Secreto (1981–1999) was a
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
-bred Irish-trained
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...
racehorse
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...
and
sire
Sire is an archaic respectful form of address to reigning kings in Europe. In French and other languages it is less archaic and relatively more current. In Belgium, the king is addressed as "Sire..." in both Dutch and French.
The words "sire" a ...
. In a career that consisted of only four races, he won three times. His most important success came in June 1984 when he won the
Derby
Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...
.
Background
Secreto was a small bay horse with three white
socks
A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. In the late ...
sired by the great
Northern Dancer
Northern Dancer (May 27, 1961 – November 16, 1990) was a Thoroughbred who, in 1964, became the first Canadian-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby. He then became one of the most successful sires of the 20th century. He is considered a Canad ...
. He was the first foal of his dam, the unraced
Secretariat
Secretariat may refer to:
* Secretariat (administrative office)
* Secretariat (horse)
Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who is the ninth winne ...
mare Betty's Secret, who was only three years old when Secreto was conceived. Betty's Secret went on to produce
Istabraq
Istabraq (born 23 May 1992) is a retired Ireland, Irish Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who was most famous for his Hurdling (horse race), hurdling. He won the Champion Hurdle on three occasions. He was trained by Aidan O'Brien and owned b ...
, who won the
Champion Hurdle
The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a ...
at Cheltenham's National Hunt Festival in 1998, 1999 and 2000. Secreto was bred by
E. P. Taylor
Edward Plunket Taylor, CMG (January 29, 1901 – May 14, 1989) was a Canadian business tycoon, investor and philanthropist. He was a famous breeder of Thoroughbred race horses, and a major force behind the evolution of the Canadian horse-racing ...
at his
Windfields Farm (Maryland)
Windfields Farm in Chesapeake City was Maryland's leading stud farm for Thoroughbred horses before it closed in 1988.
Overview
Windfields Farm was owned by Canadian businessman E. P. Taylor, who bought the Maryland property in 1964 at the recom ...
. As a yearling in 1982, Secreto was sent to the
Keeneland
Keeneland Association, Inc. is an equine business based in Lexington, Kentucky. It includes two distinct divisions: the Keeneland Race Course, a Thoroughbred racing facility, and Keeneland Sales, a horse auction complex. It is also known for it ...
Select yearling sale where he was sold for $340,000, a below-average figure for a Northern Dancer horse.
The purchaser was the Venezuelan breeder Luigi Miglietti who sent his colt to be trained in Ireland by
David O'Brien.
Racing career
Secreto won his only race as a two-year-old, taking a small
maiden race
In horse racing a maiden race is an event for horses that have not won a race. Horses that have not won a race are referred to as maidens. Maiden horse races are held over a variety of distances and under conditions with eligibility based on the se ...
at
Phoenix Park
The Phoenix Park ( ga, Páirc an Fhionnuisce) is a large urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its perimeter wall encloses of recreational space. It includes large areas of grassland and tre ...
. In the spring of 1984, he won the
Tetrarch Stakes
The Tetrarch Stakes is a Conditions races, Listed Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres ...
and then started favourite for the
Irish 2,000 Guineas
The Irish 2,000 Guineas is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is ...
over one mile. He finished third, beaten a neck and half a length by
Sadler's Wells
Sadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue in Clerkenwell, London, England located on Rosebery Avenue next to New River Head. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site since 1683. It consists of two performance spaces: a 1,500-sea ...
and
Procida
Procida (; nap, Proceta ) is one of the Flegrean Islands off the coast of Naples in southern Italy. The island is between Cape Miseno and the island of Ischia. With its tiny satellite island of Vivara, it is a ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City ...
, giving the impression that he would be suited by a longer distance.
In the 1984
Derby
Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...
, which, was the most valuable race ever run in Europe with a first prize of £227,680, Secreto started at odds of
14/1 in a field of seventeen runners.
The odds-on favourite was the unbeaten
El Gran Senor
El Gran Senor (21 April 1981 – 18 October 2006) was a champion American-bred Thoroughbred race horse, foaled at Windfields Farm (Maryland). He was the best horse of his generation in Europe at both two and three years of age, ahead of an ...
, trained by David O'Briens's father
Vincent
Vincent ( la, Vincentius) is a male given name derived from the Roman name Vincentius, which is derived from the Latin word (''to conquer'').
People with the given name Artists
*Vincent Apap (1909–2003), Maltese sculptor
*Vincent van Gogh ...
. El Gran Senor had been the leading European two-year-old of 1983 and had won the
2000 Guineas
The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) and scheduled to take place each year at ...
. The running was made by future
Melbourne Cup
The Melbourne Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne, Australia. It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and over, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria as part of the Melbou ...
winner
At Talaq, who turned into the straight five lengths clear. Two furlongs from the finish, El Gran Senor moved up to dispute the lead with Secreto moving up to challenge on the outside.
Pat Eddery
Patrick James John Eddery (18 March 1952 – 10 November 2015) was an Irish flat racing jockey and trainer. He rode three winners of the Derby and was Champion Jockey on eleven occasions. He rode the winners of 4,632 British flat races, a f ...
appeared to be going very easily on the favourite, whereas
Christy Roche was hard at work on Secreto. The two Irish-trained colts began to pull away from the opposition and in what
Timeform
Timeform is a sports data and content provider located in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1948, it provides systematic information on form to punters and others involved in the horse racing industry. The company was purchased by ...
described as a "thrilling" finish, Secreto led in the last strides to win by a short head.
The result was only confirmed after the stewards rejected an objection lodged by Eddery, who claimed that Secreto had leaned in and interfered with his horse in the closing stages. Secreto's win made David O'Brien, at 27, the youngest man to train a Derby winner. Christy Roche praised the colt's attitude, saying that Secreto had "won on sheer courage."
After his win in the Derby, a half share in Secreto was sold to
Calumet Farm for a reported $20,000,000.
The colt never ran again, being withdrawn successively from the
Irish Derby
The Irish Derby (Irish: Dearbaí na hÉireann) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 ...
, the
, and the
Benson & Hedges Gold Cup.
Assessment
Secreto was assessed at 128 by
Timeform
Timeform is a sports data and content provider located in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1948, it provides systematic information on form to punters and others involved in the horse racing industry. The company was purchased by ...
.
In their book ''A Century of Champions'', John Randall and Tony Morris rated Secreto as an "inferior" Derby winner.
Stud record
Secreto was retired to stud at
Calumet Farm in Kentucky before being sent to Japan in 1992 where he died in 1999. His most notable offspring was the 1991 English
2,000 Guineas
The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) and scheduled to take place each year at ...
winner
Mystiko. The most notable of his Japanese runners was the
Hanshin Juvenile Fillies
The Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (阪神ジュベナイルフィリーズ) is a one-mile turf stakes race for thoroughbred fillies two years old. It is considered the ''de facto'' year-end championship for Japanese thoroughbred racing in the two-year- ...
winner Tamuro Cherry.
Pedigree
References
{{Epsom Derby Winners
1981 racehorse births
1999 racehorse deaths
Racehorses bred in Maryland
Racehorses trained in Ireland
Thoroughbred family 4-d
Epsom Derby winners