It wasn’t a race – it was a coronation. June 9, 1973, Belmont Park: a crowd of over 69,000 gathered, buzzing with anticipation. They came to see if a big red colt named Secretariat could conquer the Triple Crown, but what they witnessed was something beyond victory. When the gates sprang open, Secretariat bolted to the lead like a rocket. His rival Sham dared to go with him, the two flying together into the first turn, but the pace was blistering – far faster than a marathon 1½-mile race should ever begin. Seasoned bettors gasped; “he’s going too fast,” they muttered. Secretariat didn’t care. He was running into history. By the half-mile, Sham was spent, his brave heart broken trying to keep up with the tremendous machine beside him. Secretariat was widening the gap – five lengths, ten, twenty – each gigantic stride carrying him further into an uncharted realm of dominance. In the stretch, jockey Ron Turcotte peeked back over his shoulder: there was nobody there. Secretariat was alone, a red blur against the track, accelerating even faster as he thundered toward the finish. The Belmont Park grandstands shook with a roar of disbelief and joy. Fans were screaming, some in tears, all in absolute awe. Track announcer Chic Anderson’s voice bellowed over the loudspeakers, “Secretariat is widening now! He is moving like a tremendous machine!” as the colt powered home. Thirty-one lengths. That was the astonishing margin when Secretariat hit the wire, utterly alone in his glory. He blazed 1½ miles in 2:24 flat, a track record and world record that still stands untouched. Pandemonium erupted. Grown men hugged strangers, and cheers echoed to the heavens. In that immortal Belmont Stakes, Secretariat didn’t just win by a distance rarely seen – he transcended the sport. He had delivered perhaps the greatest performance in racing history, a display of strength and speed so otherworldly that it defied comprehension. On that day of days, Secretariat became a legend, and the image of Turcotte glancing back at an empty track behind him became an indelible symbol of pure dominance…?
Belmont Park, June 9, 1973 — On a radiant early summer afternoon, more than 69,000 spectators packed the grandstands at Belmont Park, their excitement […]
