#Bill Shoemaker

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - On another first Saturday in May, the beauty of America's oldest sport battled neck and neck down the stretch with its unseemliness as a colt named Medina Spirit elegantly held off a determined challenge from Mandaloun. They moved in tandem like four-legged ballet dancers - effortlessly, beautifully. No one here who loved…

The final chance for three-year-old dirt males to vie for Grade 1 glory before turning four and having to face older horses comes Monday, December 26, at Santa Anita. The race covers seven furlongs on the Santa Anita main track, and drew a field of nine horses. As usual for such a late-season three-year-old race, it drew a mix of classy locals and…

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Since 1882, when the Standard Oil Trust was formed, Franklin D. Roosevelt was born and the electrical age began with the flip of a switch that lit up one square mile of Lower Manhattan, no horse has won the Kentucky Derby without racing at the age of 2. The horse that did it way back then was the chestnut gelding Apollo, named…

In many ways the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday represents a return to normal. A capacity crowd is expected at Churchill Downs after two years of COVID-19 disruptions and Nevadans are again able to access a full wagering menu on races from the Louisville track after resolution of a contract dispute. But the party-as-usual…

HE is nicknamed'Big Money' for his genius in the saddle but stands just 5ft 4ins. Meet Mike Smith, the legendary 56-year-old rider who was engaged to one of the world's most beautiful people and has career earnings of more than £270million. For years in American racing, if you wanted someone to win the big one, you went to'Big Money'. A nickname…

Through the years, we've seen some memorable performances in the historic Santa Anita Derby at Santa Anita Park. Sham clocking 1 1/8 miles in the stakes-record time of 1:47 flat in 1973… future Triple Crown winner Affirmed cruising by eight lengths in 1978… the filly Winning Colors leading all the way to dominate in 1988… I'll Have Another battling…

In his latest column, Charles Hayward reflects on Keeneland's two-day championships - which he watched avidly from his couch at home in Saratoga Springs Like everybody else in the racing world, I was transfixed by Flightline's astonishing display in the Breeders' Cup Classic, which came as a triumphant climax to two wonderful days in front of the…

The significantly lower attendance figures at Del Mar for this year's Breeders' Cup apparently will not hinder the track's hopes of hosting future events. The two-day attendance of 47089 was 33 percent lower than the 2017 total of 70420. But track and Breeders' Cup officials Sunday attributed the drop to lingering aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic…

Breeders' Cup Notebook: The "Math" of the Aftermath (Breeders' Cup 2022 / Coady Photography) From the Breeders' Cup Media Team: Europeans, New York-based Runners Dominated World Championship Weekend Horses based primarily in Europe and New York accounted for 11 of the 14 victories in the 39 edition of the Breeders' Cup 14 World Championships this…

So here's the deal - have your scrambled eggs, bacon and toast ready to go if you're on the West Coast and maybe try a BLT on rye if you're settling down for lunch further east when the horses load into the starting gate for the first Breeders' Cup race Saturday at Keeneland. Better be ready because Irad Ortiz Jr. is going to sweep the early Pick…

LEXINGTON, Ky. - For Mike Smith, it's the horses that keep him young. The 56-year-old Smith, a Dexter native, has a reputation that precedes him. A two-time Kentucky Derby winner with long shot Giacomo (2005) and favorite Justify (2018), Smith also rode Justify to victories in the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes, becoming the oldest jockey to…