This day in sports: Secretariat wins Preakness Stakes

Secretariat made a dramatic move on the first turn that overwhelmed the field in the Preakness Stakes on this date in 1973, and the big red colt, with Ron Turcotte in the irons, galloped away to a 2 ½-length victory ahead of Sham at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.

There was controversy when an electronic timer malfunctioned and recorded Secretariat’s time for the 1 3/16-mile Triple Crown event in one minute, 55 seconds. Several official clockers hand-timed the race in 153 2/5, which would have been a track record.

Two days later, Pimlico officials amended it to 1:54 2/5, which remained the official time for 39 years until the Maryland Racing Commission corrected it to 1:53 flat in 2012.

This week, in baseball games postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Dodgers would have played the Philadelphia Phillies Tuesday in the second of three games at Dodger Stadium. The Angels were set to visit the Royals in the second of four games at Kansas City

Here is a look at memorable games and outstanding sports performances on this date:

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May 18, 2020

1910 — Cy Young, the career leader in major league victories, wins No. 500 when the Cleveland Indians defeat the Washington Senators 5-4 in 11 innings. Young would retire the following season at age 45 with 511 wins, almost 100 more than any other pitcher in baseball history.

1974 — The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Boston Bruins 1-0 in Game 6 at the Spectrum in Philadelphia to win their first Stanley Cup championship. Known as the “Broad Street Bullies,” the Flyers goal comes on a power play in the first period when Rick MacLeish tips in a shot by Andre Dupont at 14:48. Philadelphia is the first team from the NHL’s 1967 expansion to win the Cup.

1991 — Willy T. Ribbs is the first African American race car driver to make the field for the Indianapolis 500. Ribbs lands a spot in the 33-car starting grid with only 45 minutes left in the six-hour qualifying session. In the race a week later, Ribbs completes only five laps when his car quits with engine trouble.

2000 — Goaltender Patrick Roy ties an NHL record with his 15th career playoff shutout when the Colorado Avalanche blank the Dallas Stars 2-0 in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals. Roy matches the shutout mark set by Clint Benedict of Ottawa and the Montreal Maroons in the 1920s, and extends his league record for playoff victories to 120.

2007 — Curlin, with Robby Albarado in the saddle, nips Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense at the wire by putting his head in front on the final stride to take the Preakness Stakes in a riveting finish. The winning time is a blazing 1:53.46, equaling the stakes record of 1:53 2/5 by Tank’s Prospect in 1985 and Louis Quatorze in 1996.

2012 — Kentucky Derby winner I’ll Have Another overtakes pacesetter Bodemeister in the stretch to win the Preakness Stakes, keeping alive his chance of winning the Triple Crown. As in the Derby, I’ll Have Another, ridden by Mario Gutierrez, comes from behind to pass Bodemeister, who also finished second at Churchill Downs.

2012 — Tim Duncan scores 19 points and helps engineer a 24-0 run in the third quarter after the Spurs trailed by 24 earlier, and San Antonio goes on to beat the Clippers 96-86 and take a commanding 3-0 lead in the NBA Western Conference semifinals. The Spurs take their first lead during the 24-0 run on a fade-away jumper by Duncan, who scores nine points in the outburst.

2014 — Golfer Lucy Li is the youngest player to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open by winning the sectional qualifier at Half Moon Bay Golf Links near San Francisco. The 11-year-old Li shoots rounds of 74 and 68 on the par-72 Old Course and surpasses Lexi Thompson as the youngest competitor in a U.S. Women’s Open when she tees off at Pinehurst in North Carolina on June 19. Thompson was 12 when she qualified for the 2007 Open.

2015 — The NFL announces it is moving back extra-point kicks and allowing defenses to score on conversion turnovers. The owners, on a vote of 30-2, approve the proposal to snap the ball from the 15-yard line on PATs to make the kick more challenging. Two-point conversions remain at the two-yard line.

Sources: The Times, Associated Press