Latest news with #ToddStephens
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Caleb Hays, Todd Stephens Named Head Starters At Kentucky Tracks
Caleb Hays, Todd Stephens Named Head Starters At Kentucky Tracks originally appeared on Paulick Report. Two longtime gate crew veterans with decades of experience were recently appointed to head starter positions at Kentucky racetracks. Caleb Hays has been named head starter at Churchill Downs and Turfway Park, while Todd Stephens will serve as the head starter at Ellis Park. Advertisement Hays, a fixture at Churchill Downs for nearly two decades, officially takes over the starting gate duties after being named interim starter during the Spring Meet. Hays has worked on the gate for 19 years, including the past 17 at Churchill Downs. He began his career at River Downs under Mark Harring and has since worked under a respected group of starters, including 'Spec' Alexander, Scott Jordan and Jeff Powell. During his time on the gate, Hays has handled some marquee horses, including Kentucky Derby winners Nyquist and Mystik Dan. He is the son of the late Danton 'Danny' Hays, a widely respected horseman and former assistant starter. 'It's a great honor to step into this role at Churchill Downs and Turfway,' Hays said. 'I've been fortunate to work under some of the best in the business and I'm proud to follow in their footsteps.' Ben Huffman, vice president of racing for Churchill Downs, added: 'Caleb has earned this opportunity through years of steady leadership and respect from his peers. He brings integrity, character and a calm presence that's critical for a position like this. We're confident he'll continue the high standards that define our starting gate.' Advertisement Meanwhile at Ellis Park, Stephens takes over head starter duties for the 2025 summer meet after more than 25 years on the gate in California. Stephens spent the bulk of his career at Golden Gate Fields and previously worked at Bay Meadows before its closure in 2008. 'Todd brings a wealth of experience during his time in the Upper Northwest,' said Baley Hare, Ellis Park racing secretary. 'He'll be a big asset to our racing program.' Both Hays and Stephens start their new roles immediately. This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Jul 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘Once in a lifetime opportunity': Spartanburg revolutionary war flag acquired by library
SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – A significant piece of local and American history – one no one knew existed for over 200 years – will soon return home to Spartanburg County. During Monday's Spartanburg County Council Meeting, Todd Stephens, Spartanburg County librarian, and Brent Cobb, county director of veterans affairs, told county council about a recent effort to bring a piece of Revolutionary War history back to the county. In 2023 Stephens said a friend informed him a never-before-seen regiment flag had been placed on exhibit at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia. The regiment, Stephens said, hailed from what would become Spartanburg County. Stephens asked a county employee who was in Pennsylvania for work to stop by the museum to see the exhibit. After learning more about it, Stephens reached out to the family who owned the flag and other artifacts in the exhibit. 'One thing leads to another and I find myself in Rhode Island,' said Stephens. At the end of a roughly three-hour visit with the owners of the flag, Stephens asked what the plans for the flag beyond being put on exhibition were. 'In the end, it's Spartanburg's flag. They were real proud of the fact they had it in their possession and they were good stewards of it,' he said. After 18 months of discussion, and with the help of some generous private donors, Stephens said the Spartanburg County Library system was able to enter into an agreement for the flag. The total cost of the flag has not been disclosed, but Stephens said the family offered it at a significant discount compared to the cost of similar artifacts. 'We did not know this thing existed,' said Stephens. 'Nobody did. We saw this as a once in a lifetime opportunity.' The county sent a vexillologist – someone who studies flags – to Philadelphia to examine the flag. The flag itself is a blue cloth with13 gold bars, representing each of the original 13 colonies, and gold ribbons bear the name of the South Carolina colony, and features an image of a dog and a snake. The significance of the animals on the flag is unclear, though an article on the museum website claims the dog is a representation of the bloodthirsty man from Shakespeare's 'Othello,' and a snake represents defense and resistance. The image appears on both sides of the flag, and some of the stitching suggests the original color of the cloth was an indigo blue similar to the one used on the state flag today. It is made of silk, and likely was created in Charleston. It is one of about 26 flags from an estimated 500 used during the Revolutionary War era, and one of just six still in existence from a colonial southern militia. Southern relics from the revolutionary era, Stephens said, have become increasingly hard to find. Many were destroyed in the American Civil War, specifically when Gen. William Sherman marched his troops across the south, burning large amounts of property and land in the process. 'Relics are few and far between because of the fact Atlanta burned, Columbia burned,' said Stephens. 'Anything families may have had or museums or government entities had were most likely destroyed. The south's participation in the revolution was erased.' The Spartan Regiment flag came to be in the possession of Col. Thomas Brandon, who passed it down to down to his children, and it remained in the family for more than 200 years. It was kept in a small wooden trunk, and the names of the family members who inherited it are carved inside, according to the museum. '(The vexillologist) said this is a national treasure and probably one of the most significant finds of an American Revolutionary Relic in the last 20 years. Those are some very big words,' said Stephens. According to Cobb, the flag was the standard for the Spartan Regiment, which was formed in by Col. John Thomas at Wofford's Iron Mill. The unit later split into two regiments, and Spartanburg is named for them. 'Spartanburg County is very deeply rooted in the Revolutionary War,' said Cobb. To mark the acquisition of the battle flag, the veteran's affairs office printed replica flags and matching challenge coins to give to local officials. The Spartan Regiment flag is not the first historical relic the library system has brought back to Spartanburg County. Years ago the county was able to locate and return the Spartanburg Freedom Flag, which had been sewn by the wife of a Black pastor at the end of the Civil War, when news of the emancipation of slaves reached the Upstate. That flag was flown in a parade celebrating the end of the war and the end of slavery. It eventually ended up in California before the county was able to bring it home. A self-described 'community nut,' Stephens said bringing historical relics like the Freedom flag and the Spartan Regiment standard are an important part of helping to shape the narrative of local history. 'For me, I'm a kid of Spartanburg, I grew up in Spartanburg, I think it's important for communities to be able to share their story and participate in defining who they are. Sometimes we spend a lot of time focused on wars or battles or military actions that overshadows what the Upstate's participation was in the American Revolution,' he said. Stephens said the battle flag will remain on display at the Museum of the American Revolution for another four or five months. When it is able to be safely transported it will be returned to Spartanburg County and kept on display. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
