Secretariat awarded Preakness record time

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BALTIMORE, June 19 (UPI) -- The Maryland Racing Commission voted Tuesday to award Secretariat the record time for the Preakness Stakes, which he won in 1973 as part of his Triple Crown.

After 2 hours of testimony, the commission opted to set Secretariat's time in the 1 3/16-mile race at 1:53, down from 1:54 2/5, thus breaking the Preakness record at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore and giving him the record time in each of the Triple Crown races.

Secretariat already held record times for the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes.

The Maryland Commission's move placed his 1973 time lower than the previous Preakness record of 1:53 2/5, set by Tank's Prospect in 1985 and matched by Louis Quatorze in 1996 and Curlin in 2007.

The request to use modern technology to re-examine Secretariat's 1973 time was made by his owner, Penny Chenery, and Maryland Jockey Club president Thomas Chuckas.

Maryland Jockey Club is the name of the company that Pimlico Race Course.