On March 27, 1996, Cigar added to his growing credentials by winning the inaugural Dubai World Cup at Nad al Sheba Racecourse in the United Arab Emirates. The victory was the 14th in his famous 16-race win streak, and part of a career that included two Horse of the Year titles and a 2002 induction […]

In their careers as jockeys, Vicki Warhol-Essman and her husband David Essman won more than 1,500 races each – sometimes competing against each other. They have not been in jockey silks lately, but they still spend plenty of time riding at Turf Paradise and in different tack during their summer gigs as mule-mounted trail guides […]

Four decades removed from his sensational jockey career, Steve Cauthen lives the life of a typical Thoroughbred insider in his hometown of Verona in Northern Kentucky. Best known for capturing the 1978 Triple Crown aboard Affirmed, Cauthen had established himself as a potential superstar in his first full year as a jockey in 1977. He […]

In 2005, jockey Otto Thorwarth had become disenchanted with race riding, particularly the battle against his weight. He returned to his hometown of Hot Springs, Ark., but struggled to close out his jockey career because he believed he eventually would pair with a champion mount. Then, he says he received a directive from above. “I […]

Despite retiring, longtime trainer Hal Wiggins could not stay away from the racetrack so he returned to the traveling lifestyle with sojourns all the way back to his roots. In his 33 years as a trainer, Wiggins won nearly 900 races, highlighted by the 2009 Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks with Rachel Alexandra for Dolphus Morrison, […]

Family has always come first with Kenny “Chopper” Bourque. During much of his race-riding career, he opted to stay close to his family rather than competing on out-of-state circuits. In his semi-retirement, he savors time with them at and near the home he and Mary, his wife of nearly 50 years, have between Louisville and […]

After reinventing himself many times, Bill Boland now lives as a typical retiree with golf always on his schedule. Seven decades before his current incarnation, Boland won the 1950 Kentucky Derby aboard Middleground as a 16-year-old apprentice. That triumph and so many others earned him induction into the Hall of Fame in 2006. Other segments […]

When Phil Hauswald disbanded his small stable in 2006, he figured he would be back in business within a year with a barn of quality runners. His plan never materialized and instead he has found a comfortable niche as a Belmont Park-based shipping agent for Sallee Horse Vans. From the late 1980s through the 1990s, […]

If success is measured by personal well-being and kindness to others, Fabio Arguello Jr. is a superstar. He also achieved the more traditional definition of success during his jockey career, in which his mounts won 1,251 races and banked more than $23 million from 1990 to 2018. He was a 1991 Eclipse Award finalist for […]