Secretariat

On May 19, 1973, during the 98th Preakness, Ron Turcotte aboard Secretariat won in 1:53 - the fastest Preakness race ever. The official time was not recognized until 2012 when a forensic review was accepted. The official clock malfunctioned. Secretariat was the greatest racehorse I have ever seen in my lifetime and probably the greatest racehorse ever.

"In the decades since Secretariat completed the Triple Crown, his record times remain unsurpassed in the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes.

In 1974, Secretariat was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. In 1999, he was the only non-human included among ESPN’s 50 greatest athletes of the century and he became the first thoroughbred to be honored with his own U.S. Postal stamp. Outside the paddock at Belmont Park now stands a statue of Secretariat with both his front feet in the air.

Before the Triple Crown races, Secretariat’s breeding rights had been sold by Chenery for $6 million. Part of the agreement was that the thoroughbred would retire from racing after his third year.

After his Triple Crown victory, and a “Farewell to Secretariat” Day at Belmont to a crowd of 32,900, the chestnut horse was flown to Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky. Here, he would sire 582 offspring, including 41 stakes winners. But none of his offspring ever compared to the original."