Secretariat: The Wow Horse Races into History

by Time Inc.

Secretariat—the name has a kind of bureaucratic resonance. But no label could be more deceptive. The regal thoroughbred that carries it is not the tallest horse that ever lived, but he is enormous by any other measure of size or performance. He has a neck like a buffalo, a back as broad as a sofa. His chest is so deep and wide that it takes a custom-made girth to encircle its 75 in. and hold the saddle. And he is still growing.At full speed, this huge and powerful combination of bone, muscle and glistening red chestnut coat covers just an inch short of 25 ft. in a single stride. He has finished first in 11 of 14 races. He has won $804,202 since last July 4 —more than any other single competitor in any sport—and in 1972 as a mere two-year-old, he was named horse of the year. Now, having won both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness this spring, Secretariat is an odds-on favorite to run away with the Belmont Stakes this Saturday and earn his right to the Triple Crown of American horse racing.This story is part of the TIME Classic Coverage Collection from Time Inc. This is a reproduction of a story that appeared in the June 11, 1973 issue of TIME magazine. Time Inc. is one of the world’s most influential media companies – home to 90 iconic brands like People, Sports Illustrated, Time, InStyle, Real Simple, Food & Wine, and Fortune. The Spotlight Stories in this collection aim to provide you with a quick read on a single subject, highlighting our readers’ most popular stories and featuring great reporting from our Time Inc. journalists.

23 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 22, 2016

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This kindle single is a reprint of a Time article written just before Secretariat won the Triple Crown. It captures him before that last great last as it were. It is well written and really fun. It seems to capture not only the horse but the time well.

[David Butler]

what A Horse!

Love reading about spectacular animals and this may be the best one ever! What’s not to love about a horse who won the Triple Crown by beating the field by 30 lengths in the last of the three Crown Races!

[susan k. nyman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meet Secretariat, the Superhorse!

Quick into to a magical horse. Whets the appetite for more. Suggest moving on to Nack who literally lived in the horse’s pocket prior to the Belmont or Scanlon.

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was always fascinated by Secretariat. This has some information that I never knew. A quick but interesting read.