Horse Racing's St. Patrick's Day All Stars

Gate Dancer – Very few thoroughbreds ran like every day was St. Patrick’s Day like Gate Dancer who spent his carrier running into and over, the best horses of his generation. He also ran under the green silks of Kenneth Opstein.

Shecky Greene – The 1973 Champion Sprinter has the distinction of leading the 1973 Kentucky Derby for six furlongs, escorting Secretariat to his record setting victory. Ironic that I have nothing funny to say about a horse named after a comedian.

“Sunny Jim” Fitzsimmons – Won three Kentucky Derbies and two Triple Crowns with Gallant Fox (1930), Omaha (1935), and Johnstown (1939).

Charlie Whittingham and D. Wayne Lukas – Ooh new! Yew doan’t ‘onor a Whittingham and a Lukas oon St. Paddy’s dee! But they were the two most dominant trainers of my lifetime with green and white colors.

Edward Riley Bradley – His white silks with green hoops won four Kentucky Derbies with Behave Yourself (1921), Bubbling Over (1926), Burgoo King (1932), Brokers Tip (1933). The Col. E.R. Bradley Handicap at Fair Grounds is named in his honor.

The Green Dancer – The French Classic winner went on to become a sire of champions and an influential broodmare sire.

Shergar (right) – The Irish-bred 1981 European Horse of the Year and record Epsom Derby winner became infamous when two years later, on 8 February 1983, he was stolen from the Ballymany Stud, near The Curraghin County Kildare, Ireland by masked gunmen. The body of Shergar was never discovered. The incident has been the inspiration for several books, documentaries, and a film.

The Green Monkey – If it weren’t for whiskey, the Irish would rule the world. If it weren’t for The Green Monkey, bloodstock agents would rule horse racing. A record $16-million price was the most ever for a Thoroughbred sold at public auction when The Green Monkey sold at Fasig-Tipton Florida in 2006. He went on to win as many races as my adopted cat, Rusty Green.

Barry Fitzgerald - The longtime character actor played trainer Shawn O'Hara in the 1949 film The Story of Seabiscuit and Martin Donovan in the 1947 horse racing film Easy Come, Easy Go.

Clem McCarthy – “the voice of the Derby” in radio and film from 1928-50.

Tom Durkin – The longtime voice of New York racing, network television and the Breeders' Cup from inception through 2005. Durkin has earned fame in this decade from calling the Kentucky Derby and most Triple Crown races for NBC since 1981.

Honorable Mention:
Leprachaun Racing
Emerald Downs
Paddy Gallagher
Eoin Harty
Kiaran McLaughlin
Aiden O’Brien
Shug McGaughey
Jerry Bailey
John Dooley