It’s not far, as the crow flies, from the old River Downs outside Cincinnati to Churchill Downs. But metaphorically, the distance is vast.
Ohio-bred Harlan’s Holiday won a pair of stakes at River Downs in 2001 for trainer Kenny McPeek, including the Cradle Stakes, a notable event for several decades. Harlan’s Holiday went on to a career in which he was a multiple Grade 1 winner, was saddled by McPeek in the 2002 Kentucky Derby, and earned more than $3.6 million. That was a fine record for an Ohio-bred from a modest background, but what he left behind at stud is his real legacy.