Secretariat wins the Belmont Stakes
This is the most dramatic moment in thoroughbred racing’s history. By the 1973 Belmont Stakes, the horse Secretariat had already won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. Only four horses joined Secretariat for the June 9, 1973 Stakes, including Sham, who had finished second in both the Derby and Preakness, and who eventually finished the last in the Belmont. Three other horses were thought to have little chance by the bettors.
Secretariat with its jockey Ron Turcotte races into history by winning the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths. In doing so, Secretariat became the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years and only the 9th in history, and it broke the margin-of-victory record set by Triple Crown winner Count Fleet, 25 lengths. In front of 67,000 people, Secretariat ran the fastest 1.5 miles on dirt in history, and was so far ahead of the others that the cameraman couldn’t even keep him and the next closest horse in the same shot. Famed track photographer Bob Coglianese took the above photo, the only one which included Secretariat and the other horses.
