Secretariat (March 30, 1970 - October 4, 1989) was an American thoroughbred race horse (Sire: Bold Ruler; Dam: Somethingroyal), born at Meadow Farms Stables in Caroline County, Virginia. March 30 is the 89th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (90th in Leap years). ... 1970 was a common year starting on Thursday. ... October 4 is the 277th day of the year (278th in Leap years). ... 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The United States of America — also referred to as the United States, the U.S.A., the U.S., America, the States, or (archaically) Columbia—is a federal republic of 50 states located primarily in central North America (with the exception of two states: Alaska and Hawaii). ... The Thoroughbred is a horse breed developed in 18th century England when English mares were bred with imported Arabian stallions to create a distance racer. ... Binomial name Equus caballus The Horse (Equus caballus) is a large ungulate mammal, one of the seven modern species of the genus Equus. ... Caroline County is the name of several counties in the United States: Caroline County, Maryland Caroline County, Virginia This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... State nickname: Old Dominion Other U.S. States Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Governor Mark R. Warner Official languages English Area 110,862 km² (35th)  - Land 102,642 km²  - Water 8,220 km² (7. ...

Trained by Canadian Lucien Laurin and ridden by fellow Canadian jockey Ron Turcotte, he won the 1973 Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes (June 9), making him the first Triple Crown winner in a quarter of a century, long enough that many racing fans had thought it would never happen again. Canada is a sovereign state in northern North America, the northern-most country in the world, and the second largest in total area. ... Lucien Laurin, born March 18, 1912 in Joliette, Quebec, Canada - died June 26, 2000 at Key Largo, Florida, was a French-Canadian jockey and Hall of Fame thoroughbred horse trainer. ... Canada is a sovereign state in northern North America, the northern-most country in the world, and the second largest in total area. ... Ron Joseph Morel Turcotte (born July 22, 1941) is a world-famous jockey. ... 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ... The Kentucky Derby is a stakes race for three-year-old thoroughbred horses, staged yearly in Louisville, Kentucky on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. ... The Preakness Stakes is a classic 1 3/16 mile (1. ... The Belmont Stakes is a prestigious horse race held yearly on the first Saturday of June, at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (Triple Crown for short, but the term is also used in other sports, and thus the full name should be used when it could cause confusion) consists of three races for three-year-old thoroughbred horses. ...

Secretariat's race records in the Derby and the Belmont stand to this day; his run in the Belmont is not only a race record, but the world record for a mile and a half (2.4 km) on a dirt track. He set a new speed record in each of the Triple Crown races, the only horse in history to do so (although he was not officially recognized as the Preakness record holder because the official timer malfunctioned).

On the morning of the Belmont, America was primed to see Secretariat become the first Triple Crown winner in twenty-five years. It's no coincidence that Secretariat was featured on the covers of three prominent magazines the week prior: Time Magazine, Newsweek and Sports Illustrated. But nobody expected the pure and absolute domination that Secretariat exhibited.

His winning margin of more than 31 lengths in the long and grueling Belmont Stakes is remembered as one of the most dramatic events in thoroughbred racing history and one of the most incredible individual athletic achievements ever, both human and non-human. Thoroughbred horse racing is the main form of horse-racing throughout the world. ...

In one of the best known of American sports calls, CBS Television broadcaster Chic Anderson -- later Belmont Park's track announcer -- punctuated Secretariat's powerful move on the final turn of the Belmont this way:

...Secretariat is blazing along! The first three-quarters of a mile in 1:09 and four fifths. Secretariat is widening now! He is moving like a TREMENDOUS machine!

A lesser-known but perhaps more awesome accomplishment of his took place in that year's Derby. On his way to a still-standing record time in that race (1:59 2/5), he achieved the unheard-of feat of running each quarter-mile (400 m) segment fractionally faster than the one before it. The successive quarter-mile times were: 25 1/5, 24, 23 4/5, 23 2/5 and 23.

He was nicknamed "Big Red" by his legion of fans, and in a survey of the 100 greatest athletes of the 20th century by ESPN, he was listed 35th, one of two non-humans on the list.

Secretariat was voted Horse of the Year, the most prestigious honor in racing, both as a two-year-old and at age three. He was retired to stud at the end of that racing season, after four more victories and two second-place finishes. His last two races were on grass, and he won them both. In 1974, he was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. Horse of the Year is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. ... Stud could refer to any of these : stud, a horse employed for breeding, or stud farm, an establishment for horse breeding: see horse breeding, Animal husbandry stud, a male gender role ear stud, a form of earring for pierced ears. ... The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers. ...

Secretariat became a beloved figure with fans and non-fans of horse racing coming to see Big Red standing at stud. He was generally perceived as a disappointment at stud; however, this view of Secretariat as a stallion is not shared by most racing insiders. Secretariat sired a substantial number of major stakes winners, including 1986 Horse of the Year Lady's Secret and 1988 Preakness and Belmont Stakes winner Risen Star. His "failure" as a stallion was mostly due to his inability to produce offspring as great as he was—an unrealistic expectation, even for a truly great horse. During his lifetime he sired as many as 600 foals. 1986 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Horse of the Year is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. ... 1988 is a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Preakness Stakes is a classic 1 3/16 mile (1. ... The Belmont Stakes is a prestigious horse race held yearly on the first Saturday of June, at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. ... Risen Star, (1985-1998), was a champion thoroughbred race horse. ...

In the fall of 1989, Secretariat was afflicted with laminitis, a painful and incurable hoof condition. His condition failed to improve, and he was euthanized on October 4. He is buried at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky. In death, he received the ultimate honor for a horse—he was buried whole. By tradition, the only parts of a Thoroughbred buried are their head (to symbolize intelligence), heart (to symbolize strength), and legs (to symbolize power). October 4 is the 277th day of the year (278th in Leap years). ... Paris is a city located in Bourbon County, Kentucky. ...

1999 stamp honoring Secretariat

Before his burial, he was autopsied at the University of Kentucky; the veterinarian who performed the autopsy found that Secretariat's heart was the largest he had ever seen in a horse—approximately twice the size of a normal horse's heart. Unlike most enlarged hearts, Secretariat's showed absolutely no signs of disease. Stamp - United States - Secretariat This image is a postage stamp produced by the United States Postal Service after 1978. ... Stamp - United States - Secretariat This image is a postage stamp produced by the United States Postal Service after 1978. ... The University of Kentucky (also as UK or simply Kentucky) is a public, co-educational university located in Lexington, Kentucky. ...

On October 16, 1999, in the winner's circle at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky, the United States Postal Service honored the great horse, unveiling a 33 cent postage stamp with his image. There is also a town in Kentucky, now defunct, with the same name, unrelated to this article; for the town, see Keeneland, Kentucky. ... Lexington, Kentucky is the Horse Capital of the World, located in the heart of the Bluegrass. ... This article lists people who have been featured on stamps of the United States. ...

In the Blood-Horse magazine ranking of the top 100 thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century, Secretariat was ranked #2. The Blood-Horse is an international weekly news magazine about Thoroughbred horses, horse breeding, and horseracing. ...