Keeneland Archives - Page 9 of 14

October 21, 2016

Kings of Keeneland

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On the 10th day of racing my true love sent to me, another win thanks to the Ramseys! Sarah and Kenneth Ramsey are the leading owners of Keeneland’s Fall meet currently. The Ramsey’s have earned the leading owner title at 17 prior Keeneland meets. So far, the Ramsey’s have 6 horses win at Keeneland this October.

On opening day, the Ramsey’s opened up their winning streak with two wins. Walking the Kitten won the 7th race on 10/7/16. Walking the Kitten is trained by Michael Maker and riden by Julien Laparoux.

That same day, race 10, Global Entry won. Maker was the trainer and Jose Ortiz was the jockey.

I witnessed my first Ramsey win of the Fall on 10/15 with Homespun Hero, seen above, in race 4. Maker was the trainer and Ortiz was the jockey.

Later that day, race 7, I was fortunate to see Coalport with another consistent win for the Ramseys. Coalport is seen in the above picture.

On Sunday, 10/16, the Ramsey family won again with Hunka Burning Love in the 2nd race. That day the Ramseys won their 100th race of 2016. Regular trainer, Maker won that with Robby Albarado in the saddle.

Yesterday, 10/20, I watched as another Ramsey horse won. Kitten’s Roar won the 3rd race with Maker and Leparoux.

It should be of no surprise that Mike Maker is the current leading trainer at Keeneland. He now has 7 wins for the meet. The other leading trainers are Graham Motion, Mark Casse, Todd Pletcher and Ian Wilkes.

Julien Leparaox leads the jockeys, several wins coming from Ramsey horses. Leparoux has won 11 times this meet. Other top jockeys include Jose Ortiz, Florent Geroux, Ricardo Santana Jr., Corey Lanerie and Robby Albarado.

Following the Ramseys, the top owners include John Oxley, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Maggi Moss, W.S. Farish, G. Watts Humphrey Jr. and Jim and Susan Hill.

With 7 days to go in the Fall Meet all titles are still up for grabs! I can’t make it out this weekend but be sure I will be there the last 2 days of the meet. If you have anything you would like to share with me about Keeneland, leave me a comment.

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October 11, 2016October 11, 2016

Kentucky Racing: Roots to Right Now

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And they’re off! Keeneland, enjoying its 80th anniversary, began their Fall Meet on October 7, 2016. Starting with Fall Stars Weekend, Keeneland had 7 Breeders’ Cup Challenge races and 9 graded stakes races. One of these stakes is the oldest stakes race in the United States. That race was the 164th running of the Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Stakes.

A.P. Indian won this year’s Grade 2, Phoenix Stakes of 6 furlongs on the dirt. The race carried a $250,000 purse and an automatic berth into the BC Sprint this coming November. A.P. Indian didn’t even need the berth, as his win in the Forego had already secured that. A. P. Indian was a disappointing 6th place finisher in the Phoenix last year. He rebounded in style and has won all 6 of his races since! In total he has won 11 of his 17 career starts. Green Lantern Stables is his owner and breeder. Arnaud Delacour is his trainer and Joe Bravo is his jockey. A.P. Indian is the KY bred son of Indian Charlie and Ender’s Sister. At 6 year’s old, A.P. Indian is going strong, as is the legacy of America’s oldest race.

To prepare for the Fall Meet there was the 1st ever Phoenix Festival held on 10/6/16. A group named Phoenix Rising hosted the free event in the Isaac Murphy Memorial Garden on the East End of Lexington, KY. Phoenix Rising, named for the Phoenix Stakes, is an organization dedicated to promoting the rich history of the horse racing industry in Lexington.

The Phoenix Stakes was named for the historical Phoenix Hotel, a place in Lexington where people from all over the world would gather to talk Thoroughbred racing. The hotel wasn’t too far from the Kentucky Association’s track where we now have Race Street. The KY Association racetrack originated in 1831 and held some fantastic racing until it closed in 1933. When Keeneland opened in 1936, several KY Association assets were transferred to the new Lexington track, including the gate posts. The site where the Isaac Murphy Memoriall Garden now exists is the original location of the home of Isaac Murphy. The house’s foundation forms the amphitheater shape. This property was on the edge of the KY Association track.

Isaac Burns Murphy, winning jockey of 3 Kentucky Derbies is a historically famed jockey. Part of the park and presentation paid homage to the strong African American influence in Thoroughbred racing. There was a wealth of information on important African Americans in racing. That material will be shared and expanded upon in a separate, future post.

Donna Brothers, former jockey and current NBC Sports racing reporter was one of the speakers at the festival. Yvonne Giles, historian, James Long, retired jockey and Eugene Carter, trainer and handler were some of the other guest speakers. The event was a success as it provided education and entertainment. I am looking forward to more Phoenix Rising activities but as I head into this weekend I can’t wait to attend the Keeneland meet.

My “day job” prevented me from attending Keeneland’s opening weekend but later this week I will finally get my crack at visiting my favorite track. There is nothing like experiencing a live meet in the Horse Capital of the World. I’ll be checking my comments to see if you have any favorite Thoroughbreds for me to try to follow on my visits. Racing at Keeneland starts again tomorrow. Good luck to us all!

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October 5, 2016October 5, 2016

Racing with Runhappy

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There’s an old Irish saying that says just about anything you want it to. One of those being, “The best horse doesn’t always win the race.” I know of a few of the very best horses that even when they don’t win, they at least run happy. I caught up with Runhappy, himself, this weekend at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY. He was head bobbing along through the paddock with a smile on his face. He is featured in the 1st three pictures.

Runhappy is a 4 year old colt sired by Super Saver. His dam is Bella Jolie. Hap, as he is affectionately named, is a Kentucky bred horse. He usually lives at the Thoroughbred Training Center with his cat, Sancho, in my hometown of Lexington, KY. Hap, is owned by James McIngvale. He had Edgar S. Prado for a jockey in his last race. He will use Gary Stevens in his next race. Laura Wohlers is his current trainer. Runhappy has had 9 career starts and he has won 7 times. He was sidelined for all of this year until the G3, Ack Ack Handicap this past Saturday, 10/1/16. He finished up a 6 race winning streak in December with a win in the Grade 1, Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, CA. He spent most of this summer healing from a bruised cannon bone. Hap returned to racing this past weekend in preparation for the $1 million dollar Las Vegas Breeders’ Cup Mile this November at Santa Anita. Last year, Runhappy won the BC Sprint and earned himself an Eclipse Award for 2015 Champion Sprinter. His connections are working with him to do the same with the BC Mile.

The 24th running of the Ack Ack Handicap at Churchill Downs was a stakes race for horses 3 years olds and upward. It was a 1 mile race on the dirt and carried a purse of $100,000. The race is named for Ack Ack, a 1986 United States Racing Hall of Fame inductee and three time 1971 Eclipse Award winner. Ack Ack also went on to be a wonderful stallion at Claiborne Farm producing many more stakes winners.

Hap was one of 6 horses in the race this year. He unfortunately came in 4th, after a lead near the start. His connections still intend to ship him to California for the November BC Mile. Many feel he will continue to improve. Runhappy will also race in the 1st ever Pegasus World Cup on 1/28/17. The Pegasus will carry a $12million dollar purse, the world’s richest horse race.

Tom’s Ready, seen above, was the winner of the Ack Ack Handicap. He will also be targeting the BC Mile this year.

Tepin won the BC Mile last year. She is a contender to do so again. Tepin will race at Keeneland, in Lexington, KY, on opening weekend. She is entered in the First Lady Stakes, race 7 on 10/8/16. Post time is 4:35 P.M. EST. Tepin won the First Lady last year.

My beloved, Mr. Z, seen above, finished 6th in the Ack Ack on Saturday. It was his first race of this year but his 21st career start. He raced in the BC Mile last year as well. I was really pulling for him in the Ack Ack and he was leading at the half-mile. I do not know the current plans for his next race.

Churchill’s September Meet ended on October 2nd but thankfully Keeneland’s Fall Meet starts on the 7th and will continue thru the 29th. I will attend as often as possible to bring you more photos and stories. If there is any Thoroughbred in the Keeneland meet that you really want pictures of, please comment and I’ll give it a try. Thank you and check back for a new post each week.

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September 16, 2016September 16, 2016

Tepin is Pretty in Pink

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She’s sexy and she knows it! Fan favorite, Tepin, will race again on Saturday. This is one special mare. I last saw her win the 28th Coolmore Jenny Wiley Stakes at Keeneland’s Spring Meet, this past April. I got her picture, above, as she walked towards the paddock with a smile on her face. She raced from post position 8 that day and broke a 20 year stakes record by finishing 5 lengths ahead after covering 1 and 1/16 miles in 1:40.53. She will break from post 8 once again this weekend. Post 8 is assigned a pink saddle cloth. Turf queen, Tepin, will be the only lady in the field. I’m betting we might see Miss Pretty in Pink race on to her 8th straight win.

Tepin was bred in Kentucky and she was born in March of 2011. She is the offspring of Bernstein and Life Happened. Last year, Tepin won the Breeders’ Cup Mile and earned her 1st Eclipse Award. She has won 12 of 20 career starts and she began a winning streak, when I first saw her race, that has not stopped. She won the Grade 1, First Lady Stakes, in October 2015 at Keeneland. That is when she first caught my eye. I saw her win the BC Mile that same month and then I saw her win the Jenny Wiley, all at Keeneland. There have been 4 other wins mixed into the streak. Her last win was on her 1st international trip. Tepin won the Grade 1, Queen Anne Stakes at Ascot Racecourse in England this past June. She was the 1st American based horse to win the Queen Anne and she beat a field of male horses, which is becoming rather usual for her. I have written about her before, so use the search button on my website for additional background information. Now, Tepin has shipped to Canada to continue her reign as an international superstar.

The race I don’t want to miss on Saturday, 9/17/16, is the Ricoh Woodbine Miles Stakes. This race will take place at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto in the Providence of Ontario of Canada. It is the 12th and final race at Woodbine on Saturday. The post time is 6:39 PM EDT, which, conveniently for me, makes it the same time for EST. This race was inaugurated in 1988. It is a 1 mile turf race with a $1 million dollar purse for horses age 3 and older. It is part of the BC “Win and You’re In” challenge for an automatic berth into the BC Mile. Wise Dan holds the speed record, in the Woodbine Mile, with a time of 1:31.75. He won both the Woodbine Mile and BC Mile in 2012 and again in 2013.

Tepin’s regular jockey, Julien Leparoux, won the Woodbine Mile in 2011 with Turallure. Leparoux is an outstanding jockey and he won Eclipse Awards in 2006 and 2009. Tepin’s trainer, Mark E, Casse, nor her owner, Robert E. Masterson have won the Woodmile Mile yet.

The 8 horse field is a follows by post/horse/jockey/trainer/age:

Tower of Texas/Eurico Rosa Da Silva/Rodger L. Attfield/5 YO
Mutakayyef/Dane O’Neill/William J. Haggas/5 YO
Arod/Oisin Murphey/Peter W. Chappel-Hyam/5 YO
Glenville Gardens/Gary Boulanger/Sid C. Attard/4 YO
Full Mast/Joel Rosario/William I. Mott/4 YO
Passion for Action/Luis Contreras/Michael P. De Paulo/4 YO
Mr. Owen/Jamie P. Spencer/Francois Rohaut/4 YO
Tepin/Julien Leparoux/Mark E. Casse/5 YO

I hope Tepin beats the boys again! It’s Tepin Time!

Meanwhile, I’m back at the Keeneland Sales in Lexington, KY which continue thru Sunday, September 25th. I was present 2 of the 3 days of Book 1. Today book 2 of 6 is taking place. Book 1 went well with the number of yearlings sold at 346 versus 443 in 2015. The price fell to a little over $120 million dollars versus more than $134 million in the prior year. However the average and median prices rose to more than $347 thousand dollars and $300 thousand dollars respectively. The biggest seller so far went for $3 million dollars. I’ll share more photos and news and the conclusion of the entire yearling sale.

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September 9, 2016September 9, 2016

Buying the Best Breeding

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Get into the game! Do you want to buy or see the graded stakes winners of the future? If so, plan to head to Keeneland’s September Yearling Sale in Lexington, KY. Keeneland prides itself on being the auction company to graduate the best yearlings in the world.

These are a few of the pictures I took at the sale last September. Thoroughbreds sold at Keeneland are having a fantastic year. In 2016, more of their grads have gone on to win Grade or Group 1 stakes races than from any other auction house. Every winner, of each of the 2016 Triple Crown Series, was once sold at Keeneland’s yearling sale in September of 2014. Nyquist won the Kentucky Derby, Exaggerator won the Preakness Stakes and Creator won the Belmont Stakes. It would take too long to name drop all of the talent that came out of that sale. The 73rd annual sale should lead to greatness as well.

The sale starts with Book 1 on Monday, 9/12/16, at 11 am EST. All of Book 1 sale dates start at 11 am. There are 6 books in the sale that concludes on Sunday, 9/25/16. Books 2 thru 6 sales start at 10 am daily with the exception of Thursday 9/15 when there will be no sale. The schedule is as follows by book, dates and hip numbers:

9/12 hips 1-202, 9/13 hips 203-405, 9/14 hips 406-607
9/16 hips 608-1007, 9/17 hips 1008-1407
9/18 hips 1408-1817, 9/19 hips 1818-2227
9/20 hips 2228-2637, 9/21 hips 2638-3047
9/22 hips 3048-3456, 9/23 hips 3457-3861
9/24 hips 3862-4178, 9/25 hips 4179-4479

The sale will include the best sire power. 53 Tapit yearlings will go thru the auction. Pioneer of the Nile is represented by 60 of the yearlings there. Fine yearlings by Scat Daddy, Bodemeister, Tiznow and Violence will be available as well. Several more yearlings by other outstanding sires are also cataloged. Search the entire catalog here: Keeneland September Yearling Sale

If you can’t make the sale you can go to the Keeneland website to watch the entire sale or TVG and TVG2 will show parts of the sale. I will be in attendance on several days and I will post frequent pictures and news to Twitter. Follow me at Thoroughbred U . Check my webpage over the next few weeks to see more photos and sales recap information.

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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 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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