Secretariat’s transfer to the turf was a monumental success as he smashed the Belmont Park course record for 1 ½ miles when winning the Man o’ War Stakes by five lengths Oct. 8, 1973.
The story of Skip Away begins with Carolyn Hine, wife of late Hall of Fame trainer Sonny Hine, wishing for a white Thoroughbred.
Carolyn has diminished eyesight and wanted to be able to follow her horse beyond her blazing red and yellow silks. Sonny explained that white horses are extremely hard to find, but he attended a sale for 2-year-olds at Calder Race Course in Miami to see whether he might find a modestly priced gray horse that could run a bit.
Anyone who watched the 2022 Breeders’ Cup World Championships in person or on TV will always remember the Longines Classic first. A truly grand finale, the last of 14 World Championship races was a display of racing brilliance, as undefeated Flightline closed out his career with an 8 ¼-length runaway win.
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.
