On Tuesday, Oct. 12, 1920, the great Man o’War ran the final race of his career, defeating Sir Barton a race track in Canada. The Hall of Fame horse won 20 of 21 races, his only defeat coming agains...
A Most Surprising Derby: Canonero II’s ‘Derbygate’ of 1971 By Maryjean Wall A theme of starting gates and stable gates stood central to the 1971 Kentucky Derby, an oddity that could describe tha...
Strange Derbies: Spectacular Bid First, Great Redeemer Last — by 47 Lengths By Maryjean Wall So. Two guys walk into a bar. Over a couple of Bud Lights, one asks the other to name the strangest K...
By Maryjean Wall Frank and Jesse James, notorious outlaws in the American West in the late 1800’s, were huge fans of racing when they weren’t busy robbing banks and trains. The height of the summe...
By Maryjean Wall I’m certain you’ll hear a lot more horse talk in the clouds now, following the recent death of Preston Madden, owner of Hamburg Place and breeder of Kentucky Derby and Preakness w...
By Maryjean Wall A horse afraid of the dark, the original streetcar named “Desire,” a field of turtles racing, and a Derby horse owner prohibited from staying in any Louisville hotel are among the...
By Maryjean Wall Countess Margit Batthyany was once the most powerful woman in European racing, winning the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in 1972 with the filly, San San, and the year before that, the F...
By Maryjean Wall If you told me once that I’d be spending Fridays picking through the most notorious fluff and feathers in Kentucky horse country, I’d have said no way. But here we are. Another Fr...
By Maryjean Wall Woody Allen called them flying rats. Many others call them Thoroughbreds of the Sky, and for good reason. Surprising similarities exist between thoroughbred racing and pigeon racing, ...
By Maryjean Wall But for one savvy bookmaker, a bomb shelter, and a smart horse who knew to get himself inside when he heard an air raid approaching, we might not have had Northern Dancer. Or Triple C...
