Legends

all in Legends

Risen Star, 1988 Belmont, BloodHorse, Skip Dickstein, Louie Roussel III, Ronnie LeMarque, Eddie Delahoussaye, ABR, America's Best Racing, Triple Crown, horse racing

The Cajun Country of Louisiana has produced its fair share of great racehorses.

Yet Risen Star was different than any other.

He did more than just race in New Orleans. He raced for New Orleans, becoming the pride and joy of anyone who called the bayous home and making Louisiana the capital of the horse racing industry for a brief, yet unforgettable period of time.

It happened in 1988, when Risen Star emerged from Louisiana to become the hero of a Triple Crown season filled with more color and controversy than most years in the historic series.

Afleet Alex and jockey Jeremy Rose win the 2004 Sanford Stakes, their first of many graded stakes wins.

Afleet Alex: Amazing Athlete Earned Improbable Preakness Win

Everyone has an opinion in horse racing. It’s one of the most alluring aspects of the sport. Debates rage about which horse was better, which performance was greater, or which rivalry was the most memorable.

Handicappers, racing writers, and fans rarely — in fact, almost never — agree.

But there is one performance that stands out as unequivocally one of the best races a horse has ever delivered on the Triple Crown stage: Afleet Alex’s Preakness Stakes victory in 2005.

King Leatherbury, Maryland, Ben's Cat, Pimlico, Laurel Park, America's Best Racing, horse racing, ABR

Hall of Fame Trainer, Maryland Legend King Leatherbury Dies at 92

The Maryland Jockey Club mourns the passing of legendary Hall of Fame trainer King Leatherbury, who died at his home Tuesday morning. He was 92.

“He’s one of a kind,” said one of his twin sons, Taylor Leatherbury. “There’s never been a man more appropriately named than my father.”

Jimmy Winkfield, 1902 Kentucky Derby, Alan-a-Dale, Keeneland Library, Hemment Collection

The Epic Journey of James ‘Wink’ Winkfield

He was on the doorstep of becoming America’s greatest Black race rider. One of just six men to win back-to-back Kentucky Derbys (1901-1902), he barely missed a third victory the following year.

But, the story of James “Wink” Winkfield being a great jockey would just be a slice of his existence. Has any jockey led a more incredible life?

Ed Brown Society, Greg Harbut, Clark Williams, jockey Abe Hawkins, America's Best Racing, horse racing, ABR

Honoring the Past, Building the Future: Ed Brown and Black History in Horse Racing

Black History Month offers an important opportunity to reflect on the contributions of Black Americans whose impact has shaped industries across the nation, including horse racing. While modern racing often lacks visible diversity, Black horsemen were foundational to the sport’s early success. One of the most influential among them was Ed Brown, a formerly enslaved man who became one of the leading trainers of the 19th century.

all in Legends

newsletter sign-up