Our American Stories celebrates moments that define us, and few athletic feats have captured hearts quite like the incredible journey of Secretariat. On a fateful June day in 1973, at the storied Belmont Stakes in Elmont, New York, the world watched as a magnificent horse named Secretariat raced toward an impossible dream: the Triple Crown. For a quarter-century, no Thoroughbred had claimed horse racing’s ultimate prize, a grueling test of speed and endurance across three distinct races. This was more than just a race; it was a chance to make history, and the odds were stacked against even the most gifted equine athlete.
But Secretariat, affectionately known as “Big Red,” was no ordinary champion. His powerful stride and indomitable spirit had already captivated a nation, proving his greatness in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes with record-shattering performances. As he thundered onto the track that day, the air crackled with anticipation. Spectators and fans, from seasoned gamblers to wide-eyed children, gathered to witness an unforgettable moment in American sports history, a display of raw talent so profound it felt like a gift from above. Join us as we recount the legendary race that cemented Secretariat’s place as one of the greatest performers of all time.
📖 Read the Episode Transcript
Speaker 2: The great athletes use it, even if they aren’t human.
Speaker 1: Secretariat’s godlike attributes weren’t always apparent to everyone. In his debut as a two-year-old in 1972, he had trouble at the starting gate and got pushed around the track. You’re finishing fourth in that race. Secretariat won his next two. The second was under a new jockey, Ron Turcott. But it wasn’t until the Sanford Stakes in Saratoga, New York, but Secretariot would show his real potential. Here’s Turcott to explain why: “I was sitting behind two horses and I started to make my move because there was an opening. And when those two horses came in together, they just ricocheted off them like nothing had happened. He went on to win it by himself, and that’s when he began to really impress me.” What track pros had witnessed that day wasn’t an ordinary win. Here’s Saratoga track announcer David Johnson: “The Secretariat made his move in that race. It was unlike any move I had ever seen any two-year-old make. It was the kind of move that took your breath away. You could hear the collective gas when the entire Saratoga grandstand.”
Speaker 2: It was like, “WHOA, did you see that?”
Speaker 1: Secretariat would go on to dominate race that year and become Horse of the Year, a rare feat for a two-year-old. Historic qualities sparked interest from Thurbred investors early in 1973, and shares in the horse, 32 in all, were sold for record-breaking $6.8 million. After winning his first two starts that year, Secretariat ran a disappointing third in a Kentucky Derby prep race in Aqueduct. Many insiders were asking the same question: Was the world’s newest superstud a super dud? Secretariat arrived at Kentucky Derby with a big number of detractors.
Speaker 2: Some were happy to spread rumors that the horse was lame.
Speaker 1: Despite the rumors, Secretariat was favored to win the biggest race of his young life. A Derby-record 134,000 people jammed into Churchill Downs, and Secretariat didn’t disappoint, winning the first leg of the Triple Crown with the ease. He was the first force to complete the Derby in less than two minutes and to this day still holds the record by the fast disturbing performance of all time. The Secretariat arrived in Baltimore as a 3-to-10 favorite, and once again the horse didn’t disappoint, cruising to an easy win in the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown. The stage was set for the showdown at Belmont Park, in a shot at racing history. The entire track, the entire world, was pulling for Secretariat. Here again is Jerry Eisenberg: “Before the race, you could see not only what Secretariat meant to veteran hard-boiled, step-over-a-guy-with-a-heart-attack-so-I-don’t-get-shut-out-of-the-window gambling, but also for people who were at that track who were not gimm. People brought their kids to see this horse.”
Speaker 2: He was the people’s horse.
Speaker 1: The record crowd packed Belmont’s grandstands as the world rooted for Big Red to make history.
Speaker 2: He went off at 1-to-9 odds.
Speaker 1: It didn’t take long for Secretariat to establish himself, coming out of the gates smoothly. Unlike other races where he raced near the back of the pack until the time was right to make his move, Secretariat made his move midway through the race, breezing by the only competition in the field: Sham. Here’s track announcer Chick Anderson with a call:
Speaker 3: “They’re on the turn.”
Speaker 4: “It’s Secretariat is blazing alone the first three-quarters of a mile in one O nine and fourpez. Secretariatus lightening. Now he is moving like a tremendous machine!”
Speaker 3: “Secretariat by cold, Secretariat by 14 lengths on the turn.”
Speaker 4: “Sam is dropping back. It looks like they’ll catch him today, as My Ballot and Twice the Prince are both coming up to him now. But Secretariatus all alone.”
Speaker 1: Onlookers were worried that Secretariat made his move too early.
Speaker 2: Here’s racing writer Bill Read: “He just accelerated and took the field. I was like, ‘Good lord, what’s Turcott thinking?'” But Penny Chennery, Secretariat’s owner, knew better. “He was too early in the race to be running like he was running. But it must have been what the horse wanted to do.” By the fore turn, it was clear as Secretariat was going to be the winner. It was just a matter of the margin of victory. Here is Ron Turcott: “Finally, as I turned for home, my curiosity got the best of me. I just had to turn around, and when I looked back, I scared myself. I never saw anything like it in my life. It was like the horse I was on and the others were racing on two different racetracks.” Here again, track announcer Chick Anderson with the call:
Speaker 4: “The lead is increasing, make it gree lead a half. They’re on the turn. It’s Secretariat is blazing along the first three-quarters of a mile and one O nine and fourpest. Secretary, it is frightening; now he is moving like a tremendous machine! Secretariat by Clode.”
Speaker 3: “Secretariat by 14 lengths on the turn.”
Speaker 1: Just moments later, here again is Chick Anderson with the call at the stretch of the Belmont Stakes in 1973:
Speaker 4: “But Secretariat is all alone. He’s out there, almost a sixteenth of a mile away from the rest.”
Speaker 3: “of the horses.”
Speaker 4: “They’re in the step.”
Speaker 3: “Secretariat has opened a twenty teen length! Please, he is going to be a Triple Crown hunter! Here come Secretariat to the wire! An unbelievable, an amazing performance!”
Speaker 4: “He had the face 25 lengths from crime.”
Speaker 1: Secretariat won the Belmont Stakes by an astonishing 31 lengths. Jack Whittaker, one of CBS’s most seasoned broadcasters, couldn’t hold back his astonishment. Everybody was just speechless, and when it’s set in, people were just crying. He literally saw people crying. It was such an overwhelming sight to see. It was a performance of a lifetime. Secretariat not only set a track record, but a North American record for the 1½-mile dirt race. In the fall of 1989, Secretariat came down with laminitis, a debilitating hoof condition. When it failed to improve after a month of treatment, he was euthanized on October 4, at the age of 19. Secretariat was given the rare honor of being buried whole. Customarily, only the head, heart, and hooves of a winning racehorse are buried. Secretariat’s autopsy revealed some things that many race fans already knew. His heart was huge, literally 22 pounds. It was two and a half times larger than the horses running behind him. Penny Chennery stated, “He just had a superior power pack, and he loved showing it to the world. I wonder what he thought. He must have had a sense of accomplishment.” We can’t even know what Secretariat thought, but Heywood Hail Brown may have best summed up what we all thought about Secretariat’s performance that day in Belmont:
Speaker 2: “Every now and then, some”
Speaker 1: “athletes touched for a moment with a kind of high-level greatness that he might not ever achieve again, but at that moment they are more than life allows. It’s the same thing that Babe Ruth did for baseball and was something that everyone could think about and be amazed about.”
Speaker 2: “And that’s what he did for racing.”
Speaker 1: The story of Secretariat’s greatest race, here on Our American Stories.
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