Secretariat-inspired bourbon launch pairs racing legacy with charity boost

Secretariat’s 31-length Belmont Stakes demolition has been turned into a luxury bottle with a purpose. Hallowed Spirits Company unveiled Thirty-One Lengths Bourbon as a limited-release Kentucky Straight Bourbon tied to the colt’s 1973 victory at Belmont Park, a race still remembered for the 2:24 mile-and-a-half American record and the kind of gap that made Secretariat a mainstream name far beyond racing.

The bourbon, aged 15 years and bottled at 100 proof, was released June 3 and publicly announced June 4 as a direct-to-consumer offering priced at $1,500 per bottle, subject to availability and compliance regulations. Hallowed Spirits said the project was developed with Claiborne Farm and the family of Secretariat, with Holotype Studio also part of the collaboration. The company positioned the bottle as both a collectible keepsake and a tribute to the horse whose 31-length Belmont win came in a field of five on June 9, 1973.

That legacy still carries unusual weight in Thoroughbred racing because Secretariat is more than a name on a trophy. Born March 30, 1970, and euthanized October 4, 1989, he is buried at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky, the same place that now anchors this bourbon story. Claiborne president Walker Hancock said the project was meant to celebrate one of racing’s most remarkable performances and keep Secretariat visible to future generations, while John Tweedy, son of Penny Chenery Tweedy, highlighted the bottle itself as a keepsake linked to the horse’s enduring place in the sport.

The charitable angle gives the launch more than memorabilia value. Brook Smith, who co-founded Hallowed Spirits and owns top horses including 2024 Eclipse champion Sierra Leone, said a portion of profits will benefit the Backside Learning Center, the independent nonprofit that supports racetrack workers and their families at Churchill Downs through educational support, health and wellness, and human services. For racing fans, that makes Thirty-One Lengths more than a prestige spirit: it is a reminder that Secretariat’s most famous performance can still be leveraged to help the backstretch community that keeps the game moving every day.