Woodbine Marks Special Secretariat’s Triple Crown Anniversary

This week, Woodbine Entertainment is celebrating an important anniversary, as it marks the 50th anniversary of Secretariat’s Triple Crown. For the special occasion, the horse racing operator will organize an exhibit branded ‘A Tremendous Machine: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Secretariat’s Triple Crown.’ It will be available for a couple of days in October.

The racehorse won the U.S. Triple Crown in 1973 and completed his career at Woodbine Racetrack, while also capturing the Canadian International by 6 ½ lengths that October to wrap up a renowned career. The exhibition devoted to the champion horse will be available at Woodbine Racetrack, during the track’s business hours.

From October 5 through October 8

The exhibition was created by the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York and it features the horse’s 1973 Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes, and Triple Crown trophies. There is also a video which takes fans through Secretariat’s unique journey in which he set speed records in each of the Triple Crown races.

Those who want to see ‘A Tremendous Machine: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Secretariat’s Triple Crown’ will be pleased to hear that the exhibition will be free of charge. It will be available during Woodbine Racetrack’s regular hours of work, and parking will also be free. The exhibit will be on the 3rd floor of the grandstand which is wheelchair accessible.

The horse’s jockey for the Canadian International was Eddie Maple, who was assigned the mount after the horse’s regular jockey, Canadian Ron Turcotte got a suspension. Mr. Maple then began a renowned racing career, retiring with 4,398 wins in 1998. He will also be available for an autograph session at the track on October 8, 2023, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.

On October 8, 2023, Woodbine Racetrack will also host the 84th running of the Canadian International, and horses from all around the globe will arrive for the mile-and-a-quarter race. It is held on the world-class E.P. Taylor Turf Course and will feature a purse of CA$750,000. It is designed for 3-year-old and upward horses and will kick off at 1:15 p.m.

More on Woodbine Entertainment

Earlier this year, Woodbine Entertainment made some significant announcements. One of those was the introduction of the Swinger/Omni wager to its racing facilities. It’s a leading international wager which requires horseplayers to select two of the top three finishers in a race. Then, one of the participants can win with their preferred choice of horses finishing a race first and second, first and third, or second and third.

In addition, the horse racing operator reported that its long-term CEO, Jim Lawson will be stepping down from the position. In June 2023, the group announced that it had selected Michael Copeland to succeed him. Before that, Mr. Copeland served as the operator’s Chief Commercial Officer. He assumed the position on October 1, 2023.

Source: “Woodbine Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Secretariat’s Triple Crown” Past the Wire, September 28, 2023