Lexington Archives - Page 8 of 10

November 1, 2015November 1, 2015

Grand Slam? Yes, Ma’am!

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Above: American Pharoah leaves the race track for the last time, retiring to stud as a true champion.

We, the fans of horse racing, ask for the stars and American Pharoah delivers! Other sports like tennis and baseball have a “Grand Slam” to finish their season and now, for the 1st time in history, so do we! We waited 37 years to have a Triple Crown winner and the horse to do this was American Pharoah. In 1984 the Breeders’ Cup Classic was created as the definitive race to highlight the year end champion of international racing. Going in to this year’s Breeders’ Cup, we knew that we might have the 1st champ to win both the Triple Crown and the BC Classic. We all waited eagerly and we got our Grand Slam!

Above: American Pharoah draws the largest paddock crowd at Keeneland, in Lexington, KY, that I have ever seen. My friends waited 4 hours or better to get a glimpse and it was difficult.

What a year to go with my passion and start blogging on the Thoroughbred industry. I started the very first day of this year with my brand new computer from Christmas. My experience has been one joy to the next. I love the opportunity to share with all of you as others in the industry are so kind to share with me as well. It has been an amazing year. Watching American Pharoah’s career is a dream come true for racing fans. He won the Kentucky Derby by a length, then the Preakness Stakes by 7 lengths and the Belmont Stakes by 5 and 1/2- lengths as fans wept for joy, many having seen such Triple Crown greatness for the 1st time in their lives. Yesterday, 10/31/15, he won the BC classic in 2:00.07 by 6 and 1/2- lengths!

Above: American Pharoah parades before taking post position 4 and then he blurs past me shortly after he breaks from the gate already in the lead.

The Breeders’ Cup Classic is a 1 and 1/4 mile race on the dirt with a purse of $5 million dollars. American Pharoah was the 3-5 favorite to win and he did so beating Keeneland’s track record, for a race of this length, which was 2:05.36. To learn more about American Pharoah and his connections check out the tags on my blog or read my post Fabulous Pharoah Too see more of his great BC Classic win, watch this cool video IMG_2961 and see my photos below.

Above: Victor Espinoza has no use for the whip. He points at us, the fans, as he sails by the finish line and we can’t even see American Pharoah’s hooves touch the ground.

Finally, thank you to all of my friends that got me great seats and photos and to Bob Baffert, American Pharoah’s trainer, Victor Espinoza, the amazing jockey, Ahmed Zayat, the owner, all of the fans, the industry employees and connections that helped to make history. Also, a special thanks goes out to American Pharoah, the horse. He has some character and true athleticism and passion. He will retire tomorrow at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud, in Kentucky. Let’s all hope he has a long happy life and sires many more champions like himself. This is Espinoza’s 3rd BC win. Baffert just won his 12th BC race. The Zayat family is enjoying their 1st BC win. In the BC Classic Effinex ran 2nd and Honor Code showed 3rd. Stay tuned for a full Breeders’ Cup post on all of the other great races over the 2 day event.

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October 29, 2015October 29, 2015

Purple Prelude Passion

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Breeders’ Cup Eve is upon us with today’s event, The Prelude to the Cup! For those lucky enough to make it to Keeneland in Lexington, KY we are in for a special treat. Today, 10/29/15, Keeneland has been draped in rich purple to covert my favorite race course into the grounds for the 2015 Breeders’ Cup World Championships.

I will be present today after the gates open at 11 A.M. EST to witness 9 live races and Breeders’ Cup contenders schooling in the paddock. Race 1 starts at 12:30 P.M. Race 8 posts at 4:24 P.M. and is the feature race, The Lafayette Stakes. Our handicapper friend drew my attention to the 5th race. He says to pay attention to “horse 9, Cheryl D. Trainer, Larry Rivelli, wins a sharp 26% with first timers. This 2 year old daughter of red hot Uncle Mo has a nice set of works and she should be ready to win at first asking. Let’s hope we get close to the 8-1 morning lines.”

Race 5 has a purse of $56,000 and is a maiden special weight. Twelve 2 year old fillies will compete in this 6 and 1/2 furlong race. Cheryl D has had two nice workouts at Keenleand this month and 3 works at Arlington prior. She was bred in Kentucky. Her breeder was John Liviakis. Her jockey will be Jose Valdivia, Jr. He is an experienced rider with multiple graded stakes wins including the 2001 Breeders’ Cup Mile and the 2011 Belmont Stakes. Larry Rivelli has trained horses in over 4 thousand starts. More than 300 of those races took place this year. He has won multiple graded stakes too.

I am pretty excited to have a chance to preview our Breeders’ Cup contenders in the paddock today. I am blown away by the caliper of this year’s participants. There is even a Triple Crown winner for me to see live, wow! All eyes will be on that fantastic champ, American Pharoah but I’m pretty crazy about seeing my buddy, Mr. Z again too. I’m in awe of them all.

If you can’t make it, don’t worry. I will get those pictures for your eyes to feast upon!

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October 27, 2015October 27, 2015

Post Position Party

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A large crowd assembled at the Maker’s Mark Bourbon Lounge last night, 10/26/15. They were all eager to hear the last 2 of the 13 Breeders’ Cup races post positions to be drawn. 2000 tickets were available to the public. Media, staff, employees of Rood and Riddle (the event sponsor), horseman and their connections, and more attended as well. I was fortunate to snag a public ticket!

At 5:30 P.M. EST my friends and I parked on Keeneland’s grounds and made our way into the packed front end of the tent. There is more than enough room inside the Bourbon Lounge to hold a group that size but we all wanted to be in the front. We hoped to hear from Keeneland’s and Breeders’ Cup representatives plus our Lexington Mayor, Jim Gray, and University of Kentucky Men’s Basketball coach, John Calipari. Calipari was selected to draw for the post positions for the BC Distaff and Classic divisions. He began at 6 P.M. and very quickly we finally all knew where our favorite Thoroughbreds would be placed in the gate. The room erupted with applause when Triple Crown winning, American Pharoah, was selected for post 4 in the BC Classic. I have read that Bob Baffert, his trainer and Victor Espinoza, his jockey, are pleased as well. See the photo above for the full listing of these two races.

After the drawing, we were entertained by a live band and treated to hors d’oeuvors. I also appreciated the progress that was made in one day’s time to make the tent more beautiful. I had been there to train the previous day and since then there were several new touches. It should make for a nice Breeders’ Cup experience.

Finally, I enjoyed being part of the event. It is awesome to see so many people come together with such enthusiasm for the horse racing industry. I saw some old friends and met some new people as well. I also ducked outside to see what changes I could find. I found that there is now an infield screen facing the Bourbon Lounge and I could barely spot in the distance that the starting gate was now decorated for Breeders’ Cup rather than Keeneland.

Excitement is mounting. The Breeders’ Cup is sure to be a historical moment that we won’t soon forget. Do you think American Pharoah will get the grand slam?

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October 25, 2015October 25, 2015

Work It!

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Breeders’ Cup week is upon us! There are tons of activities taking place each and every day. See the Keeneland website for details: Breeders’ Cup Events Today, my event was training. I am so thrilled that I am volunteering Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Keeneland.

I will be working in the Chalet Village at Keeneland for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships. This is the 1st time the BC will be held at Keeneland and everyone is so excited for this “Homecoming” experience. Lexington is the Horse Capital of the World. Many of the Thoroughbreds worldwide are bred, born, race, sold, stud and retire here so it is fitting they should hold the World Championships here as well. The Chalet Village consists of several temporary but fine structures right off of the track. The photo above depicts these structures.

My training began in the sales pavilion, shown above. We saw a beautiful video about Keeneland’s passion for the Breeders’ Cup and had several heartfelt and emotional speakers associated with Keeneland and the BC. I was issued an attractive vest for my uniform and my credentials on a lovely lanyard. I am so excited that I can be part of this experience and that I can help others enjoy it as well.

Training wrapped up for me inside the Maker’s Mark Bourbon Lounge. I have several friends that will be seated there for the Championships. I was excited to tell my comrades that they will have access to a patio and be allowed an awesome track view from the turn which is a new experience for them all. I will be attending the post-postion draw for the BC World Championships at 5:30 P.M. EST tomorrow night, 10/26/15, in this room. They will have it all swanked out by then. University of Kentucky’s Mens Basketball Coach, John Calipari, will draw for the BC Distaff and the BC Classic races. We love our Thoroughbreds and our basketball here in Kentucky, also known as, Big Blue Nation!

Additionally, I will be volunteering this Thursday for the Prelude to the Cup. The Prelude will feature a full day of racing as well beginning at 12:30 P.M. EST. I do not know my task yet for this event. Please, enjoy my pictures from today and follow along this week as I share my Breeders’ Cup experiences and other important and interesting information and photos.

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October 24, 2015October 25, 2015

Saturday Sendoff

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I’m not at Keeneland today but it is the closing day for the live racing meet so I have to give it a proper sendoff. Keeneland it has been a blast and I hope today is a good time for humans and horses alike.

Our tipster is likely in attendance. He gave us a final pick for the meet. He says’ ” (Check out) race 8, (horse) #6, Sister Blues. (She) ran her guts out last time, opening weekend, at Keeneland and should run very well unless she only liked the muddy track.” Well, this tip is about the best spin on a rainy day I have seen in a while because he made this statement last night and now it is raining!Race 8 goes off at 4:57 P.M. EST today. It is an allowance race with a purse of $58,000. There are 10 entries. The race is 1 and 1/16 miles on the dirt for fillies and mares age 3 or older. Sister Blues is a 3 year old, Kentucky bred and owned by Lucky Seven Table. Her sire is Pioneer of the Nile, just like our Triple Crown hero American Pharoah. Sister Blues finished 2nd at Keeneland on October 3, 2015. She has one win in her 5 career starts. Her jockey today is Drayden Van Dyke. He has an Eclipse Award and has won multiple graded stakes in over a thousand starts. Thomas F. Proctor is her graded stakes winning trainer. He won at the 1994 Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

A final thought for the day. Who is this horse pictured above? I have had the great pleasure of seeing many of the Thoroughbreds that will participate in this year’s Breeders’ Cup while they have been schooling in Keeneland’s paddock this meet. I saw this beauty on October 7th and was struck by the height of this horse. Leave a comment if you know who it is? I do not. Here is an unedited picture below.

Update: Sister Blues finished last. She maintained a middle position for a good portion of the race then she went to the outside and fought her way to third. Unfortunately, right after she made that position she quickly faded to the back. The race was won by Gamblers Rose who held the lead from the break.

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October 23, 2015October 25, 2015

Awesome Autumn

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Yesterday was my last day at Keeneland’s Fall meet. It was nothing short of spectacular. I captured a little of autumn’s beauty to share with each of you. I was also thrilled to see yesterday’s tip win as was our contributing handicapper, so he shared another.

Our tipster says “(In) race 3, (bet on horse) #1, Maziette. (She) was very wide last time out, at this level, and should improve if given a better trip.” Maziette is a 3 year old filly, bred in Kentucky, with 1 win in 7 starts. She has already raced at Keeneland this month and she finished third. Maziette is trained by Ron Moquett and her jockey is Ricardo Santana, Jr. Moquett had 2 horses at Keeneland this past Wednesday. Santana won 2 of his 3 Keeneland races yesterday.

Today, 10/23/15, race 3 will post at 2:12 P.M. EST. It is a 6 and 1/2 furlong claiming race on the dirt for fillies and mares 3 years old or older. Only 6 horses are entered.

Enjoy your day. My countdown to the Breeders’ Cup is in full effect. We have less than a week until the Prelude to the Cup! I will be there. Leave a comment to share your Breeders’ Cup plans.

Update: Maziette placed 2nd at a good price. Maziette was in the back but came in from the outside late in the race. She finished behind Tiz Sexy Now who lead from the break and held that position throughout.

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October 18, 2015October 18, 2015

Just Beachy

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Today is Sunday and I am just about to head to Keeneland for the third day in a row! I always have such a nice time there. Our handicapper friend drew my attention to today’s 6th race.

“Beach Walk (horse #9) was a pricey filly purchased for $435,000 and over 4 times the price of the stud fee of $100,000 for Distorted Humor. Catalano (trainer) is heating up after a slow start this meet and this filly looks like she has been very fast in the morning”, he says. Beach Walk has never raced before. She is 2 years old and she will have Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. for her jockey. He has won multiple graded stakes including the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2013 with Fort Larned. He has an Eclipse award as well. Wayne Catalano is the trainer. He is from Louisiana and has trained multiple stakes winners and 3 Breeders’ Cup winners including Stephanie’s Kitten. Gary and Mary West own Beach Walk. Race 6 today (10/18/15) is a Maiden Filly race for 2 year olds. It is 6 furlongs and has a purse of $65,000. Post time is 3:51 PM EST.

Now, I’m off to the races!

Update: Beach Walk ran most of the race in the top 3, leading in a brief moment near the end, to show third in a photo finish!

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October 17, 2015October 18, 2015

Money on my Mind

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It is day 2 of a long Keeneland weekend for me, 10/17/15. I am having a great time as usual. I met up with Jean Cruguet, Triple Crown winning jockey, here this morning to talk about an upcoming project. Cruguet rode Seattle Slew in all 3 legs of the series! It is almost race time now and our handicapper has another tip to share with us.

The tipster says, “Race 6, (horse) #3, Great Minds, ran well here in the Spring but may not have enjoyed the speed, favoring a turf course in upstate New York in July. Al Stall (trainer) is very good with horses coming off a 61 to 180 day layoff.” Great Minds is a 4 year old gelding, bred in Kentucky at Claiborne Farms. He has had 12 career starts. He raced at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky on April 17th, 2015. His last race was at Saratoga this July. Today at 3:51 PM EST he will race on the turf and once again he is at Keeneland. His jockey is Miguel Mena. Mena is from Lima, Peru. He is a multiple graded stakes winning jockey and won the Breeders’ Cup Las Vegas Marathon Stakes last year. Great Minds’ trainer is Albert Stall, Jr. He has also won multiple graded stakes and has 2 Breeders’ Cup wins. One was the Classic in 2010 with Blame. Great Minds is owned by Vince Wilfork. He has 14 career starts. Four of those are 2015 races.

Enjoy the tip! Thank you for following and sharing.

Update: Great Minds finished fifth. He ran most of the race as last in the group. Then he came around wide and with an increased speed at the races end but it was too little too late.

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October 15, 2015October 16, 2015

This Race is for the Ace

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Our tipster is on fire! Please, be especially thankful that our contributing handicapper has given us two back to back first place winning tips on the past two days of Keeneland’s Fall meet. He isn’t finished. We have another tip for today.

On this fine 15th of October, at Keeneland, look to race #7. Our tip guy says, “#5, Holding Aces, was very impressive in his first start. He should be forwardly placed but will have to hold off a late charge form #4, Watershed. Catalano (Holding Aces trainer) looks like he has a nice colt here and could hold on at a good price.”

Holding Aces in a 3 year old colt owned by Gary and May West. The West’s have had multiple grades stakes wins in their over 1,600 starts including a 1st place Breeders’ Cup win. The jockey is multiple graded stakes winning Shaun Bridgmohan. Bridgmohan has an Eclipse award for outstanding apprentice jockey. He has come in 2nd in the Kentucky Derby and both 2nd and 3rd in several Breeders’ Cup races. Wayne M. Catalano has over 12 thousand career starts and is the multiple graded stakes winning trainer to Holding Aces. Catalano has had several 1st place finishes in Breeders’ Cup races. Holding Aces ran 1st in his only career start. That happened last month at Churchill Downs, in Louisville, KY.

Watershed, is also a 3 yer old colt. He is owned by Godolphin Racing, LCC. They have 2 Eclipse awards and multiple graded stakes wins in over 1000 starts. Those include many first place finishes in the Breeders’ Cup, and they finished 2nd with Frosted in this years Belmont Stakes. Joel Rosario is the jockey for Watershed. He has finished repeatedly at 1st, 2nd or 3rd in all legs of the Triple Crown. He has over 11 thousand starts with multiple grades stakes wins and has several Breeders’ Cup wins too. Kiaran P. McLaughlin trains Watershed. He is a multiple graded stakes winner as well. He was the trainer for Frosted at the Belmont Stakes. He has over 6 thousand starts to his credit and has done very well in Breeders’ Cup races too. Watershed has 2 career starts. Both were at Saratoga this past August. He came in 1st then 4th. His 1st race, of course, was his maiden and his second was the King’s Bishop Stakes. Grade 1 is very impressive, I believe, for his second race.

Fingers crossed, and all that superstition that we get another win today. Thanks for reading and sharing. I return to the live action Friday!

Update: Watershed won after being last place for most of the race. He went wide to win by 1 and 3/4 lengths. Holding Aces finished 5th after taking the lead straight out of the gate and holding in the front three for most of the race until Sharm and Watershed came up from the back.

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October 10, 2015October 11, 2015

Royal Racing

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I hope that everyone is having an excellent weekend. I will be working today so no live racing for me but that won’t keep me from day dreaming about it. There are plenty of great races today including the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes!

Keeneland will feature the QEII today, 10/10/15. This race was inaugurated in 1984 when the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II , visited Keeneland in Lexington, KY for the stakes race. Crown Queen won the race last year. It is an invitational turf race for 3 year old fillies of 9 furlongs (1 and 1/8 miles). The Grade 1 purse is worth $500,000.

Mt tipster suggests that for race 9 at Keeneland bet on #9, Sentiero Italia. He says, “The Queen Elizabeth II, on Saturday, has several nice 3 year old fillies. Kiaran McLaughlin (trainer) is extremely high on (the) daughter of Medaglia D’Oro and he should be. She (Sentiero Italia) has 4 wins from 6 starts and has earned $621,000 including 2 recent grade 2 routes at this same 9 furlong distance. McLaughlin hopes to stay red hot as he has won 3 of his 4 starts at Keeneland this meet.”

Medaglia D’ Oro is a multiple graded stakes winner and a great sire with a 2nd place finish in the 2002 Belmont Stakes and 2nd place in both the 2002 and 2003 Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Kiaran Mclaughlin is a Lexington, KY native who has won at Keeneland this meet with Robillard on October 7th, Farz on October 4th and Pin Up on October 2nd. He has had a lot of international success in his over 6 thousand starts. McLaughlin has been the trainer for multiple graded stakes wins including the Belmont Stakes in 2006 with Jazil and the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2006 with Invasor. He won the QEII in 2008 with Alwajeeha.

Joel Rosario will be the jockey for Kentucky bred Sentiero Italia owned by Godolphin Racing LCC. Rosario won the QEII race with Harmonious in 2010. Godolphin has yet to win the QEII. Rosario will enter the gate at 5:30 PM EST.

Have a great time at the track and tell me something about the experience in a comment. Thank you, fellow race fans!

Update: Senteriro Italia showed in third place.

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