Long before Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra made it fashionable to bully the boys, there was a filly in the 1940s who was a four-legged feminist movement.

Gallorette, like most horses of her era, enjoyed a busy life on the racetrack. Tall and powerful, she raced 72 times in five seasons, winning 21 times and finishing second 20 times in a career that spanned 1944-48.

Bobby Frankel’s success started with his unending love for the animals he trained. It was almost as if he was able to establish a personal connection with every horse in the barn.

“Bobby just had a natural gift, a natural feel, for not only training horses but for animals in general,” said Chad Brown, a former assistant who has established himself as a multiple Eclipse Award-winning trainer. “He could almost sense what they were thinking and feeling.”