Legends

all in Legends

Ouija Board, Frankie Dettori, Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf, America's Best Racing, horse racing, ABR

A True International Superstar of the Turf: Breeders’ Cup Legend Ouija Board

In 2024, nearly 17,000 Thoroughbreds were born in North America, while England and Ireland welcomed a little more than 13,000 foals. Of those, less than half will win a race in their lifetime, while approximately 3% will win a stakes, and an even smaller percentage, less than 1%, will win a graded stakes. Imagine the odds of an English classic and Breeders’ Cup victor foaling a Derby winner who then sires classic and Breeders’ Cup winners of his own?

Crafty Admiral, Eric Guerin, Merchants and Citizens Handicap, Keeneland Library, Morgan Collection

Underappreciated Stars of the 1950s: Crafty Admiral, First Landing, and Tim Tam

As television became more popular in the 1950s, the sport of horse racing was soon accessible to a whole new sector of fans.

Breeders’ Cup Fantastic Finishes: Epic Rally for Perfection

The quest for perfection in professional sports is fraught with peril. An elite pitcher can be absolutely flawless for eight innings and lose a perfect game if he misses his spot by an inch and allows a bloop single, or an NFL team like the New England Patriots in 2007 can win every game in the regular season and breeze into the Super Bowl only to lose the big game in a monumental upset.

National Museum of Racing, Hall of Fame, inductees, Smarty Jones, Pat Chapman, John Servis, Stewart Elliott, Kentucky Derby, Preakness, Alfred Nuckols, Lexington, Edward Bowen, Richard Ten Broeck, Arthur Hancock, Stone Farm, Sunday Silence, ABR

Smarty Jones’ Hall of Fame Induction Brings Philly Feel to Saratoga

Before the Aug. 1 induction ceremony for the 2025 class of the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame began Aug. 1 at the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion on the Fasig-Tipton sales grounds, a fan in a Philadelphia Flyers jersey in the crowd and a poster hanging from the balcony with the words “Smarty’s Party” in Someday Farm blue told the story of the day.

Bold Ruler: A Star On and Off the Track

To truly understand the importance of Bold Ruler, it should be pointed out that he is best known for his accomplishments in the breeding shed rather than the racetrack.

As innocuous as that might seem, it actually speaks volumes because Bold Ruler enjoyed an exceptional career on the racetrack.

He won the 1957 Preakness Stakes. He was a consensus Horse of the Year choice in 1957 as well as the year’s top 3-year-old. In 1958, he was voted champion sprinter. He set or matched four track records.

all in Legends

newsletter sign-up