Nine new members have been elected to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. The class of 2024 is comprised of jockey Joel Rosario and racehorses Gun Runner and Justify in the contemporary category.
Between that glorious day in June 1978 when Affirmed became the 11th Triple Crown winner and June 2015 when American Pharoah halted the 37-year drought, 13 horses fell one win short in their bid for racing immortality.
Kentucky Derby upset winner Mine That Bird has returned to Churchill Downs, the sight of his greatest victory, to help usher in the Kentucky Derby Museum’s new Long Shots exhibit, which opens to the public March 28.
The trail is as cold as Fairbanks in February. A century since Black Gold won the Kentucky Derby, the fate of his owner's trophy remains shrouded in mystery, the truth buried beneath conflicting accounts, faulty conclusions, curious gaps, and secrets taken to the grave.
As the Kentucky Derby entered its third decade, its future was in doubt. The Louisville Jockey Club was deep in debt, had turned a profit only once in two decades, and clearly needed new leadership if it was to survive.
