Secretariat’s human connections had failed him by making a last-minute decision to run in the Sept. 29 Woodward Stakes without the proper prep work, but it did not take long for the Bold Ruler colt to turn things around. The Man o’ War Stakes was coming up just nine days later and was the race Secretariat was originally being pointed to before the Woodward detour.

Four days before the Man o’ War, Secretariat was sent for a workout on the Belmont Park turf in anticipation of his first grass race. Traveling around the dogs (cones) under his regular jockey Ron Turcotte, Secretariat charged five furlongs on the Widener course in :57.

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Turcotte in 2013 recalled his conversation with trainer Lucien Laurin following that workout, and his words should send a chill down the spine of any fan of the great colt.

“I told Lucien that Secretariat was 10-15 lengths better on the grass than on the dirt,” stated Turcotte. “It was incredible; an entirely different stride. He hit the ground heavier going over the dirt. He was skipping over the turf. When he hit the grass, he carried himself like a deer.”

Six opponents lined up to face Secretariat in the Man o’ War, including accomplished grass runners Tentam, Big Spruce, and London Company. But it was the presence of a lesser horse, Triangular, that created the most buzz simply because he hailed from the barn of Allen Jerkens, who had already toppled Secretariat twice in the previous two months, with Onion in the Whitney Handicap and Prove Out in the Woodward.

With two defeats in his previous three races on top of trying grass for the first time, there were some doubts whether Secretariat’s Triple Crown campaign was finally getting to the chestnut. While he was bet down to 1-2 favoritism—the 50 cents on the dollar represented the longest odds on him since the Kentucky Derby.

The doubters, however, would not be rewarded on this day. Secretariat broke best, and Turcotte sent him to the early lead, where he ran a sub-:24 first quarter and a half-mile in :47, maintaining an easy three-length advantage on Tentam. That foe was the only one to remain in contact with the leader as Secretariat turned in a mile in 1:36. Tentam would try again on the turn for home but made no impact.

“We just played with the other horse,” noted Turcotte. “I eased up on the reins and let him come to me, but then I talked to Secretariat and let him go. He won the race so easily it was unbelievable. He set a course record in his first race on the grass, and he could have gone faster.”

Secretariat ran 1 1/4 miles in 2:00 and completed the 12 furlongs in 2:24 4/5, busting the previous course record by three-fifths of a second. Tentam, though game, finished five lengths back, and he in turn had 7 1/2 lengths on Big Spruce in third.

In retrospect, the 50% return looked like a windfall to Secretariat’s investors on the day.

Chenery, right, with Secretariat after winning Man o’ War Stakes. (NYRA photo)

“I loved the Man o’ War,” said Secretariat’s owner Penny Chenery in 2013. “That was a glorious race, coming just nine days after the Woodward. It was absolutely a thrill to see him do so well on the grass.”

There was talk that Secretariat, having conquered this new frontier, might be retired after his turf triumph in the Man o’ War. Sand was flowing through the hourglass, with Secretariat scheduled to arrive at Claiborne Farm by November to begin prepping for his next career as a sire.

“I was always aware that there was a time limit,” Chenery said. “But there was no point retiring him early because he was already syndicated.”

The ties between Man o’ War and Secretariat were only growing stronger over time. In whichever order, they were considered the two best racehorses of the 20th century, and now Secretariat had run in, and won, the race named for his competitor from an earlier era. As Chenery mulled over the choices of which race would be Secretariat’s last, she may have been influenced to some extent by the fact Man o’ War had ended his career in Canada. Thus, while she could have returned Secretariat to the main track for the Jockey Club Gold Cup or sent him to Laurel Park for the prestigious Washington D.C. International on grass, his swan song would come in the Canadian International Oct. 28 at Woodbine.

BloodHorse Daily is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Secretariat's Triple Crown season by tapping Lenny Shulman's wonderful look back at each of his 1973 races on the calendar dates of those events.