Racing History Blog

Sande was a Dandy: Hall of Famer was one of the most accomplished jockeys of all time

Earl Sande won nine Triple Crown races in his remarkable career

By Brien Bouyea
Hall of Fame and Communications Director
Throughout the 1920s — an era commonly referred to as the Golden Age of Sports — Earl Sande occupied a place alongside Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, Bobby Jones, Bill Tilden, and Red Grange in the pantheon of America’s most revered athletes. Hailed by many as the greatest jockey of his time, Sande won nine Triple Crown races, including a sweep of the series in 1930 with Gallant Fox. He piloted some of the greatest racehorses of his era and was a favorite among scribes of the day, immortalized as the “Handy Guy” by newspaperman Damon Runyon. Sande later enjoyed success as a trainer and was enshrined in the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame as a member of the inaugural class of 1955.

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Assault: Against All Odds

Seventy-five years ago, Assault proved the doubters wrong by sweeping the Triple Crown in a style all his own

By Brien Bouyea
Hall of Fame and Communications Director
America’s seventh Triple Crown winner was the first to be bred and foaled beyond the borders of the blueblood breeding ground of Kentucky. In the southern part of Texas, at the sprawling King Ranch — a farm with more acreage than the state of Rhode Island — Assault entered the world on March 26, 1943. There were no prognostications of greatness for the smallish chestnut colt, especially after he stepped on something sharp, purportedly a surveyor’s stake, which pierced his right front foot and resulted in deformation and a permanent limp at a walk or trot.

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Historical horse profile: Irish Lad

Champion 2-year-old of 1902 brought Harry Payne Whitey and Herman B. Duryea to prominence in American racing

By Brien Bouyea
Hall of Fame and Communications Director 
Harry Payne Whitney was just starting to dabble in thoroughbred racing when he purchased the promising colt Irish Lad in partnership with Herman B. Duryea in the spring of 1902. Bred by H. Eugene Leigh, Irish Lad was sold to John E. Madden as a yearling in the fall of 1901 for $2,550. Madden meticulously prepared Irish Lad for the races and received a healthy return on his investment when he resold the horse to Whitney and Duryea for $17,500.

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Survivor: Forgotten star of the first Preakness

A crowd of 12,000 was on hand at Pimlico Race Course in 1873 for the first running of one of America’s most iconic races

By Brien Bouyea
Hall of Fame and Communications Director
The Preakness Stakes was first contested in 1873, six years after the inaugural Belmont Stakes, and two years before the maiden running of the Kentucky Derby. It was a time of healing in America. The country was slowly being stitched back together both physically and emotionally during the Reconstruction period in the aftermath of the Civil War. Thoroughbred racing was on the ascent and playing a significant role in the new America. State officials in Maryland — which had a distinguished racing history and traced its Jockey Club’s origins to 1743 — desired a piece of the post-war turf action.

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