The history of horse racing is filled with rags-to-riches stories of horses and horsemen rising from unknown beginnings to succeed at the highest levels of the sport. But has there ever been a champion as improbable as Carry Back?
His story reads like a fairy tale, a veritable Cinderella story.
Part 1 of the Road to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve comes to an end Saturday as the Gun Runner Stakes at Fair Grounds brings down the curtain on the 2-year-old preps for the 2025 run for the roses.
At the start of autumn in 1983, All Along was not remotely a candidate for any type of year-end award in North American Thoroughbred racing or her native France. She had not won a race all year.
Irad Ortiz Jr. extended his comfortable lead in wins during 2024 among North American jockeys with a dominant week as he broke the 300 mark. The five-time Eclipse Award champion rider has now won 309 races total for the year and also ranks second in purse earnings in the Equibase standings behind Flavien Prat.
