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Paul Halloran 
A transatlantic flight once again paid off for Chad Brown in more than just frequent flier miles. In 2023, the trainer made what has become a regular trip to the Tattersalls yearling sale in England. When he arrived, he signed off on a filly that bloodstock agent Mike Ryan picked out, a daughter of Night … Read more
If you’re reading this in Saratoga Springs – or anywhere else for that matter – you are almost certainly aware that the Belmont Stakes will be held for the third and final time Saturday at venerable Saratoga Race Course. The Belmont is back for a second encore on Union Avenue, as the new Belmont Park … Read more
CODY’S WISH: A Boy, a Racehorse and a Fight for Life tells the story of the inexplicable, yet undeniable bond between Cody Dorman and Cody’s Wish. Written by The Saratoga Special’s Paul Halloran, the book highlights the myriad of medical maladies Cody faced – with the support of his parents, younger sister, Kylie, and a … Read more
Cherie DeVaux is one of 19 and, thanks to No. 19, she is now one of one. The 19th female to start a horse in the Kentucky Derby, DeVaux became the first to saddle the winner after Golden Tempo, wearing the moonstone-colored No. 19 saddle towel, but breaking from the 16 post after scratches, closed … Read more
As far as Douglas Scharbauer is concerned, the first weekend in May should happen more often. Sixty-seven years after his grandfather won the Kentucky Derby and 39 years after his mother won it, Scharbauer landed in the Kentucky Oaks winner’s circle with Always A Runner – one day ahead of schedule. “This weekend is very … Read more
The day after he graduated from high school in 2006 in Independence, Kentucky, Caleb Hays started working on the starting gate at River Downs, just outside Cincinnati. Call it a dream job. “I had a fascination with the starting gates from a very early age, and that’s all I wanted to do from when I … Read more
It was just before 5 p.m. Wednesday and the eight horses who finished the last race at Keeneland were jogging back to the frontstretch to meet their connections, be unsaddled and be led back to the barn. Nothing out of the ordinary there, except 10 horses started the race. What was unusual was the sight … Read more
The story of Cody Dorman and Cody’s Wish came full circle – literally – Saturday morning at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. More than 500 people gathered for the unveiling of a monument of Cody’s Wish that is at the center of a circular plaza that also includes granite stones displaying images of Cody … Read more
The Keeneland Library Lecture Series Wednesday night featured three guys talking about covering horse racing at one iconic racetrack, while sitting a few furlongs from another. “Celebrating 25 Years: An Evening with The Saratoga Special” was an event originally scheduled to mark 20 years of The Special, but the pandemic got in the way. For … Read more
Three years ago, on May 7, 2022, only five horses went to the gate for the Grade 3 Westchester Stakes at Belmont Park. The odds-on favorite was Cody’s Wish, ridden by Junior Alvarado. It had been 337 days since the Venezuelan-born jockey sat on the back of the massive son of Curlin, a Godolphin homebred … Read more
