A Tremendous Machine: National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame Celebrates

the 50th Anniversary of Secretariat’s Triple Crown

WRITTEN BY BRIEN BOUYEA

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Secretariat’s historic 1973 Triple Crown sweep, the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame is presenting traveling and onsite exhibitions from May through October, honoring the accomplishments and enduring legacy of the famed Meadow Stable colt.

The Museum was popular from the beginning. During its first year of operation at the Canfield Casino in 1951, the Museum attracted more than 8,000 visitors. At the end of 1952, the register showed 11,500 names.

Ground was broken for the Museum’s permanent home during the final week of November 1954. The cornerstone was laid the following April and New York Gov. W. Averell Harriman presided over the formal dedication during the 1955 Saratoga racing season.

Between 1999 and 2000, a major renovation and a 10,000 square-foot expansion of the physical plant costing $18 million improved collections storage and created a changing exhibition space, a curatorial workroom, and a children’s gallery.

There has been tremendous change in all areas of Museum operations in the 21st century. The unique horse racing simulator was developed and opened to the public in 2006; a new interactive Steeplechase Gallery opened in 2012; the Museum celebrated 150 years of racing at Saratoga with a two-year exhibit that opened in June 2013; in 2016, the Museum opened the Edward P. Evans Gallery, which displays some of the most coveted and prestigious trophies in the history of American racing; in 2018, the Museum unveiled its renovated interior courtyard, named in honor of C. V. Whitney; and in 2023, the Museum will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Secretariat’s Triple Crown sweep with both traveling and on-site exhibitions.

Now in its eighth decade — with a new state-of-the-art Hall of Fame experience to inspire current racing fans and cultivate new ones — the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame continues to thrive as a dynamic and integral part of the sport it celebrates.

A Tremendous Machine: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Secretariat’s Triple Crown recently journeyed the same path Secretariat did to become America’s ninth Triple Crown winner. The unique traveling exhibit was on display at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., for Kentucky Derby week May 3-6; advanced to Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore for Preakness Stakes festivities May 1820; and concluded its Triple Crown tour at the Belmont Stakes in Elmont, N.Y., June 8-11.

With its Triple Crown travels complete, a more comprehensive exhibition of A Tremendous Machine opened to the public July 13 at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, coinciding with opening day at Saratoga Race Course. At the conclusion of the Saratoga racing season, A Tremendous Machine will travel to Colonial Downs in Secretariat’s home state of Virginia for closing weekend at the New Kent-based track Sept. 7-9. The onsite exhibition at the Museum will remain on view through Oct. 29.

A video component of the exhibition takes fans through Secretariat’s unique journey in which he set speed records in each of the Triple Crown races. It also tells the stories of the people who guided the horse through his remarkable career.

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