It’s the first weekend of October 1971, you’re an American in Paris for the 50th running of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on Sunday—the favorite for which is the Virginia-bred colt Mill Reef (Never Bend); where are you spending your time, aside from the Longchamp course? The …
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"Walking Lion"—This 19th-century French racing trophy with a mysterious history is on view in a Baltimore museum
NEWLY UPDATED WITH TROPHY PHOTOS! Read about this stunning French racing prize that has been in a U.S. art collection since 1885—yet was attributed to the wrong race for more than a century. Our research has corrected the erroneous information and is now referenced by the Walters Art Museum.
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The Great Match Race Series
Now celebrating the 200th anniversary of this race held on May 27, 1823, at the Union Course on Long Island, the Times brings its readers a four-part series on the historic North versus the South match race between American Eclipse and Sir Henry: "Napoleon Challenges the North;" "Which Hero of Napoleon's Southern Army Will Face Eclipse;" "See, the Conqu'ring Hero Comes;" and "The Aftermath."
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Watch live as two Louisiana Historic Racing Heroes are inducted into the Hall of Fame this Friday!
Regular readers of Turf History Times will be familiar with these two Louisiana hometown heroes: the 19th-century champion Thoroughbred Lecomte, and his leading rider, Black jockey Abe Hawkins, both of whom will be inducted into the National Racing Museum and Hall of Fame this …
Saratoga Horse Racing History Gifts For Sale Now!
[Updated June 2025] Saratoga Race Course: It's John Morrissey's world, we're just living in it! At the end of the Civil War, "Old Smoke" John Morrissey observed that the racing stock of the South was nearly extinct, having been killed in the cavalry. With this, he saw an …
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New Orleans Horse Racing in January 1852 Cancelled Due to—Snow?
New Orleans experienced frigid temperatures this week, but the city's generally mild winters have few days falling below freezing and snowfall is a rarity. Although 19th-century race days were often rescheduled due to rainfall and the resultant heavy track, the unexpected …
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Spotted: John Morrissey, the Quintessential “Dark Horse,” Last Seen on Broadway in Saratoga
Since the announcement of our limited edition series of historic Saratoga racing postcards (and sticker) that is available here on Etsy.com, we have some new developments to report. First, if you missed the update on our original post, our "Saratoga Horse Racing History: The …
“Saratoga Horse Racing History: The John Morrissey Years” Postcards Available Now in Saratoga and on Etsy!
Happy Opening Week of racing at Saratoga Race Course! Regardless of whether you're near to Saratoga (and in attendance this summer meet), or you're far from it somewhere else in the world, you can celebrate the track's early history with our new line of limited edition …
“Walking Lion” gets some French press!
We were delighted to learn from Adrien Cugnasse, editor-in-chief of the French racing magazine Jour de Galop, that an article was written concerning our recent "Walking Lion" feature and the trophy's controversial history. Below is the translation of "Erreur," which was included …
“Walking Lion”—This 19th-century French racing trophy with a mysterious history is on view in a Baltimore museum
We are pleased to share our longform piece detailing our findings about this historic trophy—won by a trailblazing French horse in the 1865 inaugural running of a race that continues to be contested annually at ParisLongchamp. Our research has been utilized to correct the …
It’s Risen Star Week–Remembering the 1988 New Orleans Superstar Colt
Here's our column from last year honoring Risen Star, whose Grade 2 stakes race (presented by Lamarque Ford) will be run for the 51st time this Saturday, February 18, 2023, at Fair Grounds Race Course. A classic-winning colt continues to be remembered at the Fair Grounds every …
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Lecomte, Louisiana’s Hero 4-Miler, Memorialized with Sprint Races
The 2023 edition of the Lecomte Stakes (G3) for 3-year-olds, slated to be held this Saturday, January 21 at Fair Grounds Race Course, is the 79th running of this race that memorializes the 19th-century Louisiana champion and the only horse to ever beat the mighty Lexington. This …
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Games for Saratoga Racing Fans
It's the holiday season and it's cold outside--the perfect time of year to break out the indoor games! We’re sharing three games for lovers of Saratoga Springs racing and history, all of which are available for purchase online or in person at local Saratoga shops. City of …
Saratoga Springs: It’s John Morrissey’s Town, We’re Just Living In It
In our previous post about Saratoga summer reading, we highlighted several book options for learning about John Morrissey, the Irish-born pugilist from nearby Troy who founded the Saratoga track. Aside from the race course, we recently visited other sites around town that …
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Countdown to Saratoga–Spa Summer Reading
Opening Day at Saratoga Race Course is just one week away on Thursday, July 14! If you can't be there in person, be there in spirit by reading up on the history of this special sporting venue and summer resort town--we've compiled a list of our favorite reads: Edward …
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Ode to Baltimore–Looking back at the Preakness Stakes and Pimlico
It's Preakness Week in Baltimore! We've got two historic stories about Pimlico Race Course and the Preakness Stakes as we shift focus from the Derby to the second leg of the Triple Crown at Old Hilltop. Our Preakness Stakes story is about the race's 1946 winner Assault, the …
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When a horse drank like a man during Derby Week
We love this Kentucky Derby story so much, we're running it again! How was the first Derby upstaged by another race held during the six-day spring meet? The first Kentucky Derby was held on Opening Day of the Louisville Jockey Club and Driving Park Association’s inaugural …
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Louisiana Derby Historical Highlights
Brush up on your Louisiana Derby history knowledge before the race's 109th running on Saturday, March 26 at Fair Grounds Race Course! We're sharing some historical highlights here, and don't miss the link at the end to our previous story about the race's early years during last …
Remembering New Orleans’ Risen Star, 1988 Champion 3-Year-Old Male
A classic-winning colt continues to be remembered at the Fair Grounds every February with the eponymous Risen Star Stakes, a Kentucky Derby prep race originally called the Louisiana Derby Trial that awards qualification points to the top four finishers (50--20--10--5). But the …
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Lecomte remembered–as a sprinter?
The G3 Lecomte Stakes for 3-year-old colts, slated to be run January 22 at a distance of 1 1/16 miles, typically kicks off the Road to the Kentucky Derby series of races at the historic Fair Grounds Race Course. Yet this season the track instituted in December the new Gun Runner …
December News: Visit these Thoroughbred Charity Auctions This Week for Rare Racing Gifts
Two online auctions benefiting Thoroughbred aftercare organizations are currently open this week--visit these for some unique and rare Christmas gifts, the proceeds of which will support several retirement charities. After the Finish Line is holding its 6th Annual Auction of …
November News: Read the Times’ contribution to Thoroughbred Racing Commentary about Sunday’s Sporting Art Auction
The Ninth Annual Sporting Art Auction will be held at 1 p.m. ET this Sunday, November 21, at the Keeneland Sales Pavilion in Lexington, Kentucky. Thoroughbred champions will grace the sales ring, from paintings like this 1867 portrait of Gladiateur to a 19th-century weathervane …
October News: On This Day in History (October 15) at Keeneland Race Course
Annually in October, racing returns to Kentucky's storied Keeneland track that is now celebrating its 85th year. On this day of October 15th in 1936--a Friday--Keeneland launched its inaugural race meeting lasting nine days and premiered its tote board, the first of its kind …
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September News: Turf History Times Contributes to The Horsemen’s Journal
As mentioned in previous monthly posts, the Times contributed a piece about the National Museum of Racing's new Hall of Fame experience to The Horsemen's Journal, which is published by the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA). We are pleased to share …
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August News: Update on Excitations, Former Fair Grounds Racing Club’s Sprinter
As mentioned in our July News post, Turf History Times is writing a piece about the new Hall of Fame multimedia experience at the National Museum of Racing in Saratoga Springs for The Horsemen's Journal, a quarterly publication produced by the National Horsemen's Benevolent & …
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July News: Summer in Saratoga and Happy Birthday to Antebellum Equine Artist Edward Troye
The Times was back in Saratoga Springs this month for the first week of racing at the storied track, which opened on July 15. We are currently working on a piece regarding Saratoga's National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame that will be published this fall--stay tuned for a …
June News: Update on Neir’s Tavern, Historic Union Course Race Track Bar in Queens, NY
June is synonymous with the Belmont Stakes, run annually every June at Long Island’s beautiful Belmont Park. For the Turf History Times, Long Island is also synonymous with its legendary 19th-century track, the Union Course. The Times visited the former site of this course in …
May News: It’s Preakness Week!
In honor of Preakness Week, we look back at one of the race’s historic winners from 1946, the improbable Triple Crown hero and “Little Chocolate Galloper,” Assault. Here’s one of our favorite quotes about his victory in the first leg of the Triple Crown: “Assault is the name, but …
April News: Let’s Talk Derby—The First Kentucky Derby, Unhorsed by the Louisville Cup
After last year’s upheaval of the racing calendar due to COVID-19, the Kentucky Derby is back to its rightful date on the first Saturday in May, this year falling on May 1. So let’s talk Derby—the first Kentucky Derby in 1875, which was upstaged by another race held during the …
March News: The Louisiana Derby during the 1918–1919 Spanish Flu pandemic, a visit to the old Louisiana Jockey Club clubhouse, and recognition for a Virginia turfman
The Louisiana Derby during the 1918–1919 Spanish Flu pandemic: The 108th Louisiana Derby will be run on Saturday, March 20, 2021, at the Fair Grounds, which has been closed to general spectators during the 2020–2021 race meet; last year’s Louisiana Derby was also run without …
January News: On This Race Day in 1852; and Remembering Louisiana Champion Lecomte
On this day in New Orleans in January 1852, racing was cancelled on account of—snow? Mild winters in New Orleans mean that few days, if any, fall below freezing in a given winter, thus snowfall is a rarity. While 19th-century race days were often rescheduled due to rainfall …
Handy Rules for Laying Out a Race Course
The following “Rules for Laying Out a Race Course” is shared from an 1833 issue of the American Turf Register and Sporting Magazine. Enjoy! …
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Countdown to Another Event of Equine Stars—the Annual Sporting Art Auction at Keeneland
When the Breeders’ Cup is over and the Keeneland November sale is in full swing, another annual event celebrating exceptional equines is on the horizon—the Sporting Art Auction. Now in its eighth year, the auction is a highly anticipated event offering paintings and sculpture in …
Support Retired Thoroughbreds through TRF’s Ponies, Pumpkins & Pies Event!
The Times is pleased to sponsor the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation’s (TRF) fundraiser Ponies, Pumpkins & Pies, slated for Sunday, October 25th at Pitney Meadows Community Farm in Saratoga Springs, New York. This event will split its proceeds between Pitney Meadows’ …
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It’s Preakness Week! Revisiting Triple Crown Winner Assault’s 1946 Preakness
In honor of Preakness Week, the Times looks back at one of the race’s historic winners from 1946, the improbable Triple Crown hero and “Little Chocolate Galloper,” Assault. In our Kentucky Derby post in May, we shared one of our favorite quotes about his victory in that first …
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The First Kentucky Derby, Unhorsed by the Louisville Cup
It was the first Kentucky Derby, but the race wasn’t the star attraction of the Louisville Jockey Club and Driving Park Association’s six-day inaugural spring meeting in 1875. Opening day on Monday, May 17, 1875, drew more than 12,000 attendees to the new track that would later …
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Kentucky, the First Winner of the Travers Stakes, Immortalized in Oil
It’s Travers Week, and we look forward to crowning the next three-year-old champion of the mile-and-a-quarter “Mid-summer Derby” this Saturday at Saratoga Race Track. The race has amassed 150 winners to date, its earliest titleholder being a colt named Kentucky in its inaugural …
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Remembering Edward Troye, America’s Equine Artist of the 19th century, on His Birthday
Saturday, July 12, marks the anniversary of the birth of Edward Troye (1808--1874), America's preeminent animal painter of the 19th century. During his 40-year career in the U.S., the Swiss-born Troye painted commissions of hundreds of prized Thoroughbreds, and was recognized by …
A Poem for this Weekend’s Epsom Derby: Ode to No More Betting on the Races
Racing schedules have been turned upside-down across the globe due to COVID-19, and this Saturday, July 4, will feature the second leg of Britain’s Triple Crown, the Derby Stakes (officially the Investec Derby) at Epsom Downs Race Course—a race that was first inaugurated in 1780 …
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Virtual Tour of Historic Race Track Bar Neir’s Tavern on Thursday, May 28, 6 p.m. EDT
Here's your chance to attend a free virtual tour of Neir's Tavern in Queens, New York, on Thursday evening. This past winter, the Times reported about this historic race track bar that was opened in 1829 by the proprietor of the nearby Union Race Course. Read more about the …
He was called everything from the “Texas Terror” and “Murder, Inc.” to the “Little Chocolate Galloper”—Learn more about Assault, one of 13 Triple Crown champions competing in Saturday’s Virtual Kentucky Derby
Horse racing fans are lamenting that this week is typically Kentucky Derby Week, with the “Run for the Roses” slated for the first Saturday in May. As the Derby has been postponed to the fall, NBC will broadcast a virtual Derby on Saturday, May 2, featuring 13 Triple Crown …
Hello, Old Friend: A Visit With Lexington (Stallion) in Lexington (Kentucky)
While many businesses and other institutions have temporary closed due to COVID-19, some are offering online services, including museums. The Smithsonian, for example, is now offering a variety of online virtual exhibitions and museum tours—see link for more information. Here …
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The Louisiana Derby in history: Did the Spanish Flu impact the race in 1918–1919?
This Saturday marks the 107th running of the Louisiana Derby, a Kentucky Derby prep race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds at the distance of 1 3/16 miles that for the first time will be contested spectator-free at the Fair Grounds Race Course due to COVID-19. This global pandemic has …
It’s February–Time to Celebrate the Birthdays of Two Leaders of the New Orleans Turf
On February 11, we celebrate the birthdays of two leaders of the nineteenth-century New Orleans turf whom we've written about at length here at the Times, both born on this date: Colonel Adam L. Bingaman (2/11/1793—9/6/1869), originally of Natchez, Mississippi, and Duncan F. …
Historic Race Track Bar in Queens Saved from Closure #NeirsForYears
In follow-up to our previous report of the impending closure of Neir's Tavern due to a rent hike, we are pleased to announce the historic bar located in Queens, New York, will remain open for business. Late Friday, news outlets reported that city leaders assisted Neir's owner Loy …
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Neir’s Tavern in Queens, Opened in 1829 by the Union Race Course, Will Close January 12
While in New York for the 2013 Belmont Stakes, Times staff visited Neir's Tavern in Woodhaven, knowing its unique history and ties to the sport of horse racing. Neir's was originally opened in 1829 as The Blue Pump Room by Cadwallader Colden, track proprietor for the nearby Union …
Support & Talk Horses at the Fall Racing Preview Handicapping Party–and Try a “Turf Times T-bred” Cocktail!
We are pleased to share information regarding this Fall Racing Preview Handicapping Party taking place on Thursday, October 3 in Lexington, Kentucky in advance of opening day at Keeneland Race Course. Benefiting the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation that supports critical …
“It was a damned rascally decision!” A racing fan’s account of an 1838 horse race disqualification
Even casual fans of the sport of horse racing will recall this year's disqualification of Maximum Security by state stewards in the Kentucky Derby. Let’s revisit another stewards’ inquiry—this one from 1838 concerning Rule 42 and a horse blanket, enforced by the Adams …
Happy Birthday to America’s Equine Artist, Edward Troye
On Friday, July 12, we celebrate the birthday of Edward Troye (1808--1874), America's preeminent animal painter of the 19th century. Readers who have visited Lexington, Kentucky may have unknowingly seen his work across town as "Big Lex," the big blue horse that was adapted from …
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Revisiting Our Guide to the Louisiana Derby
It's Louisiana Derby Week, with the 106th Louisiana Derby slated for Saturday, March 23, 2019, at Fair Grounds Race Course. Brush up on the race's history here in our guide that we contributed to Lady and the Track and US Racing last year. Back again this year for Derby Day will …
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Happy Birthday to Two Pillars of the New Orleans Antebellum Turf
On Monday, February 11, 2019, we celebrate two leaders of 19th c. racing in New Orleans who were born on this day: Colonel Adam L. Bingaman (1793--1869) and Duncan F. Kenner (1813--1887). Read more about their contributions to the sport by revisiting the 1837 Eclipse Course …
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New Year, New Site
The Times is pleased to announce the launch of its upgraded website that offers an improved online and mobile experience for readers. We hope you enjoy it (and agree that it looks stunning) as much as we do! …