all in Legends

In a plain brown wrapper, the yearling colt did not leave the same impression that struck those closest to Secretariat when he was that age. With a fair pedigree and a front leg that toed out, he did not pass muster with one sales company and instead was relegated to the upstart alternative. But this would not deter fate. Neigh. Instead, the long-legged colt with an awkward stride was available for a price far below what he would eventually be worth.

For the better part of four decades, the number 11 held significance in the sport of Thoroughbred racing.

The Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve is not only the most anticipated, most watched Thoroughbred race in the world but an essential part of American sports culture.

Memories are made with each run for the roses that over the passage of time become legend, not only to day-to-day followers of horse racing but to the general public.

The Kentucky Oaks began as a companion to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve, much as the English Oaks at Epsom serves as the female version of the prestigious Derby.

There should be no mention of the mighty Triple Crown champion Secretariat without pointing to jockey Ron Turcotte as an integral member of a dynamite team.

It might appear from watching replays of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes in 1973 as if Turcotte was merely a passenger taken for a wonderful ride by the gleaming colt they called “Big Red.” But Penny Chenery, Secretariat’s owner, knew better.

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