Secretariat won the Triple Crown in dominating fashion in 1973, winning the Belmont by 31 lengths in 2:24, both records. Herb Scharfman/SI
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Saturday marks the 137th running of the Belmont Stakes in Long Island, N.Y. Here are some of the finest moments in the race's history:

5) 1998: Real Quiet, real disappointment

In perhaps the toughest loss in Triple Crown history, Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Real Quiet lost his chance at immortality in the final jump, as Victory Gallop nipped him by a nose at the wire. Real Quiet thus became another victim of the Belmont's grueling 12-furlong distance. Jockey Kent Desormeaux spurred the colt to the lead with more than a quarter of a mile left, but by the time Real Quiet reached the 1/16th pole, he was real tired. "Like a drunk staggering home after last call," said Gary Stevens, who piloted Victory Gallop to the win.

4) 1943: The Count's final ride

Count Fleet won the Derby by three lengths and prevailed in the Preakness by eight, but he saved his greatest performance for the Belmont, galloping to victory by a whopping 25 lengths in record time. Owned by rental-car magnate John Hertz, the colt won 16 of 21 starts and never finished outside of the top three in any race. Alas, the Belmont was the final race of Count Fleet's life, as he suffered an ankle injury and had to be retired. Count Fleet's career lasted only 370 days, but he made the most of them.

3) 2004: The world gets behind Smarty

The 120,000 people who jammed into Belmont Park last year were what made this Triple Crown near-miss special. When Smarty Jones turned for home in front by nearly four lengths, the stately grandstand started to shake and the noise was deafening. When Birdstone passed him just before the wire, the entire place fell as silent and still as a church. In time, racing may forget about Smarty Jones' Belmont, but no one who was at the track that day ever will.

2) 1978: Affirmed vs. Alydar

The conclusion to racing's most famous rivalry turned out to be the best race of them all, with Affirmed holding off a determined Alydar down the stretch. As expected, Affirmed's jockey, Steve Cauthen, gunned his horse to the lead right out of the gate. And, as expected, Alydar came flying at him late. In the end, the two great champions were separated by a head, but they ran through history together.

1) 1973: A legend crushes the field

Former Sports Illustrated scribe William Nack wrote this of Secretariat's Triple Crown: "It was as though, like a brilliant jazz musician, he was making the whole thing up as he went along, improvising something different for each race." In the Derby, he had broken last and prevailed; in the Preakness, he had broken last, then swallowed up the entire field on the first turn; and in the Belmont, he broke first and never stopped running. Secretariat's 31-length margin of victory is as hallowed a figure in horse racing as Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak is in baseball. And his winning time of 2:24 never has been approached. Secretariat's Belmont victory is not only one of the greatest feats in horse racing, it is one of the greatest achievements in sports, period.