Legends

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My Longshot: Ten Years Later, Borel Still Marvels at Mine That Bird

Ten years ago this week, Calvin Borel's big assignments at Churchill Downs could hot have looked more different: Rachel Alexandra, an overwhelming favorite in the Kentucky Oaks who signaled what was about to co

The Return of ‘Big Red’

In 1920, they hadn’t yet started calling the Triple Crown the Triple Crown. Back then, the Kentucky Derby wasn’t thought to be much of a race, and it was just a few days before the Preakness. That’s the race that the owners of the horse folks called “Big Red,” a red chestnut that stood 16 hands, one and five-eighths inches, targeted for their horse to make his first start as a 3-year-old.

In addition to his three Kentucky Derby wins, Calvin Borel was the regular rider of legendary Rachel Alexandra.

Calvin Borel: Remembering His Roots

Calvin Borel readily admits to being poorly educated, and yet his knowledge of horses is as deep as the ocean is vast.

In a world filled with artificiality and superficiality, a world that emphasizes style, Borel is as real, as substantial, as it gets.

Borel’s willingness to learn horses from the ground up, his dedication, and his loyalty all contributed to his rise from humble Cajun roots in Louisiana to his induction into the Racing Hall of Fame in 2013.

History in the Making: Cigar Wins the Inaugural Dubai World Cup

It was an unusual notion. A championship horse race, the richest ever run, held at a huge track called Nad Al Sheba in the deserts of Dubai. They called it the Dubai World Cup, and with an unprecedented purse value of $4 million, it was the event everyone was talking about at the start of the 1996 racing season.

Johnny Longden, pictured in the winner's circle aboard Drill Site, is the only person to both train and ride a Kentucky Derby winner.

John Longden: Kentucky Derby Legend

In the long history of the Kentucky Derby, there have been relatively few jockeys lucky enough to win the historic race, and relatively few trainers as well. Thus, it is almost impossible to imagine a horseman so equally skilled at both pursuits that he could win the Derby as a jockey and as a trainer, yet that is exactly what the legendary John “Johnny” Longden accomplished during his remarkable career.

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