Out There All Alone

It's a popular dinner party question: if you could transport yourself to any event in history, what would it be? The Last Supper, the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the Beatles' first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show are all popular answers. And tempting, too. But none of those options involve a horse upsetting the entire field at the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths while claiming the Triple Crown title in record time. If I could go, that's where you'd find me.

I've become increasingly fascinated with the sport of horse racing and all that goes with it. The breeding, the training, and the stories. Along the way, it's been amazing to see that these horses are athletes as well as competitors. And some of them, like a modern day LeBron James or Michael Phelps, are built for greatness. Enter Secretariat and his bid for the 1973 Triple Crown title.

For those of you unfamiliar, the Triple Crown is so difficult because the length of all three races vary and most horses are bred for different distances. So while a horse might shine at the Kentucky Derby, the longer Belmont Stakes will test its endurance. Knowing that, it's amazing when any horse wins the Triple Crown. But Secretariat set still-standing track records at two out of the three races, and won each leg in jaw-dropping fashion:

The Kentucky Derby: Not only did he win the Derby by 2 1/2 lengths, he ran each quarter-mile segment faster than the one before it. His quarter-mile times were:

1. 25 1/5
2. 24
3. 23 4/5
4. 23 2/5
5. 23

This means he was still accelerating as of the final quarter-mile of the race. Amazing.

The Preakness Stakes: Secretariat again won by 2 1/2 lengths, but this time he did it coming from worst to first. Just when it seemed like he was down and out, he pulled to the outside and blew past the field.

The Belmont Stakes: As I mentioned above, he won by 31 lengths. That just doesn't happen. He ran the fastest 1 1/2 miles on dirt in history, 2:24 flat, which broke the stakes record by more than 2 seconds. This record still stands, and in fact, no other horse has ever broken 2:25 for 1 1/2 miles on dirt. And Secretariat ran that time without another horse pushing him. Imagine if he would have had some competition. If you've never seen it, check it out:



Now that I've let a little of my inner dork shine through, here are a few more interesting facts:

• 5,617 winning parimutuel tickets at the Belmost Stakes on Secretariat were never redeemed. They were presumably kept as souvenirs (they only paid $2.10 on a $2 bet).
• Secretariat placed 35th on ESPN's list of 100 Greatest Athletes of the 20th Century.
• A necropsy (post-mortem exam) showed that his heart weighed 22 pounds, the largest ever recorded for a racehorse.

That last one really gets me. Like I said, some things are built for greatness. And eventually everything clicks and produces a unforgettable moment in time.

So yup, that's my choice. Somebody get Doc Brown on the horn and tell him to grab the keys to the DeLorean.