Maritime Traveler may not be quite as sprightly as he once was, but the final surviving offspring of the all-time great Triple Crown winner is still enjoying life at Bridlewood Farm in Florida
Today is a very special day. In 1990, 35 years ago, a flashy chestnut colt was born on this day at storied Windfields Farm in Ontario. Then, he was the third-last Secretariat colt ever born. Now, he’s the very last living offspring of the legendary Triple Crown winner.
The horse named Maritime Traveler has spent almost his entire life at Bridlewood Farm in Florida, purchased as a yearling by the farm owner and founder, the late Arthur Appleton.
The mere existence of this 35-year-old stallion is a testament to the excellent care he has received over the years – and good Florida weather. “With the nice weather, these old guys and girls live a long time,” observed longtime farm general manager George Isaacs.
Eureka moment: Secretariat’s son Maritime Traveler is a welcome surprise
In deference to Maritime Traveler’s age, this year’s birthday party is a quiet one, with Isaacs joined by the broodmare manager and the horse’s devoted caretaker in the stallion barn. “We’ll make sure it’s a special day and he knows he’s getting a few extra carrots.”
Plus a nice birthday mash made primarily with bran and some finely-chopped carrots. If he turns his head away from that feast (as he did two years ago with a specially-baked carrot cake), the team will take turns feeding him baby carrots. They are his favorite and he’s still able to eat them, even with fewer teeth.
A few months ago, Isaacs wasn’t too sure Maritime Traveler would make it to his actual birthday, but he admires the horse’s tough constitution. The old boy still has a good appetite – eating mostly a mash these days – and knows how to take care of himself. Importantly, the farm staff knows him extremely well. “We try to take good care of him,” said Isaacs.
Maritime Traveler keeping the Secretariat show on the road
About 18 months ago, an injury to his right eye resulted in impaired vision on that side. More recently, the horse also lost vision in the left eye. “He has managed that well,” explained Isaacs. “We take his feed out to him every day, make sure he knows it’s there and make sure that he eats.”
The setback has entailed an extra layer of care, willingly given, and Isaacs marvels at how strong the stallion’s appetite is, saying: “It’s as good as it gets for a horse that’s turning 35.” Even with those good eating habits, he doesn’t have the body condition he once had, but he’s “maintaining quite well.”
Senior living
Maritime Traveler is the oldest horse Isaacs recalls ever living on the farm, but others have lived past 30, thanks to good care and favorable weather.
In fact, there are two other elderly statesmen currently on the property, both 31 years old. Florida-bred Wagon Limit is one of them; his claim to fame was a shocking five-length upset of heavily favored Skip Away and second choice Gentlemen in the 1998 Jockey Club Gold Cup.
Trained by Allen Jerkens – the upset king who stunned Secretariat twice and Kelso three times – Wagon Limit entered stud in Kentucky but was only a modest sire. He found his way to Bridlewood in 2009, where he has lived ever since.
The other old fellow still enjoying the Florida sunshine is the Storm Cat stallion Stormy Atlantic. Bred and raced by Appleton, Stormy Atlantic entered stud at the farm in 1999 and moved to Kentucky a few years later.
Returned to Bridlewood in 2016, he was pensioned in 2021. The sire of 112 black-type winners, Stormy Atlantic recently found a minor share of the limelight once again as the sire of Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna’s second dam Pacific Sky. All three seniors are “living the good life in Florida, like all the old folks do,” quipped Isaacs.
Farm founder Appleton would be proud. He and his wife Martha believed in taking care of horses for life, and current Bridlewood owners John and Leslie Malone have followed in their footsteps.
“There’s a reason that they are one of the largest private landowners in the United States,” Isaacs said. “One of their legacies will be stewardship of land – taking care of iconic properties. They also absolutely love horses and really care about people. That’s a winning trifecta of stewardship, and that’s what makes them so special.”
Bridlewood’s connections continue to be rewarded for talent and good management as just this month, the farm celebrated a one-two finish in the Kentucky Derby.
Godolphin’s Derby winner Sovereignty was sent to Bridlewood for his early training under the watchful eye of farm trainer Joan ‘Meda’ Murphy, while Bridlewood is part of the ownership group of Derby runner-up Journalism, who also received his early lessons at the farm. They are the latest in a long line of successful runners coming out of the Bridlewood development program.
Secretariat’s impact
Maritime Traveler spent most of his life as a highly valued teaser, keeping the Bridlewood breeding shed running smoothly for a couple of decades – an admirable career indeed.
While he never got a chance to pass on his own bloodlines, his sire’s reputation has only grown over the 52 years since the legendary Triple Crown sweep in 1973. More people than ever recognize that monumental achievement on the racetrack – incredibly, the records Secretariat set in all three races still stand today.
Despite the popular misconception that he was not a good sire, the evidence says otherwise. Every entrant in this year’s Kentucky Derby (including the Derby-week scratches) was a Secretariat descendant. That influence comes primarily (but not exclusively) from three key grandsons of the Triple Crown winner: Storm Cat (out of the Secretariat mare Terlingua), A.P. Indy (out of Weekend Surprise) and Gone West (out of Secrettame).
Thirteen 2025 Derby entries traced to Storm Cat – remarkably, 20 different male-line Storm Cat stallions appear in the pedigrees of those 13 horses. A.P. Indy’s influence is seen as well, with 11 Derby entrants tracing to that stallion, through both mares and seven different stallions from A.P. Indy’s male line.
Rounding out the trifecta of Secretariat’s top grandsons is Gone West, with four Derby entrants among his descendants, through mares and the male-line stallions Speightstown, Mr. Greeley and Proud Citizen. As an aside, Gone West is also a source of Secretariat in European pedigrees, through his champion son Zafonic.
Yet there is so much more. The second dam of the outstanding mare Puca, dam of Derby third Baeza, was by A.P. Indy’s half-brother Summer Squall (the 1990 Preakness winner). Puca also produced 2023 Derby winner Mage and 2024 Belmont Stakes winner Dornoch.
The half-brothers Not This Time and Liam’s Map, each the sire of a 2025 Derby runner, trace tail-female back to the Secretariat stakes-winning mare Tweak. (Not This Time is also a son of the Storm Cat stallion Giant’s Causeway, a leading sire in his own right.)
Liam’s Map is the sire of Blue Grass Stakes winner Burnham Square, who was sixth in the Derby and presents another welcome gift to Secretariat fans with the G1-producing Secretariat mare Listen Well as his third dam. It’s rare these days to see a Secretariat mare as the third dam of any runner, let alone a Classic participant.
Certainly most of Secretariat’s presence in today’s pedigrees comes from his impact as a broodmare sire. Here’s a remarkable fact: Among all the annual leading sires since 1950 (as reported in the American Racing Manual), only one stallion has been the broodmare sire of two different leading sires: Secretariat, with Storm Cat and A.P. Indy.
Secretariat’s sons had their moments
While Secretariat’s sons were generally disappointing as stallions, there was some success. His best stallion sons were, not surprisingly, also his best runners, such as General Assembly, D’Accord, Risen Star and Pancho Villa. The latter was a fast horse capable of holding his own against top competition on his best days – he defeated the likes of Horse of the Year Spend A Buck and champion Precisionist. 
It just so happens that Pancho Villa is the sire of Apache Pines, the fourth dam of River Thames, who is the morning-line third choice in Saturday’s Preakness Stakes. By the way, River Thames also has Gone West and Storm Cat in his pedigree; the entire Preakness field are Secretariat descendants.
Last year, a first-crop son of Secretariat (born in 1975) showed up in the pedigree of Derby runner West Saratoga. The G3 winner’s fourth dam, Winter Display, was by Cold Reception, Alfred G. Vanderbilt’s winning colt who had some success as a stallion.
One of Secretariat’s most impactful sons over the long run has been Medaille d’Or. A second-crop colt who was the 1978 champion two-year-old male in Canada, his stud career was cut short at the young age of 10 after a freak paddock accident; he might have done much more.
His stakes-winning daughter Aube d’Or is the third dam of recent Horse of the Year Knicks Go, while the second dam of champion Midnight Bisou was by Medaille d’Or’s stakes-winning son Tour d’Or.
As for Maritime Traveler, Isaacs knows that each passing day is a gift with the regal son of Secretariat. “Every day he’s here, it’s meant to be,” he said. “It’s not for us to say when he’s ready to go to horse heaven; the good Lord will make that determination.”
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