He continues to hold the records in all three Triple Crown races nearly forty years later.
The details:
For more than two hours, the racing commission heard testimony, backed by modern technology to prove Secretariat’s time was actually faster than the Preakness record of 1:53 2/5, set by Tank's Prospect in 1985 and matched by Louis Quatorze in 1996 and Curlin in 2007.
“Justice was served,” Chuckas said. “The Secretariat team made a compelling case that he ran the race in 1:53 flat and added the Preakness record to his resume. This is terrific news for Mrs. Chenery, who has been diligent in her fight for nearly 40 years, and the entire sport of horse racing.”
Farma Way still holds the track record for Pimlico at that distance. His record was for his win of the 1991 Pimlico Special. The time was 1:52 2/5.
Still more details:
The evidence presented by Chenery spokesman Leonard Lusky was quite compelling. He slowly built his case by calling on videographers from Kentucky and Colorado to testify that the tape showed real time and had not been doctored. Digital technology allowed them to break down the tape frame-by-frame and create a comparison to other Preakness races.
And when the 1973 race was shown at the same time as the Preaknesses won in 1995 by Tank’s Prospect and in 1997 by Louis Quatorze -- who had previously shared the record of 1:53 2/5 -- Secretariat crossed the finish line at least a length and a half ahead of the others.
The commission members, who are appointed by the governor and responsible for ensuring safety and fairness in Maryland's horse racing operation, needed about 10 minutes to make its decision, which was unanimous.
2 comments:
Absolutely deserving for the greatest race horse of all time1 Bravo!
You bet! I remember that controversy like it was yesterday. The original time was immediately challenged. Jack Whitaker of CBS Sports constantly reminded viewers about the time discrepancy. Thank goodness forensics have come a long way since the seventies to the point it couldn't be denied Secretariat set records in all three races.
One of the high points of my life was seeing the champ two months before his death in 1989. I have a lock of his mane as a souvenir.
Post a Comment