The New York Times Presents

Decades of waning cultural credibility and recent scandals have left the Miss USA pageant in chaos; exploring allegations that rotted the core of an iconic institution and questioning if it has outlived its relevance.

Churchill Downs, the cathedral of horse racing, turned into a horse graveyard at last year's Kentucky Derby. This film explores the sport beneath the pageantry, where a quest for faster horses is causing alarming breakdowns.