Secretariat’s Kentucky Derby record is still | Sports News

One horse stands out above all others throughout the earlier 151 runnings of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs: Secretariat, the legendary 1973 champion.

Ridden by jockey Ron Turcotte, Secretariat set an unbeaten course record with a profitable time of 1:59.4 seconds. It marked the primary of three victories in that 12 months’s Triple Crown, as Secretariat grew to become simply the ninth horse in historical past to attain the coveted racing accomplishment.

No different horse broke the two-minute barrier till Monarchos clocked a 1:59.97 in 2001. The quickest time recorded since then was Authentic’s 2:00.61 in 2020.

Secretariat’s 1973 triumph drew a then-record horse racing crowd of 134,476 followers, packing the enduring stands at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY.

He entered the race as a co-favorite at 3-2 odds however bought off to a sluggish begin, sitting behind the pack after half a mile. Secretariat then unleashed his full energy, protecting every quarter-mile quicker than the one earlier than.

Secretariat went on to set course data on the Preakness Stakes two weeks later and the Belmont Stakes a week after that, clinching the Triple Crown.

Turcotte, who had additionally gained two legs of the Triple Crown the earlier 12 months aboard a completely different horse, guided Secretariat to 14 of his 16 victories. He handed away in 2025 on the age of 84. In a 2023 interview with The Guardian, he praised not solely Secretariat’s distinctive racing skills but additionally the horse’s pleasant demeanor.

“He was a very intelligent horse,” Turcotte stated. “Never seemed to fight the rider – never fought me anyway – and he would relax… You could make as many [tactical] moves as you wanted to in a race.

“[Secretariat] had such a good manner with people. When there have been cameras round, he would stop and have a look at the cameras, stuff like that. He was so beneficiant, type, and delicate.”

Following Turcotte’s death in 2025, his family issued a statement expressing their wish that he be remembered for more than his association with Secretariat. “The world could bear in mind Ron because the well-known jockey of Secretariat, however to us he was a fantastic husband, a loving father, grandfather, and a great horseman,” they stated.

Since Secretariat’s historic 1973 victory, 4 horses have gained the Triple Crown: Seattle Slew (1977), Affirmed (1978), American Pharoah (2015), and Justify (2018). Yet none have made as lasting an influence on the game as Secretariat.