Belmont wasn’t just a race and Secretariat was just a horse it was the greatest sporting performance by the greatest athlete we will ever see!!! That’s what legends are made of!!!
To think, 50 years later, that we would be talking about a horse in a race. But he was more than a horse, and it was more than a race. It was a miracle, an honest to goodness miracle, that brought people together. One of those rare times when someone or something performs to its absolute best, to show all of us how great the world is, the possibilities, the heights that we all can achieve. I cry every time I watch this race. It is a testament to greatness how much absolute will this horse has, to show the world what can be possible. I'm glad that I was alive to witness this miracle.
I met Woody in Woodstock, NY while a salesman working in the local supermarket in 1995. Despite being nervous I introduced myself and the first thing that came to my mind was Secretariat and his marvelous performance in the Belmont. He said it was the finest moment covering sports. And yes Nack was quoting Jack Nicklaus.
50 yrs and still holds all 3 race records!! I really don' t believe there are words in the human language to truly describe this event. So many people try. ( Amazing, Unreal , Mind blowing, Supernatural ) I'm just so grateful I was alive to see it !! I get choked up everytime I watch this race. The pure majesty of this horse and this moment is just overwhelming. I must visit his grave before I leave this world!! My all-time favorite sports moment. Thank you Secretariat :)
I was 9 years old watching the Belmont on TV with my family. I can still hear my mom and dad screaming in pure ecstasy. I feel beyond fortunate to have witnessed it even on television.
Absolutely. I cried through watching this. I was a miserable little girl in a horrifically abusive household, dealing on top of that with overweight, glasses and acne. Secretariat was an angel who lifted me up into another dimension. I collected all the magazines and clippings, and knew one day I could do something great. He was sent to earth by God to lift us up.
Poor Sham. One of the best horses of all time, and never won anything because he was unlucky enough to come along at the same time as the greatest horse ever.
If Secretariat wasn't born. Sham would have been the triple crown winner..unfortunately for two things. Secretariat was born and Sham cracked a bone trying to keep up with him...Sham was a damn fast horse, but there was one faster.
You are SO right! Sham was a great horse. I think of him as a Jake LaMotta, a great fighter who went up against a guy who was just a little bit better, Sugar Ray Robinson
I cried tears of joy when I watched it live and still do to this day. As Chic Anderson said that day "an unbelievable, amazing performance one we might never see again." Man was he right!
And at the same moment as he's moving like a tremendous machine you see the horse rider and the American flag . A Great American moment for all time. .
That photo is right along with Mays catch over the shoulder. Ali looking down at Frazier. Pele’ with the bicycle kick for a goal. Lou Gehrig’s and Babe Ruth’s retirement speeches, Jesse Owens winning the 100 yd dash and Franco’ Immaculate Reception.
@@JellyBeanInTheNight Definitely. For years I’ve been meaning to get 4-5 classic black and white sports photos and hang them up somewhere…probably in my home office right now. I’ve moved a couple times recently and at each house I had perfect walls to put the pictures up, but just never got around to doing it. I just need to do it. That one would be one of the pictures. I have a few more in mind, but that one would definitely be one of them.
Nothing is more iconic of pure athletic dominance than that shot. NOTHING. Poor Ronnie must have thought, "Oh shit did we accidentally Rosie Ruiz it and did a short cut?!"
I have watched this race at least 20 times. I was bound and determined to watch this race without shedding a tear but I still can not do it. There will never be a horse like Secretariat again.
Yeah, I'd have a tough time arguing that point. Just an incredible moment in sports. Any horse that goes through the grueling campaign of the Triple Crown is certainly NOT easy. I think we all would agree that Sham just 'hit the wall' in the last 3/8 mile or so. And then you've got Secretariat just rolling along that's never been done before - or since. I can still remember hearing the news back in 1989 that they had to euthanize Big Red. It pretty well hit me like a tsunami. What a beautiful horse he was. It was a privilege watching him throughout his career. Thanks for the memories there Big Boy!
I saw the 1973 Belmont Stakes live at my home. The race was and STILL IS the most remarkable sporting event that I have ever seen. Secretariat, you are the GREATEST.
I saw it live as well and have gone on record many times by saying '"this was one of the greatest performances by an athlete, yes an athlete, I have ever seen in my lifetime. Amazingly Secretariat's Triple Crown track records still stand to this day. Today we have the Breeder's Cup Classic to determine the Horse of the Year, but I feel the Belmont Stakes (a mile and a half) is still the true test when looking for a champion in thoroughbred racing.
I was eleven at the time, watched all three races and still, to this day, just marvel at Big Red’s performance. I was so psyched when the movie came out. Next summer should be really cool…50 year celebration of that magnificent horse.
Words fail to adequately describe his greatness. The importance of Secretariat in 1973 cannot be over estimated. The nation needed something special to focus on and this horse delivered, boy did he deliver.
Secretariat is the greatest athlete of the 20th Century, period. Pure and honest, not corrupted by anything. Doubt that this will happen, but would love to see another one like him today. In the current political climate, the country would appreciate a hero like him I'm sure. Every time I watch him in the Triple Crown races, it brings tears to my eyes. What an icon.
How can you look upon perfection and not be moved to tears? Truely one of, if not the greatest moments in the history of sports. At some point the Triple Crown will be won again, but Secretariats run to glory will never be surpassed.
God decided to create only one perfect Horse, and that Horse was Secretariat. No Horse will ever Beat his winning time and margin of victory in the Belmont and no horse ever will. He was a true athlete and he was absolutely Beautiful. RIP BEAUTIFUL BOY YOU ARE LOVED AND MISSED. AMERICAN PHAROAH YOUR GREAT GREAT GREAT GRANDSON WON THE TRIPLE CROWN. WE ARE SO EXCITED YOUR KIN WON.
"it was like the Lord was holding the reins, secretariat was one of his creatures and maybe whispered to him "ah go", and that horse really went"... now that's a classic line for the ages
That was NYRA's Pat Lynch. He closed by saying" It was like an almost supernatural experience." Woody Bruen's conversation with the great golfer Jack Nicklaus some time later was priceless. After telling him he saw the race. While coming down the stretch he stood up, applauded and began crying. Woody turned to Jack and said "all of your life you've been striving for perfection. At the end of the Belmont, you saw it."
The greatest sports moment ever....Secretariat had no millions in salary, no agent, no commercial endorsements, no social media.........he just ran for the pure joy of it.
I swear I have watched this trilogy so many times that I can repeat the commentator's comments along with them - and I do - and I cry with happiness each and every time. Thanks to the powers-to-be to grant me life while this immemorial creature of yours ran the tracks.
@@gh9111 The part about Jack Nicklaus was awesome. I really hope that was true and not just a made up story. First of all that sounds like something Jack Nicklaus might actually do and secondly, the analogy between his game and what Secretariat did at the Belmont is true. In golf every player sets out to shoot the “perfect round” which would be a 54. That would be a birdie on every hole. I mean I guess technically you could go lower if you eagled a hole, but the prototypical perfect golf round would be 18 birdies and that’s what Jack tried to do every time he teed it up. Of course, he never accomplished it, but he witnessed perfection watching Secretariat run that day.
@@Whoopdido777 it’s probably a true story about Jack Nicholas, it’s been around forever and never heard it being denied. Here’s another story you might have heard or not, Pete Roselle was the commissioner of the NFL at the time and he didn’t really follow horse racing but wanted to see the Secretariat mania so he went to Belmont to check it out and he was watching the race from one of the clubs and as the race was unfolding he suddenly felt someone pulling at his pant leg and his first thought was someone had fallen or collapsed so he looked down and discovered he was standing on a table with no idea how he got there, didn’t remember climbing up there! I believe I got this story from one of the Bill Nack videos, he wrote Secretariat’s biography. If you haven’t seen one you may want to check one out, there’s a couple really good ones on CZcams
Secretariat did a lot more than winning races in record time. People were looking for something so great to lift up their spirit and feel great about something so special, and god sent Secretariat.
I like how in the first two races it was like he held back and said ok im going to give you guys a headstart, and then just so much speed and power. What an amazing horse. And over 50 years later still holds the records in all 3 races and the Belmont record will never be broken. Pure perfection.
I remember watching it on my little black & white TV and I still got chills - for the the first time in my life I could feel the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I will never forget it, he was so magnificent.
My parents went to the race. I stayed home and watched on TV. It is hard to think of any event that hyped, with that anticipation, since. Maybe the first step by Armstrong on the moon a few years earlier. When the horse began separating from sham, riveted you as it began. The call "tremendous machine" live, took your breath away. From that moment on I can say this honestly, it was the only thing I have seen that felt supernatural. The witnesses to people crying aren't lying. My dad came home and told me a few hours after the race. It overwhelmed you live even if you saw it on TV. It was a very special moment to just be a witness. When I watch the race today, it is the only thing I can recall from that far in the past, as if it just happened, with the same raw emotion of the moment then.
Great comment, "plum." I get the same way -- emotional -- watching his races, especially the Belmont, of course. And regardless of whether it is an actual replay, or in the ESPN greatest athletes collection vid, or the Diane Lane movie.
I can’t stop watching even today it still makes me cry and it’s a happy wonderful cry. When I’m feeling down or having a bad day I watch the secretariat Belmont race…..and I feel great again !!!
This has to be the greatest sports moment that I have ever seen. I was in the Army in a bar watching this in Virginia beach Virginia. I called my girlfriend after the race and asked her to marry me when I got out of the service in two weeks. She said yes, and we got married in October. I will never forget this day.
+Steve Balistreri : And may God Bless you and your loved ones for your service!! I am a Boston Celtics fan starting wayyyy back in 1950s. I used to consider Bill Russell to be the greatest athlete ever. He still is the greatest human athlete ..... but "Big Red" is the greatest imo now.
I was just a kid when Secretariat won the Belmont race, and subsequently the Triple Crown. I was home watching it on the TV with my Mom. She started crying, when he blew by Sham, and started his epic turn and run down the home stretch. I knew, I was seeing something very rare and very special. Perfection.
Notice... Not once does Ronny use his whip, not once does he try and slow him....Big Red ran his own race. Sham Challenged him, and he answered it...all by himself. The commentator said it right...on this day, in this race, there isn't a horse anywhere that could have beaten him. Every athlete has that perfect day...This was Secretariat's. People like to compare this or that, but i believe if you COULD put any horse you think is better, IN this race beside Big Red...He would have answered that challenge as well.
God created the Perfect Athlete / Horse in Secretariat! Secretariat's amazing performance in the 1973 Belmont Stakes is still the most dominant performance in a Championship Event in the History of Sports! To put it in perspective Secretariat (with his still World Record Time of 2:24 for the 1 1/2 Mile in the 1973 Belmont Stakes) would have beaten American Pharoah's performance yesterday by FIFTEEN (15) LENGTHS!!!! Simply INCREDIBLE!! If there was ONE Sporting Event that I could go back in time to see Live it would be Secretariat's 1973 Belmont Stakes! Every time I watch it makes me cry as it was the most breathtaking performance in the History of Sports! Secretariat was PURE PERFECTION in Motion!
VERY WELL PUT ! I was just 10 on this day and I would go see this 1st also !! Then Ali vs. Frazier 1 .....very emotional history as I see it now as a 56 year old !
He beat a weak field of four rivals. Visually impressive but not the best ever. Ghostzapper's 2004 BC Classic was almost as impressive especially since runner-up Roses in May came back to win the Dubai Cup the following spring. People who don't handicap professionally are easily taken in by performances like this. Forego, had he run, would have been at Secretariat's neck turning for home coming off that ridiculous speed duel.
The timer doesn't lie. Regardless of the strength or weakness of the rest of the field, no other horse has ever come close to running 1-1/2 miles in 2:24 flat. Remind me to not take chess lessons from you.
Since I only teach prodigies who are already elite players, you'd have nothing to turn down with that internet mouth. Oh and the timer lies quiet a bit, as every professional horseplayer knows. Please keep pumping your money into the betting pools. One reason I chose racing over hustling people is I could take their money without having to do so directly.
@@raygordonteacheschess5501 So the timer lied, Secretariat didn't really run that in 2:24? I see. Boy am I glad you cleared that up! You are amazingly brilliant, sir!
I never get tired of watching this clip. The first time I saw this, it was on the actual day of the race. I still can't believe what Secretariat accomplished that day. A friend of mine said to me on that fateful day, "He (Secretariat) would have won that race if Dick Butkus was the jockey."
This horse was in no joke he was God sent in they will never ever have another like Secretariat I got to go see his memorial I love him I was really young and it never got to his race. I'm back at the footage this whole list was the two he the best horse that ever lived on this planet
The greatest racehorse in history.....period. No other horse who EVER lived- including the great Man O' War- could have beaten Secretariat on that day. I was 11 years old when this race was run- it is still etched in my memory. I have never seen anything like it and this feat will never be repeated. We will never see another like him...not in any lifetime....EVER. He was one of a kind. The word SUPERHORSE applies to him and him alone.
I agree. But... I would have liked to see War Admiral, Man O War, and Seabiscuit, amongst others, trained with modern medicine, techniques, and vet care, and then see how they would have done. Big Red would likely still win, and win big, but the race for second would be fascinating!
@@theswordguy5269 You say the modern training, then, what has happened in the 45 years since? This horse was truly one of a kind. Check the times of the triple crown races.
@@Bruhop60 Modern vet science, better use of training intervals, better track grooming and maintenance, the list goes on. You have to ask if the horses were as fast back then because nothing changed, or because they simply rode them harder. Look at how Seabiscuit was manhandled and mistreated early in his career, for example. And, I did say that Secretariat would almost certainly still win, but that the race would have been fun to watch. Genetically and physically, he was - unique.
I saw this historical race the day before my 20th birthday. Chic Anderson was marvelous and the horse was masterful. I've lost track of how many times I've watched this video. Can't ever remember not being teary-eyed. Secretariat was the "people's and made many of us feel good in a difficult period in our lives. I believe the late Bill Nack's words "we will never see this again." Kudos to ESPN for assembling some of the best journalists ever to do this Sports Century piece. I'll take on anyone who says Big Red was not an athlete. He was supernatural.
This was truely one of the greatest moments in Sports History period. " Secretariat is moving like tremendous Machine".. How this great Campion won all three races in the Triple Crown will never be duplicated ...
Sham and Secretariat dueling stride for stride until the backstretch.....and then its as if a switch has been flipped, and Sham has to return back to the pack with the rest of the normal horses.....while Secretariat taps into the universe, and becomes the myth.
I was there and sat in the third tier grandstand by the 1/8th pole. I still have the 2$ win ticket and two programs. When the gap opened up between secretariat and sham on the backstretch, all 70,000 who where there that day erupted; knowing that he was going to win.
+Robert Manocchia I've often shown this race to my classes of college freshmen over the years. Each time I've done so, at the first wide shot at about that point, several tech-savvy kids have helpfully alerted me to the fact that "the tape skipped;" and just stared at me then quickly back at the screen when I've assured them that it hadn't.
Secretariat is the greatest athlete of all time, No human or non human can even come close to the greatness of Secretariat, PERIOD !! Truely a gift from God !! I don't think we will ever see an athlete like this ever again
Nearco, Noor, Man o' War, and about 20 horses you never heard of were just as impressive. Heck, even Landaluce before she died rivaled it. RUFFIAN definitely impressed as much as this one.
Gary have you seen Cheetahs timed in the 100m either at zoos or the wild? They can run 0-60 mph in 3 secs. If Usain Bolt had a 45m head start he would lose to a cheetah. They have been timed at 4.1 secs/100m in the wild.
It's kind or hard to compare Secretariat to Ruffian because the latter ran in mostly shorter races and had clean running room against the other elite fillies and was clearly the best of her class. That being said, Big Red routinely worked out at shorter distances with times approaching what Ruffian did on race day. Ruffian ran once at 1 1/2 miles and she ran a solid 2:26 or so which is usually winning in the Belmont and would of lost to Secretariat by "only" ten lengths or so. And a match race between the two would have been a beat down as well on a fast track. She struggled to stay even with Foolish Pleasure before the breakdown and going by their derby times Secretariat has FP by 12 lengths at least and that's with Red on the outside running a longer distance. Absolutely no chance that Ruffian could beat Secretariat head to head. No shame in that.
I watched the race as it happened in 1973 from my living room. I remember the announcer commenting "he's moving like an incredible machine!" just about same time my dad, a long time horse racing fan, grew quite in the room. They both knew what as going to happen, they both knew they were watching history. I get goose bumps now as I watch it and remember. Secretariat's name is revered, spoken with the highest respect, but I don't know if even that pays respect to the performance this horse turned in that day to any appropriate degree.
My uncle Ralph and I were the big racing fans. He would tell me over and over again about Citations TC. But I was less than a year old then. In 1973 I had never seen a winning TC horse.
Not to sound like a broken record but to echo most of us here, this hands down has to be the greatest athletic achievement in sports history as we know it. Comaneci's perfect 10's are up there. Beamon's long jump also. Records are there to be broken. But this was just insane.
In this case like Citation winning the triple which happened the year after I was born. We thought it would never happen again. For my whole life horses won two but not all three races until Secretariat.
I was a 12 year old watching on tv...cheering and I wept...I still get goosebumps just thinking about it....Justify and American Pharoah are great horses...Secretariat was the greatest racehorse who ever lived...
Pat Lynch comment at 7:19 is very true. This horse was God's horse which is why we all get so emotional whenever we watch that 1973 Belmont. Like Mr. Lynch stated it was a "Supernatural Experience" on that day and it still is 44 years later. I watched that race in 1973 when I was 13 and was captivated by that horse. I still am til this day. Rest in Peace Big Red! We truly Miss You!
The Jack Whitaker-Jack Nicklaus exchange really floored me. Secretariat's Belmont Takes performance was what all athletes aspire for-"perfection". This was the greatest athletic feat ever in sports history.
It's a pure privilege to have watched this, decades after it actually happened. Phenomenal, out of this world, supernatural.... no superlative does it justice. Secretariat's performance in the Belmont has to be the most awesome spectacle ever in a sporting arena. Oh to have been there!
really rare when 40+ yrs later.. nothing in your sport or "field" even compares to your accomplishments.. simply the most perfect, sport of Kings, thoroughbred, horse, competitor EVER....
Man I got goose bumps watching this video. Fifty years later and Secretariat remains as impressive and legendary as ever. What an incredible animal. How I wish I could have been there to see it in person!!!!!!!
To bad for sham though. Had he been born just 1 year earlier or later, he would have been a triple crown champion himself. He gave secretariat all he could handle in the derby and preakness. In the Belmont we got to see what the immortal one could really do. I was humbled even as a child when I first saw this race on video. I wish he could have lived longer.
When horses as great as Spectacular Bid and Native Dancer have failed to Triple Crown, it is impossible to say any particular horse would have won it. Racing luck as well as talent is ALWAYS involved in winning the TC.
I've watched the video of that race probably over 100 times and I still, after several years, get choked up. The most amazing and wondrous thing, next to my sons being born, that I've ever seen...
No question about it. I watched the 1973 Belmont Stake at home. The race is still the most remarkable sporting event that I have ever seen and brings tears to my eyes every time that I watch it.
Peter Weinstein Yep--I too, watched this when it happened in 1973!! I remember my Dad was watching it with me and my brother and he was shouting "HOLY S&%T YOU CAN'T EVEN SEE THE OTHER HORSES" And it was true--the TV cameras couldn't even get the other horses in the picture frame!! I think it's the most incredible single performance in sports history!!
citizensaneusa I too saw it on TV. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Like everyone else, when he opened up that huge lead, I thought Turcotte was crazy, that the horse was just going to collapse and die. Never saw anything like it before or since.
I didn't think for a minute that Secretariat would collapse. Once chic Anderson said he was moving like a tremendous machine it was enjoy this wonderful moment.
Wish we had a Secretariat now. With covid,the election,riots,etc we could all use an uplift. RIP Big Red. You were amazing to watch run then and now through these wonderful videos.
Just an Awesome horse!!!! What an honor it must have been to see this machine in person!! I work down the street from Meadow Farm in Doswell Va. I can almost feel his spirit in the air while watching this !!
JoJoGunn Presumably because it's the absolute pinnacle of athletic performance. Secretariat was so dominating and so perfect that there is hardly any reason to continue watching sports: nothing can ever top what he did.
Patrick Healy Exactly. I can't remember who it was, but a Sports Illustrated writer (and not a horse racing guy) said it was the greatest athletic performance he had ever seen.
God decided to create only one perfect horse, that horse was Secretariat. RIP BIG RED YOU ARE LOVED AND TRULY MISSED, WE WERE BLESSED TO HAVE YOU FOR 19 YEARS.
@jesusisnotallright s Are you crazy? That horse was tested more than any athlete of any sport ever! They tested saliva, blood, piss, feces, his food, his water... hell he could hardly breathe without someone collecting a tube of air.
+HollondonSCO : Yes, I agree, Big Red is greatest athlete of all time. Just one thing, and this is VERY minor ..... I get irritated a little anytime someone talks about something fast to a freight train. I wish they would use "express train" instead!!! But NOBODY (except me and one guy I heard years ago) says "Express train ...."
+Doug Griggs My very minor issue is with his having been likened to a machine. Oh, no; this horse was all heart, personality, and kindness - just of a supernatural variety!
I am in the entertainment industry and have met actors and actresses from all over the world. Nothing compares as to the day I got to see Secretariat in person. I have watched this video roughly ten times and no matter how much I try a tear runs down my face. Greatest event I ever saw.
I'm the same age as microphen and had the same reaction then and now. I don't know why it makes me cry, but it does every time. He just exuded so much joy and strength when he ran. Before the internet, I went to the museum of broadcasting in NYC where you could look at old TV clips. Secretariat and the Belmont was the first one that I chose, because it had stayed in memory all those years.
GREAT VIDEO ! I do love horse racing, we had our own triple crown winner from here in Seattle, "Seattle Slew", and as proud as we all are for that win, my heart is just stuck on Beautiful Secretariat. I LOVE THAT HORSE, & I cry everytime I watch his races. I hv wtched the movie more times then I can count, & just 4 days ago, I recorded it again. I break down everytime I see his memorial & where he is buried. Never has been or ever will be another horse like SECRETARIAT !
The day Secretariat won the Belmont was the first time I saw my parents cry. That day was when I learned about happy tears.
The day I was born.
I still get tears every time i watch . I watch it often.
Belmont wasn’t just a race and Secretariat was just a horse it was the greatest sporting performance by the greatest athlete we will ever see!!! That’s what legends are made of!!!
To think, 50 years later, that we would be talking about a horse in a race. But he was more than a horse, and it was more than a race. It was a miracle, an honest to goodness miracle, that brought people together. One of those rare times when someone or something performs to its absolute best, to show all of us how great the world is, the possibilities, the heights that we all can achieve. I cry every time I watch this race. It is a testament to greatness how much absolute will this horse has, to show the world what can be possible. I'm glad that I was alive to witness this miracle.
Greatest race horse ever...Still holds all 3 track records-48 years later. Incredible.
49 years later ❤️
Binge-watching his races! Just incredible!
50 years later
@@Dannyedelman4231 Not yet!
Think of all the training advantages and juice today's horses get, too....and still, no other horse has come close.
When Bill Nack said to Jack Nicholas , all your life you have been looking for perfection, today at the Belmont you saw it." That said it all.
Bill Nack was quoting Woody Broun's conversation with Jack Nicholas.
Actually it was Heywood Hale Broun, of CBS, who said that to Nicklaus, but the words were the same.
I met Woody in Woodstock, NY while a salesman working in the local supermarket in 1995. Despite being nervous I introduced myself and the first thing that came to my mind was Secretariat and his marvelous performance in the Belmont. He said it was the finest moment covering sports. And yes Nack was quoting Jack Nicklaus.
50 yrs and still holds all 3 race records!! I really don' t believe there are words in the human language to truly describe this event. So many people try. ( Amazing, Unreal , Mind blowing, Supernatural ) I'm just so grateful I was alive to see it !! I get choked up everytime I watch this race. The pure majesty of this horse and this moment is just overwhelming. I must visit his grave before I leave this world!! My all-time favorite sports moment. Thank you Secretariat :)
I was at his grave may 16th 2023... please go❤❤
I was 9 years old watching the Belmont on TV with my family. I can still hear my mom and dad screaming in pure ecstasy. I feel beyond fortunate to have witnessed it even on television.
I was 11 years old when he won the Triple crown and still can't watch him without crying.❤️
SECRÉTARIAT 💪😉💪
Yo! Yo! Tucker! 😮 It's me!
The G.O.A.T since 50 year!
Absolutely. I cried through watching this. I was a miserable little girl in a horrifically abusive household, dealing on top of that with overweight, glasses and acne. Secretariat was an angel who lifted me up into another dimension. I collected all the magazines and clippings, and knew one day I could do something great. He was sent to earth by God to lift us up.
Poor Sham. One of the best horses of all time, and never won anything because he was unlucky enough to come along at the same time as the greatest horse ever.
I know. Sham was a great race horse. I actually pity him.
Nobody felt more empathy with Sham than Penney Tweedy. She thought he was a wonderful horse, cursed to have to run against her big red colt.
If Secretariat wasn't born. Sham would have been the triple crown winner..unfortunately for two things. Secretariat was born and Sham cracked a bone trying to keep up with him...Sham was a damn fast horse, but there was one faster.
You are SO right! Sham was a great horse. I think of him as a Jake LaMotta, a great fighter who went up against a guy who was just a little bit better, Sugar Ray Robinson
its like with alydar and affirmed
No matter how many times I watch this, it still gives me chills.
It really does.
I cried tears of joy when I watched it live and still do to this day. As Chic Anderson said that day "an unbelievable, amazing performance one we might never see again." Man was he right!
One of the greatest calls in sports history - "He is moving like a tremendous machine"
I totally agree. I remember watching it as a little girl. The tone in Chick Anderson’s voice, “But Secretariat’s all alone!”
And at the same moment as he's moving like a tremendous machine you see the horse rider and the American flag . A Great American moment for all time. .
I agree. A tremendous machine made by the loving hand of God.
And one of the greatest athletes in sports history.
He’s in a position that he’s impossible to catch
That photograph of Ronnie Turcotte turning around (seen at about 6:38) is one of the most memorable sports photos I've ever seen.
That picture is the most recognized in horse racing by far
That photo is right along with Mays catch over the shoulder. Ali looking down at Frazier. Pele’ with the bicycle kick for a goal. Lou Gehrig’s and Babe Ruth’s retirement speeches, Jesse Owens winning the 100 yd dash and Franco’ Immaculate Reception.
Yes!! The picture is just the coolest really
@@JellyBeanInTheNight Definitely. For years I’ve been meaning to get 4-5 classic black and white sports photos and hang them up somewhere…probably in my home office right now. I’ve moved a couple times recently and at each house I had perfect walls to put the pictures up, but just never got around to doing it. I just need to do it. That one would be one of the pictures. I have a few more in mind, but that one would definitely be one of them.
Nothing is more iconic of pure athletic dominance than that shot. NOTHING. Poor Ronnie must have thought, "Oh shit did we accidentally Rosie Ruiz it and did a short cut?!"
I have watched this race at least 20 times. I was bound and determined to watch this race without shedding a tear but I still can not do it. There will never be a horse like Secretariat again.
Same way for me
This is by far the greatest moment in sports history.
Yeah, I'd have a tough time arguing that point. Just an incredible moment in sports. Any horse that goes through the grueling campaign of the Triple Crown is certainly NOT easy. I think we all would agree that Sham just 'hit the wall' in the last 3/8 mile or so. And then you've got Secretariat just rolling along that's never been done before - or since. I can still remember hearing the news back in 1989 that they had to euthanize Big Red. It pretty well hit me like a tsunami. What a beautiful horse he was. It was a privilege watching him throughout his career. Thanks for the memories there Big Boy!
I watched this horse in 1972 & 1973. He amazed me then & I suppose he always will. Each time I see this race my reaction is the same. Awe & tears.
I saw the 1973 Belmont Stakes live at my home. The race was and STILL IS the most remarkable sporting event that I have ever seen. Secretariat, you are the GREATEST.
I saw it live as well and have gone on record many times by saying '"this was one of the greatest performances by an athlete, yes an athlete, I have ever seen in my lifetime. Amazingly Secretariat's Triple Crown track records still stand to this day. Today we have the Breeder's Cup Classic to determine the Horse of the Year, but I feel the Belmont Stakes (a mile and a half) is still the true test when looking for a champion in thoroughbred racing.
I was eleven at the time, watched all three races and still, to this day, just marvel at Big Red’s performance. I was so psyched when the movie came out. Next summer should be really cool…50 year celebration of that magnificent horse.
As did I. You are so right.
When he says " He's moving like a tremendous machine" I am weeping. Not just another horse.
+Peter Ross You nailed it exactly
You are not alone !! Very MOVING indeed ! Esp. now as I see it from my 56 year old eyes !
Yes! That tremendous machine comment grabbed my heart!
also note as Chic Anderson makes the call the camera rolls through the American flag blowing in the wind. Timeless.
@@rstefanie2622
I always thought the exact same thing! There’ll never be another Secretariat.
Secretariat seemed to take it personally when some horse went ahead of him in a race, What a horse.
Words fail to adequately describe his greatness. The importance of Secretariat in 1973 cannot be over estimated. The nation needed something special to focus on and this horse delivered, boy did he deliver.
This year is the 50th anniversary of Big Red's TC records and the fabulous Belmont Stakes.
I expect all his records to remain after June 10. 🥰
Secretariat is the greatest athlete of the 20th Century, period. Pure and honest, not corrupted by anything. Doubt that this will happen, but would love to see another one like him today. In the current political climate, the country would appreciate a hero like him I'm sure. Every time I watch him in the Triple Crown races, it brings tears to my eyes. What an icon.
How can you look upon perfection and not be moved to tears? Truely one of, if not the greatest moments in the history of sports. At some point the Triple Crown will be won again, but Secretariats run to glory will never be surpassed.
It's hard not to cry 😢. You just don't see anything like this beautiful horse and what he gave to us on that special day.
the greatest race horse that ever lived, you will never see anything like this ever again. R.I.P. Secretariat
nope, that was perfection,
@@ernestodeltoro4535 Frankel
God decided to create only one perfect Horse, and that Horse was Secretariat. No Horse will ever Beat his winning time and margin of victory in the Belmont and no horse ever will. He was a true athlete and he was absolutely Beautiful.
RIP BEAUTIFUL BOY YOU ARE LOVED AND MISSED.
AMERICAN PHAROAH YOUR GREAT GREAT GREAT GRANDSON WON THE TRIPLE CROWN. WE ARE SO EXCITED YOUR KIN WON.
Ladies and gentlemen!!!! You are seeing absolute perfection!!!
"it was like the Lord was holding the reins, secretariat was one of his creatures
and maybe whispered to him "ah go", and that horse really went"...
now that's a classic line for the ages
My favorite line too....
It was like God told him to go. Show them what perfection truly looks like.
Especially from a crusty cynical race horse lifer
Agreed. The most perfect description of his miraculous run. The footage gives me goosebumps every time.
That was NYRA's Pat Lynch. He closed by saying" It was like an almost supernatural experience." Woody Bruen's conversation with the great golfer Jack Nicklaus some time later was priceless. After telling him he saw the race. While coming down the stretch he stood up, applauded and began crying. Woody turned to Jack and said "all of your life you've been striving for perfection. At the end of the Belmont, you saw it."
The greatest sports moment ever....Secretariat had no millions in salary, no agent, no commercial endorsements, no social media.........he just ran for the pure joy of it.
He actually hated running and did it so quickly so he could get it over with.
@@wyluli-dt9wv hahahahahaha thanks
You act as if the horse had any choice in the matter lol.
A horse? What an athlete. Best one in the Twentieth Century.
Still brings tears to my eyes, the greatest sports event ever!!
I never fail to cry when I see Secretariat win the Belmont. Amazing, how can younot admire and love this horse.
There are events in sports that bring goose bumps, tears to your eyes. This one does it every time for me. What a performance. What a horse.
I swear I have watched this trilogy so many times that I can repeat the commentator's comments along with them - and I do - and I cry with happiness each and every time. Thanks to the powers-to-be to grant me life while this immemorial creature of yours ran the tracks.
Me too
Me too
No way Big Red was just a horse. He makes people cry.
@@gh9111 The part about Jack Nicklaus was awesome. I really hope that was true and not just a made up story. First of all that sounds like something Jack Nicklaus might actually do and secondly, the analogy between his game and what Secretariat did at the Belmont is true. In golf every player sets out to shoot the “perfect round” which would be a 54. That would be a birdie on every hole. I mean I guess technically you could go lower if you eagled a hole, but the prototypical perfect golf round would be 18 birdies and that’s what Jack tried to do every time he teed it up. Of course, he never accomplished it, but he witnessed perfection watching Secretariat run that day.
@@Whoopdido777 it’s probably a true story about Jack Nicholas, it’s been around forever and never heard it being denied.
Here’s another story you might have heard or not, Pete Roselle was the commissioner of the NFL at the time and he didn’t really follow horse racing but wanted to see the Secretariat mania so he went to Belmont to check it out and he was watching the race from one of the clubs and as the race was unfolding he suddenly felt someone pulling at his pant leg and his first thought was someone had fallen or collapsed so he looked down and discovered he was standing on a table with no idea how he got there, didn’t remember climbing up there! I believe I got this story from one of the Bill Nack videos, he wrote Secretariat’s biography. If you haven’t seen one you may want to check one out, there’s a couple really good ones on CZcams
Secretariat did a lot more than winning races in record time. People were looking for something so great to lift up their spirit and feel great about something so special, and god sent Secretariat.
I like how in the first two races it was like he held back and said ok im going to give you guys a headstart, and then just so much speed and power. What an amazing horse. And over 50 years later still holds the records in all 3 races and the Belmont record will never be broken. Pure perfection.
I remember watching it on my little black & white TV and I still got chills - for the the first time in my life I could feel the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I will never forget it, he was so magnificent.
"I believe in Pegasus because I saw him" - Jerry Izenberg
My parents went to the race. I stayed home and watched on TV. It is hard to think of any event that hyped, with that anticipation, since. Maybe the first step by Armstrong on the moon a few years earlier. When the horse began separating from sham, riveted you as it began. The call "tremendous machine" live, took your breath away. From that moment on I can say this honestly, it was the only thing I have seen that felt supernatural. The witnesses to people crying aren't lying. My dad came home and told me a few hours after the race. It overwhelmed you live even if you saw it on TV. It was a very special moment to just be a witness. When I watch the race today, it is the only thing I can recall from that far in the past, as if it just happened, with the same raw emotion of the moment then.
I believe this was the best athletic performance of all time
I'd love to hear an argument to the contrary. Amazing.
I'm on a Secretariat jag right now, and every video makes me cry - what an unbelievable creature
+plumlogan Also on a Secretariat jag. About 2 weeks now. I watch the'73 Belmont Stakes over and over.
+plumlogan I am glad I am not alone on these feelings!
Watching that race live, I got chills!
Watching that race live on TV, I had tears in my eyes. Still do. And Turcotte said he was running easy.
Great comment, "plum." I get the same way -- emotional -- watching his races, especially the Belmont, of course. And regardless of whether it is an actual replay, or in the ESPN greatest athletes collection vid, or the Diane Lane movie.
I can’t stop watching even today it still makes me cry and it’s a happy wonderful cry. When I’m feeling down or having a bad day I watch the secretariat Belmont race…..and I feel great again !!!
I still get tears of joy every time I watch it.
Greatest call in sports history. I never get tired of this...
This has to be the greatest sports moment that I have ever seen. I was in the Army in a bar watching this in Virginia beach Virginia. I called my girlfriend after the race and asked her to marry me when I got out of the service in two weeks. She said yes, and we got married in October. I will never forget this day.
+Steve Balistreri : And may God Bless you and your loved ones for your service!! I am a Boston Celtics fan starting wayyyy back in 1950s. I used to consider Bill Russell to be the greatest athlete ever. He still is the greatest human athlete ..... but "Big Red" is the greatest imo now.
Me too.
This is the most exciting and beautiful thing these 60 year old eyes have ever seen, bless you and RIP secretariat!!!
Thank God that this film exists.
I was just a kid when Secretariat won the Belmont race, and subsequently the Triple Crown. I was home watching it on the TV with my Mom. She started crying, when he blew by Sham, and started his epic turn and run down the home stretch. I knew, I was seeing something very rare and very special. Perfection.
Ali & Frazier, Bird & Magic, Lemieux & Gretzky, and last but first in my heart Sham and Secretariat...... truly amazing.
Notice... Not once does Ronny use his whip, not once does he try and slow him....Big Red ran his own race. Sham Challenged him, and he answered it...all by himself. The commentator said it right...on this day, in this race, there isn't a horse anywhere that could have beaten him. Every athlete has that perfect day...This was Secretariat's. People like to compare this or that, but i believe if you COULD put any horse you think is better, IN this race beside Big Red...He would have answered that challenge as well.
Well, he holds the records for the fastest times in all 3 Triple Crown races. He was THAT good.
Animals may not be able to communicate in mere language to us humans, but Secretariat's performance that day was the best speech I've heard in sports.
God created the Perfect Athlete / Horse in Secretariat! Secretariat's amazing performance in the 1973 Belmont Stakes is still the most dominant performance in a Championship Event in the History of Sports! To put it in perspective Secretariat (with his still World Record Time of 2:24 for the 1 1/2 Mile in the 1973 Belmont Stakes) would have beaten American Pharoah's performance yesterday by FIFTEEN (15) LENGTHS!!!! Simply INCREDIBLE!! If there was ONE Sporting Event that I could go back in time to see Live it would be Secretariat's 1973 Belmont Stakes! Every time I watch it makes me cry as it was the most breathtaking performance in the History of Sports! Secretariat was PURE PERFECTION in Motion!
VERY WELL PUT ! I was just 10 on this day and I would go see this 1st also !! Then Ali vs. Frazier 1 .....very emotional history as I see it now as a 56 year old !
He beat a weak field of four rivals. Visually impressive but not the best ever. Ghostzapper's 2004 BC Classic was almost as impressive especially since runner-up Roses in May came back to win the Dubai Cup the following spring. People who don't handicap professionally are easily taken in by performances like this. Forego, had he run, would have been at Secretariat's neck turning for home coming off that ridiculous speed duel.
The timer doesn't lie. Regardless of the strength or weakness of the rest of the field, no other horse has ever come close to running 1-1/2 miles in 2:24 flat. Remind me to not take chess lessons from you.
Since I only teach prodigies who are already elite players, you'd have nothing to turn down with that internet mouth. Oh and the timer lies quiet a bit, as every professional horseplayer knows. Please keep pumping your money into the betting pools. One reason I chose racing over hustling people is I could take their money without having to do so directly.
@@raygordonteacheschess5501 So the timer lied, Secretariat didn't really run that in 2:24? I see. Boy am I glad you cleared that up! You are amazingly brilliant, sir!
I never get tired of watching this clip. The first time I saw this, it was on the actual day of the race. I still can't believe what Secretariat accomplished that day. A friend of mine said to me on that fateful day, "He (Secretariat) would have won that race if Dick Butkus was the jockey."
This horse was in no joke he was God sent in they will never ever have another like Secretariat I got to go see his memorial I love him I was really young and it never got to his race. I'm back at the footage this whole list was the two he the best horse that ever lived on this planet
The greatest racehorse in history.....period. No other horse who EVER lived- including the great Man O' War- could have beaten Secretariat on that day. I was 11 years old when this race was run- it is still etched in my memory. I have never seen anything like it and this feat will never be repeated. We will never see another like him...not in any lifetime....EVER. He was one of a kind. The word SUPERHORSE applies to him and him alone.
I agree. But... I would have liked to see War Admiral, Man O War, and Seabiscuit, amongst others, trained with modern medicine, techniques, and vet care, and then see how they would have done. Big Red would likely still win, and win big, but the race for second would be fascinating!
@@theswordguy5269 You say the modern training, then, what has happened in the 45 years since? This horse was truly one of a kind. Check the times of the triple crown races.
@@Bruhop60 Modern vet science, better use of training intervals, better track grooming and maintenance, the list goes on. You have to ask if the horses were as fast back then because nothing changed, or because they simply rode them harder. Look at how Seabiscuit was manhandled and mistreated early in his career, for example. And, I did say that Secretariat would almost certainly still win, but that the race would have been fun to watch. Genetically and physically, he was - unique.
The greatest athlete and greatest performance(Belmont Stakes) of an athlete ever..
Was born 9 years after his Triple Crown Run, to this day when I watch the 1973 Belmont Stakes I tear up. Every. Time. AMAZING!!!
chic anderson's call added SO MUCH to the race itself. its as if he's the soundtrack to this masterpiece.
I agree 100%...greatest sports call ever...!!!
A brilliant call!!
Greatest sports call of all time
I saw this historical race the day before my 20th birthday. Chic Anderson was marvelous and the horse was masterful. I've lost track of how many times I've watched this video. Can't ever remember not being teary-eyed. Secretariat was the "people's and made many of us feel good in a difficult period in our lives. I believe the late Bill Nack's words "we will never see this again." Kudos to ESPN for assembling some of the best journalists ever to do this Sports Century piece. I'll take on anyone who says Big Red was not an athlete. He was supernatural.
Never once went to the whip!!!!! LET HIM RUN!!!!!! I was 12 when I saw this beast run!!!
If you watch the Kentucky Derby closely, Ron uses the whip coming around the last turn, that was the only time.
@@MrTommyboots but not in the belmont
This was truely one of the greatest moments in Sports History period. " Secretariat is moving like tremendous Machine".. How this great Campion won all three races in the Triple Crown will never be duplicated ...
Sham and Secretariat dueling stride for stride until the backstretch.....and then its as if a switch has been flipped, and Sham has to return back to the pack with the rest of the normal horses.....while Secretariat taps into the universe, and becomes the myth.
Secretariat=Pegasus
Big Red didn't have another gear, he just had a bigger motor. Than any horse that ever lived.
But Secretariat was no myth. He was the greatest thoroughbred of all time. And, I don't think he would have done it without his owner, Penny Chenery.
Sham had a crack in its bone thats why it fell back. He (sham) was trying to keep up and his bones couldnt take it.
Sham was cooked in a speed duel that propelled Secretariat to a track record against a remainder of the field of Grade B horses.
It's hard to look at perfection and not be moved to tears.
The single greatest moment in the history of Sports.
I was there and sat in the third tier grandstand by the 1/8th pole. I still have the 2$ win ticket and two programs. When the gap opened up between secretariat and sham on the backstretch, all 70,000 who where there that day erupted; knowing that he was going to win.
+Robert Manocchia I've often shown this race to my classes of college freshmen over the years. Each time I've done so, at the first wide shot at about that point, several tech-savvy kids have helpfully alerted me to the fact that "the tape skipped;" and just stared at me then quickly back at the screen when I've assured them that it hadn't.
Actually most experts thought Secretariat was going to spit it in the stretch because he had run too fast LOL
And now we have horses dying on the racetrack....
You witnessed one of the greatest events in sports history.
@@kbanghart drugs!
medina spirit being the latest!
Secretariat is the greatest athlete of all time, No human or non human can even come close to the greatness of Secretariat, PERIOD !! Truely a gift from God !! I don't think we will ever see an athlete like this ever again
Nearco, Noor, Man o' War, and about 20 horses you never heard of were just as impressive. Heck, even Landaluce before she died rivaled it. RUFFIAN definitely impressed as much as this one.
Gary have you seen Cheetahs timed in the 100m either at zoos or the wild? They can run 0-60 mph in 3 secs. If Usain Bolt had a 45m head start he would lose to a cheetah. They have been timed at 4.1 secs/100m in the wild.
It's kind or hard to compare Secretariat to Ruffian because the latter ran in mostly shorter races and had clean running room against the other elite fillies and was clearly the best of her class. That being said, Big Red routinely worked out at shorter distances with times approaching what Ruffian did on race day. Ruffian ran once at 1 1/2 miles and she ran a solid 2:26 or so which is usually winning in the Belmont and would of lost to Secretariat by "only" ten lengths or so. And a match race between the two would have been a beat down as well on a fast track. She struggled to stay even with Foolish Pleasure before the breakdown and going by their derby times Secretariat has FP by 12 lengths at least and that's with Red on the outside running a longer distance. Absolutely no chance that Ruffian could beat Secretariat head to head. No shame in that.
That’s why his record will never be broken!
This makes me cry Everytime.... what an amazing animal
I watched the race as it happened in 1973 from my living room. I remember the announcer commenting "he's moving like an incredible machine!" just about same time my dad, a long time horse racing fan, grew quite in the room. They both knew what as going to happen, they both knew they were watching history. I get goose bumps now as I watch it and remember. Secretariat's name is revered, spoken with the highest respect, but I don't know if even that pays respect to the performance this horse turned in that day to any appropriate degree.
You did a good job. Yes Secretariat was a hero for all of who appreciate what he did. RIP Big Red!
There’s not enough adjectives in the dictionary to describe his greatness, pure perfection!!!
“He’s moving like a *tremendous* Machine”
My uncle Ralph and I were the big racing fans. He would tell me over and over again about Citations TC. But I was less than a year old then. In 1973 I had never seen a winning TC horse.
Not to sound like a broken record but to echo most of us here, this hands down has to be the greatest athletic achievement in sports history as we know it. Comaneci's perfect 10's are up there. Beamon's long jump also. Records are there to be broken. But this was just insane.
In this case like Citation winning the triple which happened the year after I was born. We thought it would never happen again. For my whole life horses won two but not all three races until Secretariat.
I was a 12 year old watching on tv...cheering and I wept...I still get goosebumps just thinking about it....Justify and American Pharoah are great horses...Secretariat was the greatest racehorse who ever lived...
Pat Lynch comment at 7:19 is very true. This horse was God's horse which is why we all get so emotional whenever we watch that 1973 Belmont. Like Mr. Lynch stated it was a "Supernatural Experience" on that day and it still is 44 years later. I watched that race in 1973 when I was 13 and was captivated by that horse. I still am til this day. Rest in Peace Big Red! We truly Miss You!
The Jack Whitaker-Jack Nicklaus exchange really floored me. Secretariat's Belmont Takes performance was what all athletes aspire for-"perfection". This was the greatest athletic feat ever in sports history.
I watched this live on TV and still get the same chills every time I watch it again.
the purest and most sensational athlete of all time!! I wish I was alive to witness this race.......brings tears to my eyes.
I saw it on TV I was speechless for about
Speechless for about 15 minutes wow will never see anything close to that race in any sport.
With out a doubt-The GREATEST race horse that the sport has ever seen !
STILL goosebumps and tears in your eyes after decades....seeing GREATNESS once in a lifetime...
Secretariat grabbed my heart, and never let go! I wasn’t into horse racing until Secretariat...he changed that!
In galloping out the furlong AFTER the wire, Secretariat set an unofficial world record for that distance, too.
It's a pure privilege to have watched this, decades after it actually happened. Phenomenal, out of this world, supernatural.... no superlative does it justice. Secretariat's performance in the Belmont has to be the most awesome spectacle ever in a sporting arena. Oh to have been there!
Love it
really rare when 40+ yrs later.. nothing in your sport or "field" even compares to your accomplishments.. simply the most perfect, sport of Kings, thoroughbred, horse, competitor EVER....
Man I got goose bumps watching this video. Fifty years later and Secretariat remains as impressive and legendary as ever. What an incredible animal. How I wish I could have been there to see it in person!!!!!!!
37yrs later and Secretariet at the Belmont still moves me to tears. It truly was the most perfect thing in the history of sports.
Goosebumps still. Goosebumps forever.
That horse was a gift from God above. We'll never see something like that again. We are blessed.
Maybe every thousand years!
Ashley Briggs that is so true. God whispered to him that day no doubt.
Words cant explain only god
Amen
God gave us a glimpse of what was perfect. Red was perfect.
I will never forget this for as long as i live....💕
I'm 62 years old and have seen this race a hundred times. Yet I still ball like a baby EVERY TIME I SEE IT! Even now, I'm typing through tears!
Bawl, not ball.
To bad for sham though. Had he been born just 1 year earlier or later, he would have been a triple crown champion himself. He gave secretariat all he could handle in the derby and preakness. In the Belmont we got to see what the immortal one could really do. I was humbled even as a child when I first saw this race on video. I wish he could have lived longer.
Maybe. We'll never know.
When horses as great as Spectacular Bid and Native Dancer have failed to Triple Crown, it is impossible to say any particular horse would have won it. Racing luck as well as talent is ALWAYS involved in winning the TC.
I've watched the video of that race probably over 100 times and I still, after several years, get choked up. The most amazing and wondrous thing, next to my sons being born, that I've ever seen...
me too
No question about it. I watched the 1973 Belmont Stake at home. The race is still the most remarkable sporting event that I have ever seen and brings tears to my eyes every time that I watch it.
Peter Weinstein WOW - you seriously saw it in real-time on TV? I can only imagine that was even more dramatic...
Peter Weinstein Yep--I too, watched this when it happened in 1973!! I remember my Dad was watching it with me and my brother and he was shouting "HOLY S&%T YOU CAN'T EVEN SEE THE OTHER HORSES" And it was true--the TV cameras couldn't even get the other horses in the picture frame!! I think it's the most incredible single performance in sports history!!
citizensaneusa I too saw it on TV. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Like everyone else, when he opened up that huge lead, I thought Turcotte was crazy, that the horse was just going to collapse and die. Never saw anything like it before or since.
I was 10 years old watching this at home and it is still the most dominant performance by any athlete I have ever seen
When I need a smile and tear of joy I watch this. Over the years I watched this many times. "Secretariat was an athelete...."
I didn't think for a minute that Secretariat would collapse. Once chic Anderson said he was moving like a tremendous machine it was enjoy this wonderful moment.
At the end of the race in the run out he was still moving smooth and didn't even look tired
Such an amazing horse!!
Wish we had a Secretariat now. With covid,the election,riots,etc we could all use an uplift. RIP Big Red. You were amazing to watch run then and now through these wonderful videos.
Just an Awesome horse!!!! What an honor it must have been to see this machine in person!! I work down the street from Meadow Farm in Doswell Va. I can almost feel his spirit in the air while watching this !!
Makes me cry every time.
even still
JoJoGunn Presumably because it's the absolute pinnacle of athletic performance. Secretariat was so dominating and so perfect that there is hardly any reason to continue watching sports: nothing can ever top what he did.
Patrick Healy Exactly. I can't remember who it was, but a Sports Illustrated writer (and not a horse racing guy) said it was the greatest athletic performance he had ever seen.
Hogan1950 i'd say either this, or Wilt scoring 100 points in a game. That's the only other performance I can think of that comes close.
God decided to create only one perfect horse, that horse was Secretariat.
RIP BIG RED YOU ARE LOVED AND TRULY MISSED, WE WERE BLESSED TO HAVE YOU FOR 19 YEARS.
julie hertz hi I'm Bob and u said it right truly loved, I cry every time I watch the movie
To me it was how very smart he was! He was real bright AND very competitive.
I am honored for life to have seen this “tremendous machine” race.
"This horse was an athlete."
Wrong. Steroids can be detected with the saliva test they gave him.
@jesusisnotallright s Are you crazy? That horse was tested more than any athlete of any sport ever! They tested saliva, blood, piss, feces, his food, his water... hell he could hardly breathe without someone collecting a tube of air.
Gives me chills everytime. The best athlete ever.What A Freight Train.
+HollondonSCO : Yes, I agree, Big Red is greatest athlete of all time. Just one thing, and this is VERY minor ..... I get irritated a little anytime someone talks about something fast to a freight train. I wish they would use "express train" instead!!! But NOBODY (except me and one guy I heard years ago) says "Express train ...."
+Doug Griggs My very minor issue is with his having been likened to a machine. Oh, no; this horse was all heart, personality, and kindness - just of a supernatural variety!
I weep every year.
Everytime I watch this I cry... what an amazing athlete
This was the greatest championship sports event of all time...I've seen many, but this one still gives me chills, and brings a tear to my eye.
I am in the entertainment industry and have met actors and actresses from all over the world. Nothing compares as to the day I got to see Secretariat in person. I have watched this video roughly ten times and no matter how much I try a tear runs down my face. Greatest event I ever saw.
I'm the same age as microphen and had the same reaction then and now. I don't know why it makes me cry, but it does every time. He just exuded so much joy and strength when he ran. Before the internet, I went to the museum of broadcasting in NYC where you could look at old TV clips. Secretariat and the Belmont was the first one that I chose, because it had stayed in memory all those years.
GREAT VIDEO !
I do love horse racing, we had our own triple crown winner from here in Seattle, "Seattle Slew", and as proud as we all are for that win, my heart is just stuck on Beautiful Secretariat. I LOVE THAT HORSE, & I cry everytime I watch his races. I hv wtched the movie more times then I can count, & just 4 days ago, I recorded it again. I break down everytime I see his memorial & where he is buried. Never has been or ever will be another horse like SECRETARIAT !