1973 Kentucky Derby  The 1973 Kentucky Derby was the 99th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Secretariat won the Derby in a record time of 1:, lengths ahead of Sham, while Our Native finished in third position. Of the thirteen horses that entered and started the race, all horses completed the event. The event was viewed in person by a then-record crowd of 134,476, while also being broadcast both on television and over the radio. In the days leading up to the race, Secretariat was seen as the favorite to win by many; however there were doubts about him following a third-place finish at the Wood Memorial Stakes two weeks prior to the Derby. In the wake of Secretariat's loss, Angle Light and, in particular, Sham were the horses that were seen as the most likely to win the Derby, aside from Secretariat. Many sportswriters believed that the horses in the field possessed great speed and thought the course record would be broken. Shecky Greene took the lead first and led for the majority of the first seven furlongs. Sham took the lead from Shecky Greene near the three quarter mile mark. As the horses entered the homestretch, Secretariat passed Sham in the final furlong and distanced himself to consolidate his lead. Secretariat would go on to win the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes in the succeeding weeks, thus becoming the ninth horse to complete the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. Thirteen horses entered the Derby, which could have at most twenty participants. Horse owners had to pay a final entry fee of $2,500 to have their horses officially entered. The field was larger than anticipated because of new entries following Secretariat's loss at the Wood Memorial Stakes in New York. The Wood Memorial had been the last prep race for three year-olds before the Kentucky Derby. It was a mile contest held two weeks prior at Aqueduct Racetrack. Angle Light, whom groom Edward Sweat called a "very quiet horse," won the race by a length ahead of Sham, while Secretariat finished in third, four lengths behind. Secretariat's third-place finish led spectators and sportswriters to question his ability and health; but it was later thought that his performance in the Wood had been affected by a mouth abscess discovered prior to the race. It was his first defeat since he had finished fourth in his first race and had been relegated from first to second place because of an infraction during the Champagne Stakes, both of which occurred during his two-year old campaign.