1973 Preakness Stakes

98th Preakness Stakes

Preakness Stakes
Secretariat in the winner's circle following the 1973 Preakness
Location	Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore, Maryland
Date	May 19, 1973 5:40 PM EDT
Winning horse	Secretariat
Jockey	Ron Turcotte
Trainer	Lucien Laurin
Owner	Penny Chenery
Conditions	Fast
Surface	Dirt
Attendance	61,657
← 1972 1974 →

The 1973 Preakness Stakes was the 98th running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland held on May 19, 1973. Six horses entered, and Secretariat won by  2 ¹⁄₂ lengths ahead of Sham in front of a record crowd of 61,657 spectators. The race was viewed on television and broadcast over the radio.

In the period leading up to the Preakness, Kentucky Derby winner Secretariat was pegged as the favorite to win the race. Aside from Secretariat, Sham was named as the only other horse that could win the race or even challenge Secretariat. Initially seven horses officially enrolled to race in the event, but the field reduced to six after an owner scratched his horse. The entrants in the Preakness featured three horses that did not compete in the Derby. At the start, Secretariat broke last, but then made a huge, last-to-first move on the first turn. After reaching the lead with  5 ⁄₁ furlongs to go, he was never challenged, and won by  2 ¹⁄₂ lengths, Sham finishing second and Our Native third. The victory led to the stallion being featured on several magazine covers. Secretariat would go on to win the Belmont Stakes in the succeeding weeks, becoming the ninth horse to complete the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing and the first in 25 years.

The timing of the race was questioned, as the official clock malfunctioned and the official timer recorded a result slower than that recorded by clockers for the Daily Racing Form, who maintained that Secretariat had set a record. The dispute was not resolved until 2012, when newer technology allowed for a forensic review of the videotapes and an accurate calculation of the actual time, which was formally recorded as 1:53, a record time for the race still standing as of 2016^[update].