Secretariat won by HOW much? Putting historic Belmont Stakes victory into perspective

Secretariat was the 1-10 favorite to win the Belmont Stakes on June 9, 1973. Those who bet on him were happy after the race because the iconic horse, nicknamed “Big Red,” didn’t just win — he ran away with it. 

After a tightly contested battle during the first half of the race, Secretariat pulled away and took a sizable lead. Then, he exploded on the home stretch, winning the race by 253 feet and 2 inches (31 lengths, which Equibase defines as eight feet and two inches). It was the record for the largest margin of victory in horse racing, and that record still stands today. 

The win also made Secretariat the first horse to win the Triple Crown in 25 years.

What is a tangible model for the distance by which Secretariat won the race? 

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The distance between an MLB pitcher’s mound and home plate is 60 feet, 6 inches. In other words, Secretariat won the race by approximately four times the distance between a pitcher and catcher (e.g. a fly ball to center field). 

Sticking with sporting venues, an official NBA court is 94 feet long, meaning Secretariat won by almost three court lengths.

For more perspective, an official NFL field is 360 feet long, which means he won by approximately 70% of the length of an NFL field.

The tallest player in NBA history is Gheorghe Muresan, who stood at 7-foot-7. If one placed approximately 33 Muresans on top of each other, they’d get the distance between first and second place in the race.

Ever seen a blue whale? They’re enormous, and considered the longest animal on the planet at around 80 feet in length. Can one picture three one them? That’s approximately the length by which Secretariat won.

Can another horse pull off a win in Secretariat fashion? Find out Saturday, as the 155th running of the Belmont Stakes takes place at 7:05 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app. 

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