This is how a lost coin toss led to immorality for Secretariat
That name, that image of Big Red winning each of the 1973 Triple Crown races, is still a visceral memory for those old enough to witness and comprehend the feat. And Secretariat's enormous achievement after a quarter-century without a Triple-Crown winner cemented his status as the 35th-best athlete of the 20th century, according to an ESPN ranking.
As a 2-year-old in 1972, Secretariat won eight of ten races and was named Horse of the Year, a rare accolade for a horse that young. That set the stage for the events of the ensuing year. Secretariat was already popular and expectations were sky-high when the thoroughbred lost to Sham in a race leading up to the Kentucky Derby. That caused doubts which dissipated substantially when Secretariat beat Sham by 2 ½ in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. The only race left between legend and lethargy, between forever and forget, was the Belmont Stakes, the third leg of the Triple Crown.
When the gates opened to start the Belmont, Secretariat and Sham looked as if they were going to battle to the end again. Then Secretariat kicked into high gear, eventually winning the latter race by an astounding 31 lengths and demolishing the previous track record by more than two seconds. According to an ESPN documentary describing the aftermath of the race, more than a few folks had tears in their eyes over the magnitude of the triumph. Secretariat repeated as Horse of the Year in 1973 and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1974.
Not only did Big Red succeed where seven previous horses who won the first two legs of the Triple Crown failed, but he gave racing fans and all Americans something to feel good about at a time of uncertainty and chaos. In 1973 alone, we saw the gas crisis, Watergate scandal spin out of control, and the resignation of Vice President Spiro Agnew for illegal behavior uncovered while he was Maryland governor.
Secretariat's Triple Crown was followed soon thereafter by Seattle Slew in 1977 and Affirmed in 1978, who also pulled off the trifecta. But what was looking easy by then would not be repeated for another 37 years. Over that duration, the popularity of horse racing declined amid off-track betting, allegations of doping, and traumatic scenes of horses injured and euthanized on the track. Conversely, Secretariat's legend grew exponentially. Though a better sire of broodmares than stallions, Secretariat still bequeathed a long line of stakes winners, but none as noteworthy. Following Secretariat's unfortunate demise in 1989 due to laminitis, he had a postage stamp released in his memory in 1999. In 2007, he became the first non-human inducted into the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame. The 2010 Disney movie that retold his amazing story ensured another generation of admirers.
It is often said that sports fans yearn for the underdog and tire of watching sustained success. Tell that to the more than 5,600 winning ticket-holders at the 1973 Belmont Stakes who never redeemed them, afraid of parting with the dominance and greatness they represented. Even at 50, those tickets are worth immeasurably more than the patrons originally wagered, as no price can be put on immortality.
Dr. Samuel B. Hoff, George Washington Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History and Political Science at Delaware State University, is a resident of Dover.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Secretariat's win in the 1973 Belmont was built on a coin toss
