Lady's Secret
Encyclopedia
Lady's Secret was an American
Eclipse Award
winning Thoroughbred
racemare
that was listed in the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century.
champion, Secretariat
, and from the dam, Great Lady M., the gray filly Lady's Secret was bred by Robert H. Spreen at Lucas Farm in Oklahoma
. Spreen sold her for $200,000 to Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Klein
(former owner of the San Diego Chargers
), and she was prepared for racing by Hall of Fame trainer, D. Wayne Lukas
.
After winning the Moccasin Stakes
at age two, Lady's Secret won three important races at age three, including two Grade I
events, and ran second to stablemate Life's Magic
in the 1985 Breeders' Cup Distaff. In 1986, four-year-old Lady's Secret became a dominant force in American thoroughbred racing. She defeated the nation's best male horses four times, winning ten of her fifteen starts that season, all graded stakes race
s. Eight of these Stakes wins were Grade 1 events. No horse has won this many graded stakes races in one season since races became graded in 1973. Small and grey and dainty, and weighing no more than 900 pounds, she had great speed and true grit. Nicknamed "The Iron Lady," she was the first female to win the Whitney Stakes since Gallorette
in 1948. She finished her amazing year by winning the Breeders' Cup Distaff with Pat Day
aboard. Her lifetime earnings equaled $3,021,325.
Her performance throughout the 1986 racing season earned her the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Older Female Horse
plus the most prestigious honor of all, and a rarity for fillies, the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year
for 1986. She is ranked at number 76 by Blood-Horse magazine in their list of the Top 100 U.S. Thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century.
as a broodmare. Lady's Secret died suddenly on March 4, 2003 at Valley Creek Farm in Valley Center
, California
as a result of complications in foaling. None of her progeny were anything like their mother.
In 1992, she was inducted in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
. The Lady's Secret Café at Monmouth Park Racetrack
in Oceanport, New Jersey
is named in her honor. In 1993, a major race at Santa Anita Park
in Arcadia, California
was named in her honor, but from 2010 it will be known as the Zenyatta Stakes, after the unbeaten mare
who won that race in 2008 and 2009. Lady's Secret Drive in Del Rayo Estates, Rancho Santa Fe, California
where her owner lived was also named in her memory.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Eclipse Award
Eclipse Award
The Eclipse Award is an American thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. The Eclipse Awards, honoring the champions of the sport, are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association , Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers...
winning Thoroughbred
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...
racemare
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
that was listed in the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century.
Breeding and background
Sired by the legendary U.S. Triple CrownTriple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing consists of three races for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplishment of a Thoroughbred racehorse...
champion, Secretariat
Secretariat (horse)
Secretariat was an American Thoroughbred racehorse, that in 1973 became the first U.S. Triple Crown champion in 25 years, setting new race records in two of the three events in the Series—the Kentucky Derby , and the Belmont Stakes —records that still stand today.Secretariat was sired by Bold...
, and from the dam, Great Lady M., the gray filly Lady's Secret was bred by Robert H. Spreen at Lucas Farm in Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. Spreen sold her for $200,000 to Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Klein
Eugene V. Klein
Eugene Victor Klein was an American businessman who was Chairman of the Board of Directors and chief stockholder of National General Corp., an insurance and entertainment company based in Los Angeles, California...
(former owner of the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
), and she was prepared for racing by Hall of Fame trainer, D. Wayne Lukas
D. Wayne Lukas
Darrell Wayne Lukas is a former educator who became one of the most successful horse trainers in American Thoroughbred horse racing history and a U.S...
.
Racing record
Lady's Secret, who was a front runner, won twenty-five of her forty-five races and had nine second-place finishes. The daughter of Secretariat dominated the fillies she raced against, but with age she gained strength enough to become competitive against the males.After winning the Moccasin Stakes
Moccasin Stakes
The Moccasin Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race run at Hollywood Park Racetrack located in Inglewood, California. A race for two-year-old fillies, the ungraded event is set late in the year at a distance of 7 furlongs on the Cushion track....
at age two, Lady's Secret won three important races at age three, including two Grade I
Graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...
events, and ran second to stablemate Life's Magic
Life's Magic
Life's Magic was an American two-time Champion Thoroughbred filly racehorse. Bred in Kentucky, Life's Magic was sired by Cox's Ridge, a Grade I winner and descendant of the great Nearco. She was out of the mare Fire Water, a daughter of 1965 Preakness Stakes winner and American Champion...
in the 1985 Breeders' Cup Distaff. In 1986, four-year-old Lady's Secret became a dominant force in American thoroughbred racing. She defeated the nation's best male horses four times, winning ten of her fifteen starts that season, all graded stakes race
Graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...
s. Eight of these Stakes wins were Grade 1 events. No horse has won this many graded stakes races in one season since races became graded in 1973. Small and grey and dainty, and weighing no more than 900 pounds, she had great speed and true grit. Nicknamed "The Iron Lady," she was the first female to win the Whitney Stakes since Gallorette
Gallorette
Gallorette was a Maryland-bred chestnut thoroughbred filly who became a Hall of Fame race horse. Sired by Challenger II, out of Gallette, Gallorette's damsire was Sir Gallahad III. Even so, her dam, Gallette, had once exchanged hands for $250 and was used as a hack. -Breeding:Trainer Preston M...
in 1948. She finished her amazing year by winning the Breeders' Cup Distaff with Pat Day
Pat Day
Patrick Alan "Pat" Day is an American jockey. He is a four-time winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1991...
aboard. Her lifetime earnings equaled $3,021,325.
Her performance throughout the 1986 racing season earned her the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Older Female Horse
Eclipse Award for Outstanding Older Female Horse
The Eclipse Award for Champion Older Female Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor. The Daily Racing Form began naming an annual champion in 1936. Starting in 1950, the Thoroughbred Racing Associations began naming its own champion. The following list provides the name of the horses...
plus the most prestigious honor of all, and a rarity for fillies, the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year
Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year
The American Award for Horse of the Year is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. It has been awarded since 1887 to the horse, irrespective of age, whose performance during the racing year is deemed the most outstanding....
for 1986. She is ranked at number 76 by Blood-Horse magazine in their list of the Top 100 U.S. Thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century.
Stud record
Retired at age five, in 1989 Lady's Secret was sold to Fares Farm in Lexington, KentuckyLexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
as a broodmare. Lady's Secret died suddenly on March 4, 2003 at Valley Creek Farm in Valley Center
Valley Center, California
Valley Center is a census-designated place in San Diego County, California. The population was 9,277 at the 2010 census, up from 7,323 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Valley Center is located at ....
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
as a result of complications in foaling. None of her progeny were anything like their mother.
In 1992, she was inducted in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
. The Lady's Secret Café at Monmouth Park Racetrack
Monmouth Park Racetrack
Monmouth Park Racetrack is an American race track for thoroughbred horse racing in Oceanport, New Jersey. It is owned by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and is operated under a five-year lease as a partnership with Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City.Monmouth Park's marquee event...
in Oceanport, New Jersey
Oceanport, New Jersey
Oceanport is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 5,832.Oceanport was formed as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 6, 1920, from portions of Eatontown Township , based on the results of a...
is named in her honor. In 1993, a major race at Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park is a thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent racing events in the United States during the winter and in spring. With its backdrop of the purple San Gabriel Mountains, it is considered by many as the world's most beautiful race...
in Arcadia, California
Arcadia, California
Arcadia is an affluent city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and located approximately northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains....
was named in her honor, but from 2010 it will be known as the Zenyatta Stakes, after the unbeaten mare
Zenyatta
Zenyatta is a retired American champion Thoroughbred racehorse, winner of 19 consecutive races in a 20-race career and American record-holder for consecutive victories without defeat in unrestricted races....
who won that race in 2008 and 2009. Lady's Secret Drive in Del Rayo Estates, Rancho Santa Fe, California
Rancho Santa Fe, California
Rancho Santa Fe known locally as ″The Ranch″, is one of the most exclusive and affluent communities in Southern California. It is also a census-designated place in San Diego County, California and an unincorporated bedroom community of San Diego County...
where her owner lived was also named in her memory.