On this day, May 5, 1973, Secretariat won the Kentucky Derby in 1:59-2/5, still a record.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_5

• 1973 – Secretariat wins the 1973 Kentucky Derby in 1:59-2/5, an as-yet unbeaten record.

Fri May 5, 2023: On this day, May 5, 1973, Secretariat won the Kentucky Derby in 1:59-2/5, still a record.

[Goddessartist]

1. I remember!

I was a young lady in love with horses. I would draw them constantly.

[Raven123]

2. I've watched videos of that race many times. Still stunning. Magnificent.

Can’t watch horse racing anymore. Too many injuries. Too much abuse.

[viva la]

4. It's cool to watch the video of Secretariat

Against later winners, splitscreen.

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[lastlib]

3. Maybe the greatest horse of all time.

He was simply without equal in his time, maybe ever.

[Karadeniz]

5. I have a ready answer if anyone asks me who's my favorite athlete :

SECRETARIAT !!!!!

[Deuxcents]

6. I had never heard of the Kentucky Derby until the excitement about that race

I was in my early 20’s but after watching that race, nothing has come close to that magnificent performance.

[EYESORE 9001]

7. I didn't see that race

I was in a Navy school at the time, and I don’t remember seeing anything on TV during that time. I was too busy with outdoor activities.

[Bayard]

8. He had another gear

I watched the Derby that year on TV with another high school horsey friend. We were actually rooting for Sham, but Secretariat just blew all the other horses away in all 3 races of the Triple Crown. Hard not to cheer him on.

I was just reading that after he died, the necropsy showed his heart weighed 22 pounds--about twice what a normal horse's weighs. He didn't really reproduce himself in breeding, but ended up being a great producer of good broodmares.

Definitely one for the ages.

[ProfessorGAC]

11. The Belmont Was Ridiculous

There are several seconds of that video where Secretariat is the only horse in the shot.
The director holds a wide shot for a long time so the other horses could be seen.
Secretariat is way to the right.
When it becomes obvious that he's going to win unless a brick wall pops out of the ground, the shot is changed to put the superhorse in screen center. The other horses vanish from view. Unreal

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[Biophilic]

9. I can still remember the excitment as my friends and I watched the Derby.

We knew history was being made and he was gorgeous.

[BobTheSubgenius]

10. An incredible stat that underlines his unparalleled greatness.

Not only did he win by 31 lengths (31 LENGTHS!!!), each split time was actually faster than the one before it. He was still GAINING speed after 2 miles!

Mind-boggling.