How many animals made the cover of TIME magazine, as well as Newsweek and Sports Illustrated? The thoroughbred stallion Secretariat did, just before winning the coveted Triple Crown, the major thoroughbred races of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. In his second, and last, year of racing Secretariat won the the Kentucky Derby handily, coming in at still unbeaten record time 1:59 ⅖ and running each quarter mile faster than the previous. He won the Preakness Stakes just as easily, coming in ahead by 2 ½ lengths. Then he started preparing for the race that would decide it all.

On this day, June 9, the thoroughbred Secretariat won the Belmont Stakes, gaining the first Triple Crown in 25 years, and only the ninth in horse racing history. He won by a whopping 31 lengths, and his record of 2:24 even for the 1 ½ mile course still stands a full second shorter than any other winner in Belmont history.

Coming from a long line of Triple Crown contenders (his grand-sire Nasrullah had another triple crown winner in the generation after Secretariat), and reared Meadow Farm, Virginia, Secretariat boasted a shiny chestnut color that earned him the nickname “Big Red.” Newsweek’s Pete Axthelm rhapsodised “Secretariat generates a crackling tension and excitement wherever he goes.” He added, “Even in the kind of gray weather that shrouds lesser animals in anonymity, Secretariat’s muscular build identifies him immediately; his glowing reddish coat is a banner of health and rippling power.”