Legends

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Eddie Maple aboard Temperence Hill after winning the 1980 Belmont Stakes.

From Farm Kid to Hall of Famer: The Eddie Maple Story

Here’s a question to ponder: Suppose that you’re an up-and-coming young jockey, not yet 25 years old and less than a decade into your career. Out of the blue, you’re called upon to ride arguably the greatest horse of all time in the final start of his illustrious career. Could you handle the pressure?

It sounds like something out of a movie, but for jockey Edward “Eddie” Maple, this opportunity was real. And for the record, Maple did handle the pressure, which was arguably the turning point in what would become a legendary Hall of Fame riding career.

Eventual Horse of the Year Nashua wins the 1955 Wood Memorial.

From Churchill Downs Heartbreak to Horse of the Year: Nashua’s Redemption

Any rivalry needs something more than great competition to make it legendary.

East vs. West. Rich vs. Poor. Big vs. Small.

Sprinkle any of those ingredients into a battle between two great athletes and you have something memorable.

Holy Bull, Darley, Anne M. Eberhardt, BloodHorse

Holy Bull: An Enduring Legacy of Brilliance

Holy Bull was that rare horse who could win one-turn races like the Hutcheson Stakes and the Grade 1 Metropolitan Mile as though sprinting were his life’s calling, and also capture a testing 1 ¼-mile race like the prestigious Travers Stakes, holding off no less than the eventual winner of that year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic.

He was owned and trained by top New Jersey-based horseman Warren A. “Jimmy” Croll. And how he came to own Holy Bull is a story in itself.

Breeders’ Cup Fantastic Finishes: 2001 Classic a Momentary Escape From Reality

Every year on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, old wounds open as the country remembers a horrific day in U.S. history when a coordinated attack by al-Qaeda killed 2,977 people.

Terrorists flew planes into both towers of the World Trade Center in New York City as well as the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., while another hijacked plane, Flight 93, crashed in Shanksville, Pa., after it is believed the crew and passengers attempted to regain control of the airplane.

Buckpasser: The Hall of Fame Racehorse With a Nonchalant Attitude

Buckpasser was a real personality – that’s a nice way of putting it. It’s a testament to his talent, if not his tenacity, that the blue-blood colt compiled a Hall of Fame career despite his nonchalant and often frustrating attitude toward racing.

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