Jennifer Kelly

Jennifer Kelly is a horse racing historian, writer, and author of Sir Barton and the Making of the Triple Crown and The Foxes of Belair: Gallant Fox, Omaha, and the Quest for the Triple Crown. When she's not writing about racing's past, she's watching and wagering on racing's present, eagerly awaiting our next Triple Crown winner.
 

Before the Winner’s Circle and Hall of Fame, D. Wayne Lukas Was a Boy with a Horse

Mon Jun 30 2025Jennifer Kelly

Over the course of his long Hall of Fame career, Lukas built a reputation as one of the sport’s greatest trainers, with nearly 5,000 wins and a long list of champions, but how did this small-town boy become the Coach? The answer lies in Lukas’s earliest years as a boy, with an innate sense of how to get the best of an athlete, human or equine.

Oaklawn Park

1902 Kentucky Derby Winner Allan-a-Dale

Tall Tales of the Track: Alan-A-Dale Goes Trotting for Roses

Fri Jun 20 2025Jennifer Kelly

In 1902, Alan-a-Dale won the roses thanks to an unconventional course of training and a savvy jockey who knew just what to do to keep the mount and score another historic victory under the Twin Spires.

Kentucky Derby

1907 Kentucky Derby Winner Pink Star
Tall Tales of the Track: Pink Star Springs a Surprise

Sun May 25 2025Jennifer Kelly

Pink Star, bred and owned by J. Hal Woodford, was a grandson of another Derby winner, yet he almost did not contest the big race. His improbable win, characterized by a powerful late surge, remains a testament to the unpredictable nature of horse racing and the spirit of a true underdog.

Kentucky Derby

Kentucky Derby Trophy

Kentucky Derby Trophy (Photo by Coady Media)

Splish, Splash – Who Has a Shot in the Kentucky Derby Slop?

Sat May 03 2025Jennifer Kelly

Factors like experience running on an off track as well as turf experience elevate several contenders that could influence your Derby wagers.

Kentucky Derby

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Journalism with Umberto Rispoli up wins the San Felipe at Santa Anita Park. (Photo by Horsephotos.com)

Sognare Il Derby: Umberto Rispoli Is Derby Dreaming with Journalism

Fri May 02 2025Jennifer Kelly

Umberto Rispoli has already had an accomplished career, riding at racetracks around the world, from Italy to Hong Kong, and logging Group or Grade 1 victories in five countries, but a Kentucky Derby victory would take this world traveler’s career to the next level.

Triple Crown

Toby Keith

The late Toby Keith was an ardent racing fan who campaigned horses under his own banner and in partnerships (Photo by Harold Roth/Horsephotos.com)

“It Was Toby’s Dream” – Toby Keith’s Render Judgment Represents the Late Singer Saturday

Thu May 01 2025Jennifer Kelly

Thanks to the points the colt earned on this year’s Road to the Kentucky Derby, Render Judgment will be breaking from post 15, with a shot to make the late country music star’s dream come true.

Triple Crown

A Kentucky Derby fan shows off a Mint Julep in 2017 at Churchill Downs. (Photo by Aaron Josefczyk/Icon Sportswire)

A Glass Full of Memories: A History of the Derby's Iconic Mint Julep Glasses

Fri Apr 25 2025Jennifer Kelly

From their humble beginnings in the 1930s to their collectible designs in 2025, the mint julep glass is another piece of the Kentucky Derby experience that leaves fans with lasting memories of their day under the Twin Spires.

Kentucky Derby

1900 Kentucky Derby Winner Lieut Gibson

Tall Tales of the Track – A Bargain Mare Yields a High Class Horse

Sat Apr 19 2025Jennifer Kelly

The product of an unwanted mare and an unheralded stallion, Lieutenant Gibson was a record-breaking Kentucky Derby winner and a beloved horse, his too-short life unable to give him the legacy that his performances might have merited.

Kentucky Derby

Alysheba wins the 1987 Kentucky Derby

Alysheba wins the 1987 Kentucky Derby as Cryptoclearance (far left) rallies for fourth (Photo courtesy of Kentucky Derby)

Kentucky Derby Lucky Losers: Cryptoclearance (1987)

Sat Mar 29 2025Jennifer Kelly

Cryptoclearance was another exceptional member of the class of 1984, a hard-trying horse who was always in the mix in the sport’s biggest stakes and a stellar sire who passed on his champion genes to more than one classic winner.

Kentucky Derby

Churchill Downs (Photo by Coady Media)

Tall Tales of the Track: Whose Horse Is He Anyway?

Sat Mar 22 2025Jennifer Kelly

Owning a racehorse is a point of pride for many a racing fan; owning one who wins stakes races and competes in classics like the Kentucky Derby takes that investment to another level. For one Derby contender, the story behind the name on his papers turned out to be one laden with controversy and intrigue.

History

Clyde Van Dusen wins the 1929 Kentucky Derby (Photo courtesy of the Kentucky Derby Museum)

Clyde Van Dusen wins the 1929 Kentucky Derby (Photo courtesy of the Kentucky Derby Museum)

Tall Tales of the Track: A Tale of Two Clydes

Wed Feb 26 2025Jennifer Kelly

Once upon a time in the rolling hills of the Kentucky Bluegrass, a little chestnut horse was born. What he lacked in stature, he made up for in talent and heart, especially on rainy days. Named for his equally diminutive trainer, Clyde Van Dusen put on a big show on the first Saturday in May and did his big sire proud with his Kentucky Derby win.

Kentucky Derby

Keeneland starting gate (Photo courtesy of Keeneland)

A True Gentleman of the Sport: Edward L. Bowen (1942-2025)

Thu Jan 23 2025Jennifer Kelly

Edward L. Bowen, former BloodHorse editor, author, and historian, was one of those storytellers, a man who loved every facet of racing and made it his life’s mission to share its stories.

Features

1910 Kentucky Derby Winner Donau

Tall Tales of the Track: Donau Doesn’t Play

Sun Jan 19 2025Jennifer Kelly

Every Kentucky Derby winner leaves their mark on the race, a collection of 150 stories writing the history of this sporting institution. One particular winner, Donau, came to Louisville with a colorful background and an even more colorful personality, his tale one of a champion with an attitude all his own.

History