Thanksgiving Day in Bowie, 1936

How are you spending your Thanksgiving day?  In 1936, there were no football games on television, but there was horse racing in Bowie.  This picture was taken at the Bowie Race Course on Thanksgiving day, 1936.

This picture was also taken on Thanksgiving day, 1936 at the Bowie Race Course.  Apprentice jockey Ira Hanford is sitting on Piccolo after winning the Thanksgiving Handicap.  The 18 year-old Hanford made history earlier that year by becoming the first apprentice jockey to ever win the Kentucky Derby.  Hanford won the "Run for the Roses" while riding a 20-1 long shot - Bold Venture.  Handford's Kentucky Derby win came one year after Belair Stable's Omaha won the Derby and the other two legs of the Triple Crown.