Secretariat’s Ride to Derby Glory

BY KENNETH SHOULER

Even the most hallowed of sports records get eclipsed. Roger Bannister was the first to run a four-minute mile, but that feat has been vanquished again and again. Babe Ruth’s 714 home runs went untouched for 39 years before Henry Aaron surpassed him. But no horse in 149 years has ever run the Kentucky Derby as fast as the chestnut colt named Secretariat on May 5, 1973. It was the 99th running of the Derby and Secretariat staggered from the gate, last among 13 horses. Favored to win, he languished in 11th at the first turn, fueling the wisp of doubt that had blossomed after his third-place finish at the Wood Memorial just a few weeks before. Then he displayed the late kick for which he would become famous. “Secretariat has…

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Cigar Aficionado (Digital) - 1 Issue, March/April 2024

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