Chris McCarron

How to ride your way into the Hall of Fame? Impossible question. Nobody could reduce such a journey, the decades of endeavor and experience, to a single explanation, a single concept. In the case of Chris McCarron, however, you can actually reduce the answer to a single word, simply by asking a different question. That question is: why did you make seven trips to Washington to lobby for the HISA bill? And the single word, answering both questions? Cooperation. That's what he always sought from his mounts; and that's also...

Hall of Fame riders Sandy Hawley, Chris McCarron, Mike Smith and John Velazquez, among many others, will team with FanDuel TV, the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA), Keeneland and Santa Anita on Sunday, Apr. 23rd for the fifth annual telethon to raise money for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF), presented by Lane's End. The event will be broadcast on both FanDuel TV and America's Day at the Races in collaboration with NYRA and FOX Sports as well as livestreamed. Fans can participate by calling 1-844-884-7353 between 12:00 p.m....

After the connections of GI Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike (Keen Ice) opted to skip the GI Preakness S. and instead prepare for the GI Belmont S., the structure of the Triple Crown races has been a subject of debate leading up to the second leg of the historic series. Should the timing between the races be adjusted? We asked a few veteran industry participants here. Steve Asmussen: I think it's what makes it the Triple Crown. There are other lucrative races on the calendar, but these are the American...

Oaklawn will host its first even Hall of Fame Day Apr. 16. The day, honoring members of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, will be highlighted by several special events, including winner's circle presentations. The feature race will be the GIII Count Fleet Sprint H. Race fans will receive a commemorative poster while supplies last, and an autograph session with Hall of Fame members will take place on the north end of the Grandstand from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. "There are only a few other racing...

Go For Gin (Cormorant--Never Knock, by Stage Door Johnny), who was the oldest living Kentucky Derby winner, passed away Tuesday due to heart failure at the Kentucky Horse Park, where he had lived since retiring from stud duty in June 2011. The 31-year-old won the 1994 Kentucky Derby and was second behind Tabasco Cat in both that year's GI Preakness S. and GI Belmont S. "We're honored that Go For Gin was an ambassador of the park for nearly 12 years," said Kentucky Horse Park Executive Director Lee Carter. "As...

As the calendar turns to 2022, the final crop of foals from legendary racehorse and sire Tiznow will become yearlings. Soon-turning 25, Tiznow has sired over 80 blacktype winners including 14 Grade I/Group 1 winners after nearly two decades as a cornerstone stallion at WinStar Farm. This year, the successful sire enjoyed his first full year of retirement. WinStar Stallion Manager Larry McGinnis said that Tiznow still shares a similar routine to the other stallions in the stud barn. "He does get a bit more leeway because he's a teacher's...

The New York Race Track Chaplaincy (NYRTCA) will host a 2021 edition of a roundtable discussion featuring retired riders Ángel Cordero, Jr., Chris McCarron, Richard Migliore, and Jorge Velásquez on Wednesday, Aug. 11 at 7 p.m. ET. Entitled "Champions Talk," the event will be moderated by retired NYRA announcer Tom Durkin and will be shown on TDN's YouTube channel, the NYRTCA's YouTube channel, and Facebook live @race.ny, as well as in other locations. The conversation, which ranges from the serious to the humorous, will primarily be reflections about the riding...

Champions Talk, a fundraiser for the NY Race Track Chaplaincy, is scheduled to be held July 19 at 3 p.m. at the Fasig-Tipton Pavilion in Saratoga Springs. The RSVP deadline has been extended to July 9. A limited number of seats are available for the round-table discussion featuring five champion jockeys--Chris McCarron, Jorge Velasquez, Richard Migliore, Laffite Pincay Jr. and Angel Cordero Jr. The event, which will be followed by a cocktail reception, will be moderated by Tom Durkin. Each attendee will receive a free limited edition autographed bobblehead of...

Chris McCarron won his first of two Belmont Stakes in 1986 with Danzig Connection (Danzig) at odds of 8-1, unexpectedly defeating that year's Kentucky Derby winner and Preakness runner-up Ferdinand (Nijinsky II) and giving trainer Woody Stephens the last of five consecutive victories in the Test of the Champion. The next year, he found himself on the other side of the fence aboard Alysheba (Alydar). Alysheba and McCarron had won the first two legs of the Triple Crown and were on track to complete the series when, coming around the...

The first 'Polo for the PDJF' is set for this Friday, Apr. 23, at the Commonwealth Polo Coub, with all proceeds benefitting the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.' The evening will include dinner, drinks, entertainment, a silent auction, with the main attraction being the retired and active jockeys who will be playing polo while riding retired race horses. Jockeys who will be playing include Chris McCarron, Rosie Napravnik, Patty Cooksey, Anthony Stephen, Michael Heath and many others. Additionally, the event will be emceed by Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens and...

The New York Race Track Chaplaincy announced the 2021 renewal of its Champions Talk fundraiser will feature five retired champion jockeys--Ángel Cordero Jr., Chris McCarron, Richard Migliore, Laffit Pincay Jr. and Jorge Velasquez. The quintet won over 34,000 races. The fundraiser will premiere on the organization's YouTube Channel and Facebook page Aug. 11, 2021. Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., a three-time Eclipse award winner, will also be honored in recognition of his dedication and support of the backstretch community in New York. Durkin, the former New York Racing Association announcer, will...

New York has lagged other racing states in addressing changes to whip use designed to be more humane to Thoroughbreds. But not being an early adopter of controversial new rules can sometimes be an advantage, because regulators are able to assess what is and isn't working in other jurisdictions before making potentially radical modifications to long-standing practices. That was the tone of discussion during the Oct. 19 teleconference meeting of the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC), which conducted what amounted to a 2 1/4-hour opinion-gathering dialogue on whether or...