Legends

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Charlie Whittingham, Bald Eagle, California, trainer, Hall of Fame, legend, horse racing, Thoroughbred, Sunday Silence, Ferdinand, Kentucky Derby, Breeders’ Cup, Ack Ack, Bill Shoemaker, Santa Anita Park, ABR

How a Legendary Trainer Known as ‘The Bald Eagle’ Excelled for Five Decades

Some might say that Charlie Whittingham was the best and most famous trainer California has ever known.

As true as that might be, Whittingham deserves to be viewed in a context much greater than even a state as large as California.

Though synonymous with the Golden State, Whittingham was unquestionably one of greatest trainers in the long and glorious history of Thoroughbred racing anywhere in the United States.

Meadow Star: Champion Filly Sparkled in ‘The Mother of All Gooses’

Meadow Star surely enjoyed a stellar racing career.

She won her first nine starts. Eight of them were stakes and four were Grade 1s.

She was a decisive winner by five lengths in the 1990 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and the undefeated filly was a unanimous choice as the year’s champion 2-year-old female.

At 3, she was tested against colts in the Grade 1 Wood Memorial Stakes, in which she finished fourth and suffered her first defeat. Returned to distaff competition after that setback, she romped by six lengths in the Grade 1 Acorn Stakes.

Hall of Famer Gun Runner: Speed, Stamina, Determination, and Durability

Some racehorses peak at an early age, flashing brilliance right from the start. Others require more time to reach their best form, maturing slowly over the course of several years.

Daylami, Breeders' Cup Turf, Keeneland, horse racing, America's Best Racing, ABR

The Big Five: Ranking the Best Breeders’ Cup Turf Winners

While races on the grass play second fiddle behind dirt racing here in America, our nation nonetheless has a rich history on the turf. Many of the greatest horses ever to run in the United States, such as Secretariat, Kelso, and Dr.

Pat Day, Hall of Fame, Jockey, Breeders' Cup Classic, Wild Again, Unbridled, Awesome Again, Cat Thief, horse racing, America's Best Racing, ABR

From a Welsh Pony to the Winner’s Circle: Pat Day’s Journey to Four Breeders’ Cup Classic Victories

Ask Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day about the pivotal victories of his career, and the conversation reaches beyond the finish line. Recently, he looked back on his four Breeders’ Cup Classic victories and the moments that shaped his life. He considers himself blessed. Over 33 years, he recorded 8,803 wins from 40,305 starters that amassed more than $297.9 million in career purse earnings, according to Equibase statistics. His victories include nine in Triple Crown races.

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