Alicia Wincze Hughes on horse racing

At tonight’s National Turf Writers Association dinner, some of the great members of our industry – including my former colleague Maryjean Wall  who won the Walter Haight Award for career excellence in turf writing – were honored for their distinguished service to horse racing.

While accepting the Joe Palmer Award, Hall of Fame jockey Chris McCarron let it slip that another great racing legend was being honored in his own right when he announced his former mount 1988 Horse of the Year Alysheba would be joining the Hall of Champions at Kentucky Horse Park.

Alysheba, who captured the 1987 Kentucky Derby and Preakness en route to being named champion three-year-old that year, has been standing in Saudi Arabia since 1999 after previously standing at Lane’s End.

Now 24 years old and pensioned from stud duty, the great son of Alydar is currently the oldest living Derby winner.

It is especially fitting this news would come down Breeders’ Cup week as Alysheba was responsible for two of the greatest moments in the event’s 25-year history.

In the 1987 Classic, Alysheba unleashed a furious charge in the stretch only to fall a nose short of 1986 Derby winner Ferdinand at the wire.When he returned a year later as a mature, dominant 4-year-old, he capped off his spectacular career by literally emerging from the darkness to defeat Seeking the Gold by half a length in the 1988 Classic to retire as the all-time leading money earner at the time.

On a personal level, this news strikes an emotional chord on many levels. I’ve often referred to Alysheba as the first great love of my life as it was his stylish bay frame and immeasurable heart that truly got me to fall in love with the sport.

When he was sold years ago, I resigned myself to the fact I would never see him again. On a night that was all about honoring those who inspired the sport, how wonderful that we were treated to an inspiring bit of news.