Sharing with you my fascinating discoveries about Thoroughbred racing, sales, fashion, food, beverage, tips and more.
Another weekend presents itself and I’m taking a little road trip to catch some live racing! I will be driving North of the Horse Capital of the World for my first race in Ohio, my first race at Thistledown, my first Ohio Derby!
Continue reading “Opinion on the Ohio”
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Mr. Z, above, lovable and yet a bit of a nibbler. In the D. Wayne Lukas stable in June, 2015. The benefit is worth the risk if you are lucky enough to meet him.
Happy Thanksgiving! I have so much to be thankful for this year and the blessings will keep coming. Churchill Downs has a very nice closing weekend lined up for us. 11/24-11/27 brings 4 days of racing with 7 nice stakes including the Grade 1 Clark Handicap!
Mr. Z, above, in the Ack-Ack Handicap in October, 2016.
The Clark Handicap is one of America’s older races. Occurring annually in the Fall, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY, this year’s addition takes place on Friday, 11/25/16. The race is named for the founder of the Louisville Jockey Club, Colonel M. Lewis Clark. The Louisville Jockey Club built much of Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby. The 142nd running of the Clark Handicap is a dirt race of 1 and 1/8 miles (9 furlongs) for horses age 3 or older. The purse is $500,000. The Clark Handicap will post at 6:24 p.m. EST. We will be treated to a field of 10 horses on a card of 12 races. The competition is as follows by post, horse, jockey,trainer and morning line odds :
There are a lot of big talent horses in this race and a few more obscure Thoroughbreds as well. Any horse will be lucky to win but historically some Clark winners have really clinched the title and hit it twice. Hodge won in 1915 and 1916. Bold Favorite was 1st in both 1968 and 1969 and Bob’s Dusty won in 1977 and again in 1978. Hoppertunity and Effinex will both have the chance to win their second Clark Handicap in tomorrow’s race. Looking to the trainers, Bob Baffert will have a chance to win his 4th Clark Handicap, which would make him the trainer with the most wins. Currently, Ben Jones, Smiley Adams and Bob Baffert have all won the Clark thrice.
Mr. Z, above in the Hagyard Fayette Stakes in October 2016.
Gun Runner is the KY bred colt of Candy Ride and Quiet Giant. He is 3 years old. Gun Runner has won 5 of his 11 career starts. He is experienced at Churchill Downs and was 3rd in the 2016 KY Derby.
Effinex is the 5 year old son of Mineshaft and What a Pear. Bred in NY, he has won 9 of his 27 races. His only race at Churchill has been the Clark Handicap in which he dominated in 2015. He had a surprisingly late finish in the BC Classic this year. Can he win the Clark again?
Are You Kidding Me is a KY bred 6 year-old. He was born to Run Away and Hide and Sweet Awakening. He has won 9 of 31 races and holds the 2015 Sovereign Award for Champion Older Horse. He has primarily raced at Woodbine but he finished 5th at Churchill in the Stephen Foster Handicap this past June.
Shaman Ghost has not raced in 3 months. He had to scratch from the Breeders’ Cup Classic due to a brief illness. He is a ON bred colt by Ghostzapper and Getback Time. Shaman Ghost is trained by Jerkens, winner of the 2015 Clark. He has won half of his 12 starts and he holds the Sovereign Award for 2015 Champion 3 year Old Colt.
Hawaakom is a 6 year-old KY bred gelding born to Jazil and Nafisah. Hawaakom has won 7 of his 30 career starts. He has experience at Churchill, including a second place finish in the Lukas Classic in October.
Noble Bird is trained by Casse and I have had the extreme pleasure of visiting this KY bred horse while he was stabled at Keeneland. This 5 year old colt is sired by Birdstone. His dam is Anyhow. Noble Bird’s jockey, Leparoux, won the Clark in 2008 with Einstein. Noble Bird has won 7 of 19 starts. He frequents both Keeneland and Churchill. He won stakes races at both in October.
Breaking Lucky is another ON bred colt. He is the 4 year-old son of Lookin At Lucky and Shooting Party. He has won 3 of 15 career starts. His last time out was his only Churchill race where he finished 8th in the Lukas Classic.
Mr. Z is the KY bred 4 year-old colt of Malibu Moon and Stormy Bear. He has had 22 career starts including two Breeders’ Cup entries. Mr. Z broke his maiden in his first race, that was at Churchill Downs in 2014. He also won the Ohio Derby. He is clearly my favorite horse in this race and trained by my favorite trainer, D. Wayne Lukas. If Lukas wins this race and Baffert does not, it would put Lukas in as one of the few 3 time Clark winning trainers. Lukas won the 2013 Clark with Will Take Charge.
Hoppertunity won the Clark in 2014 and finished second in 2015. He is a KY bred horse by Any Given Saturday and Refugee. Hoppertunity has won 6 of 23 starts. He recently finished 4th in the BC Classic. Is it his turn to clinch a second Clark?
Prayer for Relief is the oldest horse in the race at 8 years-old. He is a KY bred horse by Jump Start and Sparklin Lil. He has raced an amazing 44 times with 8 wins. He raced in the Clark Handicap in 2011, 2013 and 2014. It must be a favorite race for him by now. His trainer, Romans, won with Shackleford in 2012.
Mr. Z, above, in the paddock before the 2016 Ack-Ack at Churchill Downs.
I hope everyone has plenty of blessings that they can be thankful for today. Enjoy your family, friends, lots of food and the last live races at Churchill Downs of 2016. I’ll be rooting for Mr. Z. I enjoy watching some of the more experienced horses in the game taking another shot at a nice stakes race. Happy Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for all of my readers and the support you have shown me. Thank you!
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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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California Chrome is ready again to prove that he is the most awesome male in Thoroughbred racing today! Tomorrow, 10/1/16, Chrome will race in the Xpressbet Awesome Again Stakes. Chrome is undefeated in all 5 of his 2016 races and based on his recent workouts he is looking like every bit of the champ that will keep the wins coming. He is 5 at 5!
California Chrome is the flashy 5 year old son of Lucky Pulpit and Love The Chase. Chrome is a California bred Thoroughbred with some Kentucky connections. In 23 starts he has won 14 times. He won 2 of the 3 legs of the Triple Crown in 2014. He finished 3rd in the Breeders’ Cup Classic as a 3 year old, as well. Chrome earned 2 Eclipse Awards that same year, Horse of the Year and Champion 3 Year Old Colt. With 2 nice finishes at 2nd in 2015, Chrome traveled a bit and then got some rest and relaxation at Taylor Made Farm in Kentucky. That is where I visited him on 2 occasions. He will retire there soon to make beautiful Chrome babies. He is affectionately called Junior and he is both an amazing race horse and just a joy of an animal at the same time. He loves his cookies and hamming it up for the camera and his fans, even babies. Chrome will race in the Awesome Again Stakes, the Breeders’ Cup Classic and the Pegasus World Cup before he returns to his old Kentucky home, to stay.
One race at a time, California Chrome is focused on another win in the Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Chrome calls nearby Los Alamitos Race Course his current home. His last race was 8/20/16 when he won the Pacific Classic Stakes at Del Mar. He has been resting and prepping nicely ever since then. He got in a fast 7 furlongs at Los Alamitos on 9/24/16. This morning he galloped and schooled at Santa Anita. All signs show, Chrome is at his best at age 5. It is worth noting that the Stronach group put up a $1 million dollar bonus for the connections of the horse that could sweep the Pacific Classic, the Awesome Again and the BC Classic. 1 down, 2 to go!
The Awesome Again Stakes was inaugurated as the Goodwood Breeders’ Cup Handicap in 1982. The Goodwood name came from England’s Goodwood Racecourse. In 2008 the race became the Goodwood Stakes. Named once again in 2012, it became the Awesome Again Stakes for Awesome Again, the horse that won the BC Classic in 2008. The race is 9 furlongs (1 and 1/8 mile) on the dirt for Thoroughbreds age 3 and up with a purse of $300,000. Some of my personal winners include Ferdinand and Silver Charm. Last year, Smooth Roller won. Posting at 3:37 P.M PDT (6:37 EST) , the Grade 1, Awesome Again Stakes is the 7th race on a card of 11. The first post is at 12:30 P.M. PDT. It is a Breeders’ Cup “Win And You’re In” berth race for the 2016 BC Classic. NBC will begin its television coverage at 5:30 P.M. EST. The preceding race, the G1 FrontRunner Stakes, brings a BC berth into the BC Juvenile Division race. Actually, every race from the 6th to the 10th is a BC berth. Those should be fun to watch and/or bet as well.
The field for the Awesome Again Stakes is as follows by post/horse/jockey/trainer/owner:
I’ll be pulling for California Chrome for his 6th straight win while I’m praying for a safe ride for all. I believe Chrome will be awesome again. My bet will be placed from Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY where I will be simulcasting and taking in some live racing. Mr. Z returns in race 9 at Churchill Downs tomorrow and I love him. He hasn’t raced since November, 2015. I will always remember the day I met Mr. Z, at D. Wayne Lukas’ barn, in the early morning hours and he gave my bestie a love bite on the arm. That is just too funny for me. Check back soon for more photos and commentary from my adventures and education in racing.
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Breeders’ Cup 2015 was held for the 1st time ever in Lexington, KY at Keeneland this past week. The track featured a Prelude to the Cup on Thursday with 9 live races followed with 2 more days of graded stakes races with 4 Breeders’ Cup races on Friday and 9 BC races on Saturday. The dates spanned October 29th thru 31st of 2015. I was present for all 3 days. The events were wonderful!
For the Prelude to the Cup the weather was gorgeous. I walked the grounds and marveled at the sea of purple that had taken over and all of the new and temporary structures. It was a quiet event and a good day for mingling with my friends, old and new. All the photos above except for the program and lanyard collection were taken that day.
The BC Juvenile Turf was the 6th race on the 30th but the 1st BC race of the series. Hit It a Bomb, #14, won the race. He is seen above as is the 7th place finisher, Manhattan Dan, in his coat.
Race 7 was the Las Vegas BC Dirt Mile. Liam’s Map shown in the top picture above won. Two of my personal favorites ran this race as well. Mr. Z, #4, I met and petted following my birthday, earlier this year. I shouted out my love to him from the rail pre-race and I got his attention. #8, wearing pink, is 4th place finisher Wicked Strong. He was the barn friend of Twitter’s favorite horse, Juba. Wicked Strong has now retired to stud at Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, KY.
Catch a Glimpse, #4 above, won the 8th race. This was the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf. Last year’s winner was Take Charge Brandi. I petted her too this past summer at D. Wayne Lukas’ barn at Churchill Downs. She is for sale at the Keeneland November Sale that starts today. I hope she has a long happy life as a broodmare.
Friday’s BC races wrapped with race 9, the Longines BC Distaff. Stopchargingmaria won. She is wearing #4 in the picture above. She is trained by Todd Pletcher and has had an amazing year winning multiple grades stakes. This was her third Grade 1 stakes win in a career of 16 starts. There was one more stakes race that day as the sunset.
On the final day of the BC the 1st BC race was race 3, the 14 Hands Winery Juvenile Fillies race. This race was won by Songbird, #10 above. I fell in love with Rachel’s Valentina, # 9 in the above photo, who placed 2nd in this race, when she won both of her only other races at Saratoga this summer.
Race 4 was the Twin Spires BC Turf Sprint. This race was won by Mongolian Saturday. The rail made it hard to see him wearing #14 in the photo above. His connections were dressed out and seated in the loge box behind me during the BC Classic. They were having fun with a selfie stick in the middle photo. Lady Shipman placed 2nd. She was a pretty girl as seen from the Enclosure, a temporary spot near the walking ring.
Wavell Avenue wearing orange #7 managed to fight her way up from middle of the pack, as seen above at the turn, to 1st place. She was ridden by Joel Rosario. Race 5 was the TwinSpires Filly and Mare Sprint.
In the 6th race, the BC Filly and Mare Turf, a local favorite won. #11 Stephanie’s Kitten is owned by Sarah and Ken Ramsey, Keeneland’s leading owner award winners. This is the third BC win for Stephanie’s Kitten. She is seen in the paddock area and winning her race above.
A new track record was set by Runhappy when he won the TwinSpires BC Sprint. This was race 7. He is shown about to cross the finish in the green #5 above. Runhappy won a graded stakes race at Keeneland the same month for opening weekend of the Fall meet.
Tepin was a fast filly that beat out the males to win the BC Mile. She is seen taking the title above, in race 8. She won a grade 1 stakes race at Keeneland on the opening weekend of this last Fall meet at Keeneland too!
Nyquist, #13, barely beat Swipe, #12, to win the the 9th race. This race was the Sentient Jet BC Juvenile. Neither horse had the lead from the start, in fact they were plenty behind but Nyquist held out his nose to win. Look how close they are in the photo above!
Found is the beautiful Irish filly that beat her male counterparts to win the Longines BC Turf. She is definitely an international champion. Race 10 had a $3 million dollar purse. She is one lucky and talented filly. See her two paddock pics above.
Then, in Race 10, the BC Mile, I’m pretty sure we all know who our star is, above. That is American Pharoah. I gave him his very own BC story in my post Grand Slam? Yes, Ma’am!
Plenty of celebrities were on hand to witness history in the making as well. I got photos of Jean Cruguet (top right), Seattle Slew’s Triple Crown jockey, and Ritchie Sambora (middle left), the rocker from Bon Jovi. I also saw Bobby Flay, famed chef and caught word that Kate Upton, a model, was there too. My parents recognized Kenny Mayne, from Dancing with the Stars (top left).
Finally, I just want all of you to know that there were no break downs and all the horses, their connections and the fans really had a lot of fun at the Breeders’ Cup. I will always remember my time at BC 2015. I have literally thousands of pictures and so much to share but this is a blog post, not a novel. Keep following for an upcoming post on my Kentucky Horse Park visit from yesterday.
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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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