The Sport

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Ive Struck a Nerve, Risen Star Stakes, James Graham, Fair Grounds, America's Best Racing, ABR, horse racing, Kentucky Derby, Triple Crown

Shocking Horse Racing Upsets: A $272 Winner in the Risen Star Stakes

Some upset victories are more stunning than others. Villanova beating Georgetown in the 1985 NCAA men’s basketball National Championship, well, that was almost unthinkable, while the Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl LII win over the New England Patriots in February 2018 was more along the lines of an eyebrow raiser.

The 2013 Risen Star Stakes – no doubt – falls into the former category.

John Shirreffs, obituary, trainer, horse racing, Zenyatta, Baeza, Giacomo, Breeders’ Cup, Kentucky Derby, Dottie, wife, Ingordo, California, Santa Anita Park, C R K, Mike Smith, horseman, career, legacy, Westwood, Jerry Moss, ABR

John Shirreffs, Trainer of Zenyatta, Dies at Age 80

John Shirreffs, who trained Zenyatta to a Hall of Fame career and saddled Giacomo to win the 2005 Kentucky Derby, died in his sleep Feb. 12 at his home in Arcadia, Calif. He was 80.

Derby Dozen, King, BloodHorse, Kentucky Derby, Further Ado, Paladin, Nearly, Commandment, Litmus Test, Brant, Silent Tactic, Plutarch, Renegade, Canaletto, Blackout Time, Golden Tempo, horse racing, Triple Crown, ABR

Byron King’s Derby Dozen for Feb. 12

BloodHorse news editor Byron King presents his weekly Derby Dozen for 2026, with a look at his leading contenders for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve on May 2.

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

Risen Star: The Pride of Louisiana

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.

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