Did Secretariat change the sport of horse racing? See how much is different since 1973.

It was a different world back in 1973 when Secretariat became not just a racing icon but a genuine pop phenomenon, his tremendous talent and epic accomplishments capturing the imagination of the American public.

It was a simpler time back then, as well. No cell phones. No cable television. The first true personal computer was still a year away. The Watergate hearings dominated politics. Roberta Flack won the Grammy for Record of the Year in 1973 for “Killing Me Softly With His Song” while “The Godfather” won the Oscar for Best Picture. Electric cars were for cartoons.

Thoroughbred horse racing was in a different spot back then, too. There were more tracks, more exposure, more fans as horse racing was one of the few ways a patron could legally spend his wagering dollar.

“Back then,” said Seth Hancock of Claiborne Farm, “it was almost the only game in town.”

Still, especially with the advent of television, racing was losing the foothold it had established during its glory years of the 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s. A quarter decade had passed since the sport had enjoyed seeing a Triple Crown winner before Secretariat won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes in such dominating fashion.

What did he do for the sport?

“Short-term, I think he did a lot,” said Hancock, who as a 25-year-old put together Secretariat’s then-record $6 million breeding syndication. “We probably got some new fans on account of that.”

“For those who don’t follow racing, I think he called their attention to what is a great sport,” said Tom Hammond, who was the longtime host of NBC’s Triple Crown telecasts. “For those who saw the Belmont Stakes, they had to be awed by his performance. He was on the cover of Time and Newsweek, as well as Sports Illustrated. I think he penetrated into the non-racing public in a big way.”

Did Secretariat’s Triple Crown change the sport itself?

“I think in the minds of people who didn’t follow the sport, it did,” Hammond said. “And in the minds of people who are horse racing fans, it put a lot of things to rest. It put to rest we needed to change the Triple Crown. It put to rest Bold Ruler’s (offspring) can’t go a mile and a quarter. It put to rest a lot of those things, that 2-year-old champions can’t win the Triple Crown. It put to rest a lot of those things for people who do follow racing.”

“In a bigger picture, the ‘70s were a great era of horse racing,” said veteran racing writer Bill Finley of Thoroughbred Daily News. “You had the three Triple Crown winners (Secretariat in 1973, Seattle Slew in 1977, Affirmed in 1978). You had Forego, you had Spectacular Bid, etc. I think that era probably created a lot of racing fans, but I’ve always been dubious of that, of whether or not one horse can change the sport.”

There is no doubt that the sport has changed. Secretariat’s breeding rights syndication helped usher in an era in which a higher priority and monetary valuation is placed on horses as stallions. Secretariat’s final race of his career came at the end of his 3-year-old campaign when he won the Canadian International Championship Stakes at Woodbine Race Course in Canada on Oct. 28, 1973. At the time, it was unusual for a champion to retire so soon. Today, that’s not the case.

As well, Secretariat raced 21 times in his career, including nine times as a 2-year-old (on the way to winning the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year), three times as a 3-year-old before the Kentucky Derby, and six times after winning the Belmont Stakes.

On his way to winning the Triple Crown in 2015, Justify became the first Kentucky Derby winner unraced at 2 since Apollo in 1882.

“Back then if you looked down and saw a horse had only two or three starts before the Derby, you’d say what’s wrong with this horse,” said Kenny Rice, the Lexingtonian who has been a part of NBC’s Triple Crown coverage since 2000. “Is he injured? Has he been sick? We’ve got to run over there and talk to the trainer. Now, and it has been for the last 10 years or so, it’s been commonplace.”

It is also indisputable that racing is competed on a smaller scale. Arlington Park outside Chicago closed in 2021. Calder Race Course in Florida closed in 2020. Hollywood Park in Los Angeles closed in 2013. Bay Meadows in California closed in 2008. Sportsman’s Park in Illinois closed in 2002. Just to name a few.

“I don’t think racing has done itself a lot of favors, you know, with the facilities they’ve offered fans and the fan experience,” Hancock said. “(Now) there are many games in town and many ways to invest your wagering dollar. It becomes more of a struggle all the time, and we’ve got to do a better job of giving the fan a good experience.”

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