Barry Irwin, now the head of Team Valor International, was entering his teenage years in Southern California when Swaps burst onto the scene in 1955. “He just really excited me and caught my imagination,” Irwin recalled. Irwin was hardly alone. Swaps’ popularity became so enormous that Union 76 gas stations began distributing posters of him. “I kept pushing my father to get gas there so I could get more pictures,” Irwin said.
Tag: Legends
Charles Kurtsinger, the Flying Dutchman
Compared with some, the career of jockey Charles “Charley” Kurtsinger didn’t last all that long. Modern-day superstar jockey Mike Smith took out his jockey's license in 1982 and continues to compete at the highest level; Russell Baze, the all-time leading North American jockey by career wins, started out in 1974 and stayed at the top of his game until he retired with 12,842 wins in 2016.
Hill Prince: Meadow Stable’s First Star
Long before Secretariat and Riva Ridge carried the colors of Meadow Stable to Triple Crown glory, those blue and white checkered silks of the Chenery family were made famous by one of the best horses of an earlier generation.
Stars of Yesterday: Looking Back at Best Lecomte Stakes Winners
The Louisiana path to the Kentucky Derby begins this Saturday, with the running of the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes.
