PARIS, Ky. (FOX 56) — It’s a celebration 50 years in the making. On Saturday, fans of the legendary triple crown winner Secretariat gathered in downtown Paris to watch the unveiling of a life-sized bronze statue that honors the legacy of this hometown hero’s bigger-than-life story.

Exactly five decades to the day, Secretariat retired to Claiborne Farm in Paris, the newly constructed Secretariat Park, including a striking three-story mural of the iconic thoroughbred by artist Jaime Corum and the magnificent statue of Secretariat created by artist Jocelyn Russell.

“I’ve covered horse racing for NBC Sports since 2000, so coming up on pretty close to 25 years. But we’ve never seen a horse like Secretariat. Of course, that was a while back, 50 years ago now. And so to have this community here in Paris, Kentucky, and the greater Lexington Community to come together with the secretariat people and make this happen, it’s really special. And this is must-see, must-visit part now,” Donna Brothers, NBC Sports.

Secretariat is widely considered to be the most famous racehorse of all time, and for many people, the only thoroughbred whose name is known worldwide.