History In The Making

The chestnut strong boy, who now has won 12 of 15 lifetime starts and $895,242 (good enough to move into 17th place on the alltime earnings list), is the first colt since Citation in 1948 to win a Triple Crown, and in the years to come it will be fashionable to say it was a privilege to run against him. Even though he was beaten those 31 painful lengths, Twice a Prince will go into the record book as having finished second in Secretariat's Belmont . My Gallant was third, 13 lengths ahead of Pvt. Smiles. And last and least this day was Sham, the race's second choice at 5 to 1.

Now that racing has a hero the likes of which the sport has not had since Kelso retired, the only regret is that Secretariat will not be around the track very long. Boss Tweedy and her partners in the colt's $6,080,000 syndicate signed an agreement months ago to retire their big horse no later than November 15 (he is expected to race next in the Travers at Saratoga on August 18 and then in the Woodward at Belmont on September 29). "If there was no syndicate," says Mrs. Tweedy, "I'd run Secretariat as a 4-year-old to test his greatness. But there isn't much chance that the syndicate members would consider voting to change the terms of the contract because of the large number of market breeders among them. These men want to put Secretariat to stud as soon as possible—and understandably so. From their standpoint he really has little else to prove, so why not get on with it?"

Ogden Phipps , who paid $190,000 for one share in the colt, the world's most expensive horse, unsurprisingly suggests it might be prudent to retire Secretariat right now, "while he's on top." This also makes good sense to his partners (who, had the deal not been made at $190,000 a share before the colt's sensational season began, might now have been asked to pay $300,000 a crack, which would have raised Secretariat's value to close to $10 million). That, however, would be taking one of America 's greatest sporting attractions off center stage once and for all. This is one hero who should not be awarded instant retirement.