Kentucky Derby Archives - Page 12 of 12

July 10, 2015July 10, 2015

Super Summer Sale

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Yesterday, 7/9/15, I took some time off to catch Fasig-Tipton’s “The July Sale” which was followed by the “Summer Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale” live at their Lexington, KY location. It was a great time and I am looking forward to watching the future of these Thoroughbreds play out on the race tracks!

Fasig-Tipton is a premier Thoroughbred auction company with its Lexington location being established in 1972. The July Sale is the first United States Yearling sale of 2015. Hips 1 through 332 and 401 through 524 were featured in the barns, walking ring and sales pavilion. I came 2 hours early to walk the barns. It was a beautiful, cooler summer morning and fortunately dry to start, though we did get some sprinkles throughout the day. The horses were gorgeous and the grass appeared to be a real treat. Yum, fresh Kentucky Bluegrass! I watched as the horses were brushed and shown to some eager perspective buyers. Then I made a hasty dash to a bar stool, within the entrance to the sales pavilion. I was seated right off the walking ring, to see the sale that started at 10 am. I stayed there until nearly 3 pm watching the horses and people as I enjoyed a nice salad. I am fortunate to have made many great connections and I encountered several of these wonderful horse enthusiast throughout the day.

One of my first such connections of the day stopped by to ask me if I watched the show, “Mad Men”. I do not but I was curious as to why he would ask and he told me that Hip 6 had an interesting back story. His dam is Her Smile. She is a graded stakes winner and showed in the Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint in 2011. The more interesting fact is that while she is now owned by Frank Stronach, breeder and owner of horses and of prominent racetracks and Adena Springs Farms, Her Smile has been owned by both Bobby Flay, celebrity chef and horse owner, and Bill Backer, ad executive and creator of the Coca-Cola ad jingle, “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” used in a 1971 commercial and as the finale of television show “Mad Men” that ended in May 2015. Her hip #6 colt sold for $280,000 to De Meric Stables.

The rest of my day was full of more exciting stories and people but don’t forget, the focus was those magnificent horses. I was still there to see hip #152, a colt of Scat Daddy, sell for $385,000. Scat Daddy had sired 4 horses listed in the auction. One of those fillies, #220, was marked out but his other filly, #281, sold for $300,000 and his other colt, #105, sold for $110,000. #152 has Starbourne for his mare. Scat Daddy, who stands at Ashford Stud, currently has sired 10 stakes winners including El Kabeir winner of 2014 and 2015 multiple graded stakes.

In all The July Sale ended late but was a success. 205 yearlings were sold for a total of $20,005,000. The sale had 7 yearlings go for $300,000 or more each. 18 others sold for $200,000 or better. The average price was over $97,000 and the median was over $77,000, with both of those figures being up from the previous year, while the buy back rate went down, at 29%. #317 brought in the biggest price at $500,000. She is a filly by sire, Tapit and French Dip, her mare. Bred at Gainesway Farm, she sold to agent Steven Young. Tapit currently stands at Gainesway. He is the leading 2014 and 2015 sire. This filly was the only Tapit yearling at auction. His other offspring include 12 stakes winners. One of these is Frosted, 4th in this year’s Kentucky Derby and 2nd in the 2015 Belmont Stakes.

Before, I had to rush back to work I made a trip out with a friend to see one of the Taylor Made Sales Agency barns. I Saw some nice horses for the later sale there. #421 Mizzen Moon went on to sell for $57,000 and # 503 Seely Rose brought in $40,000.

I was long gone by the time the “Summer Sale Horses of Racing Age Sale” began. Somewhere around 9 pm, the last horse to go through the auction brought in the biggest money. The victor was #524, Temper Mint Patty, for $350,000. In this sale 65 horse sold for $3,996,000. The average price was $61,477 and the median was $48,000. Last year 109 horses were sold with a superior average but a lesser median.

The next Fasig-Tipton Sale is “The Saratoga Sale” in August. I won’t be able to make the trip to New York so please, share with me if you attend. Our 2015 and 12th Triple Crown winner, American Pharoah, was offered as hip #85 in the 2013 Saratoga Sale. You could buy the next winner or at least take a chance. Happy shopping!

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July 3, 2015July 3, 2015

Birthday, Breezing, Betting and Backside

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One week ago today I got a little older. So what does a Thoroughbred blogger do to celebrate her birthday? She spends her time with the horses! I had a great time at The Thoroughbred Center, Churchill Downs, and again at Churchill, to visit the backside.

The Thoroughbred Center in Lexington, KY is owned by the Keeneland Association. This property is the home for up to 1,000 horses. The facility has 32 barns and 10 paddocks. I went out early Saturday morning to meet power couple, Mr. and Mrs. V. They took me to meet with their friend’s horses and trainer Geoff Mulcahy. Mulcahy Equine has been in operation in Lexington for 10 years and is a premier equine operation. Mulcahy Stables has a barn on the property. There I met 2 year olds Ma’am and Tidal as well as several other beautiful horses and a barn cat. Ma’am and Tidal went onto the track and got their 2nd ever turn to run. I watched the exercise riders work the horses on the track. It was a great time and I plan to return. The Thoroughbred Center offers tours as well. Tours

That same evening, I got dressed up and headed to Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY, home of the Kentucky Derby. My friends and I sat in a nice box to watch the Night Racing and by great fortune we were sandwiched between the famous trainer, D. Wayne Lukas and his exercise rider, Jessica Sheffield. Sheffield was excited that my friends and I were spending my birthday following the Thoroughbreds so she invited us back to the Lukas barn on the backside in the morning. We took in all 11 races that night including race 8 where Skyring ran for Lukas. When that race concluded Lukas left promptly. He awakens daily at 3:30 a.m. and heads to his barn, which is located on Churchill’s property.

Somehow, my group and I struggled but after three and a half hours of sleep we woke at 4:45 a.m. to get to the backside by 5:30 a.m. These horse people start their days way too early. It was pitch black outside but Churchill’s backside was busy with horses, horsemen, and barn cats everywhere. My weary but excited group seemed to be the only tourist that morning. We were taken by Sheffield directly to be introduced to Lukas. He was very welcoming as his busy barn had the horses up and training. D. Wayne Lukas is a top trainer. He is a Hall of Famer and an Eclipse Outstanding Trainer. He has trained 26 world champions, 20 Breeders’ Cup champions, 4 Kentucky Derby winners, 6 Preakness winners, 4 Belmont winners, has 14 world champion training titles and has had 3 horse of the year champions. In his barn we met Take Charge Brandi, Hillbilly Style, Mr. Z. and more. We watched the horses be exercised in the barn and on the track. The track kitchen has direct track side views as well as biscuits and gravy. We walked all over the backside and it was a very good time. Hillbilly Style will race today, July 3rd 2015, at Ellis Park and he looked great to me Sunday morning.

My birthday weekend was wonderful and I am glad I got to share my experience with all of you as well. If given the chance you should check out The Thoroughbred Center and Churchill Downs. I hope you all get to watch some good racing this weekend and enjoy all the 4th of July festivities!

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May 6, 2015May 6, 2015

Cash Is King

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Winning money on a horse race is fun but do you ever think about how much you are winning even when you don’t bet? The Thoroughbred racing industry is a cash ~~horse~~ cow for the local, state, and national economy.

The horse industry in America pays 1.9 billion dollars in taxes. It employs 4.6 million workers generating 39 billion dollars directly and the figure explodes to 102 billion after figuring in the money from suppliers, employees and spectators. There are horses in every state. When live racing is in season the local shops, restaurants, hotels, etc. get a massive boost in visitors and money.

This past weekend featured The Kentucky Oaks and Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY. Churchill won’t release it exact figures but it is estimated to have made 100 million dollars in revenues. Nationally, the horse industry has a 3.5 billion dollar impact on Kentucky’s economy. 194,300 Kentuckians work in the industry. Visitors to Keeneland race track for 2 meets and 4 sales in 2014 brought $590 million dollars to Lexington, KY’s economy.

On May 16, 2015 Pimlico in Baltimore, MD will hold the 140th running of the Preakness Stakes. In 2013 this race brought in 2.2 million dollars to state and local taxes. All expenditures figures in at 34.7 million dollars supporting 393 full-time jobs.

The 3rd leg of the Triple Crown series will be run at Belmont Park in Nassau County in New York. In 2012 this race brought a 9 million dollar boost to the county’s economy before consideration of the money made at local businesses.

Lucky Kentucky gets yet another boost this Fall when Keeneland will host the Breeders’ Cup for the first time. When the race ran in Los Angeles in 2008 and 2009 it brought in over 60 million dollars for the city. This race was held at Churchill in 2010 and it generated 53.3 million dollars in regional revenue. The economic impact expected in 2015 is over 80 million dollars.

Keep in mind most tracks and many horseman provide a wealth of donations and funding in the name of charity and philanthropy on their own. I have had the pleasure of eating breakfast with James E. “Ted” Bassett III and he signed my copy of his book “Keeneland’s Ted Bassett My Life” for me. He is a leader in the horse industry and former chairman and president of Keeneland and president of the Breeders’ Cup Ltd. among many other things. He just funded the construction of Bassett Hall for student residence in 2016 at Transylvania University in Lexington, KY.

In the Thoroughbred racing industry we are all winners. The economic impact is outstanding. Cash is king, and it is also the name of the partnership that ran the 2005 Preakness winner, Afleet Alex. My mind is stirring with excitement for the Preakness that is just around the corner. Afleet Alex was owned by Cash is King Stable. He ran third in the Kentucky Derby and 1st in both the Preakness and Belmont Stakes. He almost fell while running the Preakness. He earned a career 2.7 million dollars before retiring to stud at Gainsway in Lexington, KY. He is still a sire there and his son Materiality just ran 6th in the Kentucky Derby and is a contender for the Preakness.

Yes, I will have a full Preakness Stakes story before race day. Until then, I will be reading and learning so I can keep on sharing. Thank you for following my posts.

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May 1, 2015June 5, 2015

Derby Dreaming

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Final Update: American Pharoah for the win, Firing Line in 2nd, and Dortmund in 3rd

UPDATE! International Star just scratched.

I should be sleeping, but I’m blogging. I’m too excited for rest anyway. Tomorrow, Saturday May 2, 2015 at 6:34 p.m. EST is the 141st running of the Kentucky Derby! I wavered on my pick for the Oaks, she showed, but tomorrow it is time to seize the day. I have my sights set on Carpe Diem, he has been my favorite for a long time. Before I get ahead of myself, we need to explore the history, traditions, contenders, and keep it fun.

The Kentucky Derby was ran at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky for the first time in 1875. It is the only race in the Triple Crown that has run consecutively since its beginning. It is also the youngest of the 3 races. The Preakness started in 1867 and took time off from 1891 to 1893. The Belmont began in 1873 but took a break from 1911 to 1912. The first Triple Crown winner, Sir Barton, ran in 1919.

The Derby is also called The Run for the Roses. The winning horse has received a garland of roses since 1896. The drink of choice is the distinctive, but not delicious, Mint Julep, consisting of bourbon and crushed mint, like booze and toothpaste, yuk. The pie, named for the day, is quite yummy and when I start making You Tube videos I am going to share my version with you. I plan to start the You Tube thing soon as I just got a book on it. The song, of course is, “My Old Kentucky Home”. The fastest Derby horse ever clocked was Secretariat in 1971. Only one other horse has beat the 2 minute mark. That happened in 2001 with Monarchos. This race is 1 and 1/4 miles (10 furlongs) on the dirt. It will be the 11th race of the day at Churchill. The purse is 2 million dollars. There will be 4 trophies issued. A gold trophy goes to the winner and a silver one for each the jockey, trainer, and owner. The side depicts a horseshoe and the top has a mounted horse. Don’t forget the hats. Ladies, be creative. Spend big, make a fashion statement, or make your own hat. Be on the lookout for markdown hats in the Fall and Winter then custom design your hat to match your dress, with a stop at your favorite hobby shop. Go from drab to fab if your mom is good with a glue gun, wire cutters and thread.

Finally, lets get to the horses! Listed by post position the Derby will feature:

Ocho Ocho Ocho
Carpe Diem
Materiality
Tencendur
Danzig Moon
Mubtaahij
scratch
Dortmund
Bolo
Firing Line
scratch
scratch
Itsaknockout
Keen Ice
Frosted
War Story
Mr. Z.
American Pharoah
Upstart
Far Right
Frammento

American Pharoah is the favorite. He lost his first start but has not been defeated since, he is a speed horse but he has to cut to the rail from a great deal away. He is the reining juvenile champion. He is owned by Zayat Stables just as Mr. Z is. They are running side by side and he is also a speed horse. They do have different trainers, the 1st is Bob Baffert ,who took all of his fillies out of the Oaks, and the later is D. Wayne Lukas.

Dortmund is the 2nd favorite. He is sired by 2008 Derby winner Big Brown. He has the experience of 6 races including this very track where he won by over 7 lengths. He is running undefeated, as is Materiality. Only 7 undefeated horses have ever won the Derby. Dortmund is trained by Baffert, as is the favorite. He is also a fan of the speed. I like his position better too. He is one of 3 California horses in the race, including Firing Line and Bolo. Firing Line is also known for speed and finished close 2nd twice to Dortmond but also set a track record for 1 and 1/8 miles at the Sunland Derby of just 1 minute and 47 seconds. He is a steady runner. Bolo, has finished third to Dortmund twice this year.

Carpe Diem and Materiality also have to come out side by side under the same trainer, Todd Pletcher, but are owned by separate groups. Both speed horses they have to be careful not to get in each others way. Carpe Diem has won 4 of 5 races and was 2nd only in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, he has shown a lot of versatility in his races. Danzig Moon trailed him at 2nd place in the Bluegrass Stakes. Materiality was the winner of the Florida Derby.

Ocho Ocho Ocho will also speed early. He is sired by 2007 Derby winner, Street Sence. He is right on the rail, so that should get him out in front but I do not think he can keep up the pace for the duration. Far Right isn’t as far out to the right as he was positioned before Pletcher scratched a third horse, and yet another last minute scratch. He is a deep closer, perhaps the strongest closer, so he can probably handle his position. He has run second to American Pharaoh and will benefit from this race being a bit longer. International Star and Keen Ice are closers too. Keen Ice has run third to International Star and looks to be a longshot. He is owned by the lovely Irish, Donegal Racing. International Star is so experienced with 20 to 1 wins. He is sired by 2000 Derby winer, Fusaichi Pegasus. He won the Louisiana Derby. He is owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsey, the winningest owners at both Churchill and Keeneland. Frammento was added in when Pletcher pulled a horse out. He has no stakes wins this year. He does have the experienced and derby winning Nick Zito for a trainer.

Frosted could be a pleasant surprise. He had surgery recently to improve his breathing and he is trained by Kiaran McLaughlin who is no newbie to the Derby or major racing. He has the same odds as Upstart, who ran second in the Florida Derby to Materiality.

Other long shots include Tencendur, Itsaknockout, and War Story. Tencendur runs with the pace. Itsaknockout lacks experience and was fourth by a distance in the Florida Derby. International Star has beat out War Story, also a closer, 3 times.

Mubtaahij may have done the best job of staying off the radar. No Middle East horses have won the Derby yet but he has a fighting chance. He is in a good post position. He has talent and won the United Arab Emirates Derby. This will be his first race in the United States.

I gave you my pick. My tipster opted out of a tip, this time, but shared a lot of materials. Two of my experienced and winning friends volunteered their favorite horse for this Derby. They say, go with Firing Line, with Mr. Prospector and Raise a Native on both sides of the pedigree. Looking at recent Derby winners, and his loss by a nose to Dortmund, after a bump, and again by just a nose, to the same, he is ready to win. In his last start he won by over 14 lengths! One winning Derby horse since 2010 has defaulted by this bloodline. That amazing freak of nature was Animal Kingdom in 2010.

As for the fun… I hope everyone does something special to enjoy the Kentucky Derby. Keeneland is hosting the world’s largest party and that is where I will be. Whatever you do, seize the day! Please, follow me on Twitter and Facebook, also ThoroughbredU. Go Carpe Diem! I leave you with 2 great songs:

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