When Tom Durkin walks down Broadway in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., it is almost as if he is stepping back in time. Fans often stop him to remind him of one of his legendary race calls and to express their appreciation for his extraordinary career. Those conversations mean the world to Durkin. “You’re walking down the street and somebody stops you and has something really nice to say to you about you,” said Durkin. “I don’t know that a lot of people go through this world experiencing something like that. It’s one of the great blessings of my life.”
Tag: Legends
Richard Mandella: A Lifelong Horseman
As Richard Mandella reflects on his magnificent training career, he recalls that he drew greater motivation from fear of failure than aspirations of greatness. “I never had any great dreams about what it actually became. Hall of Fame and all of that, it never entered my mind,” he said. “I just wanted to be some kind of success.”
Discovery: A Legend in the Truest Sense
Once upon a time, a long time ago, there were Thoroughbreds that could carry heavy weight assignments, set multiple track records, run 16 to 20 times a year … then come back the next year, and the next year, and do it all again. In the modern world of horse racing – an era in which the connections of champion racehorses carefully pick their spots and rarely race more often than once a month – it can be incredible to reflect on the careers of true “iron horses” like Discovery.
Marylou Whitney, a Saratoga Icon
Editor's note: Marylou Whitney passsed away July 19, 2019 at age 93. Women have played key roles in horse racing since the venerable sport’s earliest days. Yet few women – or men for that matter – at any level of the sport created a legacy that can rival the respect and importance of Marylou Whitney.
