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 …
February News: Celebrating Black History Month and Kentucky Derby-Winning Jockey William “Billy” Walker
As part of its effort to honor Black jockeys and trainers who played a significant role in racing history, particularly during the first 30 years of the Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs inaugurated a new 6-furlong race for 3-year-olds in 2015 called the William Walker Stakes. Held …
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 nineteenth-century race days were often rescheduled due to …
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 …