Larry Melancon
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Larry Melancon
Larry J. Melancon (August 7, 1955 – 25 March 2021) was an American jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing who rode primarily on the Kentucky-Arkansas circuit. Melancon (pronounced ''Ma-lawn-son'') was born in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. He began racing horses at age nine at local bush tracks and at age sixteen obtained his jockeys license. He rode his first winner on September 28, 1971, at Jefferson Downs Race Track in the New Orleans suburb of Kenner, Louisiana. The following year he won one hundred and eighty two races, the most of any apprentice jockey in the United States. During his long career, Larry Melancon won numerous Graded stakes races and of his four appearances in the Kentucky Derby, his top result was a fourth in the 1976 edition aboard Amano. Melancon retired from riding in 2010 having won 2,857 races and more than $60 million in purses. He died in Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th mo ...
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Jockey
A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual who rode horses in racing. They must be light, typically around a weight of 100-120 lb., and physically fit. They are typically self-employed and are paid a small fee from the horse trainer and a percentage of the horse's winnings. Jockeys are mainly male, though there are some well-known female jockeys too. The job has a very high risk of debilitating or life-threatening injuries. Etymology The word is by origin a diminutive of ''jock'', the Northern English or Scots colloquial equivalent of the first name ''John'', which is also used generically for "boy" or "fellow" (compare ''Jack'', ''Dick''), at least since 1529. A familiar instance of the use of the word as a name is in "Jockey of Norfolk" in Shakespeare's ''Richard III''. v. 3, ...
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Black Gold Stakes
The Black Gold Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana is a race on turf for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses. First run in 1958, the race is named in honor of the 1924 Kentucky Derby winner and U. S. Racing Hall of Fame stallion Black Gold. It is tradition that the winning jockey of the race places flowers on the horse's grave in the infield.Black Gold's profile at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
Retrieved August 21, 2018


Historical notes

Through 1978 the race was open to horses age three and older. Run on turf in 1998, 2000-2004, 2008-2009, 2012-2016, 2018. Scheduled to run on turf in 1999 and 2005 though 2007 but weather conditions can affect the safety of the turf and as such each of the races was switched to the dirt trac ...
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Mineshaft Handicap
The Mineshaft Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for four-year-olds and older run over a distance of miles on the dirt in mid-February at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana. The event currently offers a purse of $250,000. History The event was inaugurated on 18 February 1973 as the Whirlaway Handicap, a handicap event for three-year-olds and older over a distance of one mile and forty years and was won by the five-year-old Guitar Player who was ridden by Leroy Moyers in a time of 1:41. The event was named in honor of Whirlaway, the fifth Triple Crown of Horse Racing winner in 1941. The event became a preparatory race for the Louisiana Handicap and New Orleans Handicap which were held later in the Fair Ground meeting. The first four winners of the event went on and won the Louisiana Handicap. Most notable of these winners was the 1975 Preakness Stakes winner Master Derby who won the event as a short 2/5 odds-on favorite scoring by eight ...
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Colonel E
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of a regiment in an army. Modern usage varies greatly, and in some cases, the term is used as an honorific title that may have no direct relationship to military service. The rank of colonel is typically above the rank of lieutenant colonel. The rank above colonel is typically called brigadier, brigade general or brigadier general. In some smaller military forces, such as those of Monaco or the Vatican, colonel is the highest rank. Equivalent naval ranks may be called captain or ship-of-the-line captain. In the Commonwealth's air force ranking system, the equivalent rank is group captain. History and origins By the end of the late medieval period, a group of "companies" was referred to as a "column" of an army. According to Raymond Oliv ...
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Delaware Oaks
The Delaware Oaks Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in mid July at Delaware Park Racetrack in Stanton near Wilmington, Delaware. Part of the Del Cap Festival Weekend that features other races over the two days including the Delaware Handicap, the Oaks is open to three-year-old fillies and is run over one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt. Currently, the Grade III race offers a purse of $300,000. Historical notes The inaugural running of the Delaware Oaks took place on June 28, 1938 and was won by Isabel Dodge Sloane's filly Handcuff. Coming off her June 6, 1941 win in the Top Flight Handicap at New York's Belmont Park, Tangled won the Oaks for the Greentree Stable of Helen Hay Whitney. Trained and ridden by future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductees John Gaver Sr. and Eddie Arcaro, the filly beat her closest rival by nine lengths while setting a new track record with a winning time of 1:49 4/5 for a mile and one-eighth on dirt. United States ...
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San Antonio Handicap
The San Antonio Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Raced on the dirt, it is for horses age three and older. In 2017, the distance was shortened from miles to miles. The race was originally run under handicap conditions but is now run under allowance weight conditions, with specified weight reductions for horses who meet certain conditions. The San Antonio has been a Grade II event since 1990. The current purse is $200,000. The San Antonio was traditionally run in February and was frequently used as a prep race for the Santa Anita Handicap. In 2017, the race was run once in February, and then again on December 26, the opening day of the Santa Anita winter-spring meet. With its new position in the stakes calendar, the race now serves as a prep for the Pegasus World Cup. Inaugurated in 1935, the San Antonio Handicap was run at a mile and a sixteenth in 1940 and 1941. Records Speed record: * miles – 1:46.20 – Vigors ( ...
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Regret Stakes
The Regret Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies over a distance of one and one-eighth miles (9 furlongs) on the Turf scheduled annually in mid-June near the end of the Spring Meet at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The event offers a purse of $200,000. History The race is named for Harry Payne Whitney's champion filly Regret, the first filly to win the 1915 Kentucky Derby. In the Blood-Horse magazine ranking of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century, she is #71 and in a poll among members of the American Trainers Association, she was voted the third greatest filly in American racing history. Regret was undefeated as a two-year-old, she made her three-year-old debut in the Derby, winning in wire-to-wire fashion. The race was inaugural running on 16 May 1970 and was run over a distance of 6 furlongs and won by Tree Pigeons ridden by veteran jockey Tommy Barrows in a fast time of 1:10. The Regret Stakes wa ...
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Lexington Stakes
The Lexington Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt run annually in April during at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky during their spring meeting. The event currently offers a purse of $400,000. History First running of the event was on 24 October 1936, closing day of Keeneland's inaugural fall meeting as a six furlong race for two-year-olds and was won by Manhasset Stable's White Tie who ran as an entry with Greentree Stable's Tattered (finished 5th) winning by in a time of 1:12 flat. In 1938 the conditions of the event were changed to a handicap for horses three-years-old and older and the distance set at miles. In 1940 the distance was extended to miles for two runnings in which Joe DeSoto's Steel Heels won both events including setting a new track record in 1941. In October 1942, Keeneland held its last meeting due to the track being closed during World War II, t ...
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Washington Park Handicap
The Washington Park Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the first week of September at Arlington Park Racetrack in Arlington Heights, Illinois. A Grade III event open to horses age three and older, it is contested on Polytrack synthetic dirt over a distance of a mile and one-eighth (9 furlongs). The race is designed to be a prep for the Breeders' Cup Classic. Inaugurated at the now defunct Washington Park Race Track, in 1958 it was moved to Arlington Park. In 1978 and 1979 it was contested on turf. In 1935 the race was run as the Washington Park Championship Stakes and from 1980 through 1985 as the Washington Park Stakes. Since inception, the race has been contested at various distances: * 6 furlongs : 1927-1934, 1938; * 1 mile : 1951-1958, 1960–1962, 1965–1972; * miles : 1939, 1959, 1963–1964, 1975–1977, 1980–1987, 1989–1997, 2000; 2013 * miles : 1978-1979 (on turf), 2002–present; * : 1926, 1935–36, 1940–1950, 1973–7 ...
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Kentucky Cup Classic Stakes
The Kentucky Cup Classic Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in late September as part of Kentucky Cup Day at Turfway Park in the Cincinnati, Ohio suburb of Florence, Kentucky. A Grade II event for three-year-olds and up, the Kentucky Cup Classic currently offers a purse of $170,000 and is set at a distance of miles on the dirt. With the support of WinStar Farm, this race was suspended in 2010 due to economic challenges, but returned in 2011. On August 29, 2017, after having not been run since its "revival" in 2011, general manager Daniel "Chip" Bach announced the Kentucky Cup Classic would return once again in 2018. The race was run on the Spiral Stakes undercard. In 2020, Nun the Less, a gelding son of Candy Ride, became the first horse to win the race twice, having won it the first time the previous year. He also became the oldest horse to win the race, winning in 2020 at age 8. Future Prospect, a son of Giant's Causeway's full-brother Freud, had previ ...
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Stephen Foster Handicap
The Stephen Foster Stakes is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged three and older over a distance of miles on the dirt run annually in mid-June at Churchill Downs Spring Meet in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is named in honor of famed composer Stephen Foster, who wrote numerous melodies including "My Old Kentucky Home" which is the song that is annually played as the Kentucky Derby field parades on the track. History The Stephen Foster Handicap was inaugurated on 19 June 1982 as the Stephen Foster Handicap and has progressed from Grade III status in 1988 to Grade II in 1995 to Grade I in 2002. In 2019, it was downgraded to Grade II. In December 2022, it was announced that the race would return to Grade I status for the 2023 season. Currently offering a purse of $500,000, the race draws some of the top older horses from various parts of the United States. Since 2015 the event is a Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" event, offering the winner an au ...
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Hillsborough Stakes
The Hillsborough Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares that are four years old or older, over a distance of miles on turf, held annually in March at Tampa Bay Downs racetrack in Oldsmar, Florida. The purse is currently $225,000. History The event was inaugurated on 21 March 1999 at a distance of miles with conditions for fillies and mares three-year-old and older and was won by the 7-10 odds-on favorite Pleasant Temper who was ridden by US Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day in a time of 1:42.62. In 2004 the distance of the event was increased to miles (9 furlongs). That same year the event was upgraded to Grade III. The event was upgraded to Grade II status in 2016. The winner of the 2012 Hillsborough, Zagora, won the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf and was voted an Eclipse Award in her category. Tepin, a two-time Eclipse Award winner, set a new course record when winning the race in 2016. Records Speed record: * miles – 1:46.26 T ...
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