LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Compliments of the Kentucky Derby Museum and its generous partners, we can travel back 50 years to 1973 and the 99th running of the greatest two minutes in sports. 

It’s where Secretariat and jockey Ron Turcotte began their historic march to Triple Crown glory. 

Chris Goodlett is the Director of Curatorial & Educational Affairs and ahead of the Derby, the museum opened a new Secretariat exhibit.

“And with this being the 50th anniversary of that Triple Crown sweep he’s going to be in the news again, his profile is going to be out there again, demand to know more about him is going to be more pronounced so that’s a great advantage to the museum,” said Goodlett. He added, “Secretariat is always that name that people know, even if they only know a little bit about horse racing.”

The Derby’s photo archive includes images of Secretariat, jockey Ron Turcotte, Churchill Downs, and fans.

Goodlett says while Secretariat’s story is considered one of the greatest sports stories ever told, 50 years ago it immediately joined the cultural zeitgeist.

“When we talk about his celebrity and his celebrity was pretty immediate. It wasn’t just what we know now, even in 1973. He wins the Derby. He wins the Preakness en route to the Belmont he appears on the covers of Time, Newsweek and Sports Illustrated,” said Goodlett. 

Photo archives also show us Secretariat years after the win, enjoying retirement after being thrust into spot light that grows even brighter 50 years later.

Goodlett says the exhibit is perfect for sports and pop culture fans alike. “’48 Citation was a Triple Crown. We wouldn’t have another one until Secretariat, so if you were a race fan. If you were a sports fan, if you were a pop culture fanatic, there was interest in Secretariat.”