The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame will present special exhibitions celebrating the 50th anniversary of Secretariat’s 1973 Triple Crown and chronicling renowned photographer Bert Morgan’s career covering the racing and social scenes at Saratoga. Both exhibits open July 13. A third special exhibition featuring several works by iconic artist Saul Steinberg is already open in the Museum’s Link Gallery. Here is an overview of each exhibit:
A Tremendous Machine: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Secretariat’s Triple Crown
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Secretariat’s historic 1973 Triple Crown sweep — in which he set records that still stand in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes — the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame presents a special exhibition honoring the accomplishments and enduring legacy of the famed Meadow Stable colt.
A Tremendous Machine: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Secretariat’s Triple Crown will be on exhibition in the Peter McBean Gallery, coinciding with opening day at Saratoga Race Course on July 13. The exhibit will feature Secretariat’s 1973 Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes, and Triple Crown trophies. A video component will take fans through Secretariat’s unique journey through the Triple Crown races, as well as tell the stories of the people who guided the horse through his remarkable career. In addition to the trophies and video components, the exhibit will include an extensive array of artwork, artifacts, photography, and pop culture items. On exhibition July 13 through December 2023
The Summer Place to Be: Bert Morgan’s Focus on Saratoga
Bert Morgan was one of the most prominent photographers of thoroughbred racing and American society in the 20th century. He got his start by photographing the racing and social scene at Hialeah Park in Florida. By 1940, Morgan was hired as the official photographer for the tracks in New York (later the New York Racing Association). His son eventually joined him to open Bert and Richard Morgan Studio in 1956. Together they captured some of the most significant moments in thoroughbred racing history.
In 2021, the Museum was fortunate to receive a donation of more than 4,000 photographic negatives by Bert Morgan from Patrick Montgomery. The images in the exhibition highlight the Museum’s newly conserved and digitized images of scenes at Saratoga Race Course from the 1930s to the 1980s. On exhibition July 13 through October 2023
At the Races with Saul Steinberg
In 1952, artist Saul Steinberg visited Saratoga Springs on commission from Harper’s magazine to provide drawings for an article about the Spa. Though he previously produced a series of drawings of horses and their riders in the 1940s, this visit may have prompted his interest in thoroughbred horse racing.
The drawings featured in this exhibition span a period of four years from 1955 to 1959. Three were published in his book The Labyrinth in 1960. One was later published in the 1963 Sports Illustrated article “Steinberg at the Races” that featured scenes at racetracks from Paris to Los Angeles. On exhibition now through December 2023
For more information about the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, including upcoming events, please visit www.racingmuseum.org or call (518) 584-0400.
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Contact: Brien Bouyea
(518) 584-0400 ext. 133
bbouyea@racingmuseum.net