Performance by Descent in Kentucky Derby 2025

Big Red's lineage appears in every background of Kentucky Derby contenders this year.

Secretariat. 1973. The fastest miles and quarters in Kentucky Derby history.

You know the statistics.

But you know, over 50 years after the Big Red Campaign Rose (and then the Triple Crown), his greatness is still remarkable in American horse racing.

In fact, a search of lineage shows that every horse in the 151st Kentucky Derby is a descendant of the Secretariat.

While it sounds impressive, usually if you go back for six generations among most horses, you will find that they are some great descendants, such as the Secretariat or the Northern Dancer.

“It’s one of those statistics,” said Whit Beckman, Derby Contest Trainer. “At some point, how much he will appear in every bloodline. It's really cool. Very cool.”

Beckman trains flying Mohawk, who claims to be the Secretariat in his genealogy for five generations.

The Secretariat is the father of the weekend surprise, Blue Mare and the 1992 Horse of the Year AP Indy Dam.

AP Indy is Sandman's third father and the fourth father of the coal war. (Great-grandfather and great-grandfather respectively.)

AP Indy won the second fastest race after his Damsire Seriolariat, and later won Belmont Stakes, where he appeared in the third generation of Rendering Judgment and Sovereignty (the fifth generation descendant of the Secretariat) and the fourth generation of Gold and News and News (the sixth generation).

The Secretariat is also the father of Storm Cat Dam Terlingua. The Storm Cat is a Black Bay horse that was once the main father of North America. (He still stayed in Kentucky to maintain his entire career.)

Storm Cat is the third father of the final gambit and the fourth father of Neoequos, Citizen Bull, Previle Daytona and Luxor Cafe.

Storm Cat is the great-grandson of Tiztastic, making him a descendant of the fifth generation of the Secretariat.

(You can find MystikDan, a ancestry of last year’s Kentucky Derby champion. StormCat is his fifth father, which makes Sectorriat his great and great.)

The American promise had a long lineage to the Secretariat through the lines of his father eight generations ago-although AP Indy emerged through the lines of his mother four generations ago.

East Street can ask the Secretariat in its lineage seven generations ago.

Although Storm Cat is in the publisher's lineage, his shorter relationship with the Big Red is through his fourth dam, Secrettame, conducted by the Secretariat and Tamerett.

The Owen Almighty is the descendant of the fifth generation of the Secretariat, while Baeza is the sixth generation.

Then there is Burnham Square, whose lineage can only be traced back to the Secretariat for four generations.

In total, the Secretariat will have more than 660 registered foals a.

One of his descendants is about to become the Kentucky Derby champion after Churchill Downs crossed the wire 52 years ago.

Stephanie Kuzydym is a corporate and investigative sports journalist focusing on the health and safety of athletes. She can get in touch [email protected]. Follow her for updates @stephkuzy.