Five three year old colts entered the gates on June 9th, 1973 for the 105th running of the Belmont Stakes. The caliber of all five competitors as far as breeding and their speed/stamina balance was unlike any other in the history of the race. This is one fact that is rarely ever spoken of. Because of the margin of victory and the course record set by the great Secretariat, the other four entrants have become a blur and left on the sidelines of this historical race. Secretariat ran the greatest race of all time against a small group of serious competitors which makes his victory even more majestic.

Secretariat was installed in a gate next to a group of competitors which all had serious breeding and the undeniable stamina for the 12f race which makes his 31 length victory an amazing achievement and one which we will most likely never again see in our lifetime.

When put into its true perspective, the 1973 Belmont Stakes outshines any other edition in its history because of the caliber of breeding within that small field that Secretariat left in the dust. When one watches the video, it appears that the 4 other entries are nothing but allowance runners with poor breeding, however, this could not be further from the truth. He faced a group that far surpasses anything running on the track today as far as breeding for the 12f race.

Twice a Prince, My Gallant, Pvt. Smiles, and Sham were all built to run right next to the Big Red horse but that extra unseen magic, that monumental resolve is what made Secretariat the titan that he was. He was the epitome of perfection and will always remain as so by anyone and everyone who ever laid eyes upon him from near or from afar, from past or present and well into the future.

The four colts who also deserve a place in history and who were part of the most famous race in horse racing history deserve to be remembered as well:

THE FIELD:

Twice a Prince

Chef DP = 8-4-42-4-0 (58)

DI = 1.32 CD = 0.28

Mare DP = 2-6-7-12-5

Speed = 8 Stamina = 17

Index = 0.59 Triads = 15-25-24

This son of Prince John entered 23 races and only won 3 of them. One of the main reasons for this could have been his desire to run in races above 11f which unfortunately for a 3 year old is not on the schedule. His chefs dosage profile 8-4-42-4-0 (58) is magnificent for 10-11-12f races and is quite possibly the best of the field, even above the great Secretariat's set. His chefs CD puts his optimum at 10.2f and with the addition of the mares 9 point spread between the speed and the stamina gained from the females, tips the balance fairly close to a perfect optimum for the Belmont Stakes. The 42 points gained in the Classic slot of the chefs profile is about as rare as you can get in the States. The numbers are spectacular for the Belmont Stakes and a worthy competitor at 12f for Secretariat.

My Gallant

Chefs DP = 17-14-10-7-0 (48)

DI = 3.00 CD = 0.85

Mare Profile = 6-3-3-7-7

Speed = 9 Stamina = 14

Index = 0.75 Triads = 12-13-17

The chef’s profile, straight across the board, mimics the great Secretariat fairly closely. The difference comes from the mares, with an index that is higher however still low enough to offer the right amount of extra stamina for the 12f distance. The numbers are spectacular for the distance of the Belmont and the spread of speed and stamina found from the chef’s profile would knock any horse of present day to his knees. If these numbers were found in one of our 2019 probables, all eyes would be on him for the win. The numbers are spectacular for the Belmont Stakes and a worthy competitor at 12f for the great Secretariat.

Pvt. Smiles

Chefs DP = 4-5-20-9-10 (48)

DI = 0.66 CD = -0.33

Mare Profile = 3-1-6-7-7

Speed = 4 Stamina = 14

Index = 0.48 Triads = 10-14-20

Another overloaded chef’s profile consisting of 48 total points and spread magnificently across each distance spectrum, a low chef index, a negative CD which puts his chef inherited optimum distance at 12.25f with an additional 10 point spread favoring stamina from the mares. This horse could have run the Belmont oval twice over with these numbers. That chef profile, if seen today, would far outweigh any competitor and it would stand alone against any field. A seriously bred competitor for the race but Secretariat left him in the dust.

Sham

Chefs DP = 8-4-26-4-0 (42)

DI = 1.47 CD = 0.38

Mare Profile = 3-4-5-10-4

Speed = 7 Stamina = 14

Index = 0.65 Triads = 12-19-19

The horse made famous for losing to Secretariat had a set of numbers that would make any of our present day Belmont probables jealous. His overloaded chef profile, his low Index top and bottom and the 7 point spread in stamina dominance made him a very eligible competitor for the 12f Belmont. The spread in the triads is perfect. Fantastic numbers.

The four unsung horses who were in the gate with Secretariat on that infamous day were all loaded to the max and well equipped to conquer that race that day. Not only did the great horse defeat them but he destroyed a group of extremely well bred foes. This makes Secretariat’s 31 length victory even more spectacular than what meets the eye. The 5 colts who ran in the 1973 Belmont Stakes were the finest group assembled for that race. Each and every one of them. The complete dominance of Big Red over the breeding of this field is something that is rarely mentioned and left unknown by the vast majority. He massacred a field which were all built for the race and his performance reaches heights that is hard to even describe.

THE VICTOR:

Secretariat

Chefs DP = 20-14-7-9-0 (50)

DI = 3.00 CD = 0.90

Mare Profile = 2-6-4-8-8

Speed = 8 Stamina = 16

Index = 0.50 Triads = 12-18-20

Overloaded in his chefs profile (just like all 4 of the others). 20 points gained in the Brilliant slot of his chefs overloaded his speed and took his CD up to a high .90. The overloaded profile spreads across which gives him complete ease across the board in his optimum distance capability. High speed inheritance on top, his stamina inheritance through his mares. Completely balanced and the absolute epitome of perfection with the blended outcome. Secretariat’s configurations and speed/stamina balance is what dreams are made of in the breeders shed. Notice the 20 in the brilliant slot of the chefs and then the low 2 in the mare’s brilliant slot. See how the mare triads depict the lower speed inheritance (12) which rises to the higher Classic inheritance (18) and ultimately even higher in the Professional (20). The offset and balance between the males and females is exactly what a perfectly balanced set should look like.