July 11, 2025 • 10 mins
On this episode of Our American Stories, no horse had claimed the Triple Crown in 25 years until Secretariat lined up at the Belmont. What happened next stunned the world. With the crowd on its feet, Secretariat sprinted into history, delivering a performance so dominant it’s still studied today. This is the story of the race that made him a legend and forever changed the sport. Our own Lee Habeeb shares the story.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
And we continue with our American stories. Up next, a
sports performance story for the Agent. In ESPN's Who's Number
one list of greatest sports performances Ever, this athlete's performance
on a racetrack in Elmont, New York, on June ninth,
nineteen seventy three placed a close second behind NBA star
(00:34):
Wilk Chamberlain's one hundred point performance in nineteen sixty two.
He was the only athlete on that list with one
name and the only one with four lengths Secretariat. Going
into the one hundred and fifth Belmont Stakes, there hadn't
(00:55):
been a triple crown winner horse racing's ultimate prize for
three year olds Incitation in nineteen forty eight, and for
good reason. The three races test very different pill The first,
the Kentucky Derby, is a one and a quarter mile
long race. The second, the Preakness, is shorter at one
(01:18):
and three sixteenth with some especially tight turn. Belmont, the
last of the three, is one and a half miles,
a thoroughbred marathon and with a far turn as wide
as the Suez Canal and a home stretch that never
seems to end. Only seven horses had won all three
(01:39):
races in one hundred plus years, making the feat as
improbable as a baseball player winning the Triple Crown or
a tennis player winning the Grand Slam. Six horses had
won the first two legs of the Triple Crown since
nineteen forty eight, Tim Tam in nineteen fifty eight, Harryback
in nineteen sixty one, Northern Dancer ineighteen sixty four, and
(02:01):
Kawawi King in nineteen sixty six. Forward Passed in nineteen
sixty eight, and Conanero in nineteen seventy one. Their dreams
all died in the dirt at Belmont. The odds were
against Secretariat winning the longest and most difficult leg of
the Triple Crown, but Secretariat was no ordinary horse. Sports
(02:22):
writing legend Jerry Eisenberg, a man not prone to romanticizing
either athletes or animals, said this about the horse known
as Big Red. You can't anticipate greatness. You can't even
define it. It's something that God sticks into someone every
once in a while, and because it comes from God,
the gift can't be ignored and it can't be defeated.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
The great athletes use it even if they aren't human.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Secretariat's godlike attributes weren't always apparent to everyone. In his
debut as a two year old in nineteen seventy two,
he had trouble at the starting gate and got pushed
around the track. You're finishing fourth in that race. Secretariat
won his next two. The second was under a new jockey,
Ron Turcott. But it wasn't until the Sanford Stakes in Saratoga,
(03:10):
New York, but Secretariot would show his real potential. Here's
Turcott to explain why. I was sitting behind two horses
and I started to make my move because there was
an opening, And when those two horses came in together,
they just ricocheted off them like nothing had happened. He
went on to win it by himself, and that's when
he began to really impress me. What track pros had
(03:34):
witnessed that day wasn't an ordinary win. Here's Saratoga track
announcer David Johnson. The Secretariat made his move in that race.
It was unlike any move I had ever seen any
two year old make. It was the kind of move
that took your breath away. You could hear the collective
gas when the entire Saratoga grandstand.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
It was like, WHOA did you see that.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Secretariat would go on to dominate race that year and
become Horse of the Year, a rare feat for a
two year old. Historic qualities sparked interest from Thurbred investors
early in nineteen seventy three, and shares in the horse,
thirty two in all, was sold for record breaking six
point eight million dollars. After winning his first two starts
(04:21):
that year, Secretariat ran a disappointing third in a Kentucky
Derby prep race in Aqueduct. Many insiders were asking the
same question, was the world's newest superstud a super dud?
Secretariat arrived at Kentucky Derby with a big number of detractors.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Some were happy to spread rumors that the horse was lame.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
Despite the rumors, Secretariat was favored to win the biggest
race of his young life, a Derby record one hundred
and thirty four thousand people jammed into Churchill Downs, and
Secretariat didn't disappoint, winning the first leg of the Triple
Crown with the ease. He was the first force to
complete the Derby in less than two minutes and to
this day still holds the record by the fast disturbing
(05:06):
performance of all time. The Secretariat arrived in Baltimore as
a three to ten favorite, and once again the horse
didn't disappoint, cruising to an easy win in the Preakness Stakes,
the second leg of the Triple Crown. The stage was
set for the showdown at Belmont Park, in a shot
(05:26):
at racing history. The entire track, the entire world was
pulling for Secretariat. Here again is Jerry Eisenberg. Before the race,
you could see not only what Secretariat meant to veteran
hard boiled step over a guy with a heart attack
so I don't get shut out of the window gambling,
but also for people who were at that track who
(05:46):
were not gimm People brought their kids to see this horse.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
He was the people's horse.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
The record crowd packed Belmont's grandstands as the world rooted
for Big Red to make history.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
He went off at one to nine odds.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
It didn't take long for Secretariat to establish himself, coming
out of the gates smoothly. Unlike other races where he
raced near the back of the pack until the time
was right to make his move, Secretariat made his move
midway through the race, breezing by the only competition in
the field, Sham. Here's track announcer Chick Anderson with a call, they're.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
On the turn.
Speaker 4 (06:27):
It's Secretariat is blazing alone the first three quarters of
a mile and one O nine and fourpez Secretariatus lightening.
Now he is moving like a tremendous machine.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
Secretariat by cold, Secretariat by fourteen links on the turn.
Speaker 4 (06:44):
Sam is dropping back. It looks like they'll catch him today,
as my ballot and twice the Prince are both coming
up to him now. But Secretariatus all alone.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Onlookers were worried that Secretariat made his move too early.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Here's racing writer Bill Read. He just accelerated and took
the field. I was like, good lord, what's Turcott thinking?
But Penny Chennery, Secretariat's owner, knew better. He was too
early in the race to be running like he was running.
But it must have been what the horse wanted to do.
(07:19):
By the fore turn, it was clear as Secretariat was
going to be the winner. It was just a matter
of the margin of victory. Here is Ron Turcott. Finally,
as I turned for home, my curiosity got the best
of me. I just had to turn around, and when
I looked back, I scared myself. I never saw anything
like it in my life. It was like the horse
I was on and the others were racing on two
(07:42):
different racetracks. Here again, track announcer chick Anderson with the call.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
The lead is increasing, make it gree lead a half.
They're on the turn. Its Secretariat is blazing along the
first three quarters of a mile and one O nine
and fourpest Secretary. It is frightening now he is moving
like a tremendous machine. Secretariat by Clode.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
Secretariat by fourteen lengths on the turn.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
Just moments later, Here again is chick Anderson with the
call at the stretch of the Belmont Stake in nineteen
seventy three.
Speaker 4 (08:20):
But Secretariat is all alone. He's out there, almost the
sixteenth of a mile away from the rest.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
Of the horses.
Speaker 4 (08:26):
They're in the step.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
Secretariat has opened a twenty teen length Please, he is
going to be a triple Crown hunter. Here come Secretariat
to the wire and unbelievable, an amazing performance.
Speaker 4 (08:39):
He had the face twenty five lengths from crime.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
Secretariat won the Belmont Stakes by an astonishing thirty one lengths.
Jack Whittaker, one of CBS's most seasoned broadcasters, couldn't hold
back his astonishment everybody was just speechless, and when it's
set in, people were just crying. He literally saw people crying.
It was such an overwhelming sight to see. It was
(09:06):
a performance of a lifetime. Secretariat not only set a
track record, but a North American record for the one
and a half mile dirt race. In the fall of
nineteen eighty nine, Secretariat came down with laminitis, a debilitating
hoof condition. When it failed to improve after a month
of treatment, he was euthanized on October four, at the
(09:29):
age of nineteen. Secretariat was given the rare honor of
being buried whole. Customarily, only the head, heart, and hoofs
of a winning racehorse are buried. Secretariat's autopsy revealed some
things that many race fans already knew. His heart was huge,
literally the twenty two pounds It was two and a
half times larger than the horses running behind him. Penny
(09:54):
Chennery stated, he just had a superior power pack and
he loved showing it to the world. I wonder what
he thought. He must have had a sense of accomplishment.
We can't even know what Secretariat thought, but Heywood Hail
Brown may have best summed up what we all thought
about Secretariat's performance that day in Belmont.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Every now and then, some.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Athletes touched for a moment with a kind of high
level greatness that he might not ever achieve again, but
at that moment they are more than life allows. It's
the same thing that Babe Ruth did for baseball and
was something that everyone could think about and be amazed about.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
And that's what he did for racing.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
The story of Secretariat's greatest race here on our American
Stories
And we continue with our American stories. Up next, a
sports performance story for the Agent. In ESPN's Who's Number
one list of greatest sports performances Ever, this athlete's performance
on a racetrack in Elmont, New York, on June ninth,
nineteen seventy three placed a close second behind NBA star
(00:34):
Wilk Chamberlain's one hundred point performance in nineteen sixty two.
He was the only athlete on that list with one
name and the only one with four lengths Secretariat. Going
into the one hundred and fifth Belmont Stakes, there hadn't
(00:55):
been a triple crown winner horse racing's ultimate prize for
three year olds Incitation in nineteen forty eight, and for
good reason. The three races test very different pill The first,
the Kentucky Derby, is a one and a quarter mile
long race. The second, the Preakness, is shorter at one
(01:18):
and three sixteenth with some especially tight turn. Belmont, the
last of the three, is one and a half miles,
a thoroughbred marathon and with a far turn as wide
as the Suez Canal and a home stretch that never
seems to end. Only seven horses had won all three
(01:39):
races in one hundred plus years, making the feat as
improbable as a baseball player winning the Triple Crown or
a tennis player winning the Grand Slam. Six horses had
won the first two legs of the Triple Crown since
nineteen forty eight, Tim Tam in nineteen fifty eight, Harryback
in nineteen sixty one, Northern Dancer ineighteen sixty four, and
(02:01):
Kawawi King in nineteen sixty six. Forward Passed in nineteen
sixty eight, and Conanero in nineteen seventy one. Their dreams
all died in the dirt at Belmont. The odds were
against Secretariat winning the longest and most difficult leg of
the Triple Crown, but Secretariat was no ordinary horse. Sports
(02:22):
writing legend Jerry Eisenberg, a man not prone to romanticizing
either athletes or animals, said this about the horse known
as Big Red. You can't anticipate greatness. You can't even
define it. It's something that God sticks into someone every
once in a while, and because it comes from God,
the gift can't be ignored and it can't be defeated.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
The great athletes use it even if they aren't human.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Secretariat's godlike attributes weren't always apparent to everyone. In his
debut as a two year old in nineteen seventy two,
he had trouble at the starting gate and got pushed
around the track. You're finishing fourth in that race. Secretariat
won his next two. The second was under a new jockey,
Ron Turcott. But it wasn't until the Sanford Stakes in Saratoga,
(03:10):
New York, but Secretariot would show his real potential. Here's
Turcott to explain why. I was sitting behind two horses
and I started to make my move because there was
an opening, And when those two horses came in together,
they just ricocheted off them like nothing had happened. He
went on to win it by himself, and that's when
he began to really impress me. What track pros had
(03:34):
witnessed that day wasn't an ordinary win. Here's Saratoga track
announcer David Johnson. The Secretariat made his move in that race.
It was unlike any move I had ever seen any
two year old make. It was the kind of move
that took your breath away. You could hear the collective
gas when the entire Saratoga grandstand.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
It was like, WHOA did you see that.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Secretariat would go on to dominate race that year and
become Horse of the Year, a rare feat for a
two year old. Historic qualities sparked interest from Thurbred investors
early in nineteen seventy three, and shares in the horse,
thirty two in all, was sold for record breaking six
point eight million dollars. After winning his first two starts
(04:21):
that year, Secretariat ran a disappointing third in a Kentucky
Derby prep race in Aqueduct. Many insiders were asking the
same question, was the world's newest superstud a super dud?
Secretariat arrived at Kentucky Derby with a big number of detractors.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Some were happy to spread rumors that the horse was lame.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
Despite the rumors, Secretariat was favored to win the biggest
race of his young life, a Derby record one hundred
and thirty four thousand people jammed into Churchill Downs, and
Secretariat didn't disappoint, winning the first leg of the Triple
Crown with the ease. He was the first force to
complete the Derby in less than two minutes and to
this day still holds the record by the fast disturbing
(05:06):
performance of all time. The Secretariat arrived in Baltimore as
a three to ten favorite, and once again the horse
didn't disappoint, cruising to an easy win in the Preakness Stakes,
the second leg of the Triple Crown. The stage was
set for the showdown at Belmont Park, in a shot
(05:26):
at racing history. The entire track, the entire world was
pulling for Secretariat. Here again is Jerry Eisenberg. Before the race,
you could see not only what Secretariat meant to veteran
hard boiled step over a guy with a heart attack
so I don't get shut out of the window gambling,
but also for people who were at that track who
(05:46):
were not gimm People brought their kids to see this horse.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
He was the people's horse.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
The record crowd packed Belmont's grandstands as the world rooted
for Big Red to make history.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
He went off at one to nine odds.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
It didn't take long for Secretariat to establish himself, coming
out of the gates smoothly. Unlike other races where he
raced near the back of the pack until the time
was right to make his move, Secretariat made his move
midway through the race, breezing by the only competition in
the field, Sham. Here's track announcer Chick Anderson with a call, they're.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
On the turn.
Speaker 4 (06:27):
It's Secretariat is blazing alone the first three quarters of
a mile and one O nine and fourpez Secretariatus lightening.
Now he is moving like a tremendous machine.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
Secretariat by cold, Secretariat by fourteen links on the turn.
Speaker 4 (06:44):
Sam is dropping back. It looks like they'll catch him today,
as my ballot and twice the Prince are both coming
up to him now. But Secretariatus all alone.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Onlookers were worried that Secretariat made his move too early.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Here's racing writer Bill Read. He just accelerated and took
the field. I was like, good lord, what's Turcott thinking?
But Penny Chennery, Secretariat's owner, knew better. He was too
early in the race to be running like he was running.
But it must have been what the horse wanted to do.
(07:19):
By the fore turn, it was clear as Secretariat was
going to be the winner. It was just a matter
of the margin of victory. Here is Ron Turcott. Finally,
as I turned for home, my curiosity got the best
of me. I just had to turn around, and when
I looked back, I scared myself. I never saw anything
like it in my life. It was like the horse
I was on and the others were racing on two
(07:42):
different racetracks. Here again, track announcer chick Anderson with the call.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
The lead is increasing, make it gree lead a half.
They're on the turn. Its Secretariat is blazing along the
first three quarters of a mile and one O nine
and fourpest Secretary. It is frightening now he is moving
like a tremendous machine. Secretariat by Clode.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
Secretariat by fourteen lengths on the turn.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
Just moments later, Here again is chick Anderson with the
call at the stretch of the Belmont Stake in nineteen
seventy three.
Speaker 4 (08:20):
But Secretariat is all alone. He's out there, almost the
sixteenth of a mile away from the rest.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
Of the horses.
Speaker 4 (08:26):
They're in the step.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
Secretariat has opened a twenty teen length Please, he is
going to be a triple Crown hunter. Here come Secretariat
to the wire and unbelievable, an amazing performance.
Speaker 4 (08:39):
He had the face twenty five lengths from crime.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
Secretariat won the Belmont Stakes by an astonishing thirty one lengths.
Jack Whittaker, one of CBS's most seasoned broadcasters, couldn't hold
back his astonishment everybody was just speechless, and when it's
set in, people were just crying. He literally saw people crying.
It was such an overwhelming sight to see. It was
(09:06):
a performance of a lifetime. Secretariat not only set a
track record, but a North American record for the one
and a half mile dirt race. In the fall of
nineteen eighty nine, Secretariat came down with laminitis, a debilitating
hoof condition. When it failed to improve after a month
of treatment, he was euthanized on October four, at the
(09:29):
age of nineteen. Secretariat was given the rare honor of
being buried whole. Customarily, only the head, heart, and hoofs
of a winning racehorse are buried. Secretariat's autopsy revealed some
things that many race fans already knew. His heart was huge,
literally the twenty two pounds It was two and a
half times larger than the horses running behind him. Penny
(09:54):
Chennery stated, he just had a superior power pack and
he loved showing it to the world. I wonder what
he thought. He must have had a sense of accomplishment.
We can't even know what Secretariat thought, but Heywood Hail
Brown may have best summed up what we all thought
about Secretariat's performance that day in Belmont.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Every now and then, some.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Athletes touched for a moment with a kind of high
level greatness that he might not ever achieve again, but
at that moment they are more than life allows. It's
the same thing that Babe Ruth did for baseball and
was something that everyone could think about and be amazed about.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
And that's what he did for racing.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
The story of Secretariat's greatest race here on our American
Stories
Host
Lee Habeeb
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