For the last quarter century, since Citation had won the Triple Crown, many horses had tried, but their efforts were futile. In fact, so many of them had injured themselves in trying to become the next hero, that, out of frustration, many people began calling it the "Cripple Crown." To name just a few, Tim Tam (1958) fractured a bone in his foot, Carry Back (1961) came back gimpy, and Canonero II (1971) developed a bad hock. Then the fiery chestnut hero came, often called Super Red: Secretariat.
Secretariat was a tall fellow, standing 17 hh (hands high) when he turned three. He was born on March 30, 1970, at Meadow Farm in Doswell, Virginia.
Christopher T. Chenery, the owner of the farm, gave $750 for a mare named Hildene. Although she never won any of her eight races, she became a top broodmare, and was the dam of First Landing, who became the sire of Riva Ridge.
After this luck, Chenery bought Imperatrice, who foaled Somethingroyal, the dam of Secretariat. Both horses, even if not great racers, played a role in the developing of Secretariat.
Chenery soon began to be in debt. His health was also bad. His daughter, Mrs. "Penny" Tweedy, decided to help. Her first step was to reduce the 130 horses of the stable to 68, selling them to get the profit and help pay for the debt. She then decided whether or not to continue the odd agreement her father had set with Mrs. Henry Canergie Phipps and her son, Ogden. The agreement was this: The Phipps's stallion, Bold Ruler, a top horse, would be bred to two of her father's broodmares. A coin would be flipped every two years determining the owner of the foals. The winner of the toss would get his pick of the first year's foals, the loser would claim the remaining one, and the loser would then get his pick of the next year's foals, the winner claiming the remaining one. Tweedy's father had not been very successful with this, in that his Bold Ruler foals never showed any endurance. Tweedy decided to go at it for two more years, then end. It was lucky she did.
Tweedy sent Hasty Matelda and Somethingroyal to Bold Ruler. Somethingroyal was considered to be the best of the two, in that her sire was Princequillo, a horse with great endurance. It was said, and was often very true, that Bold Ruler's foals were fast as two-year-olds, but when it came to being a three-year-old and running over longer distances, the horses became a failure. However, on breeder said to Tweedy: "The Princequillos will run all day--and if the races get long enough and the other horses get tired, sooner or later they'll win for you." If they could only breed a horse who would posess the speed of Bold Ruler, and the endurance of Princequillo's Somethingroyal!
The Phippses won the toss, and took Somethingroyal's filly, "The Bride." Tweedy was left with Hasty Matelda's colt, and Somethingroyal's next foal, as Hasty Matelda would be barren the next year.
The next year, on March 30, 1970, Somethingroyal foaled a bright red chestnut colt with a star and three stockings. The name Secretariat was suggested by Elizabeth Ham, who was a secretary, and the colt's name stuck.
Tweedy replaced the stable's trainer, Casey Hayes, with Roger Laurin, the son of the famous trainer, Lucien Laurin. The trainer quit, however, before Secretariat was old enough to be trained, and he was replaced with his father, Lucien Laurin, even though the veteran trainer was about to go into retirement. Laurin remained for the training of the hero.
In 1971, Laurin took ten two-year-olds, including Riva Ridge, to be trained. Riva Ridge was the first to be sent out, and raced greenly, finishing seventh. Although the colt did go on to win the Derby and the Belmont, and was third in the Preakness because of a distaste for mud, Laurin and Tweedy had the wrong horse in mind. The right horse, instead, was a fiery chestnut hero named Secretariat.
In 1972, Secretariat began training. In summer, Laurin happily broke the news to Tweedy that Secretariat was ready to run. Unfortunately, Tweedy had to be away on business. Laurin decided to wait, for he felt that Tweedy should be there when the red horse raced. And so it was decided that Secretariat would run on Independence Day, in the year 1972. Paul Feliciano would be in the irons.
The race was a nightmare, just as Riva Ridge's had been. Coming out of the gates, another horse bumped into Secretariat, knocking him sideways, and at the same time pinching him behind the other horses with no place to run. His jockey said, "He came this close to being knocked down." Despite the poor start, Secretariat finished an incredible fourth, the only time he would be left out of the money. The blazing red colt had also learned a lesson, for from that time on, he always came out of the gates rather slowly, avoiding the bumping around up front. He won his next race by six lengths.
On July 31, Secretariat won a six-furlong allowance by a length and a half. It was the first time Ron Turcotte was in the irons, and from then on, except in his last race, Turcotte rode him. Turcotte had also rode Riva Ridge to victory in the Kentucky Derby, his first Derby win.
With two wins behind him, Secretariat was entered in his first stakes race. He showed he meant business in winning by three lengths. He had been seemingly trapped in the last turn, but knifed his way through horses to win.
Secretariat's next race would be the Hopeful Stakes on August 26. As the name implies, people hope that it shows their horse's ability, in that 12 Hopeful winners went on to win the Belmont Stakes, and 14 were voted Best Two-Year-Old. Secretariat was the heavy favorite. He won easily by five lengths, and, with time of 1:16 1/5, was only 3/5 second off the track record. People now began to talk of the colt as a "super horse."
The Belmont Futurity was the next battle. Only six horses dared to try and beat the favorite. Stop the Music was the only one to provide any competition, and the red colt won by six lengths. It was the first back-to-back victories within the same stable in thirty years, as Riva Ridge, with Turcotte in the irons, had won the previous year.
There are five races for two-year-olds, that, if all won, or at least most of them, the horse will win the Horse-of-the-Year title hands down: The Hopeful Stakes, the Belmont Futurity, the Champagne Stakes, the Laurel Futurity, and the Garden State Stakes. Secretariat had downed two of them, and was now going for the Champagne Stakes.
The race was going great, and Secretariat was the favorite. The horses came down the homestretch, and Secretariat was leading, but Stop the Music came up on him, and they raced head and head. Turcotte layed the whip sharply on his mount. Secretariat, never having been whipped before, ducked in sharply, and it looked as if he had hit Stop the Music. The colt then ran on to win, but the stewards reversed the win to Stop the Music because of the apparent bumping. Laurin was furious, protesting that "the colt never had to be hit before," but, although the stewards again reviewed the race, their claim stood, and Secretariat was given second money.
On October 28, Secretariat raced in the Laurel Futurity. Laurin was torn, because Riva Ridge was also racing that day, only at another track. Should he go and be with Riva Ridge, or should he choose Secretariat? He chose Secretariat, and a good decision it was to make, for Riva Ridge lost, but Secretariat won easily by eight lengths, in 1:42 4/5, a 1/5 second slower than the track record.
Secretariat's last race of the year would be the Garden State Stakes. He went off as the favorite at 1-10, and won easily, beating Angle Light, who was to challenge him later on in his racing career.
Secretariat won Best Two-Year-Old honors and Horse-of-the-Year honors. Even though more votes came in for a filly, La Prevoyante, for Horse-of-the-Year honors, it was decided not right to give a filly such honors, and Secretariat was given the honors instead.
1973 rolled around, and with it came Secretariat's most spectacular racing career. Laurin was determined to get another shot at the Triple Crown, and to win it. And it was then that the tragic happened. Christopher T. Chenery, Tweedy's father and owner of the farm, died at the age of 86, leaving behind with Tweedy outragous bills to be paid. Tweedy decided on only one thing--to syndicate Secretariat. A syndicate is something where many people pay so much to have a part ownership of one thing. In this case, the syndicate was worth $6,080,00, the record syndicate of the Thoroughbred world. The previous high had been Nijinsky II's $5,440,000 syndicate. This large sum paid off all debts the farm owned. One of the rules of the syndicate, however, was that on November 15, 1973, Secretariat would be retired for good. And each person in the syndicate would be allowed to send one mare a year to Secretariat to be bred, free of charge. The syndicate was made of 32 people, including Mrs. Tweedy.
Secretariat's first race of 1973 was the Bay Shore Stakes on St. Patrick's Day, over a sloppy track. He drove home to win by four lengths.
Secretariat's next race was the Gotham Stakes. He won easily, tying with the track record of 1:33 2/5. The chestnut became the third horse ever to win both the Bay Shore Stakes and the Gotham Stakes. His next race would be the Wood Memorial, but trouble lay ahead.
The Wood Memorial is considered on of the most important races in determining who will win the Kentucky Derby, although it is 1 1/8 miles, instead of the Derby's 1 1/2 miles. Gallant Fox, Count Fleet, and Assault, all previous Triple Crown Winners, had used this race as a spring board to win the Derby. If Secretariat won, he would become the top favorite of the Derby.
If.
Secretariat's biggest enemy would be Sham, whom the chestnut had never met, but was racing very well. Both Sham and his stablemate, Knightly Dawn, were entered in the Wood Memorial. The biggest mistake was made in that Angle Light, Secretariat's stablemate (though owned by another owner) was also entered.
Knightly Dawn was withdrawn before the race. Even so, the race was a nightmare. Secretariat lost to Angle Light and Sham.
Everyone was stunned. What had happened to the once champion, now loser? Was this the beginning of many losses, or was Secretariat simply slower than Angle Light and Sham? Noone knew, and it was like this until the Kentucky Derby.
Many people had begun to doubt. For this race, the longest Secretariat had ever run, supported the theory that Bold Ruler's colts couldn't go a distance. Even so, he and Angle Light went off as the 3-2 favorite in the Derby, Sham second favorite at 5-2.
Secretariat came out of the gate slowly, as usual. He stayed in the back of the field going around the first turn, then begun to pick up horses, and was in the middle of the pack in the backstretch. At the final turn, Sham was leading, and Secretariat was running around all the competition, gaining on the leader. In the last furlong, the two were head and head, and then Secretariat drew away, to win by two lengths, and in record time of 1:59 2/5, stripping 3/5 from the old record. Our Native came in third.
Sham, too, ran a remarkable race. He was timed in 2:00 flat, which would mean that he was the fastest loser in all Derby history. Or, in other words, he was faster than 97 of the 99 Derby winners. Also, he came back with a bloodied mouth, and two of his teeth dangled by a thin strip of his gum, from being scared and banging his head in the gates. Twice a Prince was the "attacker." His trainer remarked that his horse looked like a four-legged hockey player.
The attitude toward Secretariat was different in the Preakness, as only five challenged him, including Sham and Our Native. Our Native's trainer remarked, "I'm going to tell my jockey to hang onto Secretariat's tail and see if we can get second money."
Secretariat came out of the gates well. He settled into fourth place around the turn, and in the backstretch, the pace seemed too slow to Turcotte, so he chirped to his mount and out and around they went. Laffit Pincay Jr., aboard Sham, said that Secretariat "went flying by us in the backstretch." He thought the move too early in the race, and figured that Secretariat would tire in the last part of the race, and he could move ahead and win. But Secretariat did not tire. After he claimed the lead, he stayed there, winning easily by two-and-a-half lengths over Sham. Our Native was again third, repeating the one-two-three finish of the Derby.
Secretariat was so famous that it was considered blasphemy to say that he wouldn't win the upcoming Belmont Stakes. If Secretariat lost, one reporter said that the country "might turn sullen and mutinous."
Only four horses opposed Secretariat at Belmont. He bolted out of his rail position like a demon posessed, right away claiming the lead. After two furlongs, one fan shouted at him, "You can't win a Belmont with a 1/4 in :23 3/5!" Secretariat kept running, however.
Sham made a futile effort to reach the hero, and, although he claimed the lead for but a moment, he soon fell back to Secretariat's enourmous strides; from then on the hero lead.
Secretariat was seven lengths in the lead after one mile, and still his lead lengthened. When he crossed under the finish wire, he had won by an amazing 31 lengths! And his time was 2 3/5 seconds faster than the track record, at 2:24. Secretariat was not only a Triple Crown winner, but also a new hero, who seemed unbeatable.
Secretariat won his next race easily by nine lengths.
After this race, it was suggested that a match race be held between Secretariat and Riva Ridge. It was agreed, and the race was scheduled for September 15. But as soon as it had begun, it was destroyed, and the match race wasn't to happen, mainly because it was simple as to who would win. Because Laurin was the trainer of both, he could simply tell one to win, the other to hold back. It was a silly arrangement.
Riva Ridge lost his next race anyhow, and if Secretariat lost his next race, the Whitney Stakes, then there would be no hero in the race. But that is exactly what happened. Secretariat lost to Onion by one length, and barely claimed second by half a length. Coincidentally, Jacinto Vasquez (yes, he also rode Ruffian) had ridden both Angle Light, who had beaten Secretariat in the Wood Memorial, and Onion. "I'll make the Hall of Fame yet, beating these famous horses," Vasquez remarked.
Jack Landry, who had suggested the match race between Riva Ridge and Secretariat, now got together with a few others and organized a race between the best horses of the country, and would be called the Marlboro Cup. Secretariat, Riva Ridge, Onion, Cougar II, Key to the Mint, Kennedy Road, Ten Tam, and Annihilate 'Em were all invited, and all accepted.
Secretariat was pronounced fit after having a bout with the flu. Laurin gave instructions to the jockeys of his horses that he wanted a one-two finish, and he didn't care who was first. Tweedy insisted that Secretariat should win, and that it was only right. Her wish came true, for Secretariat beat Riva Ridge after a head-to-head duel in the stretch.
Secretariat's next race was the Woodward Stakes, and that, too, was misery. He lost out by four and a half lengths to Prove Out. For some reason, Secretariat seemed to have a distaste for races starting with the letter, "W" (Wood Memorial, Whitney Stakes, Woodward Stakes). He never won a "W" race, in fact.
The time was fast approaching for Secretariat to hang up his racing shoes. He was entered in his last race, the Canadian International Championship on October 28, 1973.
Ron Turcotte was grounded for race interference before the champion's last race. Eddie Maple, who had recently been riding Riva Ridge, was put in his place. He first rode Riva Ridge in an unfortunate race, with Riva Ridge finishing last to Prove Out. Then he flew to Canada and rode Secretariat. Secretariat won easily by 12 lengths.
Secretariat was taken to the New York Aqueduct Track and, in all his racing silks, was ridden by Ron Turcotte in his last public appearence. He was then flown to Lexington, Kentucky, and Claiborne Stud Farm, where he would live out the rest of his days.
Secretariat had won Champion Three-Year-Old and Horse-of-the-Year honors. He was a very famous horse, and now came the time to breed. He was bred to an Apaloosa mare for testing. Unfortunately, he was found to have spermatogonia, or immature cells in his semen. However, two of the three mares he had covered were found in foal. It was decided, that, if at least 60 percent of the mares Secretariat covered in 1974 were in foal by September 1, the syndicate would continue.
Secretariat sired a Horse-of-the-Year horse in Lady Secret, and his colt, Risen Star, won the Preakness and Belmont, and was third in the Derby. In 1992, he was named the leading broodmare sire, when 135 of his get won $6,665,507.
On October 4, 1989, the great champ died.
So long, Secretariat.
