History Archives - Page 9 of 14

September 27, 2016September 27, 2016

Photogenic Pharoah

Share This:

A dream was fulfilled yesterday when I finally got to meet American Pharoah. I was lucky enough to be present at Keeneland, this past October, when Pharoah worked his way thru the paddock and then flashed past me to win his final race. He won the first and only Grand Slam, the combination of all 3 legs of the Triple Crown and the Breeders’ Cup Classic. With that, Pharoah retired just a few miles further down the road at Ashford Stud in Versailles,KY.

Ashford Stud is the American division of Coolmore. Coolmore America acquired the Ashford farm in the 1980s. The land was developed for cattle farming around 1912 and was called Hereford Farm until the late 1970s. As the cattle were replaced by stallions some great bloodlines began to prosper here. I was very impressed from the time I traveled thru the gated entry and down the tree lined car path passing lush fields that led us to the start of the tour. Everything we saw was built with beauty and there is a lot of stone work.

Coolmore added Thunder Gulch to the roster in 1996. He still lives there today, having retired last year. He serves as a calming factor to American Pharoah in the paddock now. Thunder Gulch is the offspring of Gulch and Line of Thunder. Thunder Gulch was born in March of 1992. He won the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes in 1995. He was 3rd in the Preakness Stakes that year. He was the Eclipse Award winner for Champion 3 Year Old Colt that same year. By 2001 he was the top sire. He has produced many fine Thoroughbreds.

A farm favorite and North America’s leading sire in lifetime earnings, still standing at Ashford, is Giant’s Causeway. He shares a barn with American Pharoah but it is Giant’s Causeway’s large statue that is featured just outside of the barn door. He is accredited with producing 31 Grade 1 winners. He is the son of Storm Cat and Mariah’s Storm, born in 1997. Giant’s Causeway had a nice career as a runner but the stud life is for him. He earned the champion sire title in 2009, 2010 and 2012.

Shanghai Bobby said it was much too pretty to look inward towards the barn. He was enjoying the view of the lovely farm. His very 1st crop of yearlings are selling now and he has had some nice prices on his Keeneland September Sale grads. Shanghai Bobby won the BC Juvenile and and Eclipse Award for Champion 2 Year Old Colt both in 2012. He himself is the son of Harlan’s Holiday and Steelin’. He was foaled in 2010.

Munnings wasn’t having it either. He left the hamming to American Pharoah. Munnings is the 2006 offspring of Speightstown and La Comete. Munnings was a nice race horse and he is producing great foals. I’m A Chatterbox is one of my favorite of his progeny.

Uncle Mo is having a very significant impact on the industry right now. He is the sire of our last KY Derby winner, Nyquist. Indian Charlie and Playa Maya produced Uncle Mo in 2008. He was the winner of the 2010 BC Juvenile and subsequently the winner of the Eclipse Award for Champion 2 Year Old Colt that same year.

Declaration of War was born to War Front and Tempo West in 2009. His sire, War Front along with Tapit took the lead at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale as they have for years. Declaration of War’s first crop are currently yearlings.

Lookin At Lucky wasn’t necessarily looking at me. This 2007 son of Smart Strike and Private Feeling was a nice racehorse. Lookin at Lucky won the Preakness in 2010. In 2009 and 2010 he took the Eclipse Award for Champion Colt. Madefromlucky is one of his many graded stakes winning offspring.

The name plaques on the walls and the gravestones in the cemetery remind us of the great horses that have called Ashford Stud home. Cigar and Scat Daddy are among those memorialized. Scat Daddy died way to soon. His last crop of yearlings are making there way through this year’s sales. Hip 454 at the 2016 Keeneland September Sale was his son. He was the sale topper hammering $3 million dollars.

The property is stuffed with awards and memorabilia affiliated with the champion sires that have called Ashford home. Pictured here are just a few of the wonderful collection I saw.

The least fancy building on the tour holds the most important rooms. This is the breeding shed where every live mount at Coolmore America takes place.

I’ll conclude the tour recap with a few more photos of Ashford’s and America’s champ. American Pharoah brought an end to our 37 year quest for a Triple Crown Winner. He is our only living champion horse of just 12 Thoroughbreds to ever win the series. American Pharoah was born in 2012. He is the son of Pioneerof the Nile and Littleprincessemma. Pharoah began breeding for the 1st time this year. I can not wait to see his foals. I hope they inherit every bit of his talent. He has put on a little weight and he seemed calm and comfortable for a stallion. To arrange for your own tour go to Horse Country Tours

In other news, California Chrome races again Saturday. Look for my Chrome story any day now.

Share This:

September 23, 2016September 23, 2016

Parlay The Pennsylvania Way At Parx

Share This:

The party is in Pennsylvania this weekend! As we inch ever closer to the 2016 Breeders’ Cup, much of the talent has gone north for the biggest day in racing that Pennsylvania has ever created. Parx Racing will host 12 races on Saturday, 9/24/16, including 3 stakes, the Gallant Bob Stakes, the Cotillion Stakes and the Pennsylvania Derby! A fan and friend attended Parx this time last year and shared her photos above.

Parx Racing and Casino is located in Bensalem, PA. The track originated in 1974 and it was called Keystone Racetrack until 1984. At that time, the name changed to Philadelphia Park until 2010 and then the name was changed again to Parx, as it is today. The combination of the stakes races, that take place at Parx this Saturday, will make PA Derby Day, the biggest purse day ever for this track. I met To Honor and Serve this past June. He won the PA Derby in 2011 and he holds the record finish time at 1:47:1. He is now a stallion at Gainesway Farm in Lexington, KY.

Gates open at Parx at 10 A.M. EST with the 1st race posting at 12:25 P.M.. Race 9 is the 1st stakes race of the day. It is the 25th running of the Grade 3, Gallant Bob Stakes, with a post time of 4:14 P.M. The Gallant Bob was inaugurated in 1979. It is a 6 furlong dirt race with a purse of $300,000. 12 horses are entered, listed by post:

Full Salute
Yellow Chips
Mind Your Biscuits
Threefiveindia
Navy Hymn
Noholdingback Bear
Counterforce
Awesome Speed
Cocked and Loaded
Cardio Cowboy
Klingon Warrior
Who’s Out

Race 10 posts next, at 4:55 P.M. This is the 50th running of the Grade 1, Cotillion Stakes. The Cotillion was 1st ran in 1969. The 1 and 1/16th mile (8.5 furlongs) dirt race is for 3 year old fillies. It carries a purse of $1 million dollars. I’m a Chatterbox won in 2015. 6 fillies are entered. Keeneland’s September Yearling Sales Graduate, Carina Mia will race. Her banner as is the former winner’s, are shown in the photo above. The full field is listed by post position:

Carina Mia
Cathryn Sophia
Disco Rose
Land Over Sea
Songbird
Queen Esther

Songbird is the favorite. She is undefeated in 10 starts, 9 of which were graded stakes wins. She earned the 2015 Eclipse Award for Champion 2 Year Old Filly. That same year Songbird won the 14 Hands Winery BC Juvenile Fillies race.

Finally, race 11, posting at 5:45 P.M., is the 40th running of the Grade 2 Pennsylvania Derby! Inaugurated in 1979, this year’s PA Derby has it’s largest purse ever at $1.25 million dollars. The race is 1 and 1/8th miles (9 furlongs) on dirt for horses age 3. Frosted won in 2015. 12 horses are entered with the favorites being more Keeneland September Yearling Sales Grads, Exaggerator and Nyquist. The two have raced against one another 6 times prior. Kentucky Derby winner, Nyquist, won the 1st 4 times. Preakness winner, Exaggerator, has won the last 2 in the ongoing duel. The entire field by post is as follows:

Awesome Slew
Exaggerator
Summer Revolution
Connect
Cupid
Wild About Deb
Gun Runner
My Man Sam
Nyquist
Sunny Ridge
Discreet Lover
Hit It Once More

There are still a few days left in the Keeneland sale where I have had the privilege of attending on several sessions. The sale ends Sunday, September 25th. I hope that the pictures I captured of the 2016 yearlings will be the Thoroughbreds that go on to race in favorite prep races for the BC like those happening at Parx this weekend. I will keep posting on the events I can make it to, like the sale, and I would appreciate some feedback from those who can make it to races I won’t be at this time, like the PA Derby Day. KY bred horses have won the PA Derby more than horses from any other state. I’m attending something pretty huge on Monday. Any guesses? I’ll let you know after I make the trip!

Share This:

September 3, 2016September 26, 2016

Celebrating Secretariat

Share This:

What would a blog site dedicated to sharing educational information about Thoroughbreds be without multiple references to his legacy and a post all about Secretariat? Without further ado, I bring you a Big Red story.

Secretariat was one of, if not, the greatest Thoroughbred race horses in all of history. Born in Virginia, in March of 1970, this amazingly conformed red chestnut horse by Bold Ruler and Somethingroyal by Princequillo grew to be one of the most treasured animals to ever live. Secretariat became a racing legend. He swept the Triple Crown in 1973, he raked in 5 Eclipse Awards and he became a Hall of Famer. In 21 starts he won 16 races. Secretariat raced from August of 1972 until October of 1973. He ended his racing career on top having won his last 2 races and setting yet another time record.

By 1974, Secretariat produced his first foal and in 1975 he turned out his first crop from his stud career at Claiborne Farm in Kentucky. His legacy is strong today. In fact he is in the bloodline in so many of the best horses today including 6 of the 9 horses in today’s Woodward Stakes.

Secretariat was so great that his entire team became rather famous. His connections are his owners, Meadow Stables with Christopher and Penny Chenery, groom, Eddie Sweat, exercise riders, Jim Gaffney and Charlie Davis, trainer, Lucien Laurin and jockey, Roy Turcotte. Some of these folks will be making an appearance at this year’s Secretariat Festival!

The 9th annual festival will be held in downtown Bourbon County September 16-18, 2016. From Thursday thru Sunday Paris, KY is hosting a festival in honor of Big Red. There will be farm tours, art, food, bourbon, a parade, an auction, autographs, entertainment and more. See the full schedule here: Secretariat Festival. Admission to the festival is free but some activities are for ticket holders only and some fees are included with ticketed events. Most event are in Paris but some of the tours are not and require meeting at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. Claiborne Farm where Secretariat lived his stud career and was buried in October, 1989 is one of the several farm tours. Ashford Stud where Triple Crown winner, American Pharoah is a stallion is also on the list of tours.

The Grade 1 Woodward Stakes, when it was held at Belmont Park, is one of the few races that Big Red didn’t win. That race took place in 1973. Today is an honor that many of his offspring will run that same race, now held at Saratoga. He is in the pedigree of Tapin Mojo, Catholic Cowboy, Bradester, Samraat, Tale of Verve and Frosted. Frosted is the favorite to win. It would be thrilling to see one of Secretariat’s current racers win today!

The $600,000 Woodward Stakes wild be held at Saratoga today. The race is 1 and 1/8 miles (9 furlongs). It is part of the Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” challenge. NBC sports network will televise the Saratoga from 5 P.M. to 6 P.M. EST. The Woodward is the 10th race on the card and will post at 5:46 P.M. EST 9/3/16. It is for horses 3 years and older. The race is named for William Woodward, Sr. who developed Belair Stud producing 2 Triple Crown winners, Gallant Fox and Omaha. Be sure to tune in today and thanks for following.

Share This:

August 25, 2016August 28, 2016

Transfixed by the Travers

Share This:

This year’s Travers stakes is going to be huge! This race is literally massive in terms of both entries and talent. The 147th running of the Travers Stakes has 14 contestants. It is tied for the highest number of entries, that record was established in 1977. 6 of the 14 horses in this field were in the 2016 Kentucky Derby. Saratoga’s “Midsummer Derby” is shaping up to be one of the finest races of the season.

The Travers Stakes was inaugurated in 1864. It is held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, NY. The race has varied historically but this year the crowd capacity will be capped at 50 thousand fans to watch the $1.25 million dollar Grade 1, of 1 and 1/4 miles (10 furlongs), dirt race for 3 year-old Thoroughbreds. One of Saratoga’s finest races, the Travers, has acquired the name of the “Midsummer Derby”, traditionally held in August. The track itself has the nicknames of ” The Graveyard of Champions ” due to the frequency of major upsets that have occurred at this track and “The Spa” because of the areas historical and rich mineral springs. The Travers is named for William R. Travers. He was the owner of the 1st horse to win this race, Kentucky. Travers was also president of the Saratoga Racing Association.

In 1941 there was a Superfecta won by Whirlaway. A Superfecta is the combination of winning all of the Triple Crown legs and the Travers Stakes. One recent example of an upset at the Travers happened just last year. After American Pharoah went on an 8 race winning streak, that included sweeping the Triple Crown series, he was 2nd in the 2015 Travers, losing to Keen Ice. This win by Keen Ice gave his rider the title. Javier Castellano is the jockey with the most Travers wins, at a total of 5. American Pharoah redeemed himself in his next race, as if he needed to, winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic. The combo of the Triple Crown plus the BC Classic is called a Grandslam and American Pharoah is the only horse to have ever achieved the Grandslam. Whirlaway is the only Superfecta winner.

Another very special horse won the Travers in 1920, Man o’ War. In his honor, Tiffany and Co. created a trophy, a gold plated replica Man o’ War Cup is given to the winner of the Travers annually.

Please, allow me one more interesting historical fact before we get to the 2016 entries. There is a nice goose pond infield of the Saratoga track. A canoe was placed there in 1926. Since 1961, the canoe is painted in the silk colors of the Travers winner each year.

Finally, here is our enormous field by post/horse/jockey/trainer/owner:

Arrogate/Mike Smith/Bob Baffert/Juddmonte Farms, Inc.
American Freedom/Rafael Bejarano/Bob Baffert/Gary and Mary West
My Man Sam/Manuel Franco/Chad C. Brown/Sheep Pond Partners, Newport Stables, LLC. and Jay W. Bligh
Governor Malibu/Joel Rosario/Christophe Clement/Jump Sucker Stable and Oak Bull Stables
Forever d’Oro/Luis Saez/Dallas Stewart/Charles E. Fipke
Anaximandros/Leonel Reyes/Mikhail Yanakov/Mikhail Yanakov
Exaggerator/Kent Desormeaux/J. Keith Desormeaux/ Big Chief Racing, LLC., Head of Plains Partners, LLC., Rocker O Ranch, LLC, et al.
Destin/Javier Castellano/Todd A. Pletcher/Twin Creeks Racing Stables, LLC. and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners
Gift Box/Junior Alvarado/Chad C. Brown/W.S. Farish
Connect/John R. Velazquez/Chad C. Brown/Warren A. Croll, Jr
Majesto/Ricardo Santana Jr./Gustavo Delgado/Grupo Seven C Stable
Creator/Irad Ortiz Jr./Steven M. Asmusen/WinStar Farm and Bobby Flay
Laoban/Jose L. Ortiz/Eric J. Guillot/McCormick Racing, LLC. and Southern Equine Stable, LLC.
Gun Runner/Florent Geroux/Steven M. Asmussen/Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC., Three Chimneys Farm and Besilu Stables LLC.

Arrogate is the KY bred grey son of Unbridled’s Song and Bubbler. He has won the last 3 of his 4 career races. He has never been entered in a stakes race. Smith has not won the Travers since 1998 and Baffert has not won this race since 2001. Arrogate has never raced at The Spa.

American Freedom is a KY bred colt, sired by Pulpit, his dam is Gottcha Last. He has won 3 of his 5 races. He won 1 of 3 graded stakes. American Freedom has not raced at Saratoga but while he shares a trainer with Arrogate he has more East coast experience. Bejarano has not won the Travers.

Another KY bred is in post 3. My Man Sam is the offspring of Trappe Shot and Lauren Byrd. He has won once in his 6 starts and he participated in 2 graded stakes races including the KY Derby. He often runs second and he could probably do that once again. In his last race he was second and that was at Saratoga. Trappe Shot finished 9th in the 2010 Travers. Franco nor Brown have historical wins in the Travers. Brown is on a roll at Saratoga. He got his 1,000th win while racing there on Wednesday. Brown has 3 entries in the Travers.

Governor Malibu is a NY bred with NY racing experience. He was 2nd his last trip out and that was at Saratoga in the Jim Dandy Stakes. He is the son of Malibu Moon and Akilina. Governor Malibu has won 2 of his 9 starts. He has placed in 2 of 3 graded stakes. Neither Rosario or Clement have won the Travers.

Forever d’ Oro is the KY bred Colt of Medaglia d’ Oro and Lemons Forever. He recently finished 3rd at Saratoga. This was one of his 5 races. He has won once. He participated in the Belmont Stakes. His sire, Medaglia d’ Oro, won the Travers in 2002. His dam sire, Lemon Drop Kid, won the Travers in 1999. Forever d’ Oro’s jockey, Saez, won the Travers in 2013.

Anaximandros is a colt by Hard Spun and Dragon Fly. He is KY bred with a French dam. He has won 2 of 5 races. He was 4th his last race which is his only graded stakes experience. He has not raced at Saratoga. His jockey nor trainer have ever won the Travers.

Right in the middle sits the favorite, Exaggerator! Sired by Curlin he is the KY bred colt born to Dawn Raid. He has more experience then the preceding post positions with 6 wins in 13 starts. He ran all three legs of the 2015 Triple Crown finishing 2nd, 1st then a disappointing 11th respectively. He had a triumphant rebound in his very next race when he finished 1st in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational. Kent Desormeaux won the Travers in 2009.

Destin is a grey colt by Giant’s Causeway and Dream of Summer. One of my favorite farms, Taylor Made, had a part in his KY breeding. He has won 3 of 8 races. He finished 3rd at Saratoga behind Governor Malibu in his last race. He participated in the KY Derby and the Belmont Stakes. He finished 2nd to Creator in the Belmont. He is a multiple graded stakes winner. Pletcher last won the Travers in 2011. Castellano has won the Travers the most.

Gift Box is a grey ridgling. In his pedigree are Twirling Candy and Special Me. He has 2 wins of 5 races. He recently finished 2nd at Saratoga. He was 3rd in his only graded stakes race. The jockey nor the trainer has won a Travers Stakes race.

Connect is another colt by Curlin. He is a KY bred horse with Bullville Bell as his dam. He is on a streak winning his past 3 races out of a career 4 starts. He just won at Saratoga last month, besting Gift Box. He has not entered a graded stakes before. Connect’s dam sire, Holly Bull, won the Travers in 1994. Mike Smith was the jockey for Holy Bull’s win. Smith is Arrogate’s jockey this time.

Majesto is a KY bred ridgling. He was born to Tiznow and Unacloud. He has only finished first in one of his 8 races. He has two graded stakes races in his resume and one of those was the KY Derby. His last race was at Saratoga where he finished 6th. His connections have not won the Travers. Majesto’s dam sire, Unaccounted For was 4th in the 1994 Travers Stakes.

Creator is a grey colt sired by Tapit, thus another KY bred. His dam is Morena. He has finished first place in 3 of his 11 starts. It was not his day in the KY Derby but he was 1st place in the Belmont Stakes. Most recently he finished 6th at Saratoga in the Jim Dandy. He has the ability but not the consistency. His jockey and trainer haven’t won a Travers before.

In the lucky 13 post position stands Laoban. He is the son of Uncle Mo and Chattertown. He is a KY bred colt. He won one time in a career 8 races. That one time counts big for this race as it was right at Saratoga last month when he conquered the Jim Dandy Stakes. He has raced in 6 stakes races including the Preakness. He has the experience. His trainer and his jockey are looking for their first Travers wins too.

Finally, we end the field with Gun Runner. Bred in KY by Candy Ride and Quiet Giant this colt has a 5 in 8 record for wins. He was 3rd in the KY Derby but holds multiple graded stakes wins. He has not raced at Saratoga. Geroux would be happy to get his first Travers title.

Be sure to buy tickets now if you are fortunate enough to be planning to attend. It is expected to be a sell out. The card includes 13 nice races. Four BC Win and You’re In races are up for grabs. The Travers is the 11th race on Saturday 8/27/16. It will post at 5:44 P.M. EST. NBC will provide television coverage from 4:30 to 6 PM.

Thank you to our regular handicapper for allowing me use of his photos. I fully rely on my own photos and those of close friends and family. I really appreciate having access to pictures of horses and places I haven’t experienced yet. Check back regularly for new Thoroughbred posts.

Share This:

August 19, 2016August 24, 2016

Classic Chrome

Share This:

There is always a special feeling of anticipation when our California Chrome is scheduled to race! We will get another spectacular view of this champ tomorrow, 8/20/16, in TVG’s Pacific Classic.

The 26th running of the Grade 1 Pacific Classic Stakes will take place at Del Mar Racetrack in the city by the same name, in California. The inaugural race took place there in 1991. The track is 1 and 1/4th miles (10 furlongs) on dirt. Thoroughbreds age 3 and older may compete for the $1 million dollar purse. This is Del Mar’s finest race to date, I believe . They will host the Breeders’ Cup for the first time in 2017 and in my opinion, the BC Classic is one of the few races that has nearly as much proven talent. The Pacific Classic is one of the qualifying races to earn a chance at the BC Classic, “Win and You’re In.”

Many of the best horses have participated in the Pacific Classic. Cigar, Shared Belief, Game on Dude, Lava Man, Tinners Way and Beholder are a few of my favorites. Making a return this year, Beholder with her 8 competitors are just as talented and impressive as the stars of this historical race. The field is as follows by post/horse/jockey/trainer/owner/age/gender:

California Chrome/Victor Espinoza/Art Sherman/California Chrome, LLC/5YO/male
Hoppertunity/Flavien Prat/Bob Baffert/Karl Watson, Michael Pegram and Paul Weitman/5YO/male
War Story/Ricardo Mejias/Dean Greenman/Loooch Racing Stables, Inc. and Glenn K. Ellis/4YO/gelding
Hard Aces/Santiago Gonzalez/John W. Sadler/Hronis Racing, LLC./6 YO/male
Win the Space/Joe Talamo/George Papaprodromou/Kretz Racing LLC./4YO/male
Imperative/Noberto Arroyo, Jr./Richard Baltas/JK Racing Stables/6YO/gelding
Beholder/Gary Stevens/Richard E. Mandella/Spendthrift Farms/6YO/female
Dortmund/Rafael Bejarno/Bob Baffert/Kaleem Sgah, Inc./4YO/male
Dalmore/Kent Desormeaux/J.K. Desormeaux/ Big Chief Racing, LLC., Rocker O Ranch, LLC. And J.K. Desormeaux/3YO/male

In post position one is my number one pick, as well as the morning line favorite, California Chrome. All of the pictures in this story are of Chrome. Each were taken over a precious weekend when I visited him last year, while he rested at Taylor Made Farm in KY. He holds 2 Eclipse Awards, has won 13 of 22 races and holds a record for racing earnings. He is the solo California bred horse in the race, sired by Lucky Pulpit and his dam is Love the Chase.

Hoppertunity, bred in Kentucky, is the progeny of Any Given Saturday and Refugee. He has won 5 of 20 career starts. He was 3rd to Chrome in the 2016 Dubai World Cup. Last year he ran 4th in the Pacific Classic. Hoppertunity is a multiple graded stakes winner.

War Story, also KY bred, is the son of Northern Afleet and Belle Watling. He has placed first in 3 of 12 races. He has had a lot of experience in graded stakes races but not much success.

Another KY boy, Hard Aces is sired by Hard Spun, his dam is All in With Aces. He has won 7 times in his career of 33 starts. He is a multiple graded stakes winner. He was 6th place in the Pacific Classic in 2015. He won his last race/stakes out at Del Mar late July. Perhaps he is on an upswing in California?

The son of Pulpit and Teamgeist is the lovely grey, Win the Space. This horse was bred in KY by Spendthrift Farm. He has won 3 in 12 races. He has not won a graded stakes race.

Imperative is the KY bred offspring of Bernardini and Call Her. He has raced 32 times and has 3 wins. He has not won since 2014 but it was a graded stakes race. He finished 5th in the Pacific Classic in 2015.

Beholder has won an amazing 17 of her 23 races, yet I have never beheld her live myself. She holds 3 Eclipse Awards and finished 1st in the BC Juvenile Fillies, 2012 and BC Distaff, 2013. She is the only filly in the race. Beholder holds a high rank in earnings. She won the Pacific Classic last year. She is the second choice to win per the odds as I write this. Beholder is the KY bred daughter of Henny Hughes and Leslie’s Lady.

In his last race out, Dortmund ran a close 2nd to Chrome in the San Diego Handicap this past July. Dortmund is the KY bred son of Big Brown and Our Josephina. He has won an impressive 8 of 11 races. Dortmund was 3rd in the KY Derby and 4th in the Preakness both up against American Pharoah in 2015. With plenty of talent and California racing experience this guy brings strong competition and is 3rd for the favorite. He shares his trainer, Baffert, with Hoppertunity.

Finally, the last post position is the baby of the bunch, Dalmore. He has 3 wins in his 11 starts. He is the only Florida bred horse in the race. He is the son of Colonel John and Silver Breeze. He won in his last race/graded stakes. He was 5th this year in the California Chrome Stakes.

I have plenty of nerves built up for this showdown. Watch the Pacific Classic live on TVG for Del Mar’s 9th of 11 races on 8/20/16 at 6:15 PM PT. Add 3 hours to that for Eastern Time. Go Chrome!

Share This:

August 5, 2016August 8, 2016

Waiting on the Whitney

Share This:

Woo hoo for the Whitney! The 87th running of the Whitney Handicap will take place tomorrow, August 6,2016 at Saratoga in Saratoga Springs, NY. If I could click my heels and go anywhere right now, I’d be at “The Spa”.

The Whitney Handicap was inaugurated in 1928. It has been at various tracks for different genders, ages and distances historically. Tomorrow, the Whitney will take place on Saratoga’s dirt track. It will be a race of 9 furlongs (1 and 1/8 mile) for horses 3 years old and upwards. 6 Thoroughbreds will compete for the “Win and You’re In” automatic entry into the Breeders’ Cup Classic and the $1.25 million dollar purse. The winner will also receive a blanket made of Marylou Whitney pink roses and a sterling silver chalice trophy with the Whitney family crest.

Considered one of the top Grade 1 races, the Whitney is named for the Whitney family. Historically this family’s contributions to Thoroughbred racing have shaped the industry and blessed us with a vast number of graded stakes winners. Marylou Whitney continues the tradition. She has a home in Saratoga as well as a farm in my hometown, Lexington, KY. The Whitney’s have won their own stakes race 4 times.

Last year’s Whitney winner was Honor Code. Kelso and Discovery each won the race 3 times.

The 2016 Whitney field is as follows by post/horse/jockey/trainer/owner/age:

El Kabeir/Ricardo Santana, Jr./John P. Terranova/Zayat Stables, LCC./4
Comfort/John R, Velazquez/Todd A. Pletcher/Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners/4
Upstart/Irad Ortiz Jr./Richard A. Violette, Jr./Ralph M. Evans and WinStar/4
Frosted/Joel Rosario/Kiaran P. McLaughlin/Godolphin Racing, LCC./4
Noble Bird/Julien R. Leparoux/Mark E. Casse/John C. Oxley/5
Effinex/Mike E. Smith/James A. Jerkens/Tri-Bone Stables/5

El Kabeir is a beautiful grey colt by Scat Daddy and Great Venue. El Kabeir ran his first 2 of 15 career starts at Saratoga. He is a multiple graded stakes winner though he has not won in 2016.

Comfort is a colt by Indian Charlie and Unkatzable. Comfort has only raced 7 times and never at Saratoga nor has he won a graded stakes. His jockey/trainer combo won the Whitney in 2013 with Cross Traffic.

Upstart is the son of Flatter, whom I wrote about in my last story when I met him while touring the stallions at Claiborne Farm. Upstart’s dam is Party Silks. Upstart won his maiden at Saratoga on his first start. He has raced at that track 3 times of his 14 career races. He is a multiple graded stakes winner. He was fourth in last year’s Travers.

Frosted is the favorite for the Whitney. He is another lovely grey colt. He is the offspring of Tapit and Fast Cookie. He raced at Saratoga in 3 of his 16 starts. He placed 2nd the 1st two times at that track and third the last time out there. Those races were a maiden, the Jim Dandy and the Travers respectively. He is coming off a strong win at Belmont in June. In 2015 he finished the Belmont 2nd to our Grand Slam winner, American Pharoah. Frosted’s trainer, McLaughlin, won the Whitney with Invasor in 2006.

Noble Bird is the gorgeous horse in the photo. I met him at Keeneland this past April. I caught him with his tongue out as he ate a peppermint. He is the son of Birdstone and Anyhow. Noble Bird is trained by Casse, whom works with one of my favorite fillies, Tepin! She is a Saratoga sales grad. Noble Bird has raced at Saratoga once before in his 16 starts. He is a multiple graded stakes winner.

Effinex is the son of Mineshaft and What A Pear. Effinex has the most experience with 24 career starts. He has raced twice at Saratoga, where he finished 2nd in the Woodward Stakes. He is a multiple graded stakes winner. He was second to American Pharoah in last years BC Classic. His jockey, Smith, won the Whitney in 1993 with Brunswick. The father of James A. Jerkens, the trainer of Effinex, trained Onion who beat the amazing Secretariat in 1973’s Whitney.

As if the Whitney isn’t enough action, there are 11 races on the card Saturday. 5 of those are stakes races and there is another stakes on Sunday. Then the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Selected Yearling Sale takes place August 8th and 9th while my most favorite horse, Juba, races at Saratoga on the 8th as well.

I part own 5 horses that will be auctioned off at the sale. 3 will go on Monday and the 4th and 5th on Tuesday. This sale is one of the first of the season and finest of sales for yearlings. 252 select yearlings have been catalogued for the 96th Saratoga Sale.

Juba is trained by Jerkens, just like Effinex and has the same jockey, Velazquez ,as Comfort. Juba is a 5 year-old grey son of Tapit and Adoradancer. That is the same sire that Frosted has.

If you are at Saratoga tell me all about it. If you’re watching from a television or computer tune in to NBC Sports for race 10, the Whitney, at 6:18 pm EST on 8/6/16. Find Juba, in race 8 at 5:02 pm EST on 8/8/16. I’m hoping to see it on TVG. Finally, follow along with the Fasig-Tipton sale on http://www.fasigtipton.com

Share This:

July 13, 2016July 13, 2016

Yearning For Yearlings

Share This:

The official start of the yearling sales season kicked off yesterday, 7/12/16, at Fasig-Tipton in Lexington, KY. This sale came one day after the Summer Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale. I was especially excited to attend day 2 because it marked the first time I part owned a Thoroughbred at an auction.

I was not on hand, due to my day job, for the horses of racing age sale. That sale was quite a success. Compared to last year, more horses were sold fetching a higher overall price, a higher average price and far fewer unsold horses. 72 horses sold versus 65 the prior year. The total sale brought in over $5 million dollars compared to less than $4 million in 2015. The average price per horse rose by over $8.5 thousand dollars. Finally, only 19 horses did not get sold this July, where as last year 31 did not sell. The sale topper was the 7-year-old mare, Storm Lucy at $575,000. Malibu Moon and War Front sired 5 Thoroughbreds each in that sale making them the top sires by numbers in the sale. Taylor Made Sales Agency was the top consignor.

The July Selected Yearling sale did not exceed 2015’s results. The number of horses sold declined, as did the total price as well as the average price while the number of horses that failed to meet the reserved price increased. The 2016 sale sold 183 Thoroughbreds versus 205 the year before. Last year’s sale made over $20 million dollars while this year brought just over $17.6. On average horses dropped from $97 thousand dollars to $86 thousand each. This year 110 horses were not sold versus only 83 the prior Summer sale. Seen above is the sales ring screen showing an Uncle Mo filly bringing in $250,000. A colt sired by Curlin, hip 222, was the sale topper at a price of $475,000.

Wearing hip 235, pictured above, is a horse that I part owned thru a pinhook partnership I bought into last Fall. He came in with a 4 way tie of top selling horses. This colt, sired by Graydar, brought a price of $200,000. He sold to Twin Creeks Racing Stable, LLC. I loved his unique coloring, best seen in the sunlight. I can not wait to see how well he does on the track later in life!

Hips 338 seen at top left was sired by Speightstown and sold for $350,000. On the right is hip 326, another horse sired by Curlin, who sold for just $90,000. He is in front of the walking ring screens as hip 324 by Stay Thirsty who sold for $260,000.

Touring the grounds a bit I saw some interesting reminders of the exciting sales graduates that Fasig-Tipton has sold before. On July 19, 1975 the Lexington location of this great auction company sold the amazing Seattle Slew for just $17,500. He went on to win the Triple Crown in 1977. He has a whole building complete with art named for him as seen above. Below, we see a reminder of American Pharaoh, our last Triple Crown winner. He was featured as a yearling at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale in New York in 2013 and bought back by his owner. This is where the next major yearling sale will take place on August 8 and 9th, The Saratoga Sale. My group has several horses in that auction so I will be following it closely.

I hope you all enjoy the yearling auctions. Check back with me weekly for more Thoroughbred news or adventures.

Share This:

June 24, 2016June 24, 2016

Greetings from Gainesway

Share This:

It is my first day of vacation and I started it out on the right ~~hoof~~ foot! Earlier in the week I logged on to Horse Country and booked a tour to Gainesway Farm. This is the home of many Thoroughbreds including Tapit, seen above!

The tour started in the office before 12:30 pm. Marilyn Brashear, the receptionist, and two sweet dogs offered a warm welcome as we collected in the seating area. We were surrounded by lovely equine art and many framed cover shots from Bloodhorse magazine. Ian Tapp, with Sales and Bloodstock Development, fetched us and led us onto the beautifully maintained grounds. He explained that the area had once belonged to the Shawnee Indians. Several generations of horseman have owned the land, Ben Ali Haggin, C.V. Whitney, John Hay Whitney, John R. Gaines, Graham Beck and Antony Beck. The farm has rolling hills and plenty of bluegrass, clover and rye making it a great place for Thoroughbreds to thrive.

During the 1980s, the eight stone barns, a few seen above, housed as many as 52 stallions. Now they have eight available sires living on the farm. These lucky sires are Afleet Alex, Afleet Express, Birdstone, Empire Maker, Hat Trick, Karakontie, Tapit and Tapizar. The stalls are clean and well ventilated to keep a comfortable environment for their tenants year round.

Entering barn three, I met Afleet Alex. When he raced he won the 2nd and third legs of the Triple Crown after a third place finish in the 2005 Kentucky Derby. He won an Eclipse Award that same year. His progeny include Texas Red, Materiality, Afleet Express and many more.

Next, I had the pleasure of viewing Birdstone. He was a Belmont Stakes winner in 2004. Swipe, Mine That Bird and Summer Bird are some of his well know offspring.

Then, Empire Maker made an appearance. The name is so appropriate. The empire he produced includes Bodemeister and Pioneer of the Nile. The later is the sire of the only Grand Slam winner, American Pharoah. When Empire Maker was racing he was 2nd in the Kentucky Derby and he won the Belmont Stakes.

With much built up anticipation, Tapit finally hoofed it on over. He is the beloved sire of Juba, Twitter’s favorite horse! Tapit is stunning, as he looks snow white. He is the leading sire for 2014 and 2015. He is well on his way to the 2016 title as well. He sired the adorable, Lani. Some of his other crops include Creator, Frosted, Tapizar, Tonalist, Untapable, Mohaymen, Cupid and many more.

Our next stop was the breading shed. As MTV Cribs would have put it, “this is where the magic happens”. Tapp went into a lot more in depth information on that subject. I admit, it is quite the process and it was educational. We learned about resident teasing stallion, Bud. He has an important job to do up to three times per day during the busiest of seasons.

As the tour was about to wrap we walked thru the barn that houses Afleet Express and To Honor and Serve. Afleet Express is a multiple graded stakes winner including both the Pegasus Stakes and the Travers Stakes in 2010. He began his stud career in 2011. His graded stakes winning filly Diva Express frequents Churchill Downs.

To Honor and Serve won the Cigar Mile in 2011 and the Woodward Stakes in 2012 as well as a few more multiple graded stakes. He came to Gainesway in 2013 and his crop produced some pricey Thoroughbreds at the sales.

The Gainesway tour was wonderful. I would love to see their mares, weanlings and yearlings too. It was such a neat experience to view these champion sires up-close. If you find yourself in Lexington, KY, I recommend checking the place out yourself. Enjoy my photos and check back soon for my next Thoroughbred story.

Share This:

June 10, 2016June 10, 2016

Breakdown for the Belmont

Share This:

One more day to go to reach the crowning jewel! Tomorrow, Saturday, 6/11/16, is the 148th running of the Belmont Stakes. It is the third leg of the Triple Crown of U.S. Thoroughbred racing. The “Test of the Champion” will post at 6:32 P.M. EST at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.

A lucky 13 horses will compete. Only 4 of these contenders did not run in at least one of the prior legs of the Triple Crown. The field is as follows, by post/horse/jockey/trainer/ owner:

Governor Malibu/Joel Rosario/Christopher Clement/Jump Sucker Stable and Oak Bluff Stable
Destin/Javier Castellano/Todd Pletcher/Twin Creeks Racing Stabel and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners
Cherry Wine/Corey Lanerie/Dale Romans/William Pacella, Frank L. Jones, Jr. and Frank Shoop
Suddenbreakingnews/Mike Smith/Donnie Von Hemel/Samuel F. Henderson
Stadivari/John Velazquez/Todd Pletcher/John Gunther, Michael Tabor, Susan Magnier, Derrick Smith
Gettysburg/Paco Lopez/Steve Asmussen/WinStar Farm
Seeking the Soul/Florent Geroux/Dallas Stewart/Charles Fipke
Forever d’ Oro/Jose Ortiz/Dallas Stewart/Charles Fipke
Trojan Nation/Aaron Gryder/Patrick Gallagher/Julie Gilbert and Dr. Aaron Sones
Lani/Yutaka Take/Matsunaga Mikio/Koji Maeda
Exaggerator/Kent Desormeaux/Keith Desormeaux/Big Chief Racing, Head of Plains Partners/ Rocker O Ranch
Brody’s Cause/Luis Saez/Dale Romans/Albaugh Family Stable
Creator/Irad Ortiz, Jr./Steve Asmussen/WinStar Farm

Notice that there are a lot of repeats on trainers and owners. If the horse’s last race out was the Kentucky Derby or the Preakness Stakes, check my old stories to limit repetition.

Derby Deciphered

Preview Pimlico’s Preakness

Governor Malibu did not run the KY Derby or the Preakness. He is a New York bred horse so he is right at home. He has raced at Belmont 3 times of 7 starts in his career. He won twice, placed on 4 occasions and showed once as well. It took him 4 races to break his maiden. Most recently he finished 2nd in the Grade II Peter Pan Stakes.

Destin finished 6th in the KY Derby. He will likely position himself near the lead.

Cherry Wine was second in the Preakness Stakes.

Suddenbreakingnews came in 5th in the KY Derby.

Stradivari was the 4th horse to finish in the Preakness. He is know to run in the lead. Post position 5 is where American Pharoah broke from last year to win.

Gettysburg has had 7 starts. He has one win, one 2nd place and 1 third place finish in his career. His sire is Pioneer of the Nile who sired last year’s Triple Crown winner, American Pharoah. Gettysburg is grey and he finished 5th in both the Sam F. Davis Stakes and the Arkansas Derby. In his last race he was 3rd at Belmont. He is a front runner. He has a fun Twitter personality.

Seeking the Soul has only raced 3 times, breaking his maiden in his last race at Churchill Downs. At the same track, he placed 5th in his prior race on KY Derby day.

Forever d’ Oro is sired by Medaglia d’ Oro who was 2nd in the 2002 Belmont Stakes. The winner of the 2002 Belmont is pictured above in my #Flashback Friday photo. That is Sarava! I met Sarava last summer at Old Friend’s Farm In Georgetown, KY. Forever d’ Oro’s maternal grandsire was Lemon Drop Kid who won the Belmont Stakes in 1999. Forever d’ Oro has a nice family history but jut like Seeking the Soul he has only raced 3 times. He also broke his maiden in the last race, however it was at Belmont Park. He got his start at my home track, Keeneland!

Trojan Nation was 16th in the KY Derby.

Lani is my favorite Twitter character in the race. He has a nice following of fun stories, memes and videos. He was 9th in the KY Derby and 5th in the Preakness. He is the 1st Japanese horse to go for all three legs of the Triple Crown.

Exaggerator is the favorite. He was 2nd in the KY Derby and he won the Preakness Stakes.

Brody’s Cause was 7th in the KY Derby.

Creator finished lucky 13 in the KY Derby. He takes post position 13 which has never had a Belmont Stakes winner.

Belmont Stakes Fun Facts:

The purse is $1.5 million dollars
The drink is The Belmont Jewel
The flower is the white carnation, thus “The Run for the Carnations” with a blanket of 700 carnations
The race is 1 and 1/2 miles (12 furlongs) on dirt
The song is “New York, New York”
The trophy is the August Belmont Memorial Cup by Tiffany and Co.
5 other Grade 1 stakes are on Saturday’s Belmont card
NBC Sports Network will televise the event from 3 to 5 P.M. EST and 7 to 7:30 P.M. EST while NBC will cover the live race from 5 to 7 P.M. EST

Unfortunately, this isn’t the year for a Triple Crown winner but it is still going to be a great day for racing. Have a super weekend everyone. I’ll find something new to bring you next week!

Share This:

June 2, 2016June 2, 2016

The Shoemaker Is A Shoo-In

Share This:

Salutations to all of my faithful readers and anyone new who happens upon this story. I hope you each had a nice long holiday and are looking forward to some exciting racing this coming weekend. This Saturday will leave us hanging exactly one more week until the 148th Belmont Stakes but it marks the 1st race in the U.S. for the 2016 Challenge Series that paves the path to the Breeders’ Cup.

The 33rd Breeders’ Cup World Championships will be hosted at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California on November 4th and 5th in 2016. The Breeders’ Cup authorities identified 77 races in which the winner will automatically qualify for placement in a BC race. These 77 races are the 2016 Challenge Series, also known as the “Win And You’re In” races. 49 of these races take place in North America. The other 28 races are abroad in 11 countries. 59 of these races are classified as Grade or Group I thus they are some of the best races in the world.

Eight races in the Series have already taken place. The 1st and 2nd race was on 1/9/16 at Kenilworth in South Africa. Australia held 3 more races at Randwick in April. The May races were held at Palermo in Argentina, Club Hippico de Santiago in Chile and San Isidro, also in Argentina. These races gave us entries in 5 of the 2016 BC races.

BC Mile: Legal Eagle, Winx, Kitcat
Filly and Mare Turf: Smart Call, Azkadellia
Turf Sprint: Chautauqua
Longines Distaff: Corona Del Inca
Longines Turf: Don Inc

At the very same track that will host the BC this year, we will witness the 1st North American race in the series, The Shoemaker Mile! On June 4th the Grade I Shoemaker Mile will feature six Thoroughbreds with BC dreams. The Shoemaker Mile was inaugurated in 1938 at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewoood, CA as the Premier Handicap. The race now has a purse of $400,000. It is a turf race of 8 furlongs (1 mile) and eligible for horses 3 years old or older. Hollywood Park has closed and in 1990 the race name was changed in honor of Bill Shoemaker.

William Lee “Bill/Willie/The Shoe” Shoemaker was a U.S. Racing Hall of Fame jockey. He died at age 72 in 2003. He received 2 Eclipse Awards. Willie won 11 races of the Triple Crown series. For 10 years he led in earnings and in 5 years he had the most wins. The Shoe won many awards and honors. I remember him most as Ferdinand’s jockey.

Last year’s Shoemaker Mile winner was the late, great Talco. He passed away months after his big win, following surgery. Talco was sired by Pivotal, his dam was Trylko. Rafael Bejarno was Talco’s jockey. Bejarno will ride Midnight Storm this year. Talco was trained by John S. Sadler and owned by Hronis Racing, LLC.

This years 6 entries by post position/horse/jockey/trainer/and owner are:

Heart to Heart/Julien Leparoux/Brian Lynch/Terry Hamilton
Twenttwentyvision/Flavien Prat/Richard Mandella/Ellen and Peter Johnson, Sr.
Tourist/Jose Lezcano/William Mott/Gary Barber, Wachtal Stable and WinStar Farm, LLC
Home Run Kitten/Joseph Talamo/David Hofmans/Tarabilla Farms Inc.
Cape Wolfe/Mike Smith/Philip D’Amato/Sterling Stables LLC, Andy Ellis, Mark Gorman, Mike Lewis and Jeff Owen
Midnight Storm/Rafeal Bejarano/Philip D’Amato/A Venneri Racing and Little Red Feather Racing

I have watched Heart to Heart Race live. He has a nice heart shaped star on his head. The photos above are him finishing second at Keeneland on 4/15/16 in the Maker’s 46 Mile. Miss Temple City won that race.

The Shoemaker Mile will be the 6th race at Santa Anita this Saturday, 6/4/16. Post time is 4:30 P.M. PT. (that is 7:30 P.M. EST). Don’t miss out on all the BC fun. The winner is a shoo-in for the BC Mile! As they like to say about the BC, “The Best Is Yet To Come”! Look back for my Belmont Stakes Preview story following the post position drawing next week for all the information that you might need.

Share This: