description: On June 9, 1973, the entire world was witness to one of the greatest performances not only in racing, but in all of sports. The great Secretariat was attempting to become the first Triple Crown winner since Citation in 1948. For 25 years the racing world had waited for a champion worthy of the coveted Triple Crown, and on this day, they were not disappointed.After a record setting time of 1:59 2/5 in the Kentucky Derby and an unofficial record time of 1:53 2/5 in the Preakness, Secretariat was far and away the favorite to win the Belmont stakes. While 67,605 people watched from the stands and millions more watched on television, announcer Chic Anderson made one of the most famous calls in sports "Secretariat is blazing along! The first three-quarters of a mile in 1:09 4/5. Secretariat is widening now. He is moving like a tremendous machine!"Secretariat shattered the track and stakes record in the one and half-mile race and drew tremendous praise and fame for his Triple Crown performance.Kent Hollingsworth of The Blood-Horse wrote, "Two twenty-four flat. I don't believe it. Impossible. But I saw it. I can't breathe. He won by a sixteenth of a mile. I saw it. I have to believe it."Secretariat became such a celebrity, he was featured on the covers of such magazines as Time, Newsweek, and Sports Illustrated. He is considered by many, the greatest racehorse of all time, and most certainly, a Thoroughbred Legend.
language: English
title: Secretariat: Thoroughbred Legends