Posted on 05/02/2026 2:18:13 PM PDT by NKP_Vet
Take a look back at Secretariat earning the first jewel of his Triple Crown run with a still-standing track record time of his historic Kentucky Derby win.
https://youtu.be/LV4drumXbA4?si=WYW54bcTugE92Xqs
I got my money on Chief Wallabee to win
Always loved seeing “Big Red” run.
Oh, yeah! The problem with watching this race is that he started at the very back and was out of camera range a good deal of the time -
Until he wasn't!!!
One of the large portraits in my living room is of Secretariat. Amazing horse.
Sham was a great horse - he may still have the second-best times in all three TC races - but Big Red has the fastest in all three.
That was his style, though.
Oh, Lordy, yes! Any other year would have been his. His Derby is still the 2nd place record.
He and Riva Ridge's lives were lived in Secretariat's shadow, which is sad.
Years ago I did the math on how many lengths he would have beat every Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes winner since his historic run.
For sure.
Sham is the only other horse to run a sub-2 minute Derby.
Think about it....of all the horses that have run in the Derby, Sham ran the fastest - on the day that another horse ran faster. 🤔
Yup.... and that was over 50 years ago.
Three weeks later we saw one of the most memorable and horrific Indianapolis 500’s of all time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2lKaM33wIY
Sham is the only other horse to run a sub-2 minute Derby.
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Golden Tempo’s time today was 2:02.27. Secretariat’s time was 1:59.4.... when working through the average speed for both horses, that means that Secretariat would have won by 159 feet... essentially 20 lengths.
They call it the fastest two minutes in sport... Secretariat did in less than two... 1:59.40.
That record still stands... Golden Tempo’s time... 2:02.27.
A very impressive race though... Coming from dead last to first at the final turn. You don’t see that too often.
Wiki -— All of the horse racers in the 2025 Kentucky Derby are related to Secretariat. Each of the 19 horses that ran in the 2025 Kentucky Derby is a direct descendant of Secretariat. He has more than 600 registered foals.
I never get tired of watching Secretariat’s Triple Crown races. Amazing horse!
Isn’t going back to Secretariat, to “prep for the race” like going back to Tommie Smith or Bob Hayes to “prep” for Olympics track and field events?
I have to admit, I did watch Secretariat take the ‘whole bushel of roses’, while seated at a bar in Biloxi, MS.
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