Secretariat won in 1973.
Ok, 45 years isn’t too far from 50. :)
I didn’t know there was such a long time before Secretariat’s Triple Crown victory.
As a teen during the 70s I worked at Belmont racetrack for a couple years. There were 3 Triple Crown winners during that decade: Secretariat in 73, Seattle Slew, ‘77, and Affirmed in ‘78. We also had greats like Ruffian and Forego. What a time to be around the stables!