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 …
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 …