Secretariat.com

After a six-year hiatus, Colonial Downs in Virginia reopened its gates three years ago after being purchased by a group of owners under the name of the Colonial Downs Group. On August 30, the track will host a special Secretariat Colonial Downs Day at the Races. When looking at the brief history of Colonial Downs, one can turn to its signature race, the Virginia Derby, to find some of the highlights of the track’s early days. But the one race that holds the most historical significance actually was an allowance race held on October 11, 1998. Without that race, one of the greatest moments in Breeders’ Cup history likely would have never happened…

We all marvel at the brilliance of Knicks Go and his recent victory in the Whitney, but few have talked about his sire Paynter, whose courage captured the hearts of a nation back in 2012. This is his story…

This column marks the convergence of three of my favorite horses and all-time greats, and the auction of memorabilia associated with them. First, credit must be given to the late, great artist Richard Stone Reeves who aptly titled his fine art print depicting Kelso, Forego, and John Henry “Profiles of Courage.” Its natural pairing with the three track programs found in the Secretariat.com archives sparked this trio of tales waiting to be told. I am not entirely sure if the column inspired the auction or visa versa, but either way I hope our readers and the lucky winning bidder will enjoy this small piece of racing history surrounding these racing legends, and arguably their most courageous performances.

Bernardini, who made nine shuttle trips to Australia, died at age 18 last week just as he was emerging as the hottest young broodmare sire in the country, having sired the dams of Maxfield, Catholic Boy, Serengeti Empress, Dunbar Road and a number other top-class runners. As a racehorse, he had to constantly “wow” people to remove himself from the shadow of Barbaro, which he accomplished with a series of spectacular victories, the most important, in my opinion, being the Jim Dandy Stakes, which catapulted him to the threshold of greatness…

There are so many elements that made up this year’s Haskell Invitational, including the hot topic of the Monmouth whip rule. You won’t find much about that here. This is about the horses involved, especially one who has gotten overlooked…

This is the first in a series of columns about my favorite stories that I believe would make great movies. They are based on my 25 years of covering the major races for the Thoroughbred Times, Daily Racing Form, and Blood Horse. Rather than focusing on the race recap format I will tell the stories behind the story as if pitching them as a movie script and focusing on the human and equine spirit that made racing movies so popular from the 1930s to 1950s. This first column is about the inspiring story of Kathy Ritvo and Mucho Macho Man…

With a number of top 3-year-olds who left their mark on the Triple Crown races possibly heading for the July 17 Haskell Invitational, it brings back memories of the greatest Haskell of them all when Alysheba, Bet Twice, and Lost Code put on a show for the ages. It proved to be the coming out party for the Haskell as one of the top races in the country and also for a writer who was just starting to cover races for a fledgling publication…

F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote in The Great Gatsby, “And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.” For me it was the summer of 1968 when life began over again. Racing had become an obsession and my world was now encompassed by names like Damascus and Dr. Fager. In Upstate New York, the siren calls emanating from the small town of Saratoga were luring me to a place that existed only in my dreams. This is the story of that magical summer, which proved to be the foundation for the rest of my life…

Wednesday, June 23 marks the 50th anniversary of Riva Ridge’s maiden victory, which turned out to be the beginning of a Hall of Fame career as well of one of racing’s great rivalries…

With the Belmont Stakes still relatively fresh in people’s minds, here are my thoughts on the race, the Triple Crown, and especially Essential Quality. ~ Steve Haskin…