Best of Hanson: 2025 Anthology

After a hiatus in 2024, an end-of-year compendium of my historically oriented writing is back for the year coming to a close next week. My 2023 anthology is available here, and links to prior anthologies can be found here.

The following features were originally published by Vance Hanson here at TwinSpires.com or at KentuckyDerby.com.

D. Wayne Lukas: One horse that could have been his best

• The death of Hall of Fame training legend D. Wayne Lukas was the subject of several pieces. Here, I wrote a personal reflection and discussed the brief life of his ill-fated colt, Grand Canyon.

D. Wayne Lukas, a frequent history maker at Churchill Downs

• In addition to his success in the Kentucky Derby (G1), Lukas enjoyed many other career highlights under the Twin Spires.

Intriguing moments from the career of D. Wayne Lukas

• Finally, a recap of lesser-known items in Lukas' career, from his first successes with Thoroughbreds to his easiest training victory.

Likely Exchange: The little mare with outsized influence

• From January, a look at the namesake of a Turfway Park stakes, who proved a mare of hickory on the racetrack and one of influence in the breeding shed.

Olympia, a losing Kentucky Derby favorite, who still won all over

• Although he ran off the board in the 1949 Kentucky Derby as an odds-on favorite, Olympia was a winner in other aspects of his racing and breeding career.

Baeza a Kentucky Derby candidate in both pedigree and name

• After the emergence of the John Sadler-trained Baeza as a Derby candidate, a reflection on his Hall of Fame riding namesake.

Daryl's Joy: Antipodean warrior once honored at Saratoga

• One of the more successful imports from Australia, Daryl's Joy once had a stakes named for him at Saratoga despite not having ever raced there.

Run the Gantlet: Enigmatic champion of the turf

• In the early 1970s, Run the Gantlet rose to the top of the turf division during a fantastic streak of glory for Paul Mellon's Rokeby Stable.