Legends

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Barry Irwin, now the head of Team Valor International, was entering his teenage years in Southern California when Swaps burst onto the scene in 1955.

“He just really excited me and caught my imagination,” Irwin recalled.

Irwin was hardly alone. Swaps’ popularity became so enormous that Union 76 gas stations began distributing posters of him. “I kept pushing my father to get gas there so I could get more pictures,” Irwin said.

Andy Beyer, pictured talking with Andy Serling, revolutionized betting on horse racing.

Picking Winners: How Andy Beyer Revolutionized Betting on Horse Racing

If there was a Mount Rushmore for horse racing handicappers, it’s an odds-on proposition that the first face on it would belong to Andy Beyer.

Some people may have won more money wagering on the races than Beyer, but no other person has enjoyed as profound and prolonged of an impact on the art of handicapping as the 80-year-old graduate of Harvard University.

Hollywood Park racetrack closing Zenyatta Julio Canani Seabiscuit trainer jockey horse racing memories California Chrome Stauffer Lava Man John Henry Swaps Native Diver Citation Van Berg Art Sherman Laffit Pincay

Reflections on Hollywood Park’s Special Place in Horse Racing History

“It was a beautiful land where flowers bloomed, the flamingos basked in the sun and airplanes flew overhead. A land where horses became immortal, and jockeys became famous.” I wrote those words in December of 2013 on the final weekend of Hollywood Park Racetrack where I was absorbing the sadness of the end of an era.

Spectacular Bid,1980 Malibu Stakes, Santa Anita Park

Six Memorable Runnings of the Malibu Stakes

The Malibu Stakes stands as the final Grade 1 race of the season, as well as a tremendous boost to opening day of the winter-spring meet at Santa Anita Park. Since its inception in 1952, the Malibu Stakes has crafted a reputation for being an interesting race filled with legendary performances and milestone moments. This has been especially true in recent years.

Richard Mandella: A Lifelong Horseman Who Crafted a Hall of Fame Career

As Richard Mandella reflected in 2017 on his magnificent training career, he said that he drew greater motivation from fear of failure than aspirations of greatness.

“I never had any great dreams about what it actually became. Hall of Fame and all of that, it never entered my mind,” he said. “I just wanted to be some kind of success.”

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