Ron McAnally remembers one element above all others from the formative years he spent at the Covington Protestant Children’s Home, an orphanage in northern Kentucky. He will never forget the view. “They tell me I used to sit at the window and stare for hours,” he said. “I wouldn’t talk to anybody.” McAnally was at the tender age of 5 when he and his four siblings were sent to the home following the death of their mother. He sought comfort wherever he could find it, even at a window.
Tag: Legends
Landaluce: Unforgettable Brilliance, Unimaginable Heartbreak
If there’s one thing that’s even more certain than a 1-20 shot at a racetrack, it’s the inevitability of death. It comes to all of mankind, and animals as well. Yet it remains immensely difficult to accept, especially when it comes far too early in someone’s life, such as it did for one of the greatest 2-year-old fillies of the 20th century. Landaluce seemed invincible on the racetrack. She won her five starts in dominant fashion, by a combined margin of 46 ½ lengths, including her first graded stakes victory, in which she romped home by 21 lengths.
Native Diver: California’s Homegrown Horse Racing Superstar
Throughout the long history of horse racing in the United States, California has produced an abundance of locally bred stars.
Jack Van Berg: A Hall of Famer and a True Horseman
Racing Hall of Fame trainer Jack Van Berg passed away on Dec. 27, 2017, at age 81. The Kentucky Derby-winning trainer who ranks fourth all-time in career wins in North America was profiled by America’s Best Racing correspondent Tom Pedulla in 2014. Van Berg reflected on the influence of his father, Marion, on his superstar horse from the 1980s, Alysheba, and on his enduring passion for the sport.
