The tiny champion of Secretariat, Lady’s Secret showed racing fans that big things sometimes come in small packages. Her pace style was that of a front runner, and it earned her 25 wins in her 45-race career, with nine seconds and three thirds. Also known as “The Iron Lady”, Lady’s Secret was an unstoppable force when pitted against other fillies, and extremely competitive against males as well.
Lady’s Secret had her first major win at age two in the Mocassin Stakes in 1984, and followed it up with three more big wins at age three, including two Grade I events. In 1986, she defeated the nation’s best male horses four times, winning ten graded stakes races of her fifteen starts that season. That same year, she also became the first female to win the Whitney Stakes since Gallorette in 1948, and she finished the season by winning the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Her performance throughout the 1986 racing season earned her the Outstanding Older Female Horse award along with the prestigious Horse of the Year award from Eclipse.
Lady’s Secret is ranked 76th by Blood-Horse magazine in their list of the Top 100 U.S. Thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century. She was 14th among the 26 fillies and mares on the list. The Iron Lady retired at age five in 1989 and produced 12 named foals, but none of them were particularly remarkable.
Horse Profile
- Foaled: April 8, 1982
- Bred: USA
- Sex: Mare
- Debuted:1984
- Retired: 1989
- Death: March 4, 2003, at Valley Creek Farm in Valley Center, California, due to complications in foaling.
- Color and Markings: Gray
- Sire: Secretariat
- Dam: Great Lady M.
- Owner: Mr. & Mrs. Eugene Klein
- Breeder: Robert H. Spreen
- Trainer: D. Wayne Lukas
- Jockey: Chris J. McCarron; Pat Day; and Jorge Velasquez
Characteristics
Lady’s Secret was a feminine yet robust racehorse that stood 15.1 hands. Despite her small size, she is powerful and energetic, earning the nickname “The Iron Lady”. She like to control her races from the front and brought a tough competitive spirit to her races. Jockeys described her as a headstrong racehorse that didn’t need the whip to push herself. She retired after not finishing an allowance race, seemingly losing her interest in racing at age five.
Historical Achievements, Honors Received, and Recognitions
- Eclipse Award, American Horse of the Year (1986)
- Eclipse Award, American champion older female (1986)
- National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame (inducted in 1992)
- Saratoga Hoofprints Walk of Fame (inducted as part of the inaugural class in 2013)
- Arcadia Historical Society's Racing Walk of Champions (inducted as part of the inaugural class in 2014)
Rankings
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Lady's Secret was rated #76 among the top 100 American racehorses of the 20th Century by a panel of experts assembled by The Blood-Horse (Thoroughbred Champions, Eclipse Press, 7th printing, 2005). She was 14th among the 26 fillies and mares on the list.
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Rated at 117 pounds on the Daily Racing Form's Free Handicap for American older females of 1987, 4 pounds below champion North Sider.
Fun Facts
- Lady's Secret is popularly known as "The Iron Lady."
- At retirement, Lady's Secret was the world's leading money-winning female thoroughbred.
- The Lady's Secret Stakes was run at Santa Anita as a Grade 1 race for fillies and mares aged 3 and up from 1993-2011. However, it was renamed in honor of another great race mare, Zenyatta, in 2012.
- A race named Lady's Secret in Monmouth Park is run as a listed stakes for fillies and mares aged 3 and up over 8½ furlongs on dirt. The track cafe at Monmouth is also named in honor of Lady's Secret.
- After Shirley Kimball purchased the Valley Creek Farm, they began work on "Lady's Secret Memorial Garden.” The work is being continued by the Friends of the Lady's Secret Memorial Garden, hoping to re-establish the garden as an appropriate memorial marker for Lady's Secret and reinstate the Lady's Secret Stakes.
- "Lady's Secret" is the ninth chapter in Women of the Year: Ten Fillies Who Achieved Horse Racing's Highest Honor, a Blood-Horse compilation published in 2004 by Eclipse Press. The book was later updated and re-issued in 2011 as Horse Racing Divas: From Azeri to Zenyatta, Twelve Fillies and Mares Who Achieved Horse Racing's Highest Honor.
Racing Career
| Record | Earnings |
|---|---|
45: 25-9-3 | $3,021,325 |
| WON RACES | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Distance | Race | Grade | Track | Finish | Winning Time | Winning Margin | Jockey |
1984 – Two-year-old season | ||||||||
May 21, 1984 | 5 furlongs | Maiden Special Weight | Belmont Park | 1 | 0:58.80 | Angel Cordero, Jr. | ||
July 23, 1984 | 6 furlongs | Wavy Waves Stakes | Listed | Hollywood Park | 1 | 1:11.00 | 1½ lengths | Patrick A. Valenzuela |
November 9, 1984 | 6 furlongs | Moccasin Stakes | Listed | Hollywood Park | 1 | 1:11.20 | ½ length | Chris J. McCarron |
1985 – Three-year-old season | ||||||||
January 5, 1985 | 6 furlongs | Hail Hilarious Stakes | Listed | Bay Meadows | 1 | 1:10.00 | 4 lengths | Russell A. Baze |
April 16, 1985 | 6 furlongs | Prima Donna Stakes | Listed | Oaklawn | 1 | 1:10.00 | 5 lengths | Jorge Velasquez |
May 26, 1985 | 6 furlongs | Bowl of Flowers Stakes | Listed | Belmont Park | 1 | 1:09.00 | 7 lengths | Jorge Velasquez |
June 22, 1985 | 6 furlongs | Regret Handicap | Listed | Monmouth Park | 1 | 1:09.60 | 3 ½ lengths | Chris Antley |
July 6, 1985 | 6 furlongs | Rose Stakes | Listed | Belmont Park | 1 | 1:11.20 | 4 ¾ lengths | Jorge Velasquez |
August 1, 1985 | 7 furlongs | Test Stakes | II | Saratoga Racetrack | 1 | 1:21.60 | 2 lengths | Jorge Velasquez |
August 9, 1985 | 7 furlongs | Ballerina Stakes | II | Saratoga Racetrack | 1 | 1:22.60 | Nose | Don Macbeth |
September 7, 1985 | 1 mile | Maskette Stakes | I | Belmont Park | 1 | 1:34.80 | 5 ¼ length | Jorge Velasquez |
September 22, 1985 | 1 ⅛ miles | Ruffian Handicap | I | Belmont Park | 1 | 1:47.40 | 4 lengths | Jorge Velasquez |
October 13, 1985 | 1 ¼ miles | Beldame Stakes | I | Belmont Park | 1 | 2:03.60 | 2 lengths | Jorge Velasquez |
1986 – four-year-old season | ||||||||
January 18, 1986 | 1 1/16 miles | El Encino Stakes | III | Santa Anita Park | 1 | 1:41.80 | 2 lengths | Chris J. McCarron |
February 9, 1986 | 1 ⅛ miles | La Canada Stakes | I | Santa Anita Park | 1 | 1:49.80 | 1 ¼ length | Chris J. McCarron |
February 23, 1986 | 1 ⅛ miles | Santa Margarita Handicap | I | Santa Anita Park | 1 | 1:47.00 | 2 ¾ lengths | Jorge Velasquez |
May 17, 1986 | 1 1/16 miles | Shuvee Handicap | I | Belmont Park | 1 | 1:41.80 | 3 ½ lengths | Pat Day |
July 5, 1986 | 1 1/16 miles | Molly Pitcher Handicap | II | Monmouth Park | 1 | 1:41.20 | 6 ¼ lengths | Pat Day |
August 2, 1986 | 1 ⅛ miles | Whitney Handicap | I | Saratoga Racetrack | 1 | 1:49.80 | 4 ½ lengths | Pat Day |
September 6, 1986 | 1 mile | Maskette Stakes | I | Belmont Park | 1 | 1:33.40 | 7 lengths | Pat Day |
September 21, 1986 | 1 ⅛ miles | Ruffian Handicap | I | Belmont Park | 1 | 1:46.80 | 8 lengths | Pat Day |
October 12, 1986 | 1 ¼ miles | Beldame Stakes | I | Belmont Park | 1 | 2:01.60 | ½ length | Pat Day |
November 1, 1986 | 1 ¼ miles | Breeders' Cup Distaff | I | Santa Anita Park | 1 | 2:01.20 | 2 ½ lengths | Pat Day |
1987 – five-year-old season | ||||||||
June 13, 1987 | 6 furlongs | Allowance race | Monmouth Park | 1 | 1:09.80 | 3 ½ lengths | Angel Cordero, Jr. | |
July 21, 1987 | 1 1/16 miles | Allowance race | Monmouth Park | 1 | 1:43.40 | 7 lengths | Chris J. McCarron | |
| LOST RACES | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Distance | Race | Grade | Track | Placement | Time | Losing Margin | Jockey |
1984 – Two-year-old season | ||||||||
July 2, 1984 | 5 ½ furlongs | Astoria Stakes | Listed | Belmont Park | 5 | 1:05.20 | Angel Cordero, Jr. | |
July 7, 1984 | 6 furlongs | Landaluce Stakes | III | Hollywood Park | 4 | 1:10.00 | Patrick A. Valenzuela | |
August 8, 1984 | 6 furlongs | Junior Miss Stakes | Listed | Del Mar | 4 | 1:11.20 | Patrick A. Valenzuela | |
October 8, 1984 | 7 furlongs | Anoakia Stakes | III | Santa Anita Park | 3 | 1:23.60 | ||
October 20, 1984 | 1 1/16 miles | Oak Leaf Stakes | I | Santa Anita Park | 5 | 1:42.6 | ||
1985 – Three-year-old season | ||||||||
January 12, 1985 | 6 furlongs | Determine Stakes | Bay Meadows | 2 | 1:10.20 | Russell A. Baze | ||
January 30, 1985 | 7 furlongs | Santa Ynez Stakes | III | Santa Anita Park | 5 | 1:23.40 | Patrick A. Valenzuela | |
February 23, 1985 | 6 furlongs | Vallejo Stakes | Listed | Golden Gate Fields | 2 | 1:10.00 | Russell A. Baze | |
April 28, 1985 | 6 furlongs | Prioress Stakes | III | Aqueduct | 2 | 1:10.00 | Jorge Velasquez | |
May 11, 1985 | 7 furlongs | Comely Stakes | III | Belmont Park | 4 | 1:22.20 | Angel Cordero, Jr. | |
November 2, 1985 | 1 ¼ furlongs | Breeders' Cup Distaff | I | Belmont Park | 2 | 2:02.00 | Jorge Velasquez | |
December 27, 1985 | 7 furlongs | La Brea Stakes | III | Santa Anita Park | 2 | 1:22.40 | Chris J. McCarron | |
1986 – four-year-old season | ||||||||
April 16, 1986 | 1 1/16 miles | Apple Blossom Handicap | I | Oaklawn | 2 | 1:40.40 | Jorge Velasquez | |
May 26, 1986 | 1 mile | Metropolitan Handicap | I | Belmont Park | 3 | 1:33.60 | Pat Day | |
June 8, 1986 | 1 ⅛ miles | Hempstead Handicap | I | Belmont Park | 2 | 1:48.60 | Pat Day | |
August 16, 1896 | 1 ⅛ miles | Iselin Handicap | I | Monmouth Park | 3 | 1:48.80 | Pat Day | |
August 30, 1986 | 1 ⅛ miles | Woodward Stakes | I | Belmont Park | 2 | 1:46.00 | Angel Cordero, Jr. | |
1987 – five-year-old season | ||||||||
March 14, 1987 | 1 ⅛ miles | Donn Handicap | II | Gulfstream Park | 6 | 1:48.80 | Pat Day | |
July 4, 1987 | 1 1/16 miles | Molly Pitcher Handicap | II | Monmouth Park | 2 | 1:42.00 | Chris J. McCarron | |
August 10, 1987 | 1 ⅛ miles | Allowance Race | Saratoga Racetrack | did not finish | 1:49.40 | Chris J. McCarron | ||