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Many know the name James “Sunny Jim” Fitzsimmons, but few know the story behind the training legend who spent 78 of his 91 years on the racetrack (see pg. 38). Fitzsimmons was a dominant trainer in New York during the middle of the 20th Century, and his barn annually swelled with top runners bred by Belair Stud and the Phipps family. After winning ...

Every year when the Triple Crown is concluded, we evaluate the stars who competed in the three races and try to determine which ones will be the horses to watch in the summer, mainly in the Haskell Invitational and Travers.Our thoughts also turn to the second wave of 3-year-olds, who were late developing and appear to be coming into their own, and ...

This column is for me. Because of its length I don’t expect many to make it to the end, and I am fine with that. Some may find it self-absorbed, but not only is it a much-needed cathartic experience, it needs to be in print, whether anyone reads it or not. It is more about the writing of the column than the reading. The thank you is for ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman The Triple Crown season might be over (and what a Triple Crown it was!), but that doesn't mean that we have to turn our attention away from the three-year-olds just yet. It could be wise to keep an eye on some of the up-and-coming sophomores who could have a major impact on the ...

June 9, 2018, is a date we won’t soon forget, watching Justify become the 13th winner of the Triple Crown in front of 90,000-plus at Belmont Park. June 7, 2014, is a date we won’t forget either, but not because of what happened on the track. It’s what was said after California Chrome finished fourth in his bid for the Triple Crown. Co-owner ...

History is a never-ending chain of events, trends, and discoveries that determine how we think and look at the present, and often the future. When history tells us something cannot be accomplished, it provides us with new and seemingly unreachable targets at which to aim. And if and when that target is hit, it provides a sense of timelessness and ...

Earlier this year, we recounted the iconic 4-year-old campaign of the great Dr. Fager in a five-part retrospective. Continuing our look back at 1968, and the 50th anniversary of one of the most unforgettable years in racing history, we turn our attention to the Belmont Stakes and the culmination of arguably the most controversial Triple Crown ...

Could it be that the Gunthers, John and his daughter Tanya, can perform the unthinkable -- sweep the Triple Crown with Justify, while breeding the first two finishers of the Belmont. Or they can possibly sweep the Triple Crown with two different horses they bred? Of course they want a Triple Crown sweep with Justify, but the ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Ten horses. Twelve furlongs. History waiting at the finish line. Saturday's $1,500,000 Belmont Stakes (gr. I) promises to be one of the most anticipated races of the year thanks to the undefeated Justify, who will face off against nine rivals while seeking a rare sweep of the ...

It was the morning of the 1988 Belmont Stakes and all was not well in the Belmont stakes barn, a four-sided barn encircling an English-style courtyard. In a corner of the barn, Risen Star’s troublesome ankle was being tubbed in ice, and it was still to be determined whether the handsome, strapping son of Secretariat would be able to run in the ...