HARNESS RACING RETURNS TO CALIFORNIA IN 2026
( culture / sports / horse-racing )

Prompted and edited by Bill.The California Horse Racing Board's drf.com/news/harness-dates-awarded-fresnoapproval of dates at Fresno for Watch and Wager harness racing marks a significant step forward for the sport in the state: Barn area dates: November 4, 2026 May 11, 2027... read more

IT'S BEEN A TREMENDOUS JOURNEY: FRANKIE DETTORI'S FINAL RACE WILL BE CHILE'S EL DERBY
( culture / sports / horse-racing )

Dettori aims to ride in several prestigious races in South America before ending his career in the final leg of the Chilean Triple Crown. See paulickreport.com/news/people/its-been-a-tremendous-journey-frankie-dettoris-final-race-will-be-chiles-el-derbyFrankie Dettori's final race ... read more

THE HISTORY OF KENTUCKY DOWNS
( culture / sports / horse-racing )

Prompted and edited by Bill. Nestled in the rolling hills of Franklin, Kentucky -- just a stone's throw from the Tennessee state line -- Kentucky Downs is one of the most distinctive horse racing venues in North America. Its story begins not with thoroughbreds, but with pistols. The land on which Kentucky Downs sits was once kn... read more

KENTUCKY DERBY 2025 IS TODAY
( culture / sports / horse-racing )

The Kentucky Derby is today! I know I'm excited. Are you excited?! I like the following horses (jockey, trainer) in the following order: 8 Journalism (Umberto Rispoli, Mike McCarthy); 21 Baeza (Flavien Prat, John Shirreffs); 18 Sovereignty (Junior Alvarado, Bill Mott); 7 ... read more

THE KENTUCKY DERBY: A GATEWAY TO IMMORTALITY
( culture / sports / horse-racing )

Prompted and edited by Bill.The Kentucky Derby, often referred to as The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports, is not just a race; it's a tradition steeped in history. Since its inception in 1875, the Derby has become the first jewel in the coveted Triple Crown of horse racing, a feat achieved by only a select few of the finest tho... read more

AMERICAN PHAROAH VS. SECRETARIAT, WHO WOULD WIN?
( culture / sports / horse-racing )

Interesting!The 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah ran the sixth-fastest Belmont Stakes ever, but if he was racing against en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretariat(horse)Secretariat 's record time in 1973, he would have been a distant second. Watch the two races side-by-side. Source: targ... read more

AMERICAN RACEHORSE, CIGAR, DIES AT AGE 24
( culture / sports / horse-racing )

Sad news. He was one of the greats. We saw him in retirement at sharethelex.com/lexington-is-a-safe-bet-for-travel/#filter.articles-listscroller-item-page-1&tripadvisor&utmmediumbanner&fy21vlex&utmcontenthorizontalKentucky Horse Park several years ago. The two-time U... read more

CALIFORNIA CHROME, A HORSE OF A UNITING COLOR
( culture / sports / horse-racing )

Here's hoping he wins! The race is tomorrow, Saturday, late afternoon Eastern time, usually on NBC. They have a 77-year-old trainer who thought his big-time days were over, and a jockey who grew up afraid of horses. They pulled California Chrome's name out of Coburn's cowboy hat. If not for the luck of the draw th... read more

HOLLYWOOD PARK, WHAT A RUN IT HAD
( culture / sports / horse-racing )

Today (December 22, 2013) is the last day of racing at Hollywood Park before it's torn down. It's sad, but that part of town has been the 'hood for several decades now, so it's no surprise no one wanted to go there. I worked there once, briefly, with the harness horses. It was back in the 80's, and it was not during a ra... read more

MUCHO MACHO MAN GROOVES TO HIS SONG
( culture / sports / horse-racing )

BreedersCup.comBreeder's Cup Classic winner youtube.com/watch?vsiX3OTQGnoQMucho Macho Man grooves to his song . It was apparently removed, probably due to copyright issues, but here's the horse winning that race, anyway!UPDATE... read more

TRAVERS STAKES (2013)
( culture / sports / horse-racing )

Several big name horses in it this year:Verrazano, Haskell winnerPalace Malice, Belmont and Jim Dandy winnerOrb, KentuckyDerby.comKentucky Derby winnerAnd drf.com/saratogahere... read more

ZENYATTA LOST
( culture / sports / horse-racing )

Zenyatta lost by half a head!This is the sports.espn.go.com/sports/horse/breederscup2010/news/story?id5771987Breeder's Cup Classic I'm talking about. I thought she was hurt or something the way she ran dead last, 20 lengths behind. Then she came out of nowhere and would have won with two m... read more