The Kentucky Derby Museum together with the 2015 Secretariat Festival and Secretariat.com have formally applied to Guinness World Records for the honor of creating the World’s Largest Horseshoe. An exact replica of a shoe worn by Secretariat, the 1973 Triple Crown Champion, will be unveiled at the Museum Sept. 20 at 1 p.m.

Secretariat’s winning stride at the 1973 Belmont Stakes finish line, an astounding 31 lengths ahead of his rivals, punctuated a record-breaking Triple Crown and left a lasting imprint of raw power, speed and stamina on the sport of Thoroughbred racing, an enduring image that would reverberate throughout generations and transform into an epic hoof print in history. Now that print will be forever immortalized and commemorated.

The casting of the shoe was the collaboration of Louisville-based Eagle Sign & Design Inc. and Thoro’bred Inc., maker of the original Secretariat shoe worn during his celebrated racing career. Guinness standards were followed from start to finish in the creation of the shoe, and Thoro’bred President Edwin Kinney offered a sizable donation of aircraft aluminum, the very same alloy used in the original shoe. The finished piece is expected to weigh nearly half a ton. The Museum will formally announce the result of its record-breaking attempt during the event on Sept. 20.

The horseshoe’s debut will be the centerpiece of a special event at the Museum, with several members of the Secretariat team expected to attend, including owner Penny Chenery, jockey Ron Turcotte and exercise rider Charlie Davis. A limited number of special VIP tickets for the event are available for $99, representing Secretariat’s win in the 99th running of the Kentucky Derby. These tickets will include a numbered, gold-edition commemorative horseshoe and a special certificate of authenticity signed by the team, the first opportunity to take photos of the proposed World’s Largest Horseshoe and admission to all Museum exhibits. A special excursion package is available from the Secretariat Festival to transport Lexington-based guests to the Museum for the day.

“The World’s Largest Horseshoe is the perfect way to introduce the Secretariat Festival to Louisville, where we have so many wonderful fans,” said Chenery. “I like thought of fans who will travel to see it, and I think it is truly special that Secretariat’s place in history will be honored in this way.”

Visitors may have the opportunity to meet with the team and get autographs for additional fees, with one outside item permitted during the autograph session. Other special guests include Billy Turner (Seattle Slew’s trainer), Jean Cruguet, Jacinto Vasquez, and Pat Day. Additional items can be purchased from the Museum’s Finish Line Gift Shop, including event-related products as well as Secretariat and Kentucky Derby memorabilia.

An expanded collection of Secretariat items and artifacts will also be exhibited at the Museum during the event. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Erik Brown at 502-992-5903