I was in Saratoga for the '26 Belmont Stakes. On the way out, I had to pay my respects to this force of nature. Simply glimpsing the golden letters that form the legendary name on the monument sends shivers down my spine.
The lap record set by Secretariat at the 1973 Belmont Stakes is not only still standing today, It is widely considered one of the most unbreakable records in all of sports.
Not only did "Big Red" win the 1973 Triple Crown by an astronomical 31 lengths, but he stopped the clock at 2:24 flat for the 1.5-mile distance. To put into perspective just how dominant that time is: The Margin to Second Place: No other horse in history has ever run a 1.5-mile dirt race faster. The closest anyone has ever come to his Belmont Stakes time is 2:26.00 (set by A.P. Indy in 1992 and Secretariat's own son, Risen Star, in 1988)—a full two seconds slower, which equates to roughly 10-12 lengths on the track.
More than 50 years later, Secretariat still holds the stakes record for all three Triple Crown legs (The Kentucky Derby, The Preakness, and The Belmont), cementing his status as the ultimate "tremendous machine."
The Horse God Built 🙌❤️