stakes. It was a foregone conclusion that he would just need to show up to take this one. As anyone knows who have bet on a horse race nothing is for certain. Saratoga has always owned the reputation of being “The Graveyard of Champions.” Unfortunately for “Big Red” the adage was right on target. In a shocker an outsider named Onion was up to the challenge on Whitney day. He took the measure of the Champ holding him off by less than a length at the wire. The race did nothing to dampen Secretariat’s standing in the public’s eye.

He was given a rest and made his next start in the Marlboro Cup at Belmont Park. In this one he faced the stiffest competition of his career. He took on his illustrious stablemate Riva Ridge, along with top notch contenders Cougar  2nd and Key To The Mint. The Champ was back in form for this one. He toyed with the outstanding field while setting a new world record for the nine furlong distance.

He raced one more time on the dirt in the mile and a half Woodward Stakes. The track came up sloppy. The big guy didn’t care forthe wet track and came up second best to Prove Out.

He finished out his 1973 season with easy wins on the grass. He took the aptly named Man O’ War Stakes at Aqueduct in another track record performance. For his finale he headed north of the border to Toronto. In his swan song he thrilled the Canadian crowd with a performance befitting a champion. He strolled home six and a half lengths clear of the field at the finish line.

The fabulous career of Secretariat was over. There was nothing left to prove. He was awarded Horse of the Year honors for the second time. He stands tall in the lore of the sport. In any given poll Secretariat mirrors Man O’ War as one of the two greatest race horses ever produced in this country. It is a well deserved honor.

In closing I would like to quote the late Charles Hatton. He is considered by many to be the premier horse racing correspondent of the Twentieth Century. He witnessed them all from Man O’ War to Count Fleet, Citation and all the rest that left their mark on the American turf. He had these poetic words to sum up the magnificence that was Secretariat. 

“Weave for the mighty chestnut a tributary crown of autumn leaves, the brightest then when autumn leaves are brown. Hang up his bridle on the wall, his saddle on the tree, til time shall bring some racing king worthy to wear as he!” 

The immortal Secretariat.. A Half-Century Ago.