Legends

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Hall of Famer Bob Baffert Driven by Rare Intensity

Bob Baffert describes racing as a “game of hopes and dreams.”

His hopes were realized long ago when he left behind a ranch in Nogales, Ariz., where his family raised cattle and chickens, to establish himself as one of the finest trainers of all time. That lofty status does not keep him from dreaming of future successes.

“We’re always looking at those 2-year-olds coming up,” said Baffert, 66.

Secretariat wins the 1973 Belmont Stakes in an iconic performance.

A Tremendous Machine: Secretariat in the Belmont

There were three Triple Crowns in the 1930s. There were four more in the 1940s. It was still a big deal, but it wasn’t rare. It was one of those things that racing fans didn’t get every year but they did expect from time to time to see – a 3-year-old horse so much the better of his peers that he wins the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont. But after 1948, for the next 24 years they wouldn’t see another one. Seven different times during that quarter-century a horse won the first two legs. But each horse was unable to make it across the finish line at "Big Sandy" first.

Gen. George S. Patton: Thoroughbred Breeder?

The letter was dated Aug. 29, 1919, and signed with a plain, unassuming signature. No mention was made of the writer’s rank as a colonel in the U.S. Army, or of his decorated service during World War I. To the contrary, on that day, the man who would eventually gain lasting fame as Gen. George S. Patton was unconcerned with his own status and more concerned with that of the five, young Thoroughbreds he was seeking to register with The Jockey Club.

Alan-a-Dale: One Start, One Kentucky Derby Victory

Once upon a time, a long time ago, the Kentucky Derby was a regional race that lacked the international prestige it boasts today. There was no such thing as a Road to the Kentucky Derby; literally any horse could contest the race if their owners were willing to pay the entry fee.

Secretariat a Source of Inspiration in Tumultuous Times

On June 11, 1973, Time magazine selected Secretariat for its cover. It was tumultuous times in America when the June 11 issue reached newsstands prior to his Triple Crown bid in the 1973 Belmont Stakes on June 9.

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