Share This: To Honor and Serve standing at Gainesway Farm in the Summer of 2016
As Memorial Day weekend is upon us I am reflecting, being thankful and respectful of the people who died while serving our country, America. I owe a lot to those who have honored and served our great country. When I think of the sire, To Honor and Serve, I often think of our country’s heroes. The name intrigues me as does the stallion.
Kenny McPeek and Corey Lanerie had a nice finish with Eskimo Kisses in second place in the Ashland Stakes!
Are you ready for my favorite fourteen filly face-off on Friday, the 4th? I have a quick breakdown on the facts, fun, food, fashion, feelings and fortune that awaits in the 144th Kentucky Oaks. Please, follow along with my easy outline for the Oaks.
Share This: Secretariat, KY Derby winner 1973, museum wall mural
Welcome to the 143rd consecutive running of the Kentucky Derby! We have waited a long time to get to this historical moment and the time is upon us this weekend. Who will win The Run For The Roses?
Good morning race fans! Today, we are treated to another Kentucky Derby prep race that serves the same purpose for the Tampa Bay Derby as well. The 37th Sam F. Davis Stakes will post on 2/11/17 at 4:45 P.M EST. Following last weekend’s upset in the Holy Bull and the the additional points gathered in the Withers and the Robert B. Lewis, the KY Derby leaderboard is looking a little different. A win by McCraken could shoot him into the top 4 on the board.
The party is in Pennsylvania this weekend! As we inch ever closer to the 2016 Breeders’ Cup, much of the talent has gone north for the biggest day in racing that Pennsylvania has ever created. Parx Racing will host 12 races on Saturday, 9/24/16, including 3 stakes, the Gallant Bob Stakes, the Cotillion Stakes and the Pennsylvania Derby! A fan and friend attended Parx this time last year and shared her photos above.
Parx Racing and Casino is located in Bensalem, PA. The track originated in 1974 and it was called Keystone Racetrack until 1984. At that time, the name changed to Philadelphia Park until 2010 and then the name was changed again to Parx, as it is today. The combination of the stakes races, that take place at Parx this Saturday, will make PA Derby Day, the biggest purse day ever for this track. I met To Honor and Serve this past June. He won the PA Derby in 2011 and he holds the record finish time at 1:47:1. He is now a stallion at Gainesway Farm in Lexington, KY.
Gates open at Parx at 10 A.M. EST with the 1st race posting at 12:25 P.M.. Race 9 is the 1st stakes race of the day. It is the 25th running of the Grade 3, Gallant Bob Stakes, with a post time of 4:14 P.M. The Gallant Bob was inaugurated in 1979. It is a 6 furlong dirt race with a purse of $300,000. 12 horses are entered, listed by post:
Full Salute
Yellow Chips
Mind Your Biscuits
Threefiveindia
Navy Hymn
Noholdingback Bear
Counterforce
Awesome Speed
Cocked and Loaded
Cardio Cowboy
Klingon Warrior
Who’s Out
Race 10 posts next, at 4:55 P.M. This is the 50th running of the Grade 1, Cotillion Stakes. The Cotillion was 1st ran in 1969. The 1 and 1/16th mile (8.5 furlongs) dirt race is for 3 year old fillies. It carries a purse of $1 million dollars. I’m a Chatterbox won in 2015. 6 fillies are entered. Keeneland’s September Yearling Sales Graduate, Carina Mia will race. Her banner as is the former winner’s, are shown in the photo above. The full field is listed by post position:
Carina Mia
Cathryn Sophia
Disco Rose
Land Over Sea
Songbird
Queen Esther
Songbird is the favorite. She is undefeated in 10 starts, 9 of which were graded stakes wins. She earned the 2015 Eclipse Award for Champion 2 Year Old Filly. That same year Songbird won the 14 Hands Winery BC Juvenile Fillies race.
Finally, race 11, posting at 5:45 P.M., is the 40th running of the Grade 2 Pennsylvania Derby! Inaugurated in 1979, this year’s PA Derby has it’s largest purse ever at $1.25 million dollars. The race is 1 and 1/8th miles (9 furlongs) on dirt for horses age 3. Frosted won in 2015. 12 horses are entered with the favorites being more Keeneland September Yearling Sales Grads, Exaggerator and Nyquist. The two have raced against one another 6 times prior. Kentucky Derby winner, Nyquist, won the 1st 4 times. Preakness winner, Exaggerator, has won the last 2 in the ongoing duel. The entire field by post is as follows:
Awesome Slew
Exaggerator
Summer Revolution
Connect
Cupid
Wild About Deb
Gun Runner
My Man Sam
Nyquist
Sunny Ridge
Discreet Lover
Hit It Once More
There are still a few days left in the Keeneland sale where I have had the privilege of attending on several sessions. The sale ends Sunday, September 25th. I hope that the pictures I captured of the 2016 yearlings will be the Thoroughbreds that go on to race in favorite prep races for the BC like those happening at Parx this weekend. I will keep posting on the events I can make it to, like the sale, and I would appreciate some feedback from those who can make it to races I won’t be at this time, like the PA Derby Day. KY bred horses have won the PA Derby more than horses from any other state. I’m attending something pretty huge on Monday. Any guesses? I’ll let you know after I make the trip!
It is my first day of vacation and I started it out on the right hoof foot! Earlier in the week I logged on to Horse Country and booked a tour to Gainesway Farm. This is the home of many Thoroughbreds including Tapit, seen above!
The tour started in the office before 12:30 pm. Marilyn Brashear, the receptionist, and two sweet dogs offered a warm welcome as we collected in the seating area. We were surrounded by lovely equine art and many framed cover shots from Bloodhorse magazine. Ian Tapp, with Sales and Bloodstock Development, fetched us and led us onto the beautifully maintained grounds. He explained that the area had once belonged to the Shawnee Indians. Several generations of horseman have owned the land, Ben Ali Haggin, C.V. Whitney, John Hay Whitney, John R. Gaines, Graham Beck and Antony Beck. The farm has rolling hills and plenty of bluegrass, clover and rye making it a great place for Thoroughbreds to thrive.
During the 1980s, the eight stone barns, a few seen above, housed as many as 52 stallions. Now they have eight available sires living on the farm. These lucky sires are Afleet Alex, Afleet Express, Birdstone, Empire Maker, HatTrick, Karakontie, Tapit and Tapizar. The stalls are clean and well ventilated to keep a comfortable environment for their tenants year round.
Entering barn three, I met Afleet Alex. When he raced he won the 2nd and third legs of the Triple Crown after a third place finish in the 2005 Kentucky Derby. He won an Eclipse Award that same year. His progeny include Texas Red, Materiality, AfleetExpress and many more.
Next, I had the pleasure of viewing Birdstone. He was a Belmont Stakes winner in 2004. Swipe, Mine That Bird and Summer Bird are some of his well know offspring.
Then, Empire Maker made an appearance. The name is so appropriate. The empire he produced includes Bodemeister and Pioneer of the Nile. The later is the sire of the only Grand Slam winner, American Pharoah. When Empire Maker was racing he was 2nd in the Kentucky Derby and he won the Belmont Stakes.
With much built up anticipation, Tapit finally hoofed it on over. He is the beloved sire of Juba, Twitter’s favorite horse! Tapit is stunning, as he looks snow white. He is the leading sire for 2014 and 2015. He is well on his way to the 2016 title as well. He sired the adorable, Lani. Some of his other crops include Creator, Frosted, Tapizar, Tonalist, Untapable, Mohaymen, Cupid and many more.
Our next stop was the breading shed. As MTV Cribs would have put it, “this is where the magic happens”. Tapp went into a lot more in depth information on that subject. I admit, it is quite the process and it was educational. We learned about resident teasing stallion, Bud. He has an important job to do up to three times per day during the busiest of seasons.
As the tour was about to wrap we walked thru the barn that houses Afleet Express and To Honor and Serve. Afleet Express is a multiple graded stakes winner including both the Pegasus Stakes and the Travers Stakes in 2010. He began his stud career in 2011. His graded stakes winning filly Diva Express frequents Churchill Downs.
ToHonor and Serve won the Cigar Mile in 2011 and the Woodward Stakes in 2012 as well as a few more multiple graded stakes. He came to Gainesway in 2013 and his crop produced some pricey Thoroughbreds at the sales.
The Gainesway tour was wonderful. I would love to see their mares, weanlings and yearlings too. It was such a neat experience to view these champion sires up-close. If you find yourself in Lexington, KY, I recommend checking the place out yourself. Enjoy my photos and check back soon for my next Thoroughbred story.
