Horse Racing Fantasy Community

Coming off of his record Kentucky Derby performance (see and read why here Secretariat 1973 Kentucky Derby), the big horse was the talk of the nation because there hadn't been a Triple Crown winner since Citation in 1948, and also because of how unusual his performance in the Derby (actually running continuously faster as the race went on) truly was. There was a clock malfunction at Pimlico that day, possibly because the overflow crowd damaged the underground timing equipment when moving across the track into the infield. Whatever the case, it's interesting to note that, because of this malfunction, this great horse was denied official recognition for the fastest Preakness ever run up to that point (and in fact, his ACTUAL time has been tied three times, but never bested). The time on the tote board at the conclusion of the race was, for SECRETARIAT, a relatively meandering 1:55, a full second off of Canonero II's Preakness record. However, the fact that the win-place-show margins were a) the exact same distances and b) the same horses as the Derby, coupled with the fact that two Daily Racing Form clockers from different vantage points clocked the race in a would-be 1:53&2 made the time on the board highly suspect from the start. The fact is that, official or not, due to film replay it can be scientifically proven that his final time in this race WAS indeed 1:53&2. What makes this fact all the more amazing is that the horse did everything you're about to see on his own. Turcotte never touched him or urged him on at all; his only maneuver was simply to guide the horse to the outside going into the clubhouse turn so he wouldn't get trapped along the rail. He NEVER asked him for speed. Then all of a sudden, he made a move that easily ranks among the most exciting in Triple Crown history, going from last to first around the first turn and into the backstretch where, as Turcotte later said, he put the horse into what he called "cruise control".

The long and short of it is this: SECRETARIAT's Preakness performance is the greatest Preakness ever run because of HOW he ran it: so fast, so powerfully, and so....EASILY, so much so that, as mentioned before, only 3 horses since have run this race in 1:53&2, and each of those horses (most recently Curlin) were in all-out drives to post such a time. Even with Laffit Pincay, Jr. asking Sham for everything the big bay could give, and Sham responding, he actually LOST ground from the 16th pole to the wire, and SECRETARIAT was doing it free and easy. Turcotte has repeatedly said this over the years, and he was never known as a braggart. However, if you're not convinced by what Turcotte has to say, use your own powers of observation as you watch this incredible performance. Note also that race announcer Chic Anderson notices Turcotte's inaction and is astonished as he begins to pull away from the 16th pole to the wire, even though Sham is driving all-out. For those who try to say his only claim to fame is his Belmont and that this horse wasn't overly fast, my response is to feast your eyes on this, SECRETARIAT's amazing performance in the 1973 Preakness Stakes: