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Secretariat at 50: Big Red’s Road to the Triple Crown Went Through the Bay Shore

by Jim Reisler

Few other horses ever kicked off their 3-year-old season with the kind of fanfare that greeted Meadow Stable’s Secretariat 50 years ago.

Big things were expected of the horse his handlers affectionately named “Big Red.” The son of Bold Ruler was the reigning Horse of the Year, rare honors for a 2-year-old; and was back in training at Belmont Park after a winter on the farm where he had filled in and put on muscle. Two months earlier, in January 1973 to settle a tax debt, Meadow Stable’s Penny Chenery had syndicated the breeding rights for Secretariat for $6.08 million, along with Riva Ridge, the stable’s 1972 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner, for $5 million.

First step on the prospective Road to the Triple Crown was the $25,000 seven-furlong G3 Bay Shore Stakes on March 17, St. Patrick’s Day, with 32,906 fans on hand at Aqueduct. Then Chenery and trainer Lucien Laurin planned to move their big colt progressively up in distance to two other races at Aqueduct: the $50,000, 1-mile Gotham on April 7, followed by the $114,900 Wood Memorial on April 21. From there, it would be just two weeks until the 1 ¼-mile Kentucky Derby on May 7 at Churchill Downs.

Secretariat took the Bay Shore handily, winning by 4 1/2 lengths, but doing so the hard way. In the drive down the stretch, rider Ron Turcotte steered Secretariat between horses in the field of six and gained the lead and cross the wire in front. But up went a stewards’ inquiry, with the claim that Big Red had interfered with third-place Impecunious, ridden by James Moseley. After talking to both riders and reviewing films, the stewards disallowed the objection, and declared Secretariat the winner.

“He was wonderful,” said Laurin of Secretariat’s performance. “He did everything I expected him to.”

But perhaps a pinch of St. Patrick’s Day luck had played a role. Visibly nervous during the inquiry, Mrs. Tweedy managed to smile and say, “If everything comes out all right, I hope they have a color camera, because I'm wearing my green coat.”

It came out okay – and with the Bay Shore, Secretariat added on his knack for coming from behind and winning in New York. As a 2-year-old, he had won the Sanford and Hopeful in Saratoga and the Belmont Futurity. The Gotham would be next up on the road to the Derby.