It was perhaps the greatest performance in racing history - and places Secretariat among the three best of all time

Friday is the 50th anniversary of Secretariat's historic victory in the Belmont Stakes, in which he clinched the US Triple Crown with perhaps the greatest single performance in racing history.

Secretariat led nearly all the way and, in effect, sprinted for a mile and a half, drawing steadily away to triumph by a scarcely credible margin of 31 lengths in a time of exactly 2min 24sec – a world record that still stands.

In a global poll of racing historians to determine the greatest of all time, the vote would be divided along national lines, perhaps with the Americans opting for Secretariat, the French for Sea-Bird, the Italians for Ribot, the Australians for Phar Lap, and the British and Irish for Frankel, with a mention for Arkle as the best of his type.