Secretariat’s human connections had failed him by making a last-minute decision to run in the Sept. 29 Woodward Stakes without the proper prep work, but it did not take long for the Bold Ruler colt to turn things around.
For some fans, Zenyatta represented more than a racehorse.
For Beth Shimkin of Pasadena, Calif., who battled depression for many years before she died of cancer in May 2012, the history-making mare offered a ray of light in a dark world.
Jacinto Vasquez won a long list of the nation’s premier races and earned a spot in the Racing Hall of Fame during a riding career that spanned more than 35 years.
He won the Kentucky Derby and Travers twice and the Coaching Club American Oaks on three occasions. He also registered wins in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, the Whitney, Man o’ War, Blue Grass Stakes and Kentucky Oaks, to name a few.
