Secretariat remains the greatest race horse ever.
And more than 50 years on from his mile-and-a-quarter record at Churchill Downs, his influence is all over the Kentucky Derby.
There's actually not a horse in this year's field that doesn't trace back to Secretariat.
That's right: According to the Louisville Courier Journal, every horse running in the 151st Kentucky Derby has descended from Secretariat.
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Given that it's about six generations down the line, the Courier Journal writes that it's not shocking for such lineage to exist.
Secretariat, as the legendary racehorse he was, was heavily desired as a potential sire. In all, he's known to have sired more than 660 foals.
Racehorse lineage is always a popular topic of conversation when the Kentucky Derby rolls around.
Those long-ago genetics have a way of piling up and creating the traits that the horses in this year's field have.
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Secretariat's Triple Crown journey of records in 1973 remains the stuff of legend.
Fittingly, he's the only being who can safely say one thing heading into Saturday evening's Derby: No matter who wins, he'll be happy, in this case looking down from the great barn in the sky upon whichever of his descendants steals the show.
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