His record-breaking win in the Belmont Stakes, where he left the field 31 lengths behind him, is widely known as one of the greatest races of all time. He was bred and owned by Penny Chenery.
In the List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century, Secretariat is second only to Man o' War (racing career 1919–1920), who also was a large chestnutcolt given the nickname "Big Red".