The Sport

all in The Sport

Clark Stakes, Churchill Downs, Cooke Creek, First Mission, Hit Show, Gosger, Chunk of Gold, Rattle N Roll, Who Dey, Willy D’s, Magnitude, trainer, jockey, horse racing, ABR

2025 Clark Stakes at a Glance

A mix of the old and the new highlights the Black Friday running of the Grade 2 Clark Stakes Presented by Norton Healthcare at Churchill Downs. A few promising 3-year-olds facing some seasoned veterans offers an intriguing betting puzzle in one of the year’s few remaining well-known races for the dirt male division.

Pleasant Colony swept the 1981 Kentucky Derby and Preakness en route to championship honors.

Pleasant Colony: 1981 Kentucky Derby Winner Was a Genuine Racehorse

It had been a glorious five-year run.

Belmont Winner Rags to Riches in League of Her Own

Todd Pletcher has won more than 5,850 races in his extraordinary training career. One stands out above the rest.

That would be the 2007 Belmont Stakes, when big-hearted Rags to Riches became only the third filly to win the famed “Test of the Champion” and the first since Tanya in 1905.

Wise Dan: How One Racehorse Defined What It Means to Be a Champion

What defines a champion?

Is it talent; the raw ability that gives an athlete the ability to excel in their sport? Is it accomplishments; the record of achievements that their talent enables them to compile? Or is it something else entirely; an innate desire to perform as well as possible and give your all every time you compete?

Native Diver Stakes, Del Mar, America's Best Racing, horse racing, ABR

2025 Native Diver Stakes at a Glance

The Native Diver Stakes is named after one of the greatest California-breds of all time, a fan favorite whose blend of speed, stamina, and durability led to three straight wins in the Hollywood Gold Cup from 1965 to 1967.

all in The Sport

newsletter sign-up