Greatness

40 years ago today, Secretariat won the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths in what most experts agree was the most dominant performance in the history of horse racing. I'd never actually seen the entire race until a few minutes ago. It's worth a watch.

Listen to the crowd as the great horse separates from Sham in the middle of the backstretch, and then again when he nears the finish line. Pretty cool stuff.



Secretariat ran the mile and a half distance in 2:24, breaking the existing record by 2 and 3/5 seconds. Consider this, though: he also broke the track's record for one and five/eighths miles, even though he was pulling up after the Belmont's finish line.