Secretariat (horse)

Secretariat (horse)

Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse, that in 1973 became the first U.S. Triple Crown champion in 25 years, setting race records in all three events in the Series—the Kentucky Derby (1:59.4), the Preakness Stakes (1:53) and the Belmont Stakes (2:24) - records that still stand today. He is considered to be one of the greatest Thoroughbreds of all time, ranking second behind Man o' War in The Blood-Horse's List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century.

Secretariat was sired by Bold Ruler out of Somethingroyal, by Princequillo. He was foaled at The Meadow in Caroline County, Virginia. Like his famous predecessor Man o' War, Secretariat was a large chestnut colt and was given the same nickname, "Big Red." Secretariat's grandsire, Nasrullah, is also the great-great-grandsire of 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew.

Owned by Penny Chenery, he was trained by Lucien Laurin and mainly ridden by Canadian jockey Ron Turcotte, along with apprentice jockey Paul Feliciano (first two races), and veteran Eddie Maple (last race). He raced in Chenery's Meadow Stable's blue and white checkered colors and his groom was Eddie Sweat. Secretariat stood approximately 16.2 hands (66 inches, 168 cm) tall, and weighed 1,175 pounds (533 kg), with a 75-inch girth, in his racing prime.