Racing Archives - Page 18 of 25

June 17, 2016June 17, 2016

A Big Fan Of Wise Dan

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Wise Dan will make an appearance at Churchill Downs this Saturday! Prior to the race, that was named for him, he will parade for his fans. He has raced at Churchill eleven times and won 7 of those races. I had the pleasure of watching him parade at Keeneland this past October, as seen above. He raced there on 10 occasions with a lot of success as well.

Wise Dan was quite a champion at many more tracks during his racing career. He was bred in Kentucky by Morton Fink, his owner. He was foaled on 2/20/07 . Wiseman’s Ferry is his sire and his dam is Lisa Danielle. He began racing in 2010 and he stayed with the game for 31 starts. During those years he racked up 6 Eclipse Awards, he was Champion Older Horse, Champion Grass Horse and Horse of the Year all in both 2012 and again in 2013. He won the Breeders’ Cup Mile in each of those years as well. He won 23 races total and was second twice as well. Charles LoPresti was his trainer throughout his career and his latest jockey was John R. Velazquez. In 2011 and 2013, Wise Dan won the Grade 2 Firecracker Handicap at Churchill Downs.

Tomorrow, Wise Dan will be present to witness the first ever Wise Dan Stakes! The Firecracker which was inaugurated in 1991 was renamed for the two time champ Wise Dan this year. It is a 1 and 1/16th mile (8.5 furlong) race on the grass, the Matt Win Turf Course, for Thoroughbreds 3 years old or older. The purse in $200,000.

The field is as follows by post/horse/jockey/trainer:

Thatcher Street/Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr./Ian R. Wilkes
The Pizza Man/Florent Geroux/Roger A. Brueggemann
Granny’s Kitten/Gary L. Stevens/Michael J. Maker
Flatlined/Miguel Mena/Charles. L. Dickey
Conquest Typhoon/Joe Bravo/Mark E. Casse
Potomac River/Juan P. Vargas/Jose L. Lopez
R. Great Adventure/Joseph Rocco, Jr./Brian Williamson
Pleuven/Channing Hill/Philip A. Sims
Za Approval/Julien R. Leparoux/Mark E. Casse
Kasaqui/Robby Albarado/Ignacio Correas, IV
Behesht/Corey Lanerie/George R. Arnold

Watch the Wise Dan Stakes, race 7, at Churchill Downs at 9:05 PM EST on 6/18/16. Then, stick around for the next race at the same track. Posting at 9:39 PM is the Stephen Foster Handicap, part of the Breeders’ Cup Win And You’re In series for the Classic. Effinex will be back in action!

Have a happy Father’s Day! More to come next week…

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June 10, 2016June 10, 2016

Breakdown for the Belmont

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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!

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June 2, 2016June 2, 2016

The Shoemaker Is A Shoo-In

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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.

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May 18, 2016May 19, 2016

Preview Pimlico’s Preakness

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The 141st running of the Grade I Preakness Stakes will take place this Saturday, 5/21/16. I will be betting on Nyquist (update: that is him pictured above), our latest Kentucky Derby winner! He was just announced as the morning line favorite with 3/5 morning-line odds immediately following the post position draw. Here is the full field:

Post Position: Horse/Jockey/Trainer/Owner/M-L Odds

Cherry Wine/Corey Lanerie/Dale Romans/William Pacella and Frank L. Jones, Jr./20-1
Uncle Lino/Fernando Hernandez Perez/Gary Sherlock/Tom Mansor, Purple Shamrock Racing and Gary Sherlock/20-1
Nyquist/Mario Gutierrez/Doug O’Neill/Reddham Racing/3/5
Awesome Speed/Jevian Toledo/Alan Golberg/Colts Neck Stables/30-1
Exaggerator/Kent Desormeaux/Keith Dersormeaux/Big Cheif Racing, Head of Plains Parteners, Rocker O Ranch, et al./3-1
Lani/Yutaka Take/Mikio Matsunaga/Yoko Maeda/30-1
Collected/Javier Castellano/Bob Baffert/Speedway Stable/10-1
Laoban/Florent Geroux/Eric Guillot/McCormick Racing and Southern Equine Stable/30-1
Abiding Star/J.D. Acosta/Edward Allard/Stonehinge, LLC/30-1
Fellowship/Jose Lezcanno/Mark Casse/Jacks or Better Farm/30-1
Stradivari/John Velazquez/Todd Pletcher/John Gunther, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and John Magnier/8-1

While the Preakness Stakes is eligible to 14 Thoroughbreds only these 11 will be participating. That is 3 more than last year’s small field when American Pharoah became the 14th horse to take the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. He went on to win at the Belmont Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup Classic to become our 12th Triple Crown winner and our first Grand Slam winner. The competition is tough to see if Nyquist can follow in those horseshoes.

Cherry Wine was an “also eligible” as the 22nd horse in a 20 post position race for the Kentucky Derby but he did not get his chance that day. He is a lovely grey late bloomer. It took him 5 starts to break his maiden. His last 2 of 8 career races were graded stakes. He finished 4th in the Rebel Stakes and then 3rd in the Blue Grass Stakes. In all he has 2 wins, 1 place and has come in third twice. American Pharoah won from post position 1 in last year’s Preakness.

Uncle Lino wasn’t in the Kentucky Derby. His last race out was the California Chrome Stakes. He finished 1st place with his only win since he broke his maiden his second start. Out of his 7 races he has been twice at each 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. He has has finished in the top four of all three of his graded stakes, Robert B. Lewis, San Felipe and Santa Anita Derby. His sire is Uncle Mo, making him a half brother to Nyquist and Laoban and Abiding Star.

Nyquist is the favorite and I have written about him a few times if you want a more complete history on him check on my webpage, ThoroughbredU.com. He is undefeated in 8 starts and he wants to keep that title. He just won the KY Derby by 1 and 1/4 lengths on 5/7/16. California Chrome won the Preakness from post position 3 in 2014. Secretariat liked this post in 1973.

Awesome Speed has finished 1st in 4 of his 6 career starts however, he was 4th in his only graded stakes race, the Fountain of Youth. His connections have noted that he has bumped around a lot in his last couple of races. He is a pacemaker in his running style.

Exaggerator ran an exciting late sprint to earn 2nd to Nyquist in the KY Derby. He is 1 of only 3 horses from that race to step up to the Preakness challenge. His sire, Curlin, won the 2007 Preakness. To read more about Exaggerator, look back to my KY derby story.

Lani is the final horse to return from this past KY Derby. This lovely grey son of Tapit finished 9th in the KY Derby. Lani is described in more detail in my former KY Derby story. His dam sire, Sunday Silence, won the Preakness in 1989.

Collected is trained by Bob Baffert. Baffert has won the Preakness with Silver Charm, Real Quiet, Point Given, War Emblem, Lookin At Lucky and American Pharoah. In 6 career starts, Collected has 4 wins and a finish in 2nd place as well. He has won 2 of his 4 graded stakes races. These were the Cecile B. DeMille, Sham, Southwest and Lexington Stakes.

Laoban was the other “also eligible” that missed the KY Derby by a post. One of the 4 sired by Uncle Mo he is a front runner but also he has never won a race! Despite that, his connections have raced him 5 times and 3 of those where graded stakes, the Sham, Gotham and Blue Grass Stakes.

Abiding Star is the 4th and final horse sired by Uncle Mo in this race. He has had an amazing 11 career starts in which he has won 5 times and finished at 2nd and 3rd place each once. It took him 7 times to break his maiden. He has never ran in a graded stakes race, however he is on a five race winning streak.

Fellowship is trained by Mark Casse. He is the trainer of one of my favorite Thoroughbreds, Tepin. Fellowship has had a total of 12 starts. He has finished 1st two times and 2nd and 3rd three times each. He raced at Churchill Downs on KY Derby day in the Pat Day Mile where he finished fourth. That race was his fourth graded stakes race. He is of the Secretariat lineage.

Stradivari is the final horse in the Preakness. He has only been in 3 races. He won the last two. These were not stakes races. To my personal surprise, his trainer Todd Pletcher, despite all his fame, has never won the Preakness. Pletcher was 3rd in 2000 with Impeachment.

Preakness Fun Facts:

the food of the day, crabcakes
the flower, Black-Eyed Susans
the blanket is actually made of Viking Poms
the race is “The Run for the Black-Eyed Susans”
the song, “Maryland, My Maryland”
the trophy, a silver replica of the 1860 Woodlawn Vase
the track record, 1:55 set by Secretariat
the drink is also the Black-Eyed Susan
post time is 6:45 PM EST
NBCSN will televise starting at 2:30 PM EST
NBC will televise starting at 6:30 PM EST
Pimlico starts racing at 10:30 AM EST that day and the Preakness is the 13th race
the race is 1 and 3/16 miles or 9.5 furlongs on the dirt
the race is for 3YO Thoroughbreds

I hope everyone finds this info useful and helpful for their Preakness Stakes planning. Check back after the race for another blog post. Go, Nyquist, go! Let’s wish the rain holds off this year.

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May 14, 2016May 14, 2016

California Chrome Concisely

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It’s back to work for California Chrome! Today, 5/14/16, Chrome returned to the Los Alamitos Quarter Horse track in California to work 3 furlongs. He was clocked on the fast dirt with a time of 36.20 and rank 13/36. This is his first workout since he won the $10 million dollar Dubai World Cup on 3/26/16.

California Chrome was foaled at Harris Farms in California on 2/18/11. He is the champion son of Lucky Pulpit and Love the Chase by Not For Love. His breeders are Perry Martin and Steve Coburn. Martin and Taylor Made Farm are his current owners. Chrome is trained by Art Sherman and his jockey is Victor Espinoza. California Chrome is a good looking and well behaved horse. That made him attractive to fans early on. Chrome, also known as Junior, was thrust into stardom when he won the Kentucky Derby in 2014. He has had 21 career starts that have made him the wealthiest in earnings for any Thoroughbred in North America, in all of racing history. He has earned $12,532,650 in his lifetime. He holds two Eclipse Awards. Following the Dubai World Cup, Junior came to Taylor Made Farm in Kentucky to rest up but after last weekend’s Kentucky Derby he headed back to California.

California Chrome has many more races to win before he retires to stud. His connections have him pointed towards a 3 race bonus opportunity. Santa Anita and Del Mar tracks will reward an additional $1 million dollars to the horse that can win the Pacific Classic, the Awesome Again Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Chrome was third in the 2014 BC Classic. To prepare for the bonus threesome Chrome will first take on the $200,000 Grade II San Diego Handicap. Following the BC Classic he may race in the inaugural Pegasus World Cup. This race will top the Dubai World Cup by becoming the world’s richest race, offering a purse of $12 million dollars. Here is Chrome’s predicted path:

San Diego Handicap 7/23/16 at Del Mar in California
Pacific Classic 8/20/16 at Del Mar
Awesome Again Stakes 10/1/16 at Santa Anita in California
Breeders’ Cup Classic 11/5/16 at Santa Anita
Pegasus World Cup 1/28/17 at Gulfstream Park in Florida

Earlier this week Longines announced that California Chrome is still tied for the World’s Best Racehorse with Winx. They are both ranked number one with a rating of 126. Last week’s KY Derby win by another California bred horse put Nyquist on the chart in a 4 way tie for rank 2 and an 124 rating.

Let’s hope Chrome continues to be all smiles as he continues his impressive career. I wish that he will sweep all of these races and then I look forward to the day he begins his stud career at Taylor Made. I can’t wait to cast my eyes upon some Chrome babies! Until then keep sharing and as always, thank you for reading my posts!

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May 5, 2016May 5, 2016

Derby Deciphered

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It is hard to contain my enthusiasm with only 2 days to go until the 142nd Kentucky Derby. Post time is 6:34 P.M. EST on 5/7/16 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY. The KY Derby Undercard can be watched from 12 PM to 4 PM on NBCSN and then NBC will broadcast coverage from 4 PM to 7:30 PM EST.

The Longines Kentucky Derby has taken place annually since 1875. The race is held on the first Saturday of May. The track is dirt and is raced 10 furlongs, 1 and 1/4 miles. Contenders are 3 year old Thoroughbreds that were selected from a points system in 35 qualifying races. Points are awarded to the 1st four finishers on those races. The first race, on the road to the KY Derby, was the Iroquois held at Churchill Downs on 9/12/15. The last race to qualify in was the Lexington at Keeneland on 4/16/16. Last evening 22 horses drew post positions. 20 will race, the final 2 are “also eligible” if there is a scratch before 9 A.M EST on 5/6/16. The field is as follows:

Post position. Horse/Jockey/Trainer/Owner

Trojan Nation/Aaron T. Gryder/Patrick Gallagher/Julie Gilbert and Aaron Sones
Suddenbreakingnews/Luis Quinonez/Donnie Von Hemel/Samuel F. Henderson
Creator/Ricardo Santana Jr./Steven Asmussen/WinStar Farm LLC
Mo Tom/Corey J. Lanerie/Thomas M. Amoss/GMB Racing
Gun Runner/Florent Geroux/Steven M. Asmussen/Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC, Three Chimneys Farm LLC and Besilu Stables
My Man Sam/Irad Ortiz Jr./Chad C. Brown/Sheep Pond Partners, Newport Stables LLC and Jay W. Bligh
Oscar Nominated/Julien R Leparoux/Michael Maker/Ken and Sarah Ramsey
Lani/Yutaka Take/Mikio Matsunaga/Koj Maeda/North Hills Co Limited
Destin/Javier Castellano/Todd Pletcher/Twin Creeks Racing Stables LCC and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners
Whitmore/Victor Espinoza/Ron Moquett/Robert LaPenta, Harry Rosenblum and Southern Springs Stables
Exaggerator/Kent J. Desormeaux/J. Keith Desormeaux/Big Cheif Racing LLC, Head of Plains Partners LLC, Rocker O Ranck LLC, et al.
Tom’s Ready/Brian Joseph Hernandez Jr./Dallas Stewart/GMB Racing
Nyquist/Mario Gutierrez/Doug F. O’Neill/Reddam Racing
Mohaymen/Junior Alvarado/Kiaran McLaughlin/Shadwell Stable
Outwork/John Velazquez/Todd Pletcher/Repole Stable
Shagaf/Joel Rosario/Chad C. Brown/Shadwell Stable
Mor Spirit/Gary Stevens/Bob Baffert/Michael Lund Petersen
Majesto/Emisael Jaramillo/Gustavo Delgado/Grupo 7 C Racing Stable
Brody’s Cause/Luis Saez/Dale L. Romans/Albaugh Family Stable
Danzing Candy/Mike E. Smith/Clifford W. Sise Jr./Halo Farms and Jim and Dianne Bashor
“Also Eligible” Laoban
“Also Eligible” Cherry Wine

Trojan Nation has not even broken his maiden in 6 starts but he received his qualifying Derby points when he finished 2nd in the Grade 1 Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct on 4/9/16. His dam sire, Summer Squall, was 2nd in the KY Derby in 1990. Ferdinand was the last horse that won the KY Derby from post position 1 and that was back in 1986.

Suddenbreakingnews has raced 8 times with 7 times winning or placing. He is experienced in 3 graded stakes races that are all KY Derby select races. He got his points in the Arkansas Derby, 2nd, and the Southwest Stakes, 1st, while he was a disappointing 5th place finisher in the Rebel Stakes. His dam sire, Afleet Alex, was 3rd in the 2005 KY Derby.

Creator also has 8 starts behind him. He has finished in the top 3 in 7 races. He is a lovely grey son of Tapit. Juba, my favorite horse is sired by Tapit. Lani and Mohaymen are also sired by Tapit. Creator did better in both the Rebel, 3rd, and the Arkansas Derby, he was the winner, than Suddenbreakingnews who ran 5th and 2nd respectively.

Mo Tom has finished 1st or 3rd in 6 of 7 races. He is the offspring of Uncle Mo as are Nyquist and Outwork. Mo Tom ran in 4 KY Derby qualifying graded stakes races and gathered points in each of them. He was 3rd in the KY Jockey Club, 1st in the LeComte, 3rd in the Risen Star and 4th in the Louisiana Derby.

Gun Runner, son of Candy Ride, has participated in 5 races and won all but the KY Jockey Club Stakes when he came in 4th, right behind Mo Tom. He beat out Mo Tom in 2 other graded stakes when he won both the Risen Star and the Louisiana Derby. He shares a trainer with Creator. California Chrome won the KY Derby from post 5 in 2014!

My Man Sam has only raced 4 times. It took him twice to break his maiden and he placed twice since then. He has only been in one graded stakes and he finished 2nd. It was the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on 4/9/16 that gave him his KY Derby points.

Oscar Nominated has finished 4th or better in his 7 races. In his 3rd stakes race he won the Grade 3 Spiral Stakes and earned his KY Derby points. The Ramsey’s are frequent winners at Keeneland and Churchill but they have never had a KY Derby horse yet.

Lani is another Tapit colt. He is also a champ on an international level. He has raced 6 times in Japan and in the United Arab Emirates. It was his win in the U.A.E. Derby that qualified him to “Run for the Roses. In all 142 KY Derbys he is only the 2nd Japan based entry. Ski Captain was the other Japan based horse. He came in 14th in 1995 in the KY Derby with the same jockey as Lani has now, Take.

Destin has 3 wins and 1 show finish is his 5 starts. Two of his 3 graded stakes races were part of the KY Derby prep series. He was 4th in the LeComte, where Mo Tom won, and he was 1st in the the Tampa Bay Derby. He is a pretty grey.

Whitmore will be have the winner of the past 2 KY Derbys on his back, Espinoza! Espinoza won with California Chrome and again with American Pharoah. Whitmore has 2 firsts, 2 seconds and 1 third place finish out of his 6 races. 4 of his races were KY Derby prep stakes. He earned no points in the Delta Downs Jackpot where he finished 5th. He was 2nd in both the Rebel Stakes and the Southwest Stakes. In the Arkansas Derby he finished 3rd. He lost to Suddenbreakingnews in the Southwest but beat him in the Rebel. Whitmore beat Creator in the Rebel too.

Exaggerator has had a whopping 9 starts in his lifetime. 5 of these races were for KY Derby points. He was 1st in the Santa Anita Derby and the Delta Downs Jackpot. He took second in the Breeders’ Futurity. He was 3rd in the San Felipe Stakes and 4th in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. He has beat out Whitmore in the Delta Down Jackpot. Nyquist beat Exaggerator in the San Vicente Stakes. Exaggerator’s sire Curlin was 3rd in the 2007 KY Derby.

Tom’s Ready has had 9 starts too. He is a Pennsylvania bred horse. His dam sire, Broad Brush, was 3rd in the 1986 KY Derby. He is owned by the same owner as Mo Tom. He hasn’t won since he broke his maiden his 3rd time out. He participated in 4 KY Derby preps. He finished 8th in the KY Jockey Club. He was 2nd in the LeComte and the Louisiana Derby and 7th in the Risen Star. He finished behind Mo Tom in the KY Jockey Club and the Risen Star but bested him in the LeComte and the Louisiana Derby. Gun Runner has beat him in 3 prep races. Tom’s Ready beat Destin in the LeComte.

Nyquist is the favorite to win and I have agreed with that for some time. I have seen Nyquist on several occasions and written a great deal about him. He is pictured at the top. He is undefeated in seven races. He drew lucky post 13 which is the post he won from in the Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, where I first saw him. Three of his races were in the KY Derby prep series, the FrontRunner Stakes, the BC Juvenile and the Florida Derby. He has beaten Exaggerator in the San Vicente and Mohaymen in the FL Derby.

Mohaymen is another lovely grey sired by Tapit. He has raced 6 times and was undefeated until his last race. Nyquist beat him in the Florida Derby where he can in a very unexpected 4th place. His other 3 Derby preps were the Remsen Stakes, the Holly Bull Stakes and the Fountain of Youth Stakes where he dominated them all.

Outwork is a fine colt of Uncle Mo. He has only 4 career starts. He did 2 KY Derby preps. He was 2nd in the Tampa Bay Derby and 1st in the Wood Memorial Stakes, when he beat Trojan Nation. Outwork drew post 15, the post that American Pharoah won from last year! Outwork’s dam sire, Empire Maker, was 2nd in the 2003 KY Derby.

Shagaf has the same trainer as My Man Sam and the same owner as Mohaymen. Shagaf took on two KY Derby prep races in his slim 4 starts. He won the Gotham Stakes but he scored no points in his 5th place finish in the Wood Memorial Stakes. Trojan Nation beat him in his last race.

Mor Spirit is trained by Baffert, winner of last year’s KY Derby. He has 3 1st place finishes and 4 2nd place races in his 7 starts. 5 of these were KY Derby prep races. He was 2nd in the KY Jockey Club, San Felipe Stakes and Santa Anita Derby. Mor Spirit was 1st in the Los Alamitos and Robert B. Lewis Stakes. He has beaten Mo Tom, Tom’s Ready,Exaggerator and Gun Runner.

Majesto has raced 6 times. It took 5 times out to break his maiden but then his next time out he was 2nd in the Florida Derby. Nyquist beat him out that day but he still bested Mohaymen.

Brody’s Cause also has had 6 starts. 4 of them were on the road to the KY Derby. He won the Breeders’ Futurity and the Blue Grass Stakes. He was 3rd in the BC Juvenile and a sad 7th in the Tampa Bay Derby. He has lost to Nyquist, Outwork, Exaggerator and Destin. He has beaten My Man Sam.

Danzing Candy has put in 5 races with 2 KY Derby preps. He won the San Felipe Stakes but was 4th in the Santa Anita Derby. He has lost to but also beaten both Exaggerator and Mor Spirit.

Finally, if there is a scratch by tomorrow morning there are 2 also eligibles and I will add an update if that happens.

KY Derby Fun Facts:

American Pharoah won last year
The record is held by Secretariat who finished in 1:59.40
The largest margin is 8 lengths held by 4 horses: Old Rosebud, Johnstown, Whirlaway and Assault
The song is My Old Kentucky Home
The Drink is the Mint Julep
The official flower is the red rose, thus “The Run for the Roses” and a garland of roses is draped on the winning horse
The purse is $2 million dollars
The trophy is 22 inches tall and gold on a jade base
May 17, 1875 was the inaugural race

I hope everyone has an opportunity to do something special for the Kentucky Derby. I will be cheering for Nyquist as I could never get enough of watching him win. Just as I mentioned with my KY Oaks story, you may want to bookmark Thoroughbred U for a quick reference for this information on race day. Who is your Derby favorite?

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May 4, 2016May 4, 2016

Observations On The Oaks

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It’s just a few days now until the Bluegrass State hosts the 142nd running of the Longines Kentucky Oaks! Friday, 5/6/16 at 5:49 P.M. EST be sure to watch the run for the lillies at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY.

The Kentucky Oaks is a 1 and 1/8 mile (9 furlong) race on a dirt track at Churchill for 3 year old fillies. Competition began with the Pocahontas race on 9/12/15 at Churchill Downs and ended with the Beaumont at Keeneland 4/17/16. 30 races are qualified to provide the points needed to receive a nomination for the KY Oaks. 14 horses have been selected with an additional “also eligible” horse. Post positions have been drawn and the field is as follows: Post position. Horse/Jockey/Trainer/Owner

Terra Promessa/Ricardo Sanatana Jr./Steven M Asmussen/Stonestreet Stables, LLC
Weep No More/Corey Lanerie/George R. Arnold/Ashbrook Farm
Lewis Bay/Irad Ortiz, Jr./Chad C. Brown/Alpha Delta Stables
Go Maggie Go/ Luis Saez/Dale L. Romans/Mike Tarp
Dream Dance/Brian Hernandez Jr./Neil J. Howard/Stoneway Farm
Mo Kat/Flaven Prat/Richard Baltas/JK Racing Stable
Mo d’Amour/Joel Rosario/Todd Pletcher/King of Prussia Stable
Royal Obsession/Florent Geroux/Steven M. Asmussen
Paola Queen/Emisael Jaramillo/Gustavo Delgado/Grupo 7 C Racing Stable
Venus Valentine/Shaun Bridgmohon/Thomas M. Amoss/Rosemont Farm LLC
Rachel’s Valentina/John Velazquez/Todd Pletcher/Stonestreet Stables, LLC
Cathryn Sophia/Javier Castellano/John C. Servis/Cash Is King LLC
Land Over Sea/Mario Guiterrez/Doug F. O’Neill/Reddam Racing LLC
Taxable/Mike Smith/Steven M. Asmussen/Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC
“Also Eligible”Dothraki Queen/Gary Stevens/Kenneth G. McPeek/Magdalena Racing

Terra Promessa has had 5 career starts and won her last 4 races including two Grade 3 races, The Honeybee and the Fantasy Stakes. She is sired by Curlin.

Weep No More raced for her first time at Churchill but she broke her maiden at Tampa Bay and has not lost a race since then. In 4 of her 5 career starts she has won including her last race, the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes. In that race she beat Rachel’s Valentina and Cathryn Sophia.

Lewis Bay has always been 1st or 2nd place in her 5 career starts. Her last 3 races were all Grade 2. In her final race, the Gazelle Stakes, she beat both Royal Obsession and Mo d’Amour.

Go Maggie Go has only raced twice. That being said she is undefeated and the only horse in the Oaks with that title. She beat Paola Queen in the Grade 2, Gulfstream Park Oaks.

Dream Dance has raced 9 times before. She has finished all over the board but has the experience of 4 graded stakes and she did win her last race, an allowance, at Keeneland.

Mo Kat is one of 2 Uncle Mo sired fillies in the Oaks. The Kentucky Derby is heavy with Uncle Mo progeny as well. She has had 7 starts and though she has not won since her maiden she has placed or showed in 3 graded stakes.

Mo d’Amour is the other Uncle Mo offspring in this field. She has raced 6 times with 3 wins and 2 times in 3rd. Two of these races were graded stakes.

Royal Obsession has had only 4 starts but has won twice and been 2nd in another race. She has been beaten by Venus Valentine before in the Rachel Alexandra Stakes and Lewis Bay in the Gazelle.

Paola Queen has 5 races behind her. It took her the 1st four times to break her maiden but then she jumped right into a second place finish in the Gulfstream Park Oaks. Maybe her time has come?

Venus Valentine has been 1st, 4th or 5th in her last 5 of 6 races. She was the winner of the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra however. In her other graded stakes race, her last race, she came in 5th.

Rachel’s Valentina is the favorite. Her dam is Rachel Alexandra, winner of the 2009 KY Oaks. No Oaks winning dam has ever foaled an Oaks winning filly. This could be the 1st time? In her 4 career starts she has won twice and placed twice. Her last 3 races have all been graded stakes races. Pictured above is from her 2nd place finish behind Songbird in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies races. Land Over Sea and Dothraki Queen finished behind her.

Cathryn Sophia won her 1st of 4 races but in her 3rd graded stakes she was 3rd in a tight finish with Weep No More and Lewis Bay. She probably still has what it takes.

Land Over Sea is trained by Doug O’Neill who also trains the KY Derby Favorite, Nyquist. She is experienced with 8 starts. 7 times she has finished in the top 3. Her last 3 races were all graded stakes. This horse has the practice and she won her last time out at the Grade 2, Fair Ground Oaks.

Taxable has only 3 starts to her name. She broke her maiden at Churchill. She shares her trainer, Asmussen, with Terra Promessa. Taxable was 2nd behind Terra Promessa in the Grade 3 Fantasy Stakes.

Finally, should there be a scratch, Dothraki Queen may get a chance at the Oaks. She has raced 6 times before. Her first race, after her maiden, put her on the path to the Oaks. She won the Pocahontas, the 1st of 5 stakes races but she has never been 1st since and in her last race, the Appalachian stakes, she was 8th.

Fun Facts:

Lovely Maria won last year
Rachel Alexandra has the largest winning margin at 20 1/4 lengths
The 1st race was May 19, 1875
The official drink is the Grey Goose Oaks Lilly
The Song is My Old Kentucky Home
The flower is the Stargazer Lilly, the winner will be blanketed in these
The Charity is “Bright Pink”, to raise funds for fighting breast and ovarian cancer
The prizes: a sterling silver statue kept at the Kentucky Derby Museum and engraved with all the winners names, 12 Julep Cups to share and purse money
The purse is 1 million dollars
The color is pink
The channel to watch is NBCSN from 12:30 to 6 PM EST
Race 1 of the 13 race card at Churchill posts at 10:30 A.M EST

Enjoy the Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby Post positions were announced as I was writing this. That story shall follow tomorrow. Keep Thoroughbred U bookmarked as a quick reference for the information you may need.

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April 30, 2016April 30, 2016

Nyquist Loves and Leaves Keeneland

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Over all too soon. Yesterday was the closer for Keeneland’s Spring Meet. Live racing took place from April 8-29, 2016. I was there for the final day of racing and it was too much of a good time to be sad that it was all about to end.

Keeneland’s meet was quite a success story with plenty of excitement and quality races, horses, owners, trainers and jockeys. The handle was up over 23% versus last Spring and the attendance was up over 4%. I had the pleasure of attending 6 times and the weather was quite pleasant each of those days. Keeneland credits the appeal of the Breeders’ Cup, that they hosted in October, with the returning fans and Thoroughbreds. They also believe that having Nyquist, the 2016 Kentucky Derby favorite, living and training on the grounds added a special attraction. I certainly agree. Nyquist had his last Derby prep work at Keeneland on closing day and then shipped to Churchill Downs today. He is featured in most of the pictures throughout this post. I watched him work once again prior to the races yesterday. He breezed a mile in 1:41 with Mario Gutierrez on board.

45 horses that participated in the Breeders’ Cup in October returned to Keeneland this meet to race or train. Ralis is seen in the top photo with Nyquist. Other BC horses on the grounds this meet were Tepin, Ready for Rye, Barbados, Rachel’s Valentina, Nickname, Camelot Kitten, Ma Can Do It, Limosine Liberal, I’m A Chatterbox, Dacita, Azar, Thrilled, Private Zone, Land Over Sea, Bradester, Green Mask, Riker, Recepta, Holly Boss, Dothraki Queen, Fioretti, Gilding By, Red Rifle, Salama, Shinning Copper, Curlina, Right There, Grand Arch, Siding Spring, Catch A Glimpse, Wavell Avenue, Stopchargingmaria, Sheer Drama, Undrafted, Brody’s Cause, Da Big Hoss, Something Extra, Swipe, The Great War, War Envoy, Twilight Eclipse, Super Majesty and Tourist.

As for the people who help make this sport awesome, many big names were present this meet. Javier Castellano was the leading jockey with 17 wins. He won that title last Spring as well. Ken and Sarah Ramsey are owners who won 9 races at Keeneland this meet. They are Keeneland’s leading owners for the 17th time. The leading trainer was won by Michael Maker, his 4th time earning this title. Many more Hall of Fame, Eclipse Award and Graded Stakes winning jockeys, owners and trainers were in attendance for this Spring as well.

I really had a great time at Keeneland, as always. I am really going to miss the track that won’t have live racing again until October. I thought that watching Nyquist work was a real joy. I appreciate that the horse’s connections and Keeneland were kind enough to share the experience. I wrote a story about a prior work a few weeks ago

My Eye On Nyquist

I hope Nyquist wins the Kentucky Derby next week on May 7th. The success of American Pharoah has me eager for another Grand Slam. Nyquist is a champion and he looks ready to win. The 20 horse field won’t be finalized until Wednesday, 5/4/16. Look for me to bring you the information you may need for the 142nd running of the Kentucky Derby.

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April 23, 2016April 23, 2016

Tepin, She Can Run…

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Tepin can run but she can’t hide. Well, actually she is very good at that as well. I have seen Tepin before but I was really hoping to see her up closer while she was in town for the Jenny Wiley 1 week ago today, on 4/16/16. Alas, better luck next time. I still got some nice paddock and track photos and she was amazing again as she broke a track record and won by 5 lengths.

Search my site and it is easy to see my interest in Tepin’s star power. I have written about her before. I first took notice of Tepin on 10/3/15 when I watched her win the Grade 1, First Lady Stakes at Keeneland race track in Lexington, KY. That was actually her 14th career start. It was her 2nd race and win at Keeneland, where she broke her maiden as early as 10/6/13. I didn’t have to wait long to see her again. She triumphed in the Breeders’ Cup Mile on 10/31/15, also held at Keeneland.

Tepin has quite the fan following now and she has earned it. This year she has won 3 Graded stakes as a 5 year old and is tied with Songbird for the top rank in the American Graded Stakes Standings. Tepin has had 18 career starts including 10 wins, 3 place finishes and 1 time with a show. She is an Eclipse Winner and she is on a winning steak, 5 races deep. In 2016 she won the Grade 3 Lambholm South Endeavour Stakes at Tampa Bay, the Grade 2 Hillsborough Stakes, also at Tampa Bay and now the Grade 1 Coolmore Jenny Wiley Stakes at Keeneland. She set a record in the Hillsborough and then again in the Jenny Wiley. Her earnings stand at $2,895,873.

Tepin has Julien Leparoux for her jockey. She is owned by Robert E. Masterson and trained by Mark Casse and his son/assistant Norman Casse. She is the offspring of sire Bernstein and dam Life Happened.

Now what will Tepin do next? She is nominated for the 29th running of the Grade 1, $500,000, Woodford Reserve Turf Classic! Kentucky Derby Day just got a little more fantastic if Tepin runs in the Woodford at Churchill Downs on Derby Day, Saturday, 5/7/16. Fingers crossed she will enter the field of 14 to hit the 1 and 1/18 miles of turf. Wise Dan won the Woodford twice in 2013 and 2014. After that she may head to Great Britain to take on the 1 mile Queen Anne Stakes on opening day of the Royal Ascot meeting on Tuesday 6/16/16.

Watching Tepin win is a joy I could never get tired of. She makes is look so fun and easy. I hope when she is done being a turf star that she will live her life here in Kentucky, where she was bred. Perhaps, then I can meet her on a farm tour and maybe she will breed some other fast fillies! Below, I included the song that came to mind when titling today’s story. Phil Collins and a cute dog too! Thank you for reading. Look for my story next week, please. Keeneland has right under a week to go and I’m going back to bring you more stories and pictures.

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April 15, 2016April 15, 2016

My Eye On Nyquist

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I get no sleep for Nyquist! For the second week straight I have roused myself from my bed to attend the morning workout to see our beloved Thoroughbreds at Keeneland in Lexington, KY. Nyquist certainly is a fan favorite and one of mine as well. I had my weary but enthusiastic eyes upon him before 7 a.m. EST today.

After arriving at the Track Kitchen I ran as fast as I could up the hill, towards the track, to catch today’s first sight of Nyquist. As I approached the barn, where he has been living since the Florida Derby, I saw a large crowd assembled. I though it was odd since he had no other visitors when I saw him just last week but then again, this is Nyquist! Of course he has a snowballing fan base. He is the current Kentucky Derby favorite to win! I stood with the crowd to see Nyquist exit the shed row and followed like a happy lemming as he headed to the track with exercise rider Jonny Garcia mounted. The sun was peaking through the clouds and it was warm for a Spring morning in the Bluegrass.

Nyquist is a bay colt, sired by Uncle Mo. His dam is Seeking Gabrielle by Forestry. Nyquist was bred in Kentucky Summer Hill Farm and born on 3/10/13. He is owned by Paul Reddam of Reddam Racing and trained by Doug O’Neill. Mario Gutierrez is his jockey. Nyquist is undefeated with 7 career wins and an Eclipse Award for 2015 Champion 2 Year Old Colt. He broke his maiden on 6/5/15 at Santa Anita. He has raced only graded stakes since. He won at both Grade 2 races, the Best Pal Stakes at Del Mar and the San Vincente Stakes at Santa Anita. He captured 1st place at four Grade 1 races too, the Del Mar Futurity at Del Mar, the Front Runner Stakes at Santa Anita, the Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Keeneland and the Xpressbet.com Florida Derby at Gulfstream. The $1 million dollar Florida Derby took place on 4/2/16. Today marked Nyquist’s first breeze since that race. He is now training for the Kentucky Derby to take place on 5/7/16. He will continue to live at Keeneland and he will have 2 more workouts here before he ships to Churchill Downs on 4/30/16. He breezed 5 furlongs today and galloped out to a 6th. He clocked 1:02.60 for the breeze. His connections were very pleased. I though he looked marvelous. I heard another trainer, not in connection with the horse, say she thought he made the workout look easy.

The smile on Garcia and the look on Nyquist’s adorable face lead me to believe, they too were very pleased with the work. The large assembly of fans and media continued to follow Nyquist off of the track and back to the barn. Everyone was overjoyed with the experience.

The fun was far from over. Nyquist was changed out of his tack and into his lovely BC blanket. He cooled off with several turns around the barn. He is quite calm in the presence of all of the paparazzi. Many people huddled up close to hear the words of his connections and to catch a look or a picture.

Then it was bath time! I particularly enjoy watching the baths. Steam rolled off his back end as he was sponged off. Nyquist kept his fancy blanket on. He looked marvelous! His handler booped his nose gently. This horse was very well behaved. Nyquist is stunning and I am so happy I have had the opportunity to have seen him now on two occasions. I know he has what it takes and I wish him well in his next race, the Run for the Roses, the 142nd KY Derby! He certainly looks appropriate flanked in roses!

I visited several other barns and will be at Keeneland the rest of today and all weekend. I am very hopeful to spend some time with Tepin and bring that story to you. She races here tomorrow, 4/16/16. Please, keep reading and tell your friends about this page and my posts on Twitter and Facebook too. Thank you and have a great weekend!

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