Watch: 50 years ago today, Secretariat wins Preakness

Fifty years ago today, Secretariat won the Preakness Stakes, securing the second requirement to become thoroughbred racing’s first Triple Crown winner in one-quarter of a century.

When eight horses break from the gates on Saturday in the 148th Preakness Stakes, they’ll still be chasing Secretariat’s race record of 1 minute, 53 seconds over the 9.5-furlong course at Pimlico Race Course. Last year’s Preakness winner, Early Voting, came home in 1:54.54.

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Oddly, Secretariat has had that time only since 2012.

The electronic timer clocked Secretariat in 1:55 during the race 50 years ago. But reporters timing the race had faster showings, as did the stopwatch of Pimlico’s official timekeeper. In the days after the race, Secretariat’s time was changed to that recorded by the timekeeper – 1:54.4, at the time the second-fastest in the race’s history at the current distance behind the 1:54 of 1971 winner Canonero II.

But that time still was slower than other race stopwatches showed for Secretariat. Penny Chenery, the colt’s owner, asked the Maryland Racing Commission to investigate and that led to Secretariat’s time being changed to the current record in 2012.

More important than Secretariat’s time was his 2.5-length victory over Sham. Because the colt also had won the Kentucky Derby two weeks before, that sent Secretariat to the Belmont Stakes with the opportunity to become the ninth Triple Crown winner.

After seven Triple Crown winners in a 19-year span, thoroughbred racing hadn’t had a horse win the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes since Citation in 1948.

Post time for the 148th Preakness Stakes is 5:50 p.m. CDT Saturday at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. NBC will televise the race.

Mage is this year’s Triple Crown hopeful after winning the Kentucky Derby on May 6.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.