With the relatively recent deaths of two of this year’s Racing Hall of Fame contemporary selections, trainers John Shirreffs and Christophe Clement, the 2026 induction ceremony Aug. 7 proved to be an emotional day in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
The quest for perfection in professional sports is fraught with peril. An elite pitcher can be absolutely flawless for eight innings and lose a perfect game if he misses his spot by an inch and allows a bloop single, or an NFL team like the New England Patriots in 2007 can win every game in the regular season and breeze into the Super Bowl only to lose the big game in a monumental upset.
In any sport, there are legends of varying degree. In Thoroughbred racing, there are legends like Gallant Fox, and then there are legends like Secretariat.
A landmark week for the Triple Crown and the North American 3-year-old division continued Aug. 5 as the new version of the Maryland Jockey Club announced a date change for its most important race, the Preakness Stakes.
