"How would you, learned readers, compile a list of the greatest mares of the past 100 years? And which fillies and mares would be on your list? That pair of questions and the technical requirements to answer them are considerations that have been spinning round the gray matter for some time, especially when thinking about our contemporary addition to that list."

"But it was the mighty Kelso who owned the Jockey Club Gold Cup, run at 2 miles in those days. He notched five in a row on his way to five straight Horse of the Year titles from 1960 to 1964. Those triumphs (by a collective 28 lengths) were the equivalent of five consecutive victories in the Breeders' Cup Classic, a feat that surely will never be matched."

Tom Eblen reviews "How Kentucky Became Southern," by Maryjean Wall. "The finished book is a remarkable page-turner that earned glowing cover blurbs from some of the best historians of Kentucky and Thoroughbred racing. The book puts together many pieces of a complicated puzzle, and it is filled with well-documented stories that explain a lot about the evolution of Kentucky society and the horse industry."

"He pulled away from the fast traveling Hoodwink as a great horse should ..." (Lawrence Realization)

Search scanned DRFs from the 1890s through the 1980s. Partial resource, ongoing project, helpful to racing history buffs. (Via @colinsghost)

No. 1: Regret, a truly sensational horse, winner of the Kentucky Derby in her first start as a 3YO.

"On a cool spring morning in May of 1836 Isaac Michael Dyckman possibly took leave from his family home in Inwood, on the Northern tip of Manhattan, mounted his steed, and rode the muddy trail to the Union Race Course in far off Long Island for what would prove to be one of the most celebrated horse races of the 19th Century ..."

With more than half of the likely starters bucking at least one historical rule, the answer would seem to be, "Yes."

Profile and photos of Barbara Jo Rubin, the first female jockey to win a race, and the first to ride in New York (headline from March 11, 1969 NYT: "Girl Jockeys Are Invading the Big A"). Rubin won seven of her first 10 races.

Frank Deford on how the Kentucky Derby became Americana.

"What takes more doing is getting to the grass roots of Russia's thoroughbred industry -- visiting the country's studs." (Whitney Tower, Sports Illustrated, 1972.)

Marvelous site documenting the history of Narragansett, complete with photos and postcards

Where Curlin ranks on the list of great horses is a matter for debate (a debate we're fortunate to have)