If nothing else, in this video you will see one of the greatest athletic performances of all time:
Secretariat won 16 of 21 starts, not quite as spectacular as Man O War, who won 20 of 21. Still, in winning the Triple Crown he set records for all three races, of which those for the Derby and Belmont still stand. Hd won horse of the year both as a 2 year old and a 3 year old, then retired to stud.
Watch that video again, watch how in the 2nd half of the race he destroys the field.
As long as I am posting this, let me offer some more video of Big Red as he was known
Of the 1973 Kentucky Derby, where, like in the Belmont, Secretariat set a record for the race that still stands:
and of the 1973 Preakness:
Secretariat set records in all three Triple Crown races. That in the Preakness has been tied, not broken. The other two stand.
THe power you see when Secretariat explodes past other horses is simply amazing.
Let me close with one more video, this a composite, of the Belmont Stakes. Watch again closely, starting about 50 seconds in. Watch how he pulls so far ahead that the camera, even pulled back, has trouble keeping any other horse in frame:
Secretariat passed in 1989. I will never forget watching that Belmont with my jaw dropping as he pulled away in perhaps the most amazing athletic performance I have ever seen.
Happy Birthday, Big Red!
Pea