SECRETARIAT's Belmont Stakes RUN Defies All Logic

[catbyte]

I watched it when it happened and it still blows me away.

[biophile]

1. It is always spellbinding; my eyes well up with emotion every time I watch

[bucolic_frolic]

2. It was quite a run

For awhile he was a nose behind.

[mobeau69]

7. He's running like a tremendous machine!

[kozar]

3. I get goosebumps every time I see it.

Even when it was in the movie.
Just an incredible athlete.

Koz

[a kennedy]

4. Absolutely amazing, can never get sick of it.......

[Bayard]

5. A once in a life time horse....

Secretariat had nearly a 25 ft. stride. Most TB racehorses are in the low 20 ft stride. He was also 16.2 hands, compared to the usual 15-16 hands (a hand is 4 inches measured from the withers.) His necropsy weighed his heart at 22 pounds. Most TB's are around 10 lbs.

He just had another gear or two more than his peers. A phenomenal horse.

[moniss]

6. I remember jumping up and down in my living room and

crying. It was one of, maybe standing above all else, the greatest things I've ever seen. Along with the Kirk Gibson home run. The long buildup and tension as Lasorda made the call and Gibson hobbling to the plate made the moment he hit the ball such a momentous thing. I saw Wilt do so many incredible things and people need to remember that only about 10% or so of his career is on tape. I saw Larry Bird make shots while falling down. I saw Koufax and Nolan Ryan.

But Secretariat at The Belmont Stakes was a lone competitor, the jockey a passenger at that point, putting on the display of unchallenged greatness for all time. I don't think there will ever be another run like it. Being a singular performance really sets it apart from a player in a team sport.

[LoisB]

8. I have watched this more times than I can count yet I am still amazed by this run.

[appmanga]

9. It was one of the greatest athletic feats I've witnessed...

...and as someone else said, it still gives me goosebumps to see it. "Big Red" was "The People's Horse" and if The Beatles were a racehorse, they would have been Secretariat, that's how popular he was. He was also physically beautiful. An amazing athlete.