On this day of the Belmont Stakes, remembering the greatest horse ever.

[Faygo Kid]

A little shy about posting this, as it's also the anniversary of D-Day and Beau Biden's funeral, but indulge me, as this is a moment I will never forget. Whether there's a Triple Crown winner today or not, no horse will come close to Secretariat's time. I will never forget it, or where I was when it was run. Lots of complaints that the challengers to American Pharoah skip the Preakness so as to get more rest, but it wouldn't have mattered to Secretariat - he would have obliterated them all.

[jschurchin]

1. The Greatest ever.

Ron Turcote said "I never touched him, I just let him go" Watch the video, Ronnie just held the bridle and let him run. He truly was an
unbelievable racehorse.

[valerief]

2. And there's Levi Barlingume who had the longest career of any jockey.

Rode until he was 80. Had to stopped because he broke his leg during a race.

I don't know when that happened, except it was in 1932.

I guess this has nothing to do with Secretariat. Never mind.

on edit: Just read Secretariat's heart was almost three times as large as other horse's hearts and was in perfect condition when he was euthanized at age 19.

[George II]

22. Here's a video done by a news person just days before he was euthanized....

....sad, but interesting - even at 19 he knew who he was!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. He was a truly amazing horse!

I loved watching him run.

He ran the legs off of any horse that challenged him.

May his memory ever be green!

[kentuck]

4. The Greatest!

[narnian60]

5. I cry like a baby

whenever I see videos of his races.

[orpupilofnature57]

6. I saw him at Saratoga when I was 15, you usually by their looks

can't tell a champion from a nag, I've never seen before or after, a horse like that .

[shenmue]

7. Yay horsey!

[brer cat]

8. Without question.

Certainly my favorite ever.

[yardwork]

9. I remember it well.

Sometimes in our lives we get to see something that truly transcends the ordinary.

[jalan48]

10. Only 5 horses?

[SunSeeker]

11. Magnificent. Nice break from today's heavy news stories. nt

[bread_and_roses]

12. "But Secretariat is all alone!"

The sheer astonishment in his voice. I wasn't following racing then, alas. Just watching it on the grainy vids makes me shiver.

[Joe Chi Minh]

25. Two comments I remember reading, about that Big Red's performance in that Belmont:

1) That he seemed to be running in a different race!

2) He sprinted the whole 10 furlongs.

[DrBulldog]

13. I watched it live.

My jaw was on the floor at the end.

[George II]

14. I was on the third level at about the 1/16 pole - the second horse passed us....

...after Secretariat passed the finish line.

His time broke the track record (and I believe world record) by almost three seconds, and he was running on his own.

[Joe Chi Minh]

26. It still stands I think.

Chasing doesn't have anything like the cachet flat-racing has, but the Irish had a chaser, called Arkle, who must have been something like the chasing equivalent. He was also found to have had a massive heart.

It was said that after a 3 mile plus chase, he would have gone around again, if he hadn't been restrained. He was known by the Irish, I believe, as Himself!

[George II]

31. The record still stands at Belmont Park, and I think is still the dirt world record. But.....

there have since been a few faster turf races at 1-1/2 miles. I think they were in California, where the dirt is baked rock-hard.

[George II]

15. If you want to see another exciting race of his, watch the Canadian International at Woodbine...

....his last race.

[catchnrelease]

20. Thanks for recommending that race

I hadn't seen it before. He certainly was consistent!

[George II]

21. Two things I loved the most about that race were........

.....the announcer, when they were running down the backstretch, "there he goes, THERE he goes!", and in the stretch the steam blowing out of his nose, like a freight train, which he was!

A great race to finish out his career.

BTW, I was at Aqueduct the day he won his first race - before the race I wasn't impressed. Damn, I learned fast!

[catchnrelease]

24. The steam

Yes, I did notice the steam in the stretch run and after he crossed the wire. Was thinking it must have been pretty chilly there. Guess it would have been in the fall, so getting cold up there.

Sigh, you are so lucky to have seen him in person more than once.

[tavernier]

16. His trainer was a patient of mine

when I was a home health nurse. I knew nothing about horses when I first walked into his home. There were dozens of silver trays and bowls in hutches all over the house. I asked if they entertained a lot and that got a big laugh. He had an enormous painting of "Big Red" in his family room, right in front of his chair.

Nice man, although I only saw him a few times.

[truedelphi]

17. an acquaintance of mine went on assignment to interview S's trainer.

Since the trainer was busy with another horse, they had him sit in a chair right outside the stable Secretariat was in.

While waiting, he had his pencil behind his ear, and was doodling or amusing himself, when suddenly he felt the pencil get pulled away from his head.

Secretariat looked quite pleased with his joke on this writer.

[Fuddnik]

18. Mr. Ed?

[catchnrelease]

19. No one like him

He was just one of a kind.

[Dr. Xavier]

23. Congrats to American Pharoah but...

Big Red would have kicked dirt in his face. I always thought that Sham in any other year would have won the Crown, but unfortunately for him, he came of age in the same year as Secretariat, the greatest of all time. Someone mentioned that Big Red's heart was twice the size of the average thoroughbred, well what they don't tell you is that the second biggest heart ever recorded in racing history belonged to you guessed it... Sham. Great duel, one for the ages... the winner beats everyone else by 32 lengths, his only challenger trails the field. Never again.

[yourpicturehere]

27. But...

Yes, Secretariat was a great horse, but don't discount AP. AP went to these races with LOTS of competition. He also ran in every condition, including that downpour just before the Preakness. When I saw him run away from everyone, I thought "Hey, maybe he can do it." He DID! Been watching horse races since I was old enough to remember, and this was one of the great ones.

BTW, I love horse races, dog shows, and bull riding...I must be a troll.

Also, Northern Dancer did bring bad legs to the pedigrees, but if you pay attention to the pedigrees lately, they are trying to breed him out. Yes, that is possible. ND will still be back there, but his influence will be diluted. Of course, if you just scream about breeding anything, you wouldn't notice that, would you?

[6chars]

28. A great role model

Wisdom for us all.

[WinstonSmith4740]

29. In case you haven't seen it...

This is a great documentary. Loved the sports commentator's comment about "the move" being so subtle it was like a man adjusting his cuffs. He was a classic example of just letting the horse do what he knew best. That was one hell of a horse.
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=secretariat+documentary&FORM=VIRE5#view=detail&mid=A5D5DFC3C0EACE5D0358A5D5DFC3C0EACE5D0358

[Faygo Kid]

30. I have seen it, great stuff from Sports Century.

And American Pharoah is right there with Affirmed and Seattle Slew. Great horse.