WHEREAS, Secretariat was born 43 years ago on March 30, 1970, near Doswell, Virginia, in Caroline County; and WHEREAS, Secretariat was unanimously voted America's Horse of the Year as a two-year-old in 1972, the first juvenile ever so honored in history; and WHEREAS, Secretariat, as a three-year-old in 1973, became the first thoroughbred in 25 years to win racing's coveted Triple Crown—the Kentucky Derby in Louisville, the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore, and the Belmont Stakes in New York—in the brief span of five weeks; and WHEREAS, Secretariat, the strapping chestnut colt, accomplished the unprecedented feat of breaking the stakes' records in all three Triple Crown races, including the one and a quarter mile Kentucky Derby in one minute and fifty-nine and two-fifths seconds and the one and a half-mile Belmont Stakes in two minutes, twenty-four seconds flat; the two records still stand today; and WHEREAS, Secretariat's astonishing 31-length victory in the Belmont Stakes is widely perceived as the single greatest performance in the history of the ancient Sport of Kings; and WHEREAS, Secretariat was again voted America's Horse of the Year at the conclusion of the 1973 season; and WHEREAS, Secretariat, as a breeding stallion, had a lasting impact on the thoroughbred breed, especially through his many daughters who served at studs around the world; and WHEREAS, Secretariat, who succumbed in 1989, is today considered by many horsemen to be the greatest thoroughbred in the modern history of the American turf, the standard of excellence against which all other racehorses are measured; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commemorate the 40th anniversary of Secretariat's Triple Crown triumph; and, be it RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Caroline County Board of Supervisors, representing the citizens of Caroline County, as an expression of the esteem in which the memory of Secretariat, the finest athlete ever born in the Commonwealth, is held by the members of the General Assembly. |