Legends

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Swale: Claiborne Farm’s Kentucky Derby Winner

In some ways, Swale can be considered the Riva Ridge of the 1980s.

Both were champions.

Each was obscured by a famous stablemate for part of his career.

They also registered the first Kentucky Derby win for one of the sport’s most famous farms.

Both suffered a loss in the Preakness that kept them from sweeping the Triple Crown.

Saratoga Race Course, Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Thoroughbred racing, Belmont Stakes

Seven Influential People Who Helped Make Saratoga So Special

The name Saratoga is synonymous with the best that racing can be. Each year, the Saratoga Race Course summer meet lures fans from across the country to experience the sport in an area that harkens back to a different time. Saratoga Springs, N.Y., is a timeless place that is both classic and modern, a place where history is celebrated and memories are made.

Julie Krone achieved much in her riding career, including a Belmont Stakes victory aboard Colonial Affair in 1993.

Julie Krone: Always in the Moment, Always About the Horse

When Julie Krone was riding, it was always on to the next race, on to the next day, on to the next track, allowing precious little time to celebrate her accomplishments, no matter how unprecedented they were.

“When you are younger,” Krone said in 2014, “you are so in the moment.”

Krone is now 60 years old, a wife to BloodHorse columnist Jay Hovdey, and a caring mother to Lorelei. She has had time to put perspective on it all.

“I went through all these different phases. Now I look at it that it’s really cool. I really did that,” she said.

Famed sportswriter Bill Corum, “run for the roses,” Kentucky Derby, Col. Matt Winn, Churchill Downs, Eclipse Sportswire.

Kentucky Derby Forefathers: Bill Corum, Famed Sportswriter Coined Phrase ‘Run for the Roses’

Over its 150-year history, the Kentucky Derby has had its share of forefathers, figures who created and nurtured this racing tradition as it evolved from a Kentucky stakes into a bucket-list experience.

Ruffian and jockey Jacinto Vasquez after winning the 1974 Sorority Stakes at Monmouth Park.

Remembering The Imperial, Elegant Ruffian

Bill Nack will never forget the phone call he received from fellow sportswriter John Pricci in June 1974, urging him to come to Belmont Park to see a 2-year-old filly make her second career start after she dominated by 15 lengths in her debut on May 22.

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