Legends

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Secretariat and Ron Turcotte after winning the 1973 Preakness stakes.

Secretariat, the Preakness, and a 39-Year Controversy

Maximum Security’s disqualification in the 2019 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve inspired much controversy, and the debate at times felt like the 1950 Kurosawa film “Rashomon,” where multiple witnesses to an event retell it in vastly different ways. All of us saw the same race, yet so many people have different interpretations of what they saw.

Smarty Jones: An Unlikely Hero and Beloved Fan Favorite

When John Servis was growing up in Philadelphia, he experienced a recurring dream. He pictured himself in the winner’s circle at Churchill Downs, having won the Kentucky Derby as a trainer.

Sunday Silence Kentucky Derby Preakness Stakes Pat Valenzuela rivalry Easy Goer Breeders’ Cup Classic horse racing 1989 Arthur Hancock Shug McGaughey Japan breeding stallion sire

Sunday Silence: The Star No One Wanted

Sunday Silence spent a lifetime in search of respect, on the track and in the breeding shed. In the end, he earned it.

“He was very good,” said Shug McGaughey, a Hall of Fame trainer who handled arch-rival Easy Goer. “I ran against him four times and he beat us three times. And I ran a pretty good horse at him.”

Triple Crown Turning Point: A Claimer, a Crafty Admiral, and a Colt Named Affirmed

With a superstar young jockey, dueling rivals, and electrifying finishes, the 1978 Triple Crown stands out amongst the other 12 on the strength of the sheer thrills and chills that Affirmed and Alydar brought each time they met on the racetrack.

American Pharoah, Bob Baffert, Zayat Stables, 2015 Triple Crown, America's Best Racing, horse racing, ABR

American Pharoah’s Triple Crown Sweep 10 Years Later: Espinoza Reflects on ‘Best Horse I Ever Rode’

It is an iconic image that still resonates with fans and horse racing professionals 10 years later. Jockey Victor Espinoza (a 2017 Hall of Fame inductee) with his arm raised in triumph and the world’s biggest smile crossing the finish line on American Pharoah.

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