A History-Making Performance: Recalling Secretariat’s 1973 Kentucky Derby Victory
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For those that ponied up $190,000 apiece for membership in Secretariat’s breeding syndicate, the period between the powerful chestnut’s loss in the April 21 Wood Memorial Stakes and the May 5 Kentucky Derby was gut-check time.
After two facile wins to begin his 1973 campaign, Secretariat’s inexplicable lackluster third in the Wood turned nerves raw. Many had been hesitant to invest a then-record sum in the Meadow Stable standard-bearer despite his status as Horse of the Year at 2, but those feelings were smoothed over when Secretariat returned at 3 looking better than ever.