A tangent from the latest episode of the New Heights podcast forced Jason Kelce to apologize for starting a debate about whether Secretary was drinking juice or not.
Yes, surprisingly in 2024, the now retired Águilas center decided to give his opinion on the doping habits of the horse that won the Triple Crown in 1973 and died in 1989.
That’s because his brother, Travis, attended the Kentucky Derby and their conversation about the derby led to a conversation about horse racing.
“The Secretariat was stretched thin,” Kelce said on the podcast. ‘It turns out that the Secretariat is right in the heart of the steroid era.
‘(In) 1973, every NFL player, every baseball player, they were getting squeezed to the gills. Don’t you think Secretary was really fucking squeezed? Of course he is the fastest horse of all time.
Jason Kelce spoke openly about his belief that Secretariat the racehorse was on the juice
Secretary is arguably the most famous and greatest horse in American history.
‘They didn’t drug test Secretariat like they did Mystik Dan. Nobody talks about that. The Secretariat was doping, there is no possibility that the Secretariat was not doping.
Jason then continued the discussion on his Twitter account, where he received backlash from those who couldn’t stand to see the name of the most famous racehorse in American history besmirched.
Secretary is one of 13 horses to win the American Triple Crown of the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. In the third race, Secretariat beat the rest of the field by a staggering 31 lengths, which remains the American record for a 1.5-mile dirt track race.
One person tried to use the argument that Secretary had a naturally enlarged heart, but Kelce wouldn’t budge.
‘I’m just going to post this, you know who else has an enlarged heart. People taking large amounts of steroids,” Jason posted.
‘I admit I don’t know if Secretariat was taking steroids or not, it’s impossible to know, because in 1973 when Secretariat won the triple crown there was no adequate testing available to find out.
“But the fact that this horse had unparalleled muscular stature and died with an enlarged heart, and was racing at a time when steroids were extremely prevalent, without proper testing, raises flags in my book.
‘The use of steroids in thoroughbreds dates back to at least the ’60s. I’m not saying that what Secretariat did was unimpressive, because he was probably also competing against other highly improved horses of his time, and if Secretariat was really a horse Naturally, that would make his achievements even more impressive.
The argument arose after Jason’s brother, Travis, attended the Kentucky Derby.
Kelce appeared in a white pinstriped suit and a dark fedora in Run for the Roses.
“I just find it very unlikely given the circumstances of where the sport was at the time, how dominant the horse was at the time and the records it still holds to this day. The enlarged heart in my mind is actually proof more that at some point the horse was being squeezed.
“There is a gene that some thoroughbreds carry that causes a bigger heart, but this wasn’t just a bigger heart, it was a heart big enough that the vet said it was the biggest heart he had ever seen.
“Certainly the horse was born with incredible natural mechanics and ability, and it may have been natural, but I also think it’s unlikely given the time he raced and what was happening with a lot of those horses and the lack of evidence available”.
Jason posted a few more posts before offering his apology and backtracking on his stance.
“Sorry everyone, I wasn’t trying to rile people up, I really thought it was just known that in the ’70s steroid use was rampant,” he posted on Twitter. ‘I’m not trying to take away the legacy of the Secretariat or anyone from that time.
‘You’re right, without evidence it is unfair to assume these things publicly, I apologize.’