Title: The Enduring Legacy of Secretariat in the 2025 Kentucky Derby Contenders
Kentucky Derby 2025 Citizen Bull, American Promise, Rodriguez speed
In this episode of The Best Two Minutes with Ed DeRosa, he explains how Kentucky Derby contenders’ pace will determine this year’s winner. Big Red’s lineage shows up in every Kentucky Derby contender’s background this year.
Secretariat, 1973. The fastest mile-and-a-quarter in Kentucky Derby history.
You know the stats. But did you know that more than 50 years after Big Red ran for the roses (and then the Triple Crown), his greatness still factors prominently in American horse racing?
In fact, a search of pedigrees shows every horse running in the 151st Kentucky Derby is a descendant of Secretariat. While it sounds impressive, more often than not, if you go back six generations in most horses, you’ll find they’re a descendant of some great, like Secretariat or Northern Dancer.
"It’s one of those stats," Derby contending trainer Whit Beckman said. "It’s bound to happen at some point with how much he shows up in every single pedigree. It’s really cool. Very cool."
Beckman trains Flying Mohawk, who claims Secretariat in his pedigree five generations back. Secretariat was the sire of Weekend Surprise, a blue hen mare, and the dam of A.P. Indy, the 1992 Horse of the Year.
A.P. Indy is the third sire of Sandman, as well as the fourth sire of Coal Battle. (That’s the great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather, respectively.) A.P. Indy, who went on to win the Belmont Stakes by clocking the second-fastest running behind his damsire Secretariat, shows up in the third generation of Render Judgment and Sovereignty (fifth-generation descendant of Secretariat), as well as the fourth generation of Chunk of Gold and Journalism (sixth generation).
Secretariat was also the sire of Terlingua, the dam of Storm Cat. Storm Cat, a dark bay horse, was once the leading sire in North America. (He remained in Kentucky to stand his entire career.)
Storm Cat was the third sire of Final Gambit, as well as the fourth sire of Neoequos, Citizen Bull, Admire Daytona, and Luxor Cafe. Storm Cat was Tiztastic’s great grandsire, making him a fifth-generation Secretariat descendant.
(You can find Storm Cat in last year’s Kentucky Derby winner’s lineage, Mystik Dan. Storm Cat is his fifth sire, making Secretariat his great-great-great-great-great grandsire.)
American Promise has a long pedigree to Secretariat, eight generations ago, through his father’s line — although A.P. Indy appears through his mother’s line four generations ago. East Avenue can claim Secretariat in his lineage seven generations ago.
While Publisher has Storm Cat in his lineage, his shorter relation to Big Red is through his fourth dam Secrettame, sired by Secretariat and Tamerett. Owen Almighty is a fifth-generation Secretariat descendant, while Baeza is a sixth-generation descendant. Then there’s Burnham Square, whose lineage to Secretariat goes back only four generations.
In all, Secretariat sired more than 660 registered foals. And 52 years after crossing the wire at Churchill Downs, one of his descendants is about to become a Kentucky Derby champion.
Stephanie Kuzydym is an enterprise and investigative sports reporter, with a focus on the health and safety of athletes. She can be reached at skuzydym@courier-journal.com. Follow her for updates at @stephkuzy.
