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How many Thoroughbred owners would sell their soul to win a classic race; to reach the pinnacle of the sport; to attain immortality; to see the value of their horse soar into the tens of millions? For racing's aristocracy, the tycoons of business and pillars of society who ruled the Sport of Kings back in the early to mid-1900s, it was all ...

The lamp of the Saratoga racing season had barely been lit when news came that Sea Hero, Paul Mellon’s homebred hero, had died in Turkey at the age of 29. Sea Hero’s score in the 1993 Travers Stakes (G1) is synonymous with the Spa as a statue of the horse is the centerpiece of the paddock. Not the most consistent horse—he only won six times in 24 ...

The Fourth of July weekend these days signifies much more than celebrating the signing of the Declaration of Independence back in 1776. For families it’s a chance to gather, grill, and ignite explosives. For fans of Major League Baseball, it’s a time to assess a team’s chances of making the playoffs come October. For those of us in the ...

With the Suburban ''Stakes,'' once one the most prestigious races in the country when it was a handicap, being run July 6 I have to ask this question. When was the last time you used weight among your criteria for greatness? I am sure most of you never have. Although the whole concept of handicaps was unfair, penalizing the superior horses ...

With every auto dealership across the United States currently running its Fourth of July Savings Spectaculars, it dawns on us that we’re already into the second half of 2019. And with the Triple Crown series behind us, naturally the question of which candidates will be put forth as eligible to be named champion 3-year-old male has come into sharp ...

Santa Anita Park brought down the curtain June 23 on what certainly was the most bizarre race meet the track has held in its 85-year history. Noteworthy for all the wrong reasons, the stand ended with The Stronach Group’s ruling Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer off the grounds of its tracks in Northern and Southern California after a fourth ...

The last two weekends of Thoroughbred racing in the U.S. have been a moveable feast, showcasing the best of our sport. The eight grade 1 races on the Belmont Park program June 8, including the third leg of the Triple Crown, had a “Breeders’ Cup” feel to it. That was followed June 15 by the five graded stakes card at Churchill Downs, highlighted by ...

When the younger generation of racing fans see this headline they naturally would think the column is about Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra. But most of them probably have no conception of what it was like back in 1966 when Buckpasser and Graustark appeared to be on a collision course that would lead to a much-anticipated showdown in the ...

This year’s Triple Crown series is certainly one that will be talked about for years to come, considering the contested outcome of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) and that the entire sport of Thoroughbred racing has been called into question with the mounting number of equine fatalities at Santa Anita Park throughout the ...

Twenty years have passed since that warm June afternoon at Belmont Park when Bob and Beverly Lewis’ Charismatic made his bid for the Triple Crown. The story of his run, along with that of his rider, Chris Antley, bears revisiting. Use of Mike Corrado’s photograph of Antley’s valiant attempt to comfort the injured colt after he dismounted past the ...