Jake Panus

Up until August 9, 2020, Stephen Panus was leading the type of life that many of us envy. He was the president of the Jockey Club's America's Best Racing brand, lived in an affluent community in Connecticut and, most importantly, had a close-knit family that he adored. There was his wife Kellie and sons Jake and Liam, both of whom were special in their unique ways. "Jake was an immense, magnetic personality who lived his life uplifting others," Panus writes in his recently released book "Walk On." It's not that...

Jake Panus will not be at his father's side Saturday watching the GI Kentucky Derby. His life ended at an all-too-young 16 last August when he was a passenger in a car involved in a DUI accident on Block Island, just off the coast of Rhode Island. But his friends, his family and a Kentucky Derby trainer have made sure that he will not be forgotten this week at Churchill Downs. Derby contender and GII Louisiana Derby winner Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow) has been equipped with a special blanket honoring...