Legends

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How a Legendary Trainer Known as ‘The Bald Eagle’ Excelled for Five Decades

Some might say that Charlie Whittingham was the best and most famous trainer California has ever known.

As true as that might be, Whittingham deserves to be viewed in a context much greater than even a state as large as California.

Though synonymous with the Golden State, Whittingham was unquestionably one of greatest trainers in the long and glorious history of Thoroughbred racing anywhere in the United States.

Two-time champion Slew o' Gold was one of the key horses in the inaugural Breeders' Cup Classic.

The Magnificent and Majestic Slew o’ Gold: An Exceptional Talent

Slew o’ Gold was a regally bred son of Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew, but a case could be made that there was a touch of Alydar in him.

Nelson Bunker Hunt: An Oilman with an Eye for Racehorses

The silver market may have cost him an immense fortune, yet for about two decades Nelson Bunker Hunt struck gold in Thoroughbred racing.

Hunt, who passed away in 2014 at the age of 88, was a son of oil tycoon H.L. Hunt, who became one of the world’s richest men through ownership of vast portions of the East Texas Oil Field.

Thunder Gulch, 1995 Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs, BloodHorse Library, Anne M. Eberhardt

Underappreciated Horse Racing Stars of the 1990s: Hansel, Lonesome Glory, and Thunder Gulch

As the world counted down to a new millennium, America’s oldest sport remained timeless in the face of the changing culture around it. The sport continued to celebrate its traditions, welcoming new names to the pantheon of champions that the 20th century had produced.

Landaluce, 1982 Oak Leaf Stakes, BloodHorse Library

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.

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