Fifteen years ago this summer, horse racing was at one of its periodic upticks in national exposure as fans were drawn to the exploits of an unbeaten star racemare based in Southern California, and by the time the 27th Breeders’ Cup World Championships arrived at Churchill Downs, excitement was at a fever pitch.
Tag: Legends
Del Mar History: Victor Espinoza’s Unforgettable Seven-Win Day
When a jockey wins two races in a single afternoon, he’s enjoyed a successful day. Three wins signifies a banner afternoon and four is bound to generate buzz among racing fans and horseplayers. But how about seven wins in a single day? Only on the rarest of occasions will a jockey embark on such a memorable win streak. During the first 69 years of racing at Del Mar in California, no jockey managed to win more than six races on a single card.
P.G. Johnson: Hall of Fame Trainer Renowned for His Horsemanship
Todd Pletcher, winner of a record seven Eclipse Awards as the leading trainer in North America, learned invaluable lessons as a top assistant to Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas.
Ron Turcotte, Secretariat’s Hall of Fame Jockey, Dies at 84
Retired jockey Ron Turcotte, remembered for riding Secretariat to win the 1973 Triple Crown during a Hall of Fame career that ended prematurely in 1978 due to a tragic racing injury, died of natural causes Aug. 22 in his Drummond home outside Grand Falls, New Brunswick, in Canada. He was 84.
