all in Legends

There’s nothing that stirs the heart and emotions of a horse racing fan more than a thrilling homestretch battle between two gallant Thoroughbreds. Photo finishes so close that only the camera can separate two unwavering rivals are among the most exciting and breathtaking elements of the sport.

In 2024, nearly 17,000 Thoroughbreds were born in North America, while England and Ireland welcomed a little more than 13,000 foals. Of those, less than half will win a race in their lifetime, while approximately 3% will win a stakes, and an even smaller percentage, less than 1%, will win a graded stakes. Imagine the odds of an English classic and Breeders’ Cup victor foaling a Derby winner who then sires classic and Breeders’ Cup winners of his own?

As television became more popular in the 1950s, the sport of horse racing was soon accessible to a whole new sector of fans.

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.

Before the Aug. 1 induction ceremony for the 2025 class of the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame began Aug. 1 at the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion on the Fasig-Tipton sales grounds, a fan in a Philadelphia Flyers jersey in the crowd and a poster hanging from the balcony with the words “Smarty’s Party” in Someday Farm blue told the story of the day.

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