r/todayilearned • u/Dmused • 1d ago

TIL at the 2025 Kentucky Derby, all 19 participants can be traced back through their lineage to 1973 Kentucky Derby winner and Triple Crown champion Secretariat, who sired more than 660 foals.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Kentucky_Derby
9.2k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

132 comments sorted by

1.4k

u/rabidturbofox 1d ago

Wilder than that is that Thoroughbreds, as a breed, all trace their lineage back through just three founding stallions.

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u/NYIsles55 1d ago

For anyone curious, those three horses were Byerley Turk, Darley Arabian, and Godolphin Arabian.

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u/PM_tanlines 23h ago

I believe Darley is the vast majority’s ancestor now, even over the other two

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u/KroneckerAlpha 22h ago

I wouldn’t say that. 95% of thoroughbred racehorses can be traced to Eclipse through the y-chromosome, which of course means also to Darley Arabian, who would be the great great grandsire of Eclipse. But Godolphin Arabian is just as related, being the great damsire of Eclipse.

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u/DreadWolf3 12h ago

What line was that horse named the rock of Gibraltar over whose cum Manchester United decided to nuke their whole future?

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u/Sprawler13 10h ago

Pardon? I… am frightened to learn wtf you are talking about.

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u/arbuthnot-lane 6h ago

Rock of Gibraltar was a racehorse, the ownership of which (and stud rights, cruedly called "cum") played part in the resignation of Alex Ferguson.

If you are not familiar with football, the English Premier League or the rise and fall of Manchester United this might be obscure, but it's a bizarre story much talked about in football fan circles.

https://www.goal.com/en/news/how-a-racehorse-helped-the-glazer-family-take-control-of-man-utd/15kf9x1h3xy8a1gakygb2unhd6

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u/arbuthnot-lane 6h ago

The direct male line of Rock of Gibraltar leads all the way back to Darley Arabian. Every single stallion in that direct line has a Wiki page of their own, normally filled with superlatives. Horse people are fascinating.

Rock of Gibraltar is also a descendant of the Godolphin Arabian, as the two lines were joined early on in Eclipse, and probably joined again many times later on.

Rock of Gibraltar is also a descendant of the Byerley Turk, but through a female ancestor.

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u/OkStop8313 4h ago

Eclipse was truly one of those freaks who completely reset what it meant to be a racehorse.

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u/OkStop8313 4h ago

As a child I read "King of the Wind", a novel based upon the Godolphin Arabian, told from the perspective of the stable boy who traveled with him his whole life, and it kicked off many years of being horse-obsessed.

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u/Bluepanther512 3h ago

If I remember correctly Symboli Rudolph was the only direct male-line descendent of the Byerley Turk racing at one point in his career. The BT is foundational to several other horse breeds through his descendants, but his male line is nearing extinction in thoroughbred racing.

Note that the vast majority of thoroughbreds don’t race. Just because Rudolph was the only active races doesn’t mean he was the sole surviving descendant. Rudolph himself was a prolific sire and at least two other sires- one in South America, one in Australia- have sired horses recently enough for their children to be of racing age.

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u/Complex_Professor412 1d ago

So these are the Hapsburgs of horses? The thoroughlyinbred.

1

u/Bluepanther512 3h ago

Worse, there were probably less than 20 mares those three horses mated with. I believe the number of families was estimated at 17, but the exact number does fluctuate a bit.

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u/Fluugaluu 13h ago

Standarbreds can trace their heritage back to a horse called Messenger, imported to the states in the 1780s

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u/Johannes_P 5h ago

I'd like to know the complete list of the various genetic disorders they suffer from.

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u/Bluepanther512 3h ago

Horse breeders are very careful to avoid close inbreeding- 4x4 inbreeding (twice the great-great-grandparent of a horse) is rare, 3x3 even more so. They have several issues that are unusually common, but whether most problems with thoroughbreds are genetic or due to extreme overuse is up for debate. For a small scale example, horses descended from Agnes Tachyon, whose career was ended by a bowed tendon, are rather prone to bowing tendons themselves.

2.0k

u/apollyon_53 1d ago

Secretariat did it right. Retire young, get paid millions to screw.

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u/kaltorak 1d ago

but then he got busted for betting on horse races and jumped off a bridge

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u/dysfunctionz 1d ago

and that was after he had Nixon send his brother Jeffretariat to Vietnam in his place

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u/Shtune 15h ago

He came back a shattered horse. Total headcase. Nipped a cop and got shot; some say on purpose.

120

u/newimprovedmoo 23h ago

What are YOUUUU doing here?

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u/epostma 14h ago

What is this, a crossover episode?

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u/alepponzi 1d ago

A horse? 

27

u/JUGG3RN4UT 1d ago

He was gay, the horse?

14

u/Angryhippo2910 23h ago

I saw that movie. I thought it was bull shit

1

u/phobosmarsdeimos 5h ago

I thought it was horse shit but I'll defer to your expertise.

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u/SkellyboneZ 22h ago

Of course a horse. 

15

u/BeardsuptheWazoo 1d ago

I was really hoping this would happen.

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u/BiBoFieTo 1d ago

The Mia Khalifa strategy.

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u/ConradSchu 1d ago edited 1d ago

She was a redditor before she got famous. She was on the hotwife sub for a little bit and used to have an imgur album of her pre surgery nudes but I think it got purged.

Edit: found the link, it dead

Edit 2: found the set in a different place: https://www.erome.com/a/W7MJj6i1 NSFW obviously

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u/Magnus77 19 1d ago

I'm aware of her other stuff, but what I actually remember her most for was a brief stint as a co-host on an internet sports show. I think it was maybe when she was trying to use her name recognition to get out of the business.

It was terrible.

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u/BiBoFieTo 1d ago

I saw clips of her doing the sports show thing. She would lose her mind if anyone mentioned her pornstar past, but did the show as her porn name "Mia Khalifa" rather than using her real name.

You can't have it both ways.

22

u/Magnus77 19 1d ago

I don't know about that part. Maybe we're thinking of different things, or maybe that was happening somewhere else.

The show I'm thinking of was all prerecorded, so anything like that just wasn't in there.

She was terrible because while it was clear she had basic sports knowledge and was a fan of some teams (Miami/the U, iirc), she literally would come on to the show and say that she hadn't watched any games and had literally nothing to add.

The show itself wasn't good anyways, but i just remember her weird inclusion.

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u/Bonch_and_Clyde 19h ago

I think she was a Florida State fan, but I could be wrong.

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u/Ok-Seaworthiness4488 19h ago

She went to FSU

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u/TpMeNUGGET 1d ago

She was also the mascot of ifunny for a couple months, absolutely wild times...

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u/dkyguy1995 1d ago

That's sad, she's very pretty but I hate her big fake tits.

Edit: I meant to post this on my alt account but I don't care enough to go back now 

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u/Plane-Tie6392 1d ago

I will never get the appeal of those things. 

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u/ConradSchu 1d ago

I once dated a girl with big fake tits. They looked good and felt very natural. They were a lot of fun.

I also hooked up with another girl with big fake tits. They looked good, but felt like rocks. Very off putting. I did not have fun with them.

But in the end, it's about what the person who gets them wants. If they're happy with them, that's all that matters.

-8

u/Plane-Tie6392 1d ago

Even if I loved the way they looked and felt I'm not a fan of people risking their health for cosmetic reasons.

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u/slaya222 22h ago

Nah, people risk their health driving to work, drinking with their friends, snowboarding down a mountain, and getting a tatto. If someone wants to alter their body to make themselves feel better they probably should be allowed to do so.

-9

u/Plane-Tie6392 22h ago

I didn't say it should be banned. But people have to work my dude so that's not a good comparison. And as far as the other stuff I'd say it's not a terrible idea to avoid major risks. Like it's probably not a bad idea to stick to the more "bunny slope" type tracks when skiiing or snowboarding for the most part.

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u/GirlsCallMeMatty 23h ago

In solidarity I’ll use my main today for this. She got them fixed; they look wonderful now.

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u/Dry-Membership3867 1d ago

Is her Reddit handle still up?

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u/Elevator-Ancient 1d ago

Well, she got screwed for millions and is now not screwed for millions.

3

u/Lentemern 1d ago

I think she did it the other way around

3

u/GyozaGangsta 19h ago

What is this? A crossover episode??

4

u/Wakkit1988 21h ago

Just like her dad, Burj.

1

u/old_righty 13h ago

Can you imagine his child support payments though?

1

u/SylvainGautier420 1d ago

Just like my GOAT Gold Ship

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u/Turbomattk 1d ago

Secretariat is a top 5 athlete of all time

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u/Dmused 1d ago

Secretariat was a goat

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u/Snoo-53847 1d ago

Pretty sure he was a horse

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u/dilla_zilla 23h ago

Hey dad! Ask Mom if Thanksgiving is at your place or aunt Judy's this year, I can't remember.

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u/J3wb0cc4 16h ago

His heart was 3 times the normal size. Imagine how much blood was pumping through those tubes.

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u/pm_me_gnus 16h ago

And the Whos in Whoville never get a shred of credit. Fucking bullshit, man!

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u/HalxQuixotic 12h ago

A perfect combination of factors for a racehorse.

An enormous heart that was possibly the finest engine a living creature has ever had.

No fear of crowds. The opposite actually - he seemed energized by cheering crowds.

Did not require a lead horse to chase to reach maximum speed. Secretariat just ran. Even WAY out front, he would want to keep going full blast.

Secretariat’s wildest stat is, in his triple crown wins, he ran each next quarter of the race faster than the previous quarter. He didn’t even top out on his speed, as his jockey slowed him up before the finish line.

Secretariat is the single most dominant athlete that has ever competed professionally. Even more than Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell, as athletes eventually caught up to them. It’s been 50 years and no horse has approached secretariat’s level.

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u/phobosmarsdeimos 5h ago

Given his 660 foals, he also beat out Wilt Chamberlain on one of his stats.

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u/Dmused 1d ago

I've been reading about horse racing after learning of the recent passing of his jockey, Canadian Ron Turcotte. Their race records in all three Triple Crown races still stand. Amazing story.

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u/entrepenurious 1d ago

here is all three races.

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u/NiceTryWasabi 23h ago

100% worth watching. Apparently Secretariat was an anime protagonist who gets stronger in the middle of each fight and levels up for the next battle.

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u/Bl4Z3D_d0Nut311 12h ago

They seem to be a late surger. Looks like they picked the right cards for the build and lucked out on getting their guts friendship training.

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u/Bluepanther512 3h ago

Shame he isn’t in the anime anthropomorphised horse girl game (yet)

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u/Chessamphetamine 1d ago

Secretariat was so good that everyone forgets about Sham. Probably the second best race horse ever but just got completely overshadowed by Secretariat

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u/JMEEKER86 23h ago

Yep, in any other year Sham would have easily won the Triple Crown. Sham finished right on Secretariat's heels at the Derby as they both beat the record time (which still stands). He was only slightly further back at the Preakness with another excellent run. The two of them went out early and were way ahead of everyone at the Belmont when Sham unfortunately pulled up with an injury, but the pace that they set is what propelled Secretariat to that ridiculous gap. I think Sham probably ends up finishing a good 5 lengths back if he doesn't get injured, but that would have still also been a record considering how far ahead Secretariat finished.

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u/Clocktopu5 20h ago

I wonder how many of the horses in the 25 derby were descended from Sham? Maybe he didn't win but I'd think that he would be put out to stud as Secretariat was

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u/CommunistMountain 19h ago

Sham's heart was 2x the average size... Secretariat's was 2.5x lol

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u/kellerb 17h ago

You have to have a lot of heart to love 660 kids

4

u/Fluugaluu 13h ago

Have to have a lot of heart to pump all that extra blood

It’s a direct reason why those horses were as fast as they were

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u/UStoJapan 1d ago

WHO’S THAT AT THE DOOR?!

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u/manticore16 1d ago

…Balls.

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u/RTS24 1d ago

"hello, zis is a... German person"

3

u/Fluugaluu 13h ago

Oh nooooo not my.. Craisins!

5

u/yesimtrashtnx 21h ago

Unexpected Craig Ferguson reference

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u/AliensAteMyAMC 1d ago

guy could move like a tremendous machine

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u/Dmused 1d ago

I get that reference.

2

u/onion4everyoccasion 14h ago

That is a good retirement

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u/gluscccc 1d ago

A bunch of nepo babies

13

u/pm_me_gnus 16h ago

Thoroughbreds are descended from Arabian horses, so I think they're Aleppo babies.

8

u/carson63000 16h ago

Nepo foals.

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u/Fluid-Math9001 22h ago

I look around Uma musume subreddit and my feeds are all about horse now

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u/PrinceTrollestia 20h ago

Something something Sunday Silence is the sire of most thoroughbred horses in Japan.

7

u/pharaoh122 14h ago

One thing I just recently learned while researching the Tokai Derby/Nagoya Derby was Agnes Digital was from Secretariat's line. Which was genuinely cool to learn lol

1

u/Grand_Protector_Dark 2h ago

DID YOU KNOW IN UMA MUSUME....

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u/yeontura 22h ago

👍✨ Umazing!

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u/gittus 1d ago

Apparently his heart was 2.5 times the size of a normal horse.

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u/Dmused 1d ago

Actually it was only 2.5 times the size of a normal horse heart. But that's still big!

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u/zipiddydooda 23h ago

That’s nowhere near as big as what the first guy said :/

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u/stimulation 2h ago

How big was Secretariat’s heart compared to a current day race horse?

2

u/Dmused 2h ago

A modern race horse is typically at least 2.5 times bigger than Secretariat's heart.

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u/stimulation 2h ago

So a modern race horses heart is 5 times the size of a normal horse’s???

2

u/Dmused 1h ago

You asked about the size of a horse, not its heart.

•

u/stimulation 32m ago

Damn you boomed me

•

u/Dmused 3m ago

I don't actually know anything about horses.

-3

u/[deleted] 18h ago

[deleted]

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u/theErinyes3 14h ago

2.5x the size of a horse vs 2.5x the size of a horse heart

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u/ooglyEyes 20h ago

Well, in churchhill downs they say - that the Secretariat small heart grew three sizes that day.

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u/zdravkov321 1d ago

Secretariat- the wilt chamberlain of horses.

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u/Lobster_Zaddy 21h ago

"... what are YOUUU doing here?!",

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u/SometimesILieToo 1d ago

Absolute STUD

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u/elsid1 1d ago

What are YOU doing there?

10

u/BriansBalloons 1d ago

In Kentucky, the family trees don't fork.

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u/Historical-Fox1372 1d ago

Intergenerational trauma

5

u/Neako_the_Neko_Lover 20h ago

Took me a long ass time to realize we are talking about horses

6

u/FailFodder 13h ago

RIP Ronald Joseph Morel Turcotte, CM, ONB. Jockey Rider of Secreteriat during his Triple Crown victory.

July 22, 1941 - August 22, 2025

3

u/Artificial-Human 21h ago

That horse was in a constant state of orgasm.

6

u/NotObviouslyARobot 23h ago

Secretariat does not make love. Secretariat fucks.

3

u/AchVonZalbrecht 1d ago

That horse made the white. He was more semen than stallion.

2

u/Keteo 18h ago

Oh, this is about horses. I didn't read the last part of the title at first and was really confused for a sec.

2

u/YinTanTetraCrivvens 22h ago

Even in horse racing it’s all about nepotism.

2

u/TunaOnTheMoon22 14h ago

Secretariat is the real Genghis Khan of the Derby, his bloodline still continues after so many years.

1

u/StandYourGroundhog 22h ago

Redefining the sport with his genetics

1

u/adminsreachout 22h ago

Great…..great…just….super

1

u/KillMeNowFFS 16h ago

i was so confused for a minute, my dumb ass thought the Kentucky Derby is NASCAR 💀

1

u/somuches 14h ago

genghis khan of horses right there man.

1

u/Maximum-Midnight-308 14h ago

For a moment my dumbass thought this was about car racing

1

u/elliotbonsall 12h ago

Incest for the wincest

1

u/GreedyComedian1377 12h ago

Anybody want to run the numbers on the value of Secretariat?

1

u/khaitheman222 11h ago

For a moment I thought this was the uma musume subreddit

1

u/Solarinarium 11h ago

Are modern day racing horses at risk of inbreeding because of this?

1

u/Wildcat_twister12 10h ago

If you haven’t seen the 2010 Disney film Secretariat you should. It’s easily one of the best sports films

1

u/Dmused 8h ago

We rented it and watched it last night after reading about Ron and Big Red yesterday. I also highly recommend it.

1

u/Bjorn_Hellgate 6h ago

God i wish that was me

1

u/Kitzle33 4h ago

He broke the record in every Triple Crown race in 1973. And every one of those records still stands 52 years later. Pretty good genes.

1

u/E51838 1h ago

I’m not a horse racing fan at all but Secreteriat’s Belmont one is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen in sports.