1973 Preakness Stakes
Preakness Stakes | |
Grade I stakes race | |
Location | Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore, Maryland |
---|---|
Date | May 19, 1973 5:40 PM EDT |
Winning horse | Secretariat |
Winning time | 1:53 |
Jockey | Ron Turcotte |
Trainer | Lucien Laurin |
Owner | Penny Chenery |
Conditions | Fast |
Surface | Dirt |
Attendance | 61,657 |
The 1973 Preakness Stakes was the 98th running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland held on May 19, 1973. Six horses entered, and Secretariat won by 2+1⁄2 lengths ahead of Sham in front of a record crowd of 61,657 spectators. The race was viewed on television and broadcast over the radio.
In the period leading up to the Preakness, Kentucky Derby winner Secretariat was pegged as the favorite to win the race. Aside from Secretariat, Sham was named as the only other horse that could win the race or even challenge Secretariat. Initially seven horses officially enrolled to race in the event, but the field reduced to six after an owner scratched his horse. The entrants in the Preakness featured three horses that did not compete in the Derby. At the start, Secretariat broke last, but then made a huge, last-to-first move on the first turn. After reaching the lead with 5+1⁄2 furlongs to go, he was never challenged, and won by 2+1⁄2 lengths, Sham finishing second and Our Native third. The victory led to the stallion being featured on several magazine covers. Secretariat would go on to win the Belmont Stakes in the succeeding weeks, becoming the ninth horse to complete the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing and the first in 25 years.
The timing of the race was questioned, as the official clock malfunctioned and the official timer recorded a result slower than that recorded by clockers for the Daily Racing Form, who maintained that Secretariat had set a record. The dispute was not resolved until 2012, when newer technology allowed for a forensic review of the videotapes and an accurate calculation of the actual time, which was formally recorded as 1:53, a record time for the race still standing as of 2022[update].
Pre-race activity
Between the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness,
Following his record-breaking victory at the
Of the remaining contenders, Deadly Dream had won the fourth race of his three-year-old campaign at
Event details
Post time for the race was 5:40 PM
Race officials expected a record turnout in the days leading up to the Preakness, estimating over 50,000 people.[1][2][8] They hoped that the possibility of Secretariat completing the Triple Crown and Sham attempting to foil Secretariat's run would lead to an increase in attendance.[1] The official attendance for the event was reported at 61,657,[13] which surpassed the previous record of 48,721 people set in 1972.[2][13] The new record lasted until 1975 when 75,216 spectators were present at Pimlico.[13]
Race summary
Out of the starting gate, Ecole Etage took the lead, ahead of Torsion, while race favorite Secretariat exited last.[16][17] Sham and Deadly Dream made contact exiting the gate.[10] While Sham was able to successfully gain stride, Deadly Dream began to run towards the railing and collided with it when entering the first turn.[18] Going into the course's first turn, Secretariat passed two horses on the outside and passed the remainder as the horses entered the backstretch.[10][16][17] Sham was the only horse that was able to stay with Secretariat's acceleration.[10][16] Secretariat held the lead for the remainder of the race and crossed the finish line in first position, 2+1⁄2 lengths ahead of Sham. Our Native placed third, eight lengths behind Sham.[19] This was the first time in the history of the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes that the top three horses in the Derby finished in the same positions at the Preakness.[16][20]
Result
Finish | Post Position | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Final Odds[N 1] | Stake[N 2] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 3 | Secretariat | Ron Turcotte | Lucien Laurin | 0.30 | $129,900 |
2 | 1 | Sham | Laffit Pincay, Jr.
|
Frank "Pancho" Martin | 3.10 | $30,000 |
3 | 4 | Our Native | Donald Brumfield | William J. Resseguet Jr. | 11.90 | $15,000 |
4 | 6 | Ecole Etage | George Cusimano | Grover G. "Bud" Delp | 11.30 | $7,500 |
5 | 2 | Deadly Dream | Anthony S. Black | H. E. "Buzz" Worcester III | 35.50 | – |
6 | 5 | Torsion | Ben M. Feliciano | John P. Campo | 39.00 | – |
Payout schedule
Post Position | Horse | Win | Place | Show |
---|---|---|---|---|
3 | Secretariat | $2.60 | $2.20 | $2.20 |
1 | Sham | – | $2.20 | $2.20 |
4 | Our Native | – | – | $2.20 |
Timing controversy
Upon the finish of the race there was a dispute over the winning time of Secretariat. The electronic Visumatic timer on the field read 1:55, while Daily Racing Form clockers Gene Schwartz and Frank Robinson timed Secretariat at 1:53+2⁄5, which would have broken the track record.[N 3][21][22] The official fractional times were 25, 48+4⁄5, 1:12, and 1:36+1⁄5, while the Daily Racing Forum timed the fractions at 24+2⁄5, 47, 1:10+2⁄5, and 1:35+3⁄5.[21] The next day, Secretariat's trainer Lucien Laurin asked for the videotape to be reviewed because he felt that if Secretariat did run that fast, then "he deserves the record."[23] On May 21, race officials adjusted Secretariat's winning time to 1:54+2⁄5, becoming the then second fastest time in race history.[24] The time was changed to the time obtained by the official Pimilico timekeeper E.T. McLean per Rule 383 of the Maryland Rules of Racing, which stated the "official timer's time is official."[24] McLean's stopwatch was faster than the Visumatic by three-fifths of a second at each fractional."[24] That same day, a Visumatic official checked the timer and stated that the timer should have actually read 1:54+4⁄5, rather than 1:55.[24] It was determined that the chart for the Preakness would display McLean's time as the winning time, with the Daily Racing Forum time written next to it, in parentheses.[24]
Secretariat's owner Penny Chenery and Maryland Jockey Club president Thomas Chuckas asked the Maryland Racing Commission to review the 1973 Preakness. On June 19, 2012, the commission announced their findings.[25][26] During a three-hour meeting, the tapes of Secretariat's run and the three new record-holding runs were overlaid by three separate companies from which a total of five analysts reviewed the footage.[25][26][27] Following all five analysts obtaining the time of 1:53, the commission unanimously voted to change Secretariat's time from 1:542⁄5 to 1:53, which broke the then-course record of 1:532⁄5.[N 4][25][26] Altering Secretariat's time allowed him to actively hold the course record for all three legs of the Triple Crown.[25][26][27] The overlaying method used by the committee was reported to be accurate to 0.03 of a second.[27] A representative of Chenery stated that they were "very pleased" with the decision.[27]
Analysis
By winning the Preakness, Secretariat earned his fourth victory in five races as a three-year-old.[19] This was the first victory for Lucien Laurin in his four attempts to win the Preakness.[19] Jockey Ron Turcotte secured his second Preakness victory, having previously won with Tom Rolfe in 1965.[19] It was Meadow Stables' second win at the Stakes as they were previously victorious with Hill Prince in 1950.[19] Following the race, Laurin stated that "Now, we're going to try and win the Belmont."[19] Torsion's jockey Ben Feliciano said, in regards to Secretariat, "He's the best."[19]
Betting on the races held that day at Pimlico Stakes totaled to $3,792,076, which set the Maryland record for amount of money wagered for the day.[13][19] Off-track betting on the Preakness Stakes reached $922,989, which was included in the previous record total.[13]
Three weeks after the Preakness, the Belmont Stakes featured a five-horse field. Secretariat won by 31 lengths with a time of 2:24 for the mile and a half, both course records in their own right.[28] Through his combined victories at the Belmont Stakes, Preakness Stakes, and Kentucky Derby, Secretariat became the ninth horse to complete the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing,[28] and the first horse since Citation in 1948, ending a 25-year period without a Triple Crown winner.[28] After his time in the Preakness was reviewed and found to be a record, Secretariat's times in all three Triple Crown races were stakes records and stand to this day.[26][29]
References
Endnotes
Citations
- ^ a b c d "Secretariat, Sham Forcing Small Preakness Field". Lakeland Ledger. Associated Press. May 13, 1973. p. 5B.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Secretariat Rated Heavy Choice To Win Preakness". Observer-Reporter. Associated Press. May 18, 1973. p. B-4.
- ^ a b c Gerald Strine (May 18, 1973). "Six Will Start in Preakness, Boyce Lark Has New Twist". The Washington Post and Times-Herald – via ProQuest (subscription required) . p. D1.
- ^ ProQuest 119911258.
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- ^ ProQuest 119899622.
- ^ a b "Rumors Abound About Preakness, Secretariat". Gadsden Times. Associated Press. May 17, 1973. p. 18.
- ^ ProQuest 157282101.
- ^ ProQuest 148442986.
- ^ ProQuest 170400367.
- ^ a b c d e f "The Preakness – Preakness Day Figures" (PDF). Preakness Stakes. Maryland Jockey Club. p. 7. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 20, 2016. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
- ^ ProQuest 148438258.
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- ^ a b c d e f g h "Secretariat Stops Sham In Preakness". Toledo Blade. Associated Press. May 21, 1973. p. 38.
- ^ "Secretariat makes it look easy with Preakness victory". Rome News-Tribune. Rome, Georgia. UPI. May 20, 1973. p. 1C.
- ^ ProQuest 170396329.
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- ^ a b c d Drape, Joe (June 19, 2012). "Secretariat Awarded Preakness Record, 39 Years Later". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 29, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e "Secretariat's '73 Preakness time is a record, racing commission rules". CNN. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. June 19, 2012. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f Hegarty, Matt (June 19, 2012). "Secretariat awarded Preakness record at 1:53 after review". Daily Racing Form. Archived from the original on March 24, 2016. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
- ^ a b c Ray Ayers (June 11, 1973). "Secretariat shatters mark". The Bryant Times. UPI. p. 11.
- ^ Tom Pedulla (May 18, 2016). "Secretariat: 'A Tremendous Machine'". America's Best Racing. TJC Media Ventures. Archived from the original on May 24, 2016.