The opening weekend of Keeneland’s Spring Meet along with other stakes races around the country reshaped the Equibase leaderboard in a big way, with eight horses moving into the top 25 in the overall standings for 2026 North American earnings. Three significant preps for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve led the way.
In the mid-1970s, a crafty but achy-armed left-handed pitcher named Tommy John faced the prospect of surgery to extend his career in Major League Baseball. His surgeon, Dr. Frank Jobe, devised a new way to treat John’s ailment, using a tendon elsewhere in his patient’s body to replace a damaged ulnar collateral ligament. The new technique proved a stroke of genius as it not only allowed John to resume his career, it also saved the career of a long list of pitchers in future years.
Today, Jobe’s breakthrough surgical procedure is known as Tommy John Surgery.
A son of a butcher turned business magnate, Joseph E. Widener was a visionary architect of modern American racing, known for transforming Hialeah Park into a world-class destination and leading Belmont Park through a pivotal era of elegance.
As a titan of the sport and a dedicated preservationist, he combined his passion for fine art with a commitment to racing’s aesthetic and structural integrity. His lasting legacy remains in the pedigrees of the sport’s athletes as well as his tireless efforts to elevate the social and cultural prestige of the American turf.
Keeneland’s Stonestreet Lexington Stakes can provide a 3-year-old with a way to catapult into the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve in the 24th hour of qualifying – but not this year.
