Native Dancer was one of the most accomplished racehorses in history, winning21 out of 22 races. Oddly enough, the only race Native Dancer lost was theKentucky Derby in 1953. It was said that the horse had been fouled twice duringthe race but recovered both times to lose a close one at the finish line.Then, of course, who could forget the likes of Secretariat that won just abouteverything in 1973 including the Triple Crown? Secretariat won the KentuckyDerby by 2.5 lengths and set a track record (1:59 2/5).
At the Preakness, the result was about the same was Secretariat wining by 2.5lengths over a horse called Sham.
Then at the Belmont Stakes, Secretariat amazed the world by crossing the finishline 31 lengths ahead of the second-place horse. This was the fastest (2:24) ahorse had ever run 1.5 miles on dirt in history and the record stands to thisday.
In recent years, the horse I followed most closely was Smarty Jones who wonboth the Kentucky Derby and Preakness in 2004. Favored to win at Belmont aswell, the horse seemingly tired of the extra long race and was passed by a 36-1long shot down the stretch.
Story by AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist John Kocet.
