09 June, 2011

June 9, 1973

The horse known as “Big Red” won the Triple Crown, winning the Belmont Stakes by an incredible 31 lengths. Secretariat ran the fastest 1 1/2 miles on dirt in history (record still stands) at 2:24 flat.

His Kentucky Derby win was just as impressive, as he did something that’s equally unheard of. He ran the 1 1/4 mile race and each successive 1/4 mile was faster than the previous. Wikipedia sums it up:

The successive quarter-mile times were 2515, 24, 2345, 2325, and 23. This means he was still accelerating as of the final quarter-mile of the race.

His Kentucky Derby time of 1:59:2 is still a record as well.

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