SPORT

One, Two, Three!

Not since Citation turned the trick in 1948 has a thoroughbred been so heavily favored to win racing's Triple Crown. The wonder horse called Secretariat had won impressive victories in the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness. Still, going into the $150,200 Belmont Stakes, the last and longest (1 1/2 miles) of the three classics, the strapping chestnut colt was bucking the very formidable odds of history.

As expected, Secretariat and Sham staged an early head-to-head duel. Then, with his long, beautifully rhythmic strides, Secretariat began to pull away.

First it was by one length, then five, then ten. Coming into the stretch, Jockey Ron Turcotte did not bother to go to the whip as Secretariat poured it on. When he crossed the finish line, he had won by an incredible 31 lengths, the largest winning margin in the history of the Belmont. This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.