Arlington Collection

Three weeks following Secretariat’s track record-breaking sweep in the 1973 Triple Crown, Arlington Park was selected as the next stop on the Big Red hit parade. The Chicago-based racetrack offered a hefty $125,000 purse to the winner of the invitational race, as further enticement to the Meadow Stable team.

Their decision to bring Secretariat to the Arlington Invitational would prove pivotal for the then-struggling Illinois racing industry, propelling it forward to another half-century of popularity. Secretariat certainly did his part to the delight of the crowd of 41,223 who witnessed his easy 9-length victory, just missing the track record time by 1/5 of a second. It was that rare performance that matched the expectations of the fans: absolute and unmitigated.

The Secretariat Arlington Collection documents the Meadow Stable colt’s appearance in the June 30, 1973 Arlington Invitational. The nationally broadcast event was also the top sports story for the Chicago media including the Sun-Times, Tribune and Daily News. The Collection’s diverse selection of imagery captures this historic event in a variety of compositions including pre-race, stretch run and winner’s circle.