The Legend Lives On: Every Horse In The 2025 Kentucky Derby Is A Descendant Of Secretariat

In 1973, Secretariat won the sport’s first Triple Crown in 25 years. He didn’t just win, he set the record for fastest time at each track on the prestigious racing circuit.

Incredibly, those records still stand today.

Secretariat remains one of the most legendary horses ever born. And on Saturday, one of his descendants could break his Churchill Downs mark. 

In the 151st running of The Kentucky Derby, all 21 horses are part of Secretariat’s lineage. From the favorite, Journalism, to the longest longshots, Baeza and Neoequos, all have a common ancestor in Secretariat.

In case you’re wondering how that’s possible, there’s a simple answer: Secretariat was quite a stud.

After his prestigious racing career was over, he sired more than 660 foals as his semen was sold to breeders across the industry, increasing his offspring. Despite racing six horse generations ago, his lineage is still going strong.

Secretariat, and Ron Turcotte, after winning the 1973 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. Secretariat and Turcotte would go on to win the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes, becoming the first Triple Crown winner since Citation in 1948. (Photo by Jerry Cooke/Corbis via Getty Images)

That led to Fox News contributor Stephen L. Miller making a hilarious remark about Secretariat’s prolific breeding.

"Secretariat is the Antonio Cromartie of horse racing," Miller wrote.

No matter what happens on Saturday at Churchill Downs, one horse will add another gold trophy to the Secretariat family trophy case. And that’s wild to imagine.

Post time for the Kentucky Derby is 7:02 p.m. ET.