Having proved in the Bay Shore Stakes three weeks earlier that he had progressed through the winter and come back bigger and stronger than ever, Secretariat returned to competition in the Grade 2 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct April 7 at a mile, an eighth of a mile longer than the Bay Shore.

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Rider Ron Turcotte and trainer Lucien Laurin had been discussing a new running style for the star chestnut, one that would show more early speed and protect Secretariat against the vagaries of an unfriendly pace or traffic trouble, which he had encountered in the Bay Shore.

Turcotte had gleaned from the colt’s workouts that he could shift through his gears much quicker than Secretariat’s drop-back style had indicated to that point. And he saw a tactical advantage to switching things up.

“You don’t want other riders to know your style,” Turcotte said in 2013, looking back on the events of 40 years ago. “You want to confuse the other jockeys as to where you’re going to be so they can’t trap you. It’s good to have another plan in case the race breaks that way.”

Laurin and Turcotte huddled the morning of the Gotham and decided that if the Gotham pace was slow leaving the gate, they would experiment and allow Secretariat to go to the lead if he wanted it. This would, perhaps down the road, prevent a horse from stealing a race from him by setting a slow tempo. 

The plan almost ended before it began. Alongside five others in the $50,000 Gotham, Secretariat began by hitting the side of the stall as the gates sprung. He wobbled for a moment before cutting over to the rail. He raced third initially, but approaching the half-mile pole the son of Bold Ruler made the lead without breaking a sweat through early quarter-mile fractions of :23 1/5 and :45 1/5.

Secretariat winning Gotham. (NYRA/Bob Coglianese)

“He went to the lead very well,” Turcotte reported. “I put him out there and dropped his head and let him gallop along.”

But Champagne Charlie, who had tried to pin Secretariat and Turcotte on the rail during the Bay Shore, was tracking the Gotham leader, and under Mike Venezia, commenced a drive outside Secretariat, carrying him to near-even terms at the eighth pole. The 42,000 fans gasped as it appeared Champagne Charlie had the momentum and the grand experiment might turn into bad medicine. Turcotte, with the best seat in the house, downplayed the drama.

“When Champagne Charlie came to me at the eighth pole, I chirped to Secretariat and gathered him up and he took off and galloped away. There was no concern whatsoever when the other horse came to us. I had tested Secretariat on the turn, gathered his head, and he picked it up. I figured I’d wait until somebody came to me, or else I’d let him run the last eighth anyway. 

“He was always very responsive. I’d shake the stick at him now and then to remind him he was in a race, but very seldom did I even brush him with it.”

Owner Penny Tweedy (Chenery) also kept calm in the stands. 

“He had never run that way before, but I was OK with it,” said the 91-year-old ambassador for the sport in 2013. “I had lots of faith. It was more of a ‘Let’s see what happens’ deal.”

Secretariat went well enough through the stretch to defeat Champagne Charlie by three lengths in 1:33 2/5, equaling the track record for a mile. It was also the fastest a 3-year-old had ever run a mile in New York.

The victory enhanced Secretariat’s earnings by $33,330 and put him north of a half-million for his career. More importantly, the Gotham showed Turcotte that he had options with Secretariat, depending on the scenario presented. Thus, the seeds of Secretariat’s trips in the upcoming Preakness and Belmont Stakes were sewn in the Gotham. 

But before the Triple Crown tests, Secretariat had the Grade 1 Wood Memorial to contend with, just two weeks after the Gotham.

Golden Anniversary of Secretariat’s Triple Crown

As this year marks the 50th anniversary of Secretariat’s Triple Crown season, BloodHorse Daily plans to celebrate by tapping Lenny Shulman’s wonderful look back at each of his 1973 races on the calendar dates of those events. Shulman’s series helped celebrate the 40th anniversary in BloodHorse Magazine.

This year’s magazine also is offering some special features as well, including a look back at Secretariat’s loss in the Wood Memorial Stakes ahead of this Triple Crown run as well as fans’ continuing interest in the 1973 Triple Crown winner in the April issue. BloodHorse also has stories planned the June issue.