In October 1989, Nack went to the farm and saw Secretariat out grazing, being held by a lead shank. Whenever Nack was in Louisville, he would drive the hour to Claiborne, to see the thoroughbred that had taken him on the journey of a lifetime. Nack wrote, ”For me, the final walk beneath the grove of trees with the colt slanting like a buck through the autumn gloaming, brought to a melancholy close the richest, grandest, damnedest, most exhilarating time of my life.” When Secretariat finished racing, Nack traveled on the flight with the horse, owner Penny Chenery, and Laurin to Lexington, Ky., before driving to Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky., for this second career at stud. During the Belmont, he was yelling,”You’re going too fast,” as he watching the other-worldly performance of the brilliant chestnut horse.

The morning of Secretariat’s Belmont he saw the big horse become startled as he reared up on his hind legs. Throughout those magical days, Nack was there for it all. He would pull it out and tell friends of Secretariat’s Preakness win. Nack took this feather and put it in his wallet along with a worn photo of one of his favorite horses, Swaps. The big horse had a pigeon feather on his nose the eve of the Preakness. Once trainer Lucien Laurin decided to use the New York prep races on Secretariat’s road to the Kentucky Derby, Nack began showing up at Barn 5 at Belmont, scribbling on pads of paper every detail of the day.

Nack had gotten to know the Meadow Stable crowd from having covered the 1972 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Riva Ridge.

Secretariat by william nack