Biography of the race horse Secretariat: a true legend - By: Asia Donaldson

Horse Racing is not as popular today as it once was, but the legends of race horses from the past still carry on today, even amongst those that don’t follow the sport. Even those that aren’t fans of the sport at all know about the hoopla surrounding the Kentucky Derby and the significance of winning the Triple Crown. While there are a few horses in history that have names that carry on today, the horse that may be the most easily remembered horse is Secretariat.

Secretariat was foaled in 1970 in the United States. He was bred and owned by Meadow Stables and trained by Lucien Laurin. The sire of the Stallion was Bold Ruler and the Dam was Somethingroyal. Because he was a large chestnut colt, he was given the nickname of “Big Red.” This is coincidentally the same nickname that Man o’ War had. This is interesting because Secretariat and Man o’ War are probably the two greatest race horses of all-time.

The horse began winning major races in 1972. The horse brought home victories in the Sanford Stakes, Hopeful Stakes, Futurity Stakes, Laurel Futurity and the Garden State Futurity in 1972. This great year brought him the awards of the “American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt” and the “American Horse of the Year” for 1972.

While his success in 1972 set the stage for 1973, it was pale in comparison to what he would accomplish. He won races such as the Bay Shore Stakes, Gotham Stakes, Arlington Invitational, Marlboro Cup, Man o’ War Stakes and the Canadian International. While these were some big wins, his legend started at the Kentucky Derby in 1973.

Secretariat raced at the Kentucky Derby in a race that will always be remembered. The entry of Secretariat and Angle Light was the 3-2 favorite in the derby. Secretariat broke out last, but made his way up through the group. He then had to beat Sham down the stretch and ultimately won by 2.5 lengths. Secretariat set a track record of 1:59.4 at the race, getting faster with each quarter mile through the race.

Secretariat proceeded to race at the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown. The horse started out slow just like the Kentucky Derby, but made the same move as the previous race and beat Sham down the stretch by 2.5 lengths to win. There is controversy as to whether or not Secretariat broke the record, because the electronic timer broke. Some people credit him with the record, while others kept the previous record.

The final race of the Triple Crown, The Belmont Stakes, might have been the most impressive of all of the races. There were only a few horses in the race, but Secretariat dominated the field, winning the race by an incredible 31 lengths while running the fastest 1.5 mile race on dirt in history. His 2:24 time was 2 seconds faster than any other time to that point and it is still the fastest 1.5 mile dirt race of all time in horse racing.

About the Author

Asia Donaldson writes reviews on various sporting events including the online betting websites. In this piece of write up the author highlights on online horse racing. The author also takes the readers thought on how to bet on horse racing.

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