Pat Madden

Today marks the 65th birthday of Northern Dancer, the little Canadian colt who changed Thoroughbred racing forever. As a yearling in 1962, the tiny 14-hand colt had a $25,000 reserve and got no bidders. Owner E.P. Taylor kept him. He won the 1964 Kentucky Derby in 2 minutes flat while still technically not 3 years old (foaled May 27, 1961). His racing career spanned 19 starts (15 wins) spread across only 11 months before a bowed tendon ended it at age 3. In 1965 he became the first non-human ever inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. His trainer actually wanted to geld him early on, he had massive Napoleonic attitude. Thankfully his Owner refused to cut that fire, Years later, a European syndicate offered $40 MILLION for the stallion. Because he was so compact (around 15.1 hands and under 1,000 lbs), they built him a custom ramp in the breeding shed. Stud fees later hit $1 million No Gurantee. The ultimate underdog story. Massive legacy that still runs through every top Thoroughbred today. #NorthernDancer Hanging in my office is the hand painted on tin plaque that marked his win in the 1946 it once hung at @ChurchillDowns @KentuckyDerby • Total named foals: 645 (produced over ~23 seasons at stud at Windfields Farm, Maryland) • Runners/Starters: ~511 (roughly 80% of his foals actually raced) • Winners: 411 (63.7% of named foals) • Stakes Winners: 147 (22.8% of named foals) a world record for any US -based stallion at the time • Champions: 23 (across North America, England & Ireland) that shows how dominant he was: • Typical book size: limited to around 36 mares per year • First crop (1968): immediate explosion — 16 winners from just 18 starters, including 10 stakes winners • Leading Sire titles: North America (1971 & 1977), Great Britain & Ireland (1970, 1978, 1983, 1984) • Million-dollar yearlings: 49 of his offspring sold for $1M+ at auction • Sire of sires: Produced SEVEN sons that each went on to sire 100+ stakes winners (Nijinsky II, Sadler’s Wells, Danzig, Lyphard, Nureyev, Storm Bird, Vice Regent)

@berkey11 @CoinPoker_OFF Simplified immensely understand why you enjoy it

Live poker recently developed a side game called La Cucaracha, usually to pay time & tip each half. The gist is everyone antes in a bomb pot & then there's a single betting round on the flop of pot or fold. @CoinPoker_OFF's new client has adopted a variant of this for PLO & its the closest I've ever come to enjoying 4 card.

JACK HUGHES 🇺🇸 and his family have been the heartbeat of these 2026 @Olympics — his speech, his will to win, and that golden‑goal moment captured everything that’s right about sport. In his honor, our precocious 2‑year‑old colt by Into Mischief out of KP Dreaming will now be named HUGHES. And in a fun twist, my wife @HughesKC father, Pat Hughes 🇨🇦, won three Stanley Cups @StanleyCup — 79 @CanadiensMTL 84/85 @EdmontonOilers no relation, just two generations of excellence sharing one name HUGHES will become a @BobBaffert 2yo 2026 🏒 @jhugh86 @NJDevils @NHL @usahockey @Olympics @espn @NJDevilsPR @lucashughes510 @SportsCenter @NHL_On_TNT @usahockey, @NHL, @Canucks, @mnwildPR @NBCSportsHockey @TheHockeyNews @NBCOlympics @YahooSportsNHL @BoredPanda @realDonaldTrump @WhiteHouse @FoxNewsSports @TeamUSA

Spotted! Famous tik tokers Brandy & Billy in their Lamborghini Urus in Hamburg Place shopping center!

Pink Polkadots had her first foal by Prince of Monaco! Excited for this colt's future! Time for Champagne also had her first foal - a filly by Blame. Wonderful results all by @claibornefarm stallions!

My A team watching the 2yos train

@MattGlantz How many U.S. troops have died as a result thereof ?

On this Christmas Day, at the direction of our 'No War', 'Peace', 'America First' President, US troops are attacking targets in Nigeria, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela, and the Eastern Pacific. Thank you for your continued denial of this reality. 🎄

To understand the almost-unbelievable connections, the American whiskey's trans-Atlantic journey, and one of the greatest horse racing stories barely told outside industry insiders, Pat Madden thinks you should have a seat. Read it: courier-journal.com/story/sports/h…

Coming soon to @resracingky website. Some people have been wondering how we have done since we started buying horses. I am having my team put together a section of our website that will show every purchase and birth and the results for the horse whether on the track or the breeding shed and any sales and where the horses is currently and what it’s status is. The only exception will be horses where we aren’t the majority owner. I respect my partners and some don’t like to post injury data. For me, I think horseplayers have the right to know injuries just like the NFL. All injuries are not the same and knowing the injury gives the horseplayers more information. Transparency is needed for this industry and for the people that care so deeply for these magnificent animals. We may make mistakes but we won’t make them twice. Keep us accountable. We welcome it. Love us or loath us, you have to admire our dedication to horseplayers and fans as well as transparency.

Driving to day 3 of the 25k plo. There are 29 left from 489 that started. I’ve been deep in this event several times in the last few years, but never got the job done. This is my white whale. 2.3mm to the winner. Let’s gooooooo.

"Tell us the story of Never Say Die..." @pwmadden joins @ScottFDTV to tell the crazy Epsom Derby tale that includes bourbon and the Beatles. 🤯

Lambourn chased home by Lazy Griff, both descendant from the same mare L'amour Toujours (Never Say Die). She was the 6th dam of the winner and 7th of the 2nd.

@KeithOlbermann @Riley_Gaines_ Olbermann told us Biden was as sharp as ever , you don’t get Covid if you get vaccinated and never ever came close to competing in anything nonetheless the Olympics. Pitiful man . Attacking an Olympic caliber athlete. Who listens to this guy .

She finished 85th in the Olympic Trials. She finished tied for 5th in the only race including a transgendered athlete. If there had been none she MIGHT have finished tied for 4th, or had 5th place to herself @Riley_Gaines_ was, somehow, a worse swimmer than she is a MAGA stooge

@RepoleStable The best date to have the BC is the same day the NCAA presents the Heisman Trophy usually the first Saturday in December. There’s literally nothing else to watch on TV that day

OMG!!!!! With 14 horses in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic, only $17 million was bet in the major pools. The purse of $7 million is the highest for any U.S. all year. 🤦🏻‍♂️ These dismal numbers even surprise me. Bad date plus low viewership equals dismal handle. The Derby handle was 10x more than a stacked Classic field, the Preakness and Belmont were 3x more and on a per-starter basis, even the Travers was bigger. This is a race that, if it was moved to Labor Day weekend, it would probably have 4 million viewers and easily handle $50 million. Any comment @BreedersCup?

Sovereignty looked more impressive each day last week. He showed up yesterday when it mattered most. We have always loved this pedigree. For years, we owned his second and third dams, Mushka and Sluice. Darley has recently focused exclusively on a breed-to-race program in the USA. Their dominance was on full display this weekend, with Michael-Dan and the team accomplishing what seemed almost impossible for Sheikh Mohammed. Oaks / Derby double. Bill Mott is a serious horseman. Delighted for all involved and super sire Into Mischief.

Maybe our Commissioner could at least require the posting of when SCRs will be out on Derby day.Enjoy the day as there’s really nothing like hearing 150K people singing my Old Kentucky Home off key but in unison(not that I could tell the difference between on key and off key).5/5

I also can’t determine if the Pic 6 at CD is or is not a mandatory payout today (it usually is but I’ve looked and can’t find anything.)Having my head buried in past performances while my guest are at the races isn’t a good look so my only opportunity to handicap is early morn 4/

This is a screenshot from Expressbets at approximately 5:30 am EST this morning showing Citizen Bull , Neoequos , Final Gambit , and East Avenue being scratched in the Derby . This has since been taken down at approximately 6 am EST and it now shows Rodriguez and Grande SCR 1/