Secretariat: It's His Virtual Kentucky Derby World

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Secretariat: It's His Virtual Kentucky Derby World
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Photo: BloodHorse Library
Secretariat wears the garland of roses after winning the 1973 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs

Forty-seven years after beating Sham in the Kentucky Derby (G1), the legendary Secretariat also handled hypothetical rivals, defeating 12 fellow Triple Crown winners in a virtual Kentucky Derby on NBC and 19 other Kentucky Derby winners in the HRRN Fantasy Derby on the Horse Racing Radio Network.

The two mock races went off within minutes of each other May 2, between 5:45 and 5:50 p.m ET, with the seemingly indefatigable Larry Collmus providing the call for both.

In truth, Collmus saw the races in advance and taped his calls. Racing fans likely could have guessed the outcome, too, based on Secretariat's achievements and immense popularity.

The mock races—slotted to fill a void in programming caused by the postponement of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve to Sept. 5 due to COVID-19—were entertaining, featuring legends of the past.

Graphics for the Inspire Entertainment-generated NBC race "Kentucky Derby: Triple Crown Showdown" were video-game quality. The animated race accurately depicted Churchill Downs and utilized typical NBC camera angles, such as the iconic shot of the field entering the first turn with the famed Twin Spires in the background.

In perhaps a hat tip to Maximum Security, who was disqualified from first to 17th for interference last year, the late second turn of the virtual race also had some bumping, though this time the culprit was Whirlaway, who carried American Pharoah  out from the three path to the four path. He finished sixth behind American Pharoah in fifth, and, mercifully, there was no 22-minute deliberation by the virtual stewards.

Secretariat, who stalked the pace for much of the race, proved best in the stretch, clearly in no need of his customary blinkers in the virtual world. Churchill Downs said a limited time frame for production didn't allow the graphics to incorporate equipment such as blinkers.

Citation, a winner of 32 of 45 races over his remarkable career, rallied for second with a bid along the inside, passing pacesetting Seattle Slew, who settled for the show.

Seattle Slew and American Pharoah fared a little better in the HRRN Fantasy Derby, running second and third, respectively. The HRRN broadcast, which was streamed to BloodHorse.com, also included numerous interviews with actual Kentucky Derby-winning connections.

The results of the two races were determined by different methods. The virtual Derby outcome was based on estimated probabilities by a panel of judges and a random-number generator, and the HRRN Fantasy Derby had a voting process in which listeners and industry professionals were asked to select their top Kentucky Derby winners.   

Both races offered the possibility of prizes to those who could select the outcome.

Churchill Downs officials pledged to match up to $1 million of donations in COVID-19 emergency relief efforts toward online contributions made by fans interacting on the KentuckyDerby.com website.