Secretariat (racehorse).

Secretariat (racehorse). Secretariat (racehorse) (1970-1989), American Thoroughbred racehorse who, in 1973, became the first horse since 1948 to win the Triple Crown of horse racing, with victories in the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes. Secretariat was born at Meadow Stud in Doswell, Virginia. He was owned and bred by the Chenery family, trained by Lucien Laurin, and ridden by jockey Ron Turcotte. During a two-year career (1972-1973), Secretariat won 16 of 21 starts (races) and won the Eclipse Award as Horse of the Year in both years. In 1973 Secretariat set records in both the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes. He ran the 1 1/4-mi (about 2-km) Kentucky Derby in 1 minute 59 2/5 seconds. At the Belmont Stakes, he finished the 1 1/2-mi (2.4-km) race in a time of 2 minutes 24 seconds, winning by 31 lengths. Secretariat appeared simultaneously on the covers of Time, Newsweek, and Sports Illustrated magazines in 1973, and he was often called "the horse of the century" by his fans. Before the 1973 racing season, Secretariat was sold to a syndicate of investors for more than $6 million. After the season, he was retired to stud at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky, where thousands of people visited him each year. In 16 years he sired 663 foals. Secretariat was euthanized in 1989 because of complications from laminitis, an incurable hoof disease, and is buried at the farm. A bronze statue of Secretariat stands in the center of the paddock at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Contributed By: Bob Curran Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.