On this day in 1973-Secretariat [Big Red} won the Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown. Secretariast didn’t just win the Belmont Stakes but set two records that still stand 39 years later, the fastest Belmont Stakes and Secretariat won by 31 lengths- a record for a Triple Crown race. Secretariat also still owns the record time in the Kentucky Derby.
There hadn’t been a Triple Crown winner in 25 years before Secretariat came along. At the end of the 20th century when ESPN did their “100 Greatest North American Athletes of the 20th Century” Secretariat was 35th- which ticked a lot of people off. They didn’t feel an animal should finish that high. I had some disagreements with their list but not with placing the great Secretariast that high.
Secretariat died in 1989. The link below is one of the most unforgettable moments in sports history- Secretariat’s Belmont Stakes victory by 31 lengths.
slicethelife 