Reply #1: Not 22 lengths when you consider track variant [View All]

[Awsi Dooger]

Secretariat's track in the Belmont was like I-95 at 4 AM, or an Indy straightaway. Scraped beyond belief. Not to detract from Secretariat, who ran incredible races in all three Triple Crown events, but that 2:24 time is somewhat phony. A mediocre horse broke the track record at a premier distance, either 1 mile or 1 1/8 miles, in the race immediately preceeding Secretariat's Belmont. In fact, 7 of Belmont Park's 11 main track records were broken within one week either way of Secretariat's Belmont, completely unprecedented. Many of them lasted for years.

The track was also exceptionally fast in the Derby. Remember, Sham finished just a couple of lengths behind and therefore also broke 2 minutes. A horse named Our Native ran 2:01, a time which would have won almost every Derby before or since. You can argue Secretariat was defeating exceptional horses who would have won big in other years, or that the track conditions were abnormally fast. Evaluating other races run by Sham and Our Native, including running times, the latter conclusion jumps out at me.