Best of Hanson: 2021 Anthology
With the resumption of a more normal racing calendar in 2021, there were fewer opportunities for me to dive deep into historical subjects over the last 12 months compared to the pandemic-affected year of 2020. […]
Brisnet.com
Brisnet at 50 Part 3: Acquisition and Expansion
When a family-run business is acquired by a large corporation, there are bound to be challenges, adjustments, and a learning curve moving forward. Such was the case for Brisnet.com, which, after 36 years as a private entity, became the property of Churchill Downs Inc. (CDI) on June 12, 2007. […]
Brisnet at 50 Part 2: Survival and Growth
Just as it would have been hard for Brisnet.com founder Richard F. Broadbent III to avoid getting involved in the Thoroughbred business, having married into one of the industry’s most prominent families, it’s difficult to see how the bug would not have also bitten the next generation of Broadbents, in particular his eldest son, Richard IV, colloquially known as Happy. […]
Brisnet at 50 Part 1: The beginnings
Broadbent’s solution would become the first of many innovations he revolutionized in the horse industry, and birthed a company still going strong after half a century. […]