the smell of grease paint, the roar of the crowds, and the thunder of hooves

 

Few sporting events in history can match the excitement of what happened on June 9, 1973. On that day, Secretariat won the Belmont stakes by 31 lengths. To this day, that record still stands. Prior to his run at Belmont, Secretariat also won at the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness. His victory at the Belmont made him the 9th horse in history to win the Triple Crown.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretariat_(horse)

His record times at the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont remain unbroken nearly 50 years later. The race at Belmont is widely regarded as the greatest performance of a race horse in the 20^th century.

So, let’s take a ride:

Secretariat Belmont Stakes 1973 & extended coverage (HD Version - NEW!) - YouTube

Three weeks after his win at Belmont, Secretariat was shipped to Illinois, where he competed in the Arlington Invitational, where he won by 9 lengths. Sensing that history was in the making, fans in Chicago, like their counterparts in New York, did not cash their winning tickets, which totaled nearly $12,000, based on the correct assumption that they would be worth more later.

A year after his winning race at Belmont, Secretariat retired, and his first foal was born in 1974. In all, Secretariat sired 663 named foals, which included 341 winners and 54 stakes sinners.

Arlington International Race Couse opened in 1927, during a time when horse racing was one of the most popular sports in American. Interest in horse racing eventually tapered off through the 1950’s, but surged again in the 1970’s, due to horses like Secretariat.

 https://abc7chicago.com/arlington-park-international-racecourse-racetrack-closing-date/11048182/

Arlington suffered a devastating fire in 1985, but eventually was able to rebuild on the same site. I have been there numerous times, and it is a gorgeous race track.

Over time, though, attendance at the track has tapered off, in large part due to the fact that casinos have moved into the Chicago area, offering gamblers more opportunities to spend their money, and online gambling has made the situation even worse.

Today, Arlington International is for sale. On September25, Arlington held the last race of the season – and possibly the race at the track forever.

https://abc7chicago.com/arlington-park-international-racecourse-racetrack-closing-date/11048182/

It’s unlikely that I will ever get back to Arlington, but I’ll always have fond memories of the place. Throwing money at the state lottery or the local bingo hall can be financially rewarding, but very few things in life can compete with watching a horse race, live and in person.