The Ascot Gold Cup Ascot, Berkshire, England June 18, 1936 The Royal Ascot was flooded with onlookers as the race went head-to-head, literally and figuratively, between Omaha, an American thoroughbred champion most recently awarded the 1935 US Triple Crown winning title, and Quashed, a filly whose most recent win was at the Epson Oaks, a […]

Any conversation about great race horses has to begin with Eclipse, the undefeated Thoroughbred who has set the standard for elite racing since the 18th century. The Group 1 Eclipse Stakes, France’s Prix Eclipse and the US Eclipse Award are all named in his honour. His dominance of the track led to the famous phrase “Eclipse first and […]

You may already know something about great race horses.  But who would you name as the world’s greatest race horse? We would throw Great Britain’s Frankel in the ring. Let’s meet him and learn his story. Born in February 2008, in Sussex, England, the bay stallion named Frankel is the offspring of two winners. His […]

In the annals of professional gamblers, Australian Zeljko Ranogajec stands very high—perhaps the largest bettor in the world, responsible for $1 billion annually, primarily on horses. The bets have made him a multibillionaire. In the ranks of people with identifiable markers of fame, though—like a recognizable face or public appearances—Ranogajec (whose first name is pronounced […]

When you think of a dream list of professional gamblers, especially horse racing gamblers, you have to include one of the very best of them all: Barney Curley. Early Days Bernard Joseph Curley, known more familiarly as Barney Curley, was born in County Fermanagh, Ireland, in 1939. After finishing his boarding school education, and working […]