LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Champions Day at Churchill Downs is dedicated to Secretariat’s record-breaking win of the Triple Crown 50 years ago.

This year, Kentucky is honoring one of the greatest athletes of all time.

On May 5, 1973, Secretariat blazed around the track in Kentucky Derby 99 in a record 1 minute and 59 seconds. "Big Red" is one of only 13 horses to claim a Triple Crown by winning the Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes in just six weeks.

Physically, he set the standard for thoroughbred racing with a super-long stride and his unbelievably large heart. Experts said it made for a strong, more muscular horse.

Those who knew him best said it Secretariat's mind that set him apart.

“He had the intelligence and personal character, I like to call it, that enabled him to understand what he was,” said John Tweedy, son of Secretariat owner Penny Chenery.

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John Tweedy, son of Secretariat owner Penny Chenery. (WDRB Image) May 3, 2023

“Magazine covers, U.S. postal stamp, being named a top 100 athlete in the 20st century -- all these things that have taken him out of the sport and made him an athlete, globally,” said Chris Goodlett with the Kentucky Derby Museum.

In a corner of the Kentucky Derby Museum, Secretariat: America's Horse is now a permanent exhibit dedicated to the 50th anniversary of his Triple Crown run.

“So far it’s just... it’s just awe-inspiring to me,” said Kobak Taylor, a North Carolina resident.

It's an exhibit Kobak Taylor wasn't going to miss. He says his father would take him to different races on the circuit. He remembers watching one special race when Secretariat lined up for the Belmont Stakes.

“To tell you the truth I didn’t know what was going on until a couple years later. Then I started to put all the pieces together, and then I started to look back and enjoy his career,” said Taylor.

The Belmont Stakes clenched Secretariat's Triple Crown sweep in 1973. The  unprecedented win by 31 lengths cemented his name in history and the hearts of horse racing fans. 

“That's one of the things Secretariat was he could run, and he could run really fast,” said Taylor.

Secretariat's three historic wins now loop on a big screen at the Kentucky Derby Museum, so museumgoers can watch the victories again and again and again.

“Just the way he's transcended the racing industry in the years he was a great athlete, a great racehorse, great for thoroughbred racing. He’s a special racehorse, and he’s special to a lot of people,” said Goodlett.

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Secretariat: America's Horse is a new exhibit at the Kentucky Derby Museum honoring the winner of the 1973 Derby and Triple Crown winner. (WDRB image) May 3, 2023

Even decades later, as new race-enthusiasts learn about the greatest racehorses of all time, they can relive the legacy and learn the name Secretariat.

“Retelling the story of Secretariat in a new way for a new generation of fans is an important thing,” said Tweedy.

“I still say out of all the horses I’ve seen in my lifetime he's the best, he's the greatest in my lifetime,” said Taylor.

The exhibit is now open and included with general admission tickets.

All the records Secretariat set in each of his Triple Crown races still stand. 

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