Secretariat

The qualities in a hero that interest me are those who show great skill and determination, ready to take on anything, and are almost fearless. Secretariat had all of those things. He inspires me and if he was a human, he would probably say, “ Anything is possible,” and to never give up. I have never given up on something before. He is my hero because anything that inspires me is usually an animal (most of the time).

Secretariat shows these qualities by never giving up until it was time for him to retire. He made the most of his career, and earned what he deserved at the end of it. He made great progress from the the beginning to the end. He had a great amount of skill from the training he went through. His training made him who he was. He was fearless, and could take on almost anything. Nothing could have stopped him. That is why I picked him for my story.

Secretariat was born on March 30, 1970 at Meadow Stables in Caroline County, Virginia. His Sire was Bold Ruler, and his Dam was Somethingroyal. He was given the nickname was “Big Red”, the same nickname the famous horse Man O’ War once wore. He was owned by Penny Chenery, and trained by Lucien Laurin. He was mainly ridden by Canadian jockey Ron Turcotte

He earned many awards in his lifetime, including the American Horse of the Year in 1972 and 1973. However, most awards were given to him after he passed. He was the first U.S. Triple Crown champion in twenty-five years, and set new race records for two of the three events in the Series, the Kentucky Derby, and the Belmont Stakes. These records still stand today.

His racing colors were blue and white checkered and his groom was Eddie Sweat. He was 16.2 hands (a hand is 4 inches) and weighed 1,175 pounds. In his honor, there is a statue of him at Arlington Park, and a Secretariat Street in Napa, California and in Howell, New Jersey. There is also a Secretariat Court in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.