American Pharoah Archives - Page 5 of 8

July 9, 2016July 9, 2016

Who’s Who At Age 2

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So, Thoroughbred U, who’s who at age 2? Well, I would be rich if I knew for sure. I was fortunate to explore that question a bit last Saturday (7/2/16) at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY. I saw eleven races that day, two of which were stakes for 2-year-olds.

Race 7 was the 115th running of The Bashford Manor. This race is the 1st chance race for 2-year-old colts to compete in a graded stakes race. Classic Empire, wearing the red blanket above, and owned by John C. Oxley was the winner. I will definitely follow this horse. He is trained by Mark E. Casse and Julien Leparoux is his jockey. Classic Empire is sired by Pioneer of the Nile, the same sire as American Pharoah. Sambuca Classica by Cat Thief is the dam of Classic Empire. He won by 3/4 of a length, finishing 6 furlongs in a fast 1:09.39. Recruiting Ready finished 2nd and Tip Tap Tapizar was 3rd.

The 8th race, the 116th running of The Debutante, had a lot of similarities. This is the 1st opportunity 2-year-old fillies have at a graded stakes win. The same owner, jockey and trainer won as in the Bashford. Pretty City Dancer was the winner. She is a filly by Tapit and Carson City. Pretty City Dancer covered the 6 furlongs of dirt in 1:11.01. She is the lovely gray horse in the 2nd picture grouping on the right. Anna’s Bandit took 2nd place and Country Candy finished 3rd.

Mark E. Casse won the title of leading trainer at Churchill for the Spring meet. The night I attended was the last day of the meet. He has a barn at Churchill where my beloved Tepin lives! If you love Tepin check my site out for several good Tepin stories.

Not a 2-year-old but I threw in a picture of The Kelly’s Landing Overnight Stakes winner Alsvid just to complete my re-cap of my Churchill adventure.

Next week I’ll be visiting at Fasig-Tipton in Lexington, KY. Monday (7/11/16) will feature the July Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale. The sale begins at 5 p.m. EST. There are over 100 entries and there has to be some big winners in the catalogue. This sale historically turns out graded stakes winners. Might this be where the next best 2 year-old is?

The following day is the July Selected Yearling Sale. This sale will be especially meaningful to me because it will mark the 1st time I’ve ever owned a horse at an auction. I bought into a pinhooking partnership last Fall and I’m excited to see how the 1st of my group’s 12 yearlings sells.

Thank you for following and look for my Fasig-Tipton story next week. If you are going to the auction, leave a comment.

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June 24, 2016June 24, 2016

Greetings from Gainesway

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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.

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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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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 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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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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March 11, 2016March 11, 2016

Lucky 13

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I am on pins and needles about all of the fun things going on this weekend. I am a marshal in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade this Saturday! It is March Madness time and I love the Kentucky Wildcats, go Big Blue Nation! Finally, we have 2 of the 13 remaining Kentucky Derby prep races this Saturday too!

On March 12, 2016 we have the Tampa Bay Derby and the San Felipe Stakes. We can watch some of our favorites and plenty of our less well known 3 year olds battle it out for KY Derby points to become one of the 20 contenders. Each of these races will reward 50 points to the winner, 20 points for 2nd place, 10 points for third place and 5 points for the 4th place finisher. Currently, Mohaymen is at the top of the leaderboard with 70 points followed by Gun Runner with 51 points and Shagaf with 50 points. That being said, the winner of these races will take a nice jump near the top of the leaderboard.

The 36th Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby, Grade II, will be held at Tampa Bay Downs in Florida, race 11, at 5:24 P.M EST on 3/12/16. The purse is $350,000 and the race is 8 and 1/2 furlongs on the dirt. This race was inaugurated in 1981. Last year’s winner, Carpe Diem, was my 2015 KY Derby pick. However, he ran 10th and American Pharoah kept on winning! In 2007 Street Sense won both the Tampa Bay and Kentucky Derbys. Street Sense still holds the speed record for the Tampa Bay Derby. This year, the Tampa Bay Derby has 10 horses in competition. Riker and Brody’s Cause competed against each other before, as seen in the photo above, in the Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in 2015. Currently, Destin has 1 point on the leaderboard. Riker has 10 points and Brody’s Cause has 14. The full field, by post position, followed by jockey and trainer, is as follows:

Morning Fire – Daniel Centeno – Keith Nations
Rafting – Edgar Prado – H. Graham Motion
Outwork – John Velazquez – Todd Pletcher
Economic Model – Irad Ortiz,Jr, – Chad Brown
Star Hill – Julien Leparoux – George Arnold, II
Riker – Florent Geroux – Mark Casse
Destin – Javier Catellano – Todd Pletcher
Brody’s Cause – Corey Lanerie – Dale Romans
Tale Of S’avall – Joe Bravo – Barclay Tagg
Awesome Banner – Antonio Gallardo – Stanley Gold

As a side note, tune in earlier, at 3:54 P.M. to see Silver Magnolia in the Florida Oaks, race 8 and at 4:54 P.M. to watch Tepin in race 10, the Hillsborough Stakes, both at Tampa Bay. Neither are KY Derby prep races but Silver Magnolia won by 8 and 1/2 lengths in her last race at Tampa Bay. While, Tepin is 5 years old and she is awesome. She has won multiple graded stakes including the Breeder’ Cup Mile. I really enjoy watching her. The entire race card at Tampa Bay on Saturday should be fun. It will be the biggest day of racing ever at that track. Saturday is Festival Day at Tampa Bay with a total purse of $760,000.

Switch over to the West coast for the next KY Derby prep race at 6 P.M EST. Watch the San Felipe Stakes, Grade II, at Santa Anita in California, part of Big ‘Cap Day! This is the 7th race on the card for Santa Anita on 3/12/16. The purse is $400,000. This 8 and 1/2 furlong race on dirt has 7 horses entered. The San Felipe was inaugurated in 1935. Consolidator owns this race’s speed record, established in 2005. Dortmund won the San Felipe stakes in 2015 and then showed third in the KY Derby. In 2014 California Chrome won both the San Felipe and the KY Derby! Right now, I Will Score has 2 points towards the KY Derby. Uncle Lino has 4 points, Exaggerator has 16 points and Mor Spirit already holds 24 points. Exaggerator was in the pack photographed above as well. I focused on Exaggerator and Mor Spirit in my last story, seen here:

A Pinch Of Luck

There are some strong contenders in the San Felipe Stakes field, listed here:

Uncle Lino – Fernando Hernandez Perez – Gary Sherlock
Danzing Candy Mike Smith – Clifford W. Sise, Jr.
Mor Spirit -Gary L. Stevens – Bob Baffert
Cupid – Martin Garcia – Bob Baffert
I Will Score -Rafael Bejarano – Jerry Hollendorfer
Smokey Image – Victor Espinoza – Carla Gaines
Exaggerator – Kent J. Desormeaux – J. Keith Desormeaux

I am thrilled to see how these last lucky 13 KY Derby prep races resolve. I hope you all have a great weekend at the races. If you are lucky enough to see these races live, tell us about it. I would love for you to share your stories. Please, follow and like my pages on Facebook and Twitter. Thank you in advance!

Update: Cupid has scratched.

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March 1, 2016March 1, 2016

A Pinch Of Luck

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As I write this, we have just 67 full days until the Kentucky Derby and 17 days until my favorite holiday, Saint Patrick’s Day! There are many reasons I love this holiday. One is directly connected to my love of Thoroughbred horse racing.

Generally, when 3/17 roles around, the weather in the Bluegrass is improving. Then 3 weeks later, Keeneland opens for the live Spring Meet leading right into the KY Derby, the 1st Saturday of May. I have the house decorated for St. Patrick’s now but it is pretty easy for me to pull that off as my home is fairly Irish themed to begin with. Getting ready for St. Patrick’s Day is so easy and that’s a huge part of the appeal to me. However, getting ready for racing and KY Derby takes a lot more planning. I’ve been watching the road to the KY Derby since it started, 9/12/15, where it will end, at Churchill Downs on 5/7/16. 21 Derby prep races are finished now. Only 14 races remain to determine which horses will have the points needed to place them in the 20 available post positions. There is still way too much in the air to cover all the Thoroughbreds in a blog but only 4 in the current top 20 of the leaderboard will have riders dressed in green! These 4 are ready for St. Patrick’s Day.

St. Patrick was a 5th century missionary and bishop in Ireland. He is believed to have died on 3/17 and that is why he is celebrated on this day. Ireland has fun folklore and superstition including fairies and leprechauns. Legend has it, that for St. Patrick’s Day, you must wear green to be invisible to the leprechauns which will pinch you if they see you. In fact, people will pinch you as well if your not in green, as a reminder. Mor Spirit, Exaggerator, Greenpointcrusader and Swipe have the fortune of being owned by green silk farms.

Mor Spirit is the Pennsylvania bred colt of sire, Eskenderey and dam Im a Dixie Girl by Dixie Union. He is 4th on the KY Derby leaderboard with a score of 24 points. He is trained by Bob Baffert. Baffert has trained several KY Derby winners. He was 2nd with Cavonnier in 1996. Silver Charm won in 1997. He trained 3rd place winner, Indian Charlie in 1998. That same year he trained the 1st place winner Real Quiet. In 2001 Congaree showed 3rd. The following year, 2002, he worked with War Emblem to come in 1st. Pioneer of the Nile was 2nd in 2009. He trained 2nd place Bodemeister in 2012. In 2015 he was responsible for both Dortmund, in 3rd, and American Pharoah, the huge winner! Mor Spirit is owned by Michael Lund Peterson. Peterson’s silks are green and white with stripes in V like formations on the front and horizontal stripes on the sleeves. His jockey is Gary L. Stevens. Stevens was 1st 3 times in the KY Derby. He won in 1988 with Winning Colors, in 1995 with Thunder Gulch and 1997 with Silver Charm. Mor Spirit got his points in 3 races. On 11/28/15 in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes(G2) at Churchill Downs he ran 2nd for 4 points. On 12/19/15 he was 1st in the Los Alamitos Futurity(G1) at Los Alimitos for 10 points. Then on 2/6/16 he got 10 points for winning the Robert B. Lewis Stakes(G3). In 5 career starts he has always achieved 1st or 2nd place.

Exaggerator is 9th on the leaderboard with 16 points. He has had 7 career starts. I saw him run at the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland, seen above. That is where he picked up 2 points for his 4th place finish in the Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on 10/31/15. Before that he was 2nd at the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity also at Keeneland on 10/3/15, earning 4 points. He earned 10 points finishing 1st at the Delta Down Jackpot Stakes at Delta Downs on 11/21/15. Exaggerator is the KY Bred son of Curlin and Dawn Raid by Vindication. Curlin was 3rd in the KY Derby in 2007. Exagerrator has Kent J. Desormeaux for a rider. Desormeaux has had several KY Derby successes. In 1990 he was 3rd with Pleasant Tap. Real Quiet was 1st in 1998. In 2000 he was 1st with Fusaichi Pegasus. He was 1st again on Big Brown in 2008. He finished 3rd in 2004, 2010 and 2012 on Imperialism, Paddy O’ Prado and Dullahan respectively. The brother of the jockey is the trainer, J. Keith Desormeaux. Big Cheif Racing, LCC. own Exaggerator. They have a green cap and a green silk with a white hoop with green sleeves with a white hoop.

Greenpointcrusader finished 7th at the Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Keeneland, pictured ahead of the pack above. He gained no points for that effort but he got 10 points for winning the Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park on 10/3/15 and 4 points for placing 2nd at the Holly Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park om 1/30/16. His score of 14 puts him 12th on the leaderboard. He is KY bred. His sire is Bernardini. His dam is Ava Knowsthecode by Cryptoclearance, who was 4th in the 1987 KY Derby. Greenpointcrusader has John R Velazquez for a jockey. The rider was 2nd in the KY Derby on Invisible Ink in 2001 and 1st in 2011 with Animal Kingdom. He is trained by T. Dominick Schettino and owned by St. Elias Stable, MeB Racing Stables, LCC and Brooklyn Boyz Stables. This partnership uses a green cap with a green silk having 2 white hoops on the sleeves.

Lucky 13 on the leaderboard is Swipe. He is sired by Birdstone who ran 8th in the 2004 KY Derby. Swipe is KY bred and his dam is Avalanche Lily by Grand Slam. Swipe is also trained by J. Keith Desormeaux. His owner is also Big Chief Racing, LCC with James C. Justice and Billy R. Shelton. Having the same owner, they use the same silks as Exaggerator. Swipe, seen above was also in the Sentient Jet BC Juvenile. He placed 2nd scoring 8 points and then was 2nd again in the Front Runner at Santa Anita on 9/26/15 for 4 more points. He has a career of 7 starts. He has not raced in 2016 but he did have a workout on 2/27/16 at Santa Anita. Swipe has Victor Espinoza for a jockey. He was 3rd in the KY Derby with Congaree in 2001. He won the KY Derby in 2002 on War Emblem. He has won the KY Derby back to back the past 2 years with California Chrome in 2014 and American Pharoah in 2015.

These KY Derby contenders are rocking the green. Don’t forget to wear green on St. Patrick’s or you may suffer a pinch. To be safe, wear it all month. I will!

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February 16, 2016February 21, 2016

Purrfect Pest Control

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I woke up to more snow and more shoveling this morning. It is yet another chilly day here on the Bluegrass. On the real cold nights I say some extra prayers for all of the homeless people and animals. I know they have it tough living outside. When I visit barns I am just as excited to hunt down the cats as I am the beautiful horses. I think that the barn cats have it best. They have all the shelter and food they could want and interaction with horses, people and other such animals when they choose to allow it. The cats are a benefit to us as well. They provide pesticide free rodent control and companionship to our horses and equestrians.

Sancho, is one of the better known barn cats. He has the honor of being the barn cat for Runhappy . Runhappy is a champion runner but he likes his sleep and he wants Sancho in his stall when he drifts off. Watch Sancho creep into position here: Sancho with Runhappy.

Another well known barn cat is the Twitter sensation, Gator Kitten. He is the resident handicatter (that’s right, this cat can handicap races) at Woodbine Race Track but he is spending the winter with a lot of his favorite Thoroughbreds at a barn near Gulfstream Park. He frequently visits with Juba. Follow him here: Gator Kitten. He posts often and has followers as far as New Zealand.

Do you want to know how can you help the barn cats? When you are packing in the peppermints to see your favorite horse put some cat treats in your pockets too. Mice aren’t the only snacks barn cats enjoy. Also, you can re-home feral cats this way too. Check out these links to animal shelters with specific barn cat programs in many states. My city has Horse Country Barn Cats ran by the Lexington Humane Society. A cat from the program comes vaccinated, microchipped and spayed or neutered. Horse County Barn Cats . See the other states listed here or Google to find a resource near you: Texas , Minnesota , California, Michigan, Illinois, Massachutes, New York

Did you know that cats were domesticated around 7500 BC for the purpose of pest control, not for pets? Cats must keep down the rodent population that are drawn to barns for food and warmth. Rodents like to eat the same grain as the horses but they can spread disease and cause trouble if they aren’t controlled. There are over 70 varieties of domesticated cats ready to do the job. In the United States cats are the second most common pet behind fish. In most barns I have seen have one or more resident felines.

Get creative when searching for cats in a barn. They can hide pretty good and the cat just might be an image on your horse’s face. I’m always looking to learn and share and when I saw the picture of American Pharoah’s half-sister, I discovered something new. American Pharoah’s dam, Littleprincessemma, gave birth to a filly sired by Tapit on 2/13/16. It has a lovely stripe of white chrome on it’s nose that looks like a long tailed cat. This marking is referred to as a Kitty Blaze! See her cute face here: Littleprincessemma/Tapit filly

I hope you have enjoyed these barn cat photos. I have not met Sancho or Gator Kitten so I don’t have their pictures yet but my collection is from Old Friends, Churchill Downs, Taylor Made Farm, Keeneland and The Thoroughbred Center. Please, share pictures of your favorite barn cats and return for next week’s post too. Thank you!

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February 6, 2016February 6, 2016

High Flying, Adored

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I would certainly love to hop on a plane and head to some place warmer with live racing right now. Perhaps I would go to Santa Anita, Gulfstream Park, maybe even Dubai? While I may be dreaming of a snowbird get away it is a busy time at Blue Grass Airport for arrivals too. This coming Monday and Tuesday, February 8 and 9, 2016, Fasig-Tipton will hold it’s Kentucky Winter Mixed sale here in Lexington, KY.

When you build an airport in the horse capital of the world you don’t just design any ordinary airport but rather it is a special airport worthy to handle the needs of regular passengers, world wide equestrians and of course, horses! The Army began using this airport in 1942 and by 1946 the airport went commercial. Blue Grass Airport sits right in the middle of horse country. Many flight patterns go directly over Keeneland race track which is across the street and nearby Calumet Farm. In 2008 the bronze equine sculptures featured in the 2 pictures above and 1 photo below were put on the grounds at the doors to the terminal. Gwen Reardon designed this paddock scene. She is the same artist that created the works at Thoroughbred Park, which I featured in an earlier story. The Kentucky Horse Park has a life sized piece of her art too. My favorite bronze is the piece below. It looks like James E. “Ted” Bassett III playing groom. He is a former chairmen of the board at Keeneland and former president of the Breeders’ Cup. I like to eat my breakfast with him at Keeneland’s track kitchen, on special occasions, and I read his biography from cover to cover. I have watched his story played over and again on KET (Kentucky Educational Television). I own his autographed book too!

Other lovely pieces of equine art are found inside and on the grounds of the airport. The floor of the terminal lobby has a concentric designed chart depicting the lineage of 800 Thoroughbreds over 300 years. There is also a nice stained glass piece depicting Big Lex created by John F. “Zig” Zeigler. Big Lex is a blue horse who is the mascot for the Lexington Convention and Visitors Bureau. He is blue from grazing on Kentucky bluegrass. He can be seen all over Lexington, even on my refrigerator and my car.

One of my favorite works, at the airport, is the enormous trompe l’oeil mural painted by Eric Henn. It is painted on the retaining wall on the edge of the runway facing Keeneland. I have a print which I have yet to get framed seen below.

It is nice that all of this beauty is at the airport for the travelers. I hope as all the visitors make their way into Lexington this weekend to prepare for the Winter Mixed Sale they take time to appreciate the art. The sale has horses foaled in France, Great Britain, Ireland, Argentina, Ontario, Louisiana, Virginia, New York, Ohio, Maryland, Florida, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Iowa, West Virginia, Indiana, Texas, California, New Jersey, Michigan, Minnesota and of course, Kentucky! H.E. Sutton Forwarding Company, also known as Tex Sutton or I prefer the name, Air Horse One, can help them ship here. They have a specially equipped Boeing 727-200 that holds 21 horses loaded 3 wide and 7 deep. The company’s symbol features Pegasus, a winged horse. The plane is labeled “First Class Equine Air Travel”. The individual stalls have seat belts and each horse is served hay and water. Human attendants accompany the horses in the aisles. The horses fly faced forward and the tallest horses are placed in the center stalls. See American Pharoah fly here: Air Horse One

I’m pretty excited thinking about the horses that will be shipping in for the sale. There are 528 entries cataloged. Hips 1 thru 296 will show on Monday and 297 thru 528 will be featured on Tuesday. The sale starts at 11 a.m. EST each day. See the catalog here: Fasig Tipton KY Winter Mixed 2016. The sale will feature a nice variety including horses of racing age, in-foal mares, 1 or more mares with foals, short yearlings and broodmare prospects, some with graded stakes credentials. Hip 255 is Trojenna, a mare by Lawyer Ron with a brand new Mucho Macho Man filly, so cute! Fasig-Tipton held it’s Midlantic Winter Sale last month. In that sale a yearling colt by Curlin was the sale topper at a price of $76,000. The KY Winter Mixed sale has 4 horses sired by Curlin. These are Naked Watch (hip 98), Princess Rocket (136), Split It (213) and Charismata (362). There are 4 yearlings by Grade 1 winning, Graydar in the sale. I met him at Taylor Made Farm this summer, so handsome. Check out some of Graydar’s 1st crop; hips 140, 149, 274 and 454. Look how sweet Graydar is below.

I hope the KY Winter Mixed sale is a big success. I would love to watch this sale’s grads race or breed new champs in the future. I can’t attend myself, due to my job, so if you make it out please tell me all about it. Who do you think will fetch the best price?

Here’s a You Tube from one of my favorite movies, “Evita”. When I think about Air Horse One, I think of this song. I love dreaming about all of favorite horses high flying around the world and how they are truly adored!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7b_p00PiXE

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