With the running of the Pat O'Brien Stakes this weekend, I set out to find just who was Pat O'Brien. We all know who Bing Crosby was and what his contributions to the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club were, but it seems that a whole generation has no recollection of the second largest investor in the building of the track by the sea.

The 1987 Travers' field was one of the best ever assembled. The only horse without a legitimate shot was Gulch’s rabbit, Gorky. That's right, the 1988 Sprint Champion needed a rabbit in a mile and a quarter race.