The first time I entered the Hall of Champions at the Kentucky Horse Park, I looked to my right and saw the incomparable Cigar peering out at me from his stall. I looked to my left and faced the backside of John Henry at his stall door. I learned later this was the most pleasant greeting I could expect from John. The legends of thoroughbred racing began to capture my heart that morning and they have never let go.
The Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont Stakes. Each of these jewels in horse racing’s American Triple Crown has provided timeless memories across the years and these three annual classics have showcased many great championship performances.
They have been our companions in transportation, farming and war. And if racing were banned tomorrow, there would still be the horse. The personalities, the knowing look in their eyes and their unpredictable nature. Every photograph is a new adventure.
At farms, parks, museums and racetracks across the country legendary heroes of the sport, both equine and human, are remembered fondly.
Thoroughbred Park, Lexington, Kentucky
No matter how many great racehorses I see throughout my lifetime, I will always feel I came to the sport a little too late and missed the opportunity to spend time with Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Personal Ensign and so many others. Visiting the final resting place of a great champion allows us to pause and remember their past accomplishments and what their legacies have meant to horse racing today.
Jamestown
Miss Dogwood
A small garden sits to the right of the entrance to the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame in Goshen, New York. Within the garden is a single headstone marking the grave of the great standardbred champion Niatross. Among the writing on the headstone is a tender statement, "He was perfect." It is a sentiment shared by just about every owner and fan of a beloved horse. And these memorials remind us how they live on in our hearts.
These are graves of Standardbred, Saddlebred, Quarter Horse, Arabian, and Paint Reigning horse champions.
There are few things I enjoy more than journeys across the country to visit and photograph my favorite equine champions. From Breeders' Cup champion Elmhurst putting his tongue in my ear and having the great Cigar investigate my front shirt pocket for mints to spending time with Princess Rooney during her final days, each encounter will always occupy a special place in my memory.
