Lexington Archives - Page 9 of 10

October 5, 2015October 5, 2015

Wise and Winning

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For the remaining two days of Keeneland’s Fall Stars Weekend I had only two things on my mind, Wise Dan and “Win and You’re In”! My objectives were fulfilled in whole and I was not disappointed with seeing the two times Breeders’ Cup champion or the automatic Breeders’ Cup entries.

Right before and after Keeneland’s third race on Saturday, 10/3/15, Wise Dan, Breeder’s Cup Mile Champion in both 2012 and 2013 and now our retired and beloved OTTB (off the track Thoroughbred), was taken through the barns, into the paddock and walking ring and then paraded before the grandstands. I was granted barn and paddock access and then watched from the J.E. Bassett, III box as fans clapped and cheered for Wise Dan! I had been wanting to see him for so long. It was truly a dream come true.

As if I could stand any more excitement, I was treated to three “Win and You’re In” graded stakes that same day. That term means that the winner of the race is automatically selected to race in this year’s Breeders’ Cup. The Thoroughbred Club of America Grade II was won by Fioretti, seen above wearing orange #7. She will race next in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint Division at the month’s end.

Two races later, featured The Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity for entry into the Juvenile Division of the Breeders’ Cup. This race was won by #5, seen above in the green, Brody’s Cause. He had a nice break from the gate and a good ride.

The following race I watched as Grand Arch, #4, won The Shadwell Turf Mile to earn himself a spot in the Breeders’ Cup Mile Division. He was full of energy in the paddock and a strong leader on the wet turf.

Returning to Keeneland on Sunday , I witnessed two more “Win and You’re In” stakes races. The Dixiana Bourbon race allows the winner to participate in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Division. Airoforce, seen in the brown #13, won this race!

The next to last race, on Sunday, was The Juddmonte Spinster. The winner, of this race, is guaranteed a place in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff Division. #4, Got Lucky, truly got lucky or is one skilled race horse because she won! Look at her racing into position shortly before the finish line on the top photo of the above collage.

Finally, I can share with you some photos of most of the additions Keeneland has made for hosting the Breeders’ Cup. The top and middle left of the photo collection above shows the new Breakfast Marquee located between the North Grandstand and Racing Office. The top right picture and directly below it shows the Grandstand Loge Boxes. The middle row on the far left is the underside of the Loge Boxes as seen from the ground level beneath the Grandstand. The photo dead center and bottom left are views of the area where the Clubhouse Lawn Chalets and the Trackside Chalets are located. The bottom right shows the Saddling Paddock Chalet. Perhaps not pictured, is the Bourbon Lounge. It is located at the entrance of the stretch furthest to the South of the Grandstands. In the very middle picture, that last bit of white, in the right, could be a piece of that structure but I really must drive in and go left at gate 2 to get close enough to take a picture because it is too far from the general admission area to see it.

I hope I brought you all of the highlights each of you were hoping for. Racing resumes this Wednesday, 10/7/15. If there is anything you want a picture of send me a comment. You can get more up to the moment info by following me on Twitter and Facebook. Please, read my former posts as well. Like and share away my fellow race fans! Thank you in advance.

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October 3, 2015October 3, 2015

Falling In Love With Fall Stars Weekend

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Yesterday was cold and wet but I was still a happy lady because I was back at my favorite track, Keeneland in Lexington, KY. Friday, 10/2/15, was the 1st day of Keeneland’s Fall meet. It was also the beginning of Fall Stars weekend. This meet, Keeneland will host 16 graded stakes races between October 2 through the 24th. The total purse value is over 5 million dollars. 8 of the races allow the winner to automatically qualify for Breeders’ Cup races. These races are termed, “Win and You’re In”. I was there to see Gomo and Runhappy qualify.

Fall Stars weekend had 2 “Win and You’re In” races yesterday. Today will feature 3 more and Sunday will have 2 of these stakes as well. Race 8, yesterday, was the 163rd running of the Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Grade 3 stakes race. The purse was $250,000. Runhappy won on the sloppy track by 1 and 3/4 lengths. He won a Grade 1 stakes in Saratoga in August, his last race. His jockey is E.S. Prado, he is trained by M. Borrell, and is owned by James McIngvale. We will see Runhappy again at the same track at the month’s end in the TwinSpires Breeders’ Cup Sprint!

The next race, 9, was the feature of the day. That race was the 64th running of The Darley Alcibiades. It was a Grade 1 stakes race with a purse of $400,000. Gomo won by 2 and 3/4 lengths in the mud. That is her crossing the finish line above. She is owned by J. Paul Reddam of Reddam Racing, LLC. Her trainer is Doug O’Neil. Mario Gutierrez is her jockey. Gomo was sired by Uncle Mo. She will next race in the Juvenile Fillies Division in the Breeders’ Cup.

I had hoped to share, with all of you, pictures of some of the newest additions to Keeneland in preparation for the Breeders’ Cup but the weather kept me inside. I did however come across a new menu item, The Chicago Style Reuben. I have long been a fan of Keeneland’s traditional Reuben but I enjoyed this one as well, so much so that I ate half before considering taking a photo! I took in views of the paddock changes, the trophy, and a bit of educational BC artwork too.

It is still cool and overcast today but I am hoping a little drier. I am going back to see the races including race 6, The Thoroughbred Club of America stakes (G2), race 8, The Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity stakes (G1) and race 9, The Shadwell Turf Mile stakes (G1). They are at 4pm EST, 5:10 PM and 5:45 PM respectively. The purses are $200,000, $500,000 and 1 million dollars, in this order. I love the name Heykittykittykitty in the 6th! In the 9th Bobby’s Kitten will compete against The Pizza Man. The Pizza Man’s last race was the Arlington Million Grade 1 stakes in August where he won his third race in a row!

I am mostly excited today to see the parading of Wise Dan. He is to be shown in the paddock and walking ring during the 3rd race around 2:15 PM EST and then before the grandstand after that race. He has been living at Keeneland for a while and I have always tried and failed to see him. He won the Shadwell Turf Mile last year and in 2012. He recently retired but prior to that he was American Horse of the Year twice, American Champion Older Male Horse twice and American Champion Male Turf Horse two times also.

Sunday, will have a full day of racing including the $250,000 Dixiana Bourbon stakes (G3) and the $500,000 Juddmonte Spinster stakes (G1). The Dixiana will go off about 5:10 PM EST, as race 8 of the day, immediately followed by race 9 at 5:45. In the 8th I like the name Camelot Kitten and in the 9th we see last year’s Kentucky Oaks winner Untapable battle against this year’s winner Lovely Maria!

I hope everyone has a great day and maybe makes a little bit of money. I will get those Wise Dan photos today rain or shine! Now, I must go fix my hair and bundle up.

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September 14, 2015

Dancing With The Stars

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Good morning! It is a very busy day for this blogger. I am up early and about to head to Keeneland for a full day of sales. First, I wanted to make sure everyone was ready to root for Victor Espinoza off the track and onto the dance floor!

Dancing With The Stars is the name of a television series that covers different groups of dancers in competition in various versions in several countries. In the United States, season 21 airs beginning tonight, 9/14/15. ABC launched the American version in 2005. Professional dancers are paired with celebrities and then ranked by a panel of judges and at home viewers to determine eliminations. The final couple, at the season’s end, wins and is presented with The Mirror Ball Trophy. My parents and my favorite restaurant owner love the show. I do not watch a lot of television myself but this season of DWTS, I am going to have a big reason to tune in. This is the first time ever, in America, that one of the celebrities is a jockey. This extra special jockey is Victor Espinoza. Victor has been paired with professional dancer, Karina Smirnoff. Karina won in season 13. They are one of 13 couples who will dance this season.

Espinoza has a multitude of awards and trophies. He has won over three thousand races. He has the ESPY Award for Best Jockey in 2002, 2014 and 2015. He won the Kentucky Derby, and the Preakness Stakes riding War Emblem in 2002 and California Chrome in 2014. This year he won those two races and the Belmont stakes riding American Pharoah to win the Triple Crown. He also was the jockey for Take Charge Brandi when she got honored with the title, American Champion Two Year Old Filly, in 2014. Victor is 43 years old and he is quite charitable. He donates a lot of money to City of Hope, an organization that tackles pediatric cancer.

Be sure to watch Espinoza dance live tonight at 8 P.M. EST for the two hour season premier. There are no eliminations week one but this season Victor will need your votes so have your phone or internet handy. Until it’s TV time I am off to the Keeneland September Sale starting at 11 A.M. EST today. I will have photos and information to share with you following my trip. I hope you have a great week and that you have some horse time in your schedule too!

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September 5, 2015September 6, 2015

Horsey Homeschool

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Happy Labor Day weekend, everyone! What will all of you be doing with your time off? I will be spending some of my time in Horsey Homeschool. I thank each of you who is following me along my journey to educate myself on the Thoroughbred industry. I enjoy my live learning best but the rest of the time I read and read some more. I have accumulated so many papers, journals, forms, books etc. that I feel like a pack rat at times. I am real happy that September, for me, brings more local opportunity to learn.

Currently, the racing action is taking place a little bit too far away from me. I am developing quite the bucket list of tracks that I consider a must see. Saratoga Race Course has had a wonderful meet this summer. Last week we witnessed American Pharoah’s disappointing second place finish at the “Graveyard of Champions”. Saratoga got that nickname after Upset beat out Man O’ War in 1913 and Jim Dandy beat Gallant Fox in 1929. Both of those races were considered surprising losses. Saratoga will wrap up its summer meet this Monday, September 7th with one final Grade I stakes race, the Hopeful, won by Secretariat in 1972. Today, September 5, 2015 Saratoga has two Grade I stakes, the Woodward and the Spinaway. This is the 62nd running of the Woodward, to be held at 5:47 P.M. EST and televised by NBC. The race was named in memory of Belair Stud owner, William Woodward, Sr. He was chairman of the Jockey Club from 1930 to 1950. His Belair Stud is responsible for great horses such as Triple Crown winners Gallant Fox and Omaha. He had Thoroughbreds in every major stakes race in America. The Woodward began at Belmont Park in 1954. It has been held at Aquaduct too but is now a Saratoga race course. Today the purse, for this race, is $600,000. The dirt race of 9 furlongs, 1 and 1/8 miles, is for horses, 3 years old and up. This race has featured many of the greatest Thoroughbreds. Secretariat lost to Prove Out in 1973, which was also huge upset. There are plenty of big named winners of this race as well. The champs are 3 time winner Kelso, 4 time winner Forego, Seattle Slew, Affirmed, Alysheba, Holly Bull, 2 time winner Cigar, Curlin, Rachel Alexandra and more. Who will win today? By post position we have…

Wicked Strong
Liam’s Map
Commanding Curve
Bay Of Plenty
Mylute
Coach Inge
Effinex
Protonico

Todd Pletcher is the trainer for posts 2, 5, 6 and 8. He won this race in 2007 and 2010. James Jerkins trains posts 1 and 7. Wicked Strong is a speed horse and the 3rd favorite at this moment. He has not won a race in 2015 but he won the Jim Dandy Grade II last year and he was 4th in the 2014 Kentucky Derby as he was in the Whitney Stakes at Saratoga less than a month ago. Liam’s Map, another speed horse, is today’s favorite. His jockey, Javier Castellano, won the Travers last week. In 6 career entries Liam’s Map has always placed first or 2nd and was 2nd in the Whitney this year. Commanding Curve is trained by Dallas Stewart. This horse has had 12 starts with his last win happening at Churchill Downs in May. He raced in the KY Derby there too in 2014. Last month he was 7th in the West Virginia Governor’s Stakes. Bay of Plenty is trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, who won the Woodward in 2013. This speed horse was 1st place at Saratoga this August in the Alydar Stakes. Mylute is the oldest horse in this race. This 2013 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes runner has 20 career starts including a second place finish in last month’s Alydar Stakes. Coach Inge has been in two Grade II stakes this year finishing 1st and 3rd both at Belmont. He is Kentucky bred but has never raced at home. Effinex is the 2nd favorite today. He last won in July at Belmont. He is a New York horse with Saratoga experience. Finally, Protonico has raced lately in my neck of the woods. He won 1st at Grade III and II races at Keeneland and Churchill this year. Good luck and good health to all of today’s horses and jockeys.

With Saratoga’s season wrapping up we are just about to enter Louisville, Kentucky’s racing season. Churchill Downs will begin live racing on September 11th that will continue thru the 27th. I will be attending their Downs After Dark racing on the 19th. I am very excited about that. I’m also thrilled that American Pharoah may live and train there again, hopefully in preparation for the Breeders’ Cup. In fact, several contenders may do the same. I may have to make another visit to Churchill. The first Lukas Classic will be held there on 9/26 and it has been rumored that possibly American Pharoah could run in that race.

Also this month, the sales return to Keeneland. September 14 thru the 26th will feature the Yearling Sale. I will be going often. Buyers from around the globe will be there to buy the babies that will be the next Thoroughbred greats. I am very excited to get back on Keeneland’s beautiful grounds and see how the preparations for the live racing October meet and the Breeders’ Cup are coming along.

Finally, September brought back the return of Night School, the Thoroughbred racing industry’s official on-line program for fan education. Started in 2011, this semester began on 9/1/15 at 8:30 P.M. EST. This program is streamed live on-line and on SiriusXM for 90 minutes. This is the 27th of 40 weeks for 2015. The downloadable materials are available on-line as well. So if you can’t watch or listen live you can make it up later. This week they covered trainer, D. Wayne Lukas. He turned 80 this week and has quite the Thoroughbred history. He is who the Lukas Classic is named for. Pletcher, McLaughlin and Stewart, training for today’s Woodward, were all his assistants. Lukas still trains many of the best horses. Next week, they will cover Speed Figures and Sheets Angles. This is free and perfect for anyone, like myself, looking to learn about the industry. Night School

Welcome, September! I am looking forward to sharing my own photos and experiences with you soon. Please, feel free to share your news and pics with me too. Have a great holiday weekend.

Update: Liam’s Map won, he was followed by Coach Inge, in 2nd place and Wicked Strong showed in third.

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August 28, 2015August 30, 2015

Phollowing Pharoah

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I have not had the opportunity to make any recent trips but my mom went up to New Jersey for a week recently. She was kind enough to do a little drive by photography of Monmouth Park during her travels. This was the site of American Pharoah’s last race.

American Pharoah won the 48th William Hill Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, New Jersey on August 2, 2015. There was a huge crowd of 60,983 fans in the stands that day. There was a large crowd there in 2007, as well, when Monmouth hosted the Breeders’ Cup. When my mother was on the property, this past Saturday, she said there was a good crowd, despite the negatively slanted media’s opinion. The fans were there to watch a full race card and the Grade III Monmouth Oaks. This race first took place in 1871 and is the oldest active Oaks race in America. This year the race was 1 and 1/16 miles long for 3 year olds with purse money of $100,000. Paco Lopez won riding Delightful Joy. She is a Tapit filly and this was her first graded stakes win. She beat out Eskenformoney who ran in the Kentucky Oaks and the Mother Goose Stakes, which I have previous stories about each of those races on my website. White Clover owned by Calumet Farms showed 3rd in that race.

Having Triple Crown winner, American Pharoah participate in the Haskell was great for the track and the community. Ahmed Zayat, American Pharoah’s owner lives in New Jersey. The NJ State Senate was so pleased with the excellence in which Monmouth Park handled the Haskell that they honored the track for its success in doing so. The track has been managed out of three buildings since 1870 with occasional closures. It is my hope that this track has many years to go and to host some wonderful races.

Mom quickly spotted her home city posted on a truck at Monmouth Park. The Horse Capital of the World, Lexington, KY is the headquarters for Sallee Horse Vans. They have a hub at Monmouth Park. It is estimated that over 50,000 horses this year will travel by Sallee. They have over 200 routes that cover over 4 million miles. This family owned business has been in place since 1963. In Lexington they even have a nice 16 stall barn.

Monmouth Park was where American Pharoah’s last raced and I have been waiting all this time to see his next race. Tomorrow, August 29th he will finally run again. This race is the Travers Stakes, to take place in Pharoahtoga… well Saratoga, NY. I had a nice story earlier in the month about Saratoga race track. Check it out on my website. Secretariat also chose to race at Saratoga following his Triple Crown win. He ran in the Whitney Stakes. The Travers, named for William R. Travers, one of the tracks founders, began in 1864. Some call it Saratoga’s Midsummer Derby. It is the most popular day of Saratoga’s summer race meet. The race is Grade I for 3 years olds with a purse of $1,600,000. The distance is 1 and 1/4 miles on the dirt. Post time is 5:46 p.m. EST. It will be covered live on NBC. Should American Pharoah win he will be awarded the Man O’ War Cup by Tiffany and Co. and he will be blanketed with carnations.

The post positions are:

Upstart
American Pharoah
Mid Ocean
Texas Red
Frammento
Frosted
Keen Ice
Tale of Verve
King of New York
Smart Transition

As good as American Pharoah is, this is still a tough race. Any of these horses could win. Frosted and Texas Red have the next best current odds. American Pharoah was able to bring his favorite traveling partner along with him to this race, despite a minor injury prior. Smokey The Pony will not only be there but Donna Brothers, former jockey and current Thoroughbred racehorse reporter, will ride him while doing race coverage for NBC. Smokey flew with American Pharoah to Lexington,KY where they picked up Funny Cide and then flew on to Albany. I wish the airport had a fan lot like they sometimes do for the University of Kentucky Basketball team. I really wanted to see the 3 equines. I just spent time with Funny Cide at the Kentucky Horse Park recently. I posted that story to my website the last day of July. Funny Cide is a Saratoga bred horse who raced there twice and has won both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness. He was on view in Saratoga’s paddock on August 27th.

Keep on following American Pharoah, where I hope he wins the Travers and then the Breeders’ Cup. I wish everyone a safe and lucky weekend! Don’t forget, we can watch American Pharoah’s jockey, Victor Espinoza, on the new season of Dancing With the Stars starting 9/14/15. To see more stories and those I mentioned during this post, follow my page on Facebook or Twitter and you can always go straight to my website, as well.

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Update: Frosted was third, American Pharaoh was second and congratulations to Keen Ice, the winner of the 2015 Travers! I am so happy that no jockey or horse was inured during the race and I look forward to all the participants exciting futures.

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August 22, 2015August 23, 2015

Thoroughbred Tour Time

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It was a perfect morning here in The Horse Capital of the World, Lexington Kentucky! The weather is beautiful and I got to be in the 1st group ever to participate in the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Tour at Keeneland. We assembled at the South Grandstand entrance of Keeneland right after we turned in our sold out tickets at the ticket window. The tour began promptly at 8:30 a.m. on 8/22/15.

Rick, our skilled tour guide, walked us thru Keeneland’s entry and took us under the grandstand where we watched a short video. The film went over Keeneland’s creation in 1936 and Lexingtonian, John Gaines’, plan to develop the Breeders’ Cup, which was held 1st in 1984. Horses sold at Keeneland have won in 19 Kentucky Derbys, 21 Preakness Stakes, 18 Belmont Stakes and 83 Breeders’ Cup races. That is why having the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland for this 1st time ever, is like a home coming for the sales graduates and the founder. The Breeders’ Cup races will be held on October 30th and 31st this year.

After the movie, Rick took us to the rail to watch the morning workout for some of the horses living at the track. They have 57 barns that house about 2 thousand horses. I was hoping to get a glimpse of Wise Dan but he didn’t make it to the track today. Wise Dan lives at Keeneland and he won the Breeders’ Cup Mile in 2012 and 2013. Those same 2 years he also won, each year, American Horse of the Year, American Champion Older Male Horse, and American Champion Male Turf Horse. He has earned 3 consecutive Eclipse Awards as well. Secretariat sired Askmysecretary, who is the dam to Lisa Danielle. Lisa Danielle is Wise Dan’s dam.

Rick also pointed out the trainers watching and clocking the horses up in the stands. He talked about the tons of construction taking place to prepare for the enormous crowd that the Breeders’ Cup races will bring. They are putting in roughly 10 thousand more seats to hold a crowd of about 50 thousand people. Despite the track bringing in all the visitors and business, Rick said Keeneland makes most of its money on the 3 annual horse sales. The next sale is the Yearling sale to be held at Keeneland September 14th thru 26th of this year. I will attend several days and follow up with all of you.

Our next stop was in the Winners Circle. Keeneland usually presents winners with a Tiffany and Co. sterling silver Julep Cup. The Breeders’ Cup has a special trophy. In the circle we got to pose holding the trophy. Those aren’t my hands, I am a little camera shy but I got one to show to my friends and family anyhow. This trophy is a mini replica of the larger ecorche horse. We went thru the tunnel to see the full size version in the Paddock area, where they are putting down new concrete and sod.

My hour long tour ended there. For participating I received a wealth of knowledge, a sticker, a lapel pin and 15% off in the gift shop. The tour is the best $8 I’ve spent. Go to the website to sign up to take this tour yourself. Kids under 12 are free. The tours are select Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from now and until October 28, 2015. The maximum group size is 30 so don’t wait until it sells out.

Breeders’ Cup Tours

The tour does not take you to the barns but I had an equestrian friend visiting one, so I went to see more horses. It was bath time, which is fun to watch. I also took advantage of petting a chatty barn cat. During the Breeders’ Cup I won’t have access to the barns on Rice Road at all. The National Guard will be there to protect racing’s finest horses.

I hope all of you enjoyed my summary. Have a great weekend!

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August 5, 2015

Saratoga’s Sweet Summer

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Saratoga is having a big summer! I won’t be able to make it there myself, but our regularly contributing handicapper friend did. He spent the end of the week and last weekend visiting and got us some great pictures. Saratoga is the place to be for Thoroughbred racing right now.

Saratoga Race Course was established in 1864 in Saratoga Springs, New York. It had its first race over 150 years ago. Today, 8/5, the city of Saratoga Springs will celebrate its Centennial. The city was founded in 1915. The Saratoga Sales, put on at Fasig-Tipton, will take place in Saratoga Springs on August 10th and 11th. This Saratoga race course meet started on July 24th, with live racing, and will remain open through September 7th. Above we see a welcoming sign and the backyard where Saratoga’s sweet summer is savoured. The race course motto is, “Health, history and horses”. The racetrack is located on 350 acres of land. The main track is 1 and 1/8th mile. The turf track is 1 mile in length. Other smaller courses are located throughout. In the many stables, there are over 1,800 stalls. The facility can hold about 70 thousand fans but the record attendance has exceeded that. The largest one day handle was over 10 million dollars. That was on Travers Day in 2003 which brings us to yesterday’s big news. American Pharoah’s next race will be the grade 1 Travers Stakes on August 29th!

AmericanPharoah just won his 8th straight graded Stakes race while at Monmouth Park in New Jersey this past weekend. He easily beat out Keen Ice in the grade 1 William Hill Haskell Invitational Stakes on Sunday, 8/2. Keen Ice riden by Kent Desormeoux and trained by Dale Romans put in a great effort. Keen Ice was 7th in the KY Derby and 3rd in the Belmont is showing improvement. That race gave the park a record crowd of over 60 thousand fans. Meanwhile, over 3 million viewers tuned in to television to watch the live race on NBC. The plan is to race American Pharoah in the Breeders Cup in October at Keeneland in Lexington, KY. We are all waiting on pins and needles to see where he goes next, in the meantime. For now, we know he made it safely back to Del Mar in California and he will make his Saratoga debut later this month in the Travers.

Back in Saratoga last week, Thursday was a bit wet and the live racing that day included the John Morrissey won by Moonlight Song with Jose Ortiz riding. Friday Saturday and Sunday featured some big races too but those weren’t limited to just the horses. There were several activities to raise money for the Permanently Disabled Jockey Fund and one of those events was a jockey foot race. Above, see a photo of the gates being loaded for a soggy Thursday race and a shot of the jockeys running.

When the fans weren’t watching PDJF events or Thoroughbred racing they could check the Walk of Fame. Above we see a display for Angel Cordero, Jr. and D. Wayne Lukas. Cordero was born May 8, 1942 in Puerto Rico. He had over 7 thousand career wins as a jockey. He won 3 Kentucky Derby races, 2 Preakness Stakes, 1 Belmont Stakes and 4 Breeders’ Cup races in addition to many other graded stakes. He has 3 Eclipse Awards, he is a member of the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame, he was the leading rider at Saratoga for 13 years and he was the jockey for Triple Crown winning Seattle Slew when Cordero had his best ride ever in the 1978 Marlboro Cup Handicap. I have had a lot of good things to say about D. Wayne Lukas before and I met him in June and covered that in my post Birthday, Breezing, Betting and Backside. I also met several of his horses that day too. One was Hillbilly Style who ran 2nd in a claiming race at Saratoga this weekend. Lukas also took the stage in the finale of the jockey karaoke fundraiser for the PDJF this weekend. He will have another entry in at Saratoga on 8/7 in a maiden special weight allowance optional claiming race. Lukas is a top trainer and top class in my book.

So, what about those big races at Saratoga last weekend? Well, Texas Red beat out Frosted in the grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes seen in the two pics above. Texas Red was riden by Kent Desormeaux and trained by the jockey’s brother. He is looking like a fine runner and has placed in multiple graded stakes including a win in the Sentient Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in 2014 and ranked 16th in earnings that year. Frosted, sired by Tapit, a descendant of Secretariat, riden by Joel Rosario and trained by Kiaren McLaughlin has a fine racing history as well with a win in the grade 1 Wood Memorial Stakes, 4th in the KY Derby and 2nd in the Belmont Stakes. Not pictured, but I must mention, Rachel’s Valentina’s win in the Maiden Special Weight at Saratoga too. I am excited about this Todd Pletcher trained and Joel Velazquez riden daughter of Rachel Alexandra. Rachel Alexandra won the Kentucky Oaks, Mother Goose and Haskell in 2009. She was an amazing runner in her day. I hope her little girl does as well. Her sire, Bernardini swept the Preakness, Jim Dandy and Jockey Club Gold Cup in 2006 with a 2nd place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic that year too. Another big filly win at Saratoga this past weekend went to Stopchargingmaria over Untapable in the grade 3 Shuvee Handicap. Stopchargingmaria won the Black-Eyed Susan, Alabama Stakes and the Coaching Club of American Oaks last year. Untapable has an Eclipse Award and a win in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff as well as a win in the Kentucky Oaks and Mother Goose. That was quite a showdown of great fillies.

I wish to extend thanks to our friend and tipster with the photos. I hope someone wants to share some info on the Saratoga Sale and other fine races ahead. Tapit has yearlings for sale with hips 24, 34, 51, 70, 160, 177, and 182. The Tapit filly at Fasig-Tipton’s July Sale brought in the most money. I hope you all enjoyed this peek at Saratoga as much as I did. Have a great week!

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July 31, 2015August 4, 2015

Horse Park Happenings

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Time flies! I can’t believe it has almost been a week since I spent a day at the world famous Kentucky Horse Park. On July 25th the park hosted Hats Off Day to salute Kentucky’s Horse Industry and to benefit the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation and the Kentucky Equine Humane Center. Both are fantastic charities.

The KY Horse Park was built in Lexington, KY in 1978. The park is both a horse farm and an educational facility. Many competitions take place here as well. I arrived at lunch and had a nice picnic taking in the views of the last of the white fences. I have fond childhood memories of visiting and even camping at the park. It has always had endless looking acres of white fences with lush green grass and horses everywhere. About 18,000 horses visit the park annually and some live here permanently. Very recently the decision was made to start painting the fences black as the white paint is too expensive to maintain. I could see some of the new fence work in place. It seems a little sad.

After lunch, I began photographing the beautiful statues and plaques in place to honor some of the most famous Thoroughbreds. I also toured some barns and the museum. I could write all year about the things I saw here but a picture is worth a thousand words. Here are some Secretariat pics.

Also, some nice Man O’ War photos.

I got some Alysheba and John Henry pics too.

Then, I saw my favorite part of the day! My parents said it was like taking me to Disneyland. We saw the Hall of Champions featuring Funny Cide, Go For Gin and Da Hoss. The KY Horse Park is the only home of 2 live Kentucky Derby winners. Funny Cide won both the 2003 KY Derby and Preakness as well as an Eclipse Award that same year. Go For Gin won the KY Derby in 1994 and ran 2nd in both other parts of the Triple Crown in 1994 too. He is the oldest living KY Derby winner. Da Hoss won the 1996 and 1998 Breeders’ Cup Mile. I got to see each of theses beauties in the barn and the show presentation.

I had such a great trip last weekend. There was some great racing going on this weekend. Saratoga, in New York, featured several graded stakes including the Grade 1 Diana and Grade 1 Coaching Club of American Oaks. Go For Gin showed 3rd at Saratoga in the Forego in 1994. Forego lived in Funny Cide’s stall until he passed away in 1997. Forego won 8 Eclipse Awards. Funny Cide has a Saratoga race named for him that will take place August 28, 2015. Da Hoss finished 1st place in the Fourstardave Stakes at Saratoga in 1996. The race I am most excited about is this Sunday, 8/2/15, at Monmouth Park, in New Jersey. It is the first time our Triple Crown winner, American Pharoah will race since he won the Belmont Stakes. The race he will be in is the $1.75 Million William Hill Haskell Invitational. Funny Cide showed 3rd in this same race back in 2003. For sure there will be great Thoroughbreds making history this weekend that will someday be memorialized or perhaps even come to live at The Kentucky Horse Park!

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July 25, 2015July 25, 2015

Heaven’s Horsemen

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I would have loved to have made it to Saratoga for opening day yesterday but instead I took advantage of one of the gems in my lovely home state. I took a self guided walking tour through The Lexington Cemetery founded in 1849. With a little Google search and the help of a map and data base at the cemetery office I was able to locate several of the industry’s great horsemen’s final resting place.

First, I visited the grave of Benjamin Gratz Bruce. He passed away in 1891. He and his brother were responsible for the journal “Turf, Field and Farm”. Bruce made the first two volumes on the “American Stud Book” and he created “The Livestock Record” in Lexington. He was an expert on Thoroughbred bloodlines and racing and he was an officer for many racing organizations.

Dr. Elisha Warfield, Jr. was buried here as well after his death in 1859. He owned The Meadows, a stud farm where he bred the great U.S. Hall of Famer, Lexington. Lexington was the leading sire in North America 16 times, making him one of the greatest sires of all time. Warfield also contributed to the creation of this cemetery.

I also located the site where Barak G. Thomas was laid to rest in 1906. He owned Dixiana Farm. He bred Himyar who placed in the Kentucky Derby in 1878 and Domino, a Champion 2 Year Old and American Horse of the Year. Dixiana is still a great and active Thoroughbred farm and training facility today.

Byron McClelland died in in 1897. He is buried here too. He owned the MCClelland Stable where he owned and/or trained many great horses including Sallie, Bermuda, Henry of Navarre and Margrave. McClelland had wins in all 3 of the legs that eventually became the Triple Crown.

John R. Gaines was buried here in 2005. He founded the Breeders Cup and owned the famous Gainesway Farm. Gainesway is still an active and successful Thoroughbred farm. Gaines also founded the National Thoroughbred Association.

There are over 71,000 people buried in this cemetery and many more, than I found yesterday, that have great Thoroughbred history connections. I plan to go back and enjoy the serenity again. Share in the comments if you know of a great horseman that is buried here, in The Lexington Cemetery. Have a nice weekend!

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July 18, 2015July 18, 2015

Midterm Musing

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It is hot and sticky here today in Kentucky. There are no live races at Keeneland or Churchill Downs right now and that is certainly a bummer, but I’m using this time to reflect on the Thoroughbred scene on a more national and even international level.

Del Mar in California just got started this Thursday and attending there would certainly be a fantasy vacation for me. Also, we got word this week that California Chrome should heal up nicely as he is moving to Taylor Made Farms in Kentucky soon. Just hours ago, Taylor Made announced that in about 60 to 75 days they will host a Fan Day for Chrome after he rests up. I live nearby and I am hoping I get to see Chrome. Additionally, we are right about in the middle of the year for the 78 international stakes races, or Breeders’ Cup Challenge, that feeds winners into the corresponding 13 Grade 1 races that make up the 32nd Breeders’ Cup World Championships.

I touched on the Breeders’ Cup before in Racing Renaissance. To refresh you, there are 13 countries that come to North America and once in Canada to compete. The race moves annually to different tracks and some with repetition. This is the 1st year Keeneland, in Lexington, KY, will host the event which is the richest 2 days in sport. The purse is $26 million dollars. The richest day is sport happens to be the Dubai World Cup Night. The Breeders’ Cup got its start in 1984. The BC Classic is the best race of the series. The purse for that race alone is $5 million dollars. The other races are the Juvenile Turf, Dirt Mile, Juvenile Fillies Turf, Longines Distaff, Juvenile Fillies, Filly and Mare Turf, Filly and Mare Sprint, Turf Sprint, Sentient Jet Juvenile, Longines Turf, Sprint and finally, the Mile. First, contenders are elected 3 ways. They may enter based on performance in the Breeders’ Cup Challenge, or by a point system, or be chosen by an expert panel. The point system uses Grade 1, 2 and 3 select races to give 10 points to a winner, 6 to place and 4 to show at Grade 1. Grade 2 awards 6, 4, and 2 points respectively while Grade 3 gives 4, 2 and 1 points, in that order. Each of the 13 BC Championship races,except for the Dirt Mile, has 14 horses entered. The Dirt Mile has just 12. Of these half come from the BC Challenge and points and the other half from the panel.

The “Win and You’re In” BC Challenge began gathering contenders January 10th. There were 2 races in January, 3 in April, 2 in May, 9 in June, 8 occurring this July, 15 to take place in August, 22 in September and 16 will finish up in October. We have 21 winners already. The two BC Classic Contenders from the Challenge are Noble Bird And Hard Aces. The 1st of the 7 BC Challenge races, that lead to the Classic, was the Stephen Foster Handicap where Noble Bird won at Churchill on 6/13/15. On 6/27 Victor Espinoza rode Hard Aces in the Gold Cup at Santa Anita. Next we have the Haskell Invitational Stakes on 8/2 in Monmouth Park where American Pharoah will compete for the 1st time since his 2015 Triple Crown sweep. 8/8 will bring the Whitney Handicap in Saratoga, then the Pacific Classic will take place at Del Mar 8/22. On 9/26 the Awesome Again Stakes will be held at Santa Anita and then The Jockey Club Gold Cup will be at Belmont Park on 10/3.

In between and all around these dates a whole lot of other races for the BC Challenge and regular Thoroughbred racing will take place too. I am excited to try and keep up with it all. I am looking forward to the Haskell Invitational. American Pharoah has 7 consecutive wins and Bob Baffert has won the Haskell 7 times. I’m hoping 8 is lucky for the both of them. I have a friend who owns Quiet Force who is racing in the Arlington Million on August 15th. This was suppose to be California Chrome’s next race before the bruise. I wish Quiet Force all the luck. If he wins he will qualify for the BC Longines Turf.

If you can’t make it to the races right now, like me, keep on watching and reading! One reader wants help identifying Willie Shoemaker’s white and black checkered silks with a yellow cap that he won at auction. The Shoemaker Mile, named for this famed jockey, took place 6/13/15. It is a BC Challenge race and the winner Talco may now contend in the BC Mile. Is there anyone that can help my reader out? Please, check out the comments section. I’ve been looking but I don’t have his answer yet. I haven’t quit trying yet but feel free to make it easy on me. Thank you!

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