Via Chris Lynch, we learn that this is the 45th anniversary of the greatest horse race in history, the 1973 Belmont Stakes. Not only did Secretariat blow away the field, the race resulted in what I believe is the greatest sports photograph of all time. Photographer Bob Coglianese positioned himself perfectly to capture the moment as Secretariat beat the field by 31 lengths. The composition is superb, giving both the sense of unbeatable speed and the total domination of what is likely the fastest horse of all time - and what is still the fastest 1.5 miles on dirt ever recorded. He beat the rest of the field by almost 3 seconds (!).
Chris has video of the race, which is simply astonishing. More background on Secretariat and the race here.
And the Queen Of The World likes Justified to win today, although not by 31 lengths. She picked him for both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, and picked him for the Triple Crown from the begining.
3 comments:
I'm old enough to remember that, STILL amazing!!!
I watched all three of those races on TV. Everyone knew that we were going to see something that, as far as horse racing goes, was like watching a Moon landing.
And it was.
You know how people remember meeting some star or athlete? I remember seeing Secretariat early that year at a Miami horse track.
It was obvious he wasn’t an ordinary three year old.
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