For Millennials. By Millennials.
If you’re a Bojack Horseman fan, then you surely know who Secretariat is. Despite not being a recurring character in the show, he was very important. Well, we just found out something super fascinating and shocking (in a good way!) The character of Secretariat is based on a real-life racehorse named Secretariat. And he too was a true legend. Keep reading to find out more, we have all the deets.
Secretariat in Bojack Horseman
Secretariat is a central character because he is Bojack Horseman’s personal hero, throughout the show. He is a legendary and famous race-horse of his time. And Bojack is his number one fan.
Bojack idolizes him as a child. He watches his interviews on tv and sends him fan-letters to hear back from him.
He wins the Triple Crown in 1973. Months later, he commits suicide by jumping off a bridge. He does this after he gets banned from racing ever again because of illegal betting. And also after learning about the death of his brother.
The famous racehorse’s character is also important because Bojack Horseman stars in a film called ‘Secretariat’. Playing the role of Secretariat, Bojack gives the best performance of his life and it turns out to be a huge step up in his career.
The Real-life Racehorse Secretariat
Secretariat is not an entirely fictional character created for Bojack Horseman. YES, you heard it right. Secretariat was actually a real-life American Thoroughbred racehorse. Just as shown in the series, in 1973, he became the first winner of the Triple Crown in 25 years.
The real Secretariat also made a record-breaking victory in Belmont when he won by 31 lengths. This is still considered one of the greatest races in history.
He died in 1989 due to laminitis at the age of 19.
Yet, he is still seen as the fastest horse ever. The closest another racehorse came to beating him was in 2001 when Monarchos won a race. But he too was more than half a second slower than Secretariat.
Watch him race here:
If you’re interested you might want to know that Walt Disney Pictures even made a film in 2010, on the real-life Secretariat, by the same name.
Just as shown in Bojack Horseman, this horse was majestic, rich brown in color, healthy, and a truly beautiful creature.
