[DogByte6RER]

Secretariat...such a fine horse.

[DogByte6RER]

Secretariat - Belmont Stakes 1973

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoFquax2F-k

[Krankor]

His wake.

[ClearCase_guy]

Won’t get foaled again.

[Prokopton]

Secretariat...such a fine horse.

Got a chance to pet him and meet him up close and personal at the grooming shed at Claiborne. What a beautiful animal!

[Bad Jack Bauer]

I remember watching him on ABC’s Wide World of Sports and he was beautiful. You could tell he was something special even when just being led to the gate. And I agree with him being one of the top 10 athletes of all time.

[Cloverfarm]

I remember watching him race when I was a kid, and thinking “Wow, how did he do that?” after he won the Belmont.

Also, interesting to study the angles of his hind leg joints, length of his rump and length of his neck. All put together for long strides and high speed.

[SamAdams76]

Color me callous but I never could understand all the fuss and muss over a horse that could run fast.

[I still care]

I saw Secretariat race in one of the races he lost, to Prove Out.

They actually suspended betting on place and show - you could only bet him to win. There were massive tickets left all over the ground after, because people sought to capitalize on a “sure” thing by betting massive amounts of money. We stood next to a man who threw $250 tickets down on the ground after the race - in the 70’s quite a bit of cash.

I was a young girl and I didn’t feel sorry for him - as far as I was concerned, people who did that were missing the whole idea of being there. The horse was beautiful and a thrill to watch. I wasn’t disappointed. I’m so sorry I didn’t pick some tickets up though; they would have been a great souveneir.

[bagman]

The first Derby I attended was the ‘73 Derby. I put $2 on Secretariat to win and he did not disappoint.

[greatplains]

Magnificent. I watched the Triple Crown on TV as a kid, and like many other horse-crazy teenaged girls, was enchanted.

[A.A. Cunningham]

Secretariat, 1988

[TsonicTsunami08]

I will never forget the stretch run at Belmont. Such power and grace, a perfect performance. God's perfection on earth.

[Rainbow Rising]

I get goosebumps every time I see a replay of that Belmont Stakes. “Moving like a tremendous machine.”

[cjshapi]

Thank you for posting this. I was 10 in 73 and Secretariat was my hero. I bought and read every book on him I could find. One of my regrets is that I never made the trip to KY to visit him.

He sure did move like a tremendous machine.

[green pastures]

Wow. Seems like yesterday...

[Nepeta]

"Big Red"

The days are long at Belmont.

Speed they never learn.

And it's many a day since Man o' War

Has looped the upper turn.



The guineas stopped their rubbing,

The rider dropped his tack

When the word went round that Man o' War

Was coming on the track.



The crowd was hoarse with cheering

At ancient Pimlico

The day he won the Preakness-

But that was long ago.



The dust is deep at Windsor,

The good old days are gone.

And many a horse is forgotten,

But they still remember one.



For he was a fiery phantom

To that multitudinous throng-

Would you wait for another one like him?

Be patient: years are long.



For here was a horse among horses,

Cast in a Titan's mold,

And the slant October sunlight

Gilded the living gold.



He was marked with the god's own giving

And winged in every part;

The look of eagles was in his eye

And Hastings' wrath in his heart.



Young Equipoise had power

To rouse the crowded stand,

And there was magic in the name

Of Greentree's Twenty Grand.



And Sarazen has sprinted,

And Gallant Fox has stayed,

And Discovery has glittered

In the wake of Cavalcade.



We watch the heroes parading,

We wait, and our eyes are dim, But we never discover another

Like him.



A foal is born at midnight

And in the frosty morn

The horseman eyes him fondly

And a secret hope is born.



But breathe it not, nor whisper,

For fear of a neighbor's scorn:

He's a chestnut colt, and he's got a star-

He may be another Man o' War.



Nay, say it aloud--be shameless.

Dream and hope and yearn,

For there's never a man among you

But waits for his return.

~Joseph Alvie Estes

I saw three of Secretariat's races. I saw Onion beat him at Saratoga, I saw him set a world record in the Marlboro Cup, and I saw his last race on a freezing cold day at Woodbine. I saw him six times at Claiborne.

[SomeCallMeTim]

I will NEVER forget watching Big Red win the Belmont. I was 13 years old, and was working at the Greater Houston Gun Club. They were holding a bid skeet and trap shooting competition... I had been loading clay pidgeons all day.

During a break in the shooting, I was allowed to walk through the big clubhouse to use the bathroom. As I was walking through, I noticed a crowd gathered around a TV. The Belmont was about to start.

I went over, stood amongst a crowd of adults... and, watched Secretariat RUN AWAY from the field. All these adults were cheering and yelling.... I was amazed.

Now... I attend the Kentucky Derby every year, and keep waiting for some horse to break Big Red’s record.... Still hadn’t happened. :-)