Bill Text: VA HJR225 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commemorating the life and legacy of Secretariat.
Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Republican 36-3)
Status: (Passed) 2024-03-06 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ225ER) [HJR225 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-HJR225-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, 2023 marked 50 years since Secretariat, regarded by many to be the greatest racehorse in the history of the sport, won the 1973 Triple Crown; and
WHEREAS, Secretariat, also known as Big Red, was foaled and raised on a farm in Caroline County by his owner and breeder Helen Bates "Penny" Chenery, who famously received the horse as the result of a coin toss between her and her fellow stable owner and breeding partner Ogden Phipps; and
WHEREAS, with his exceptional size and strength, Secretariat impressed immediately and appeared destined for racing greatness; he won every race with the exception of his debut and a disqualification in his first year of racing and would go on to earn 1972 Horse of the Year honors; and
WHEREAS, in his second year of racing at age three, Secretariat became the first horse in a quarter century to win the American Triple Crown when he won the Kentucky Derby on May 5, 1973, with a track record time of 1:59 2/5; and
WHEREAS, Secretariat's 1973 campaign also included an American record for 1 1/2 miles on dirt with a time of 2:24 from his win at the Belmont Stakes and a stakes record at the Preakness Stakes with a time of 1:53; and
WHEREAS, Secretariat was a celebrated icon of his day, leading news headlines and appearing on the covers of several major publications, bringing new fans and attention to the sport of horse racing; and
WHEREAS, Secretariat had been syndicated for a record-breaking $6.08 million at the beginning of his third year and would later appear in the pedigree of several other champion racehorses, becoming the leading broodmare sire in 1992; and
WHEREAS, Secretariat's prominent place in the history of the sport of horseracing is the pride of the Commonwealth and a legacy worth honoring for generations to come; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commemorate the life and legacy of Secretariat on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his American Triple Crown victory; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to representatives of Secretariat as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for the horse's illustrious accomplishments.
