With the news that Curlin is skipping this weekend’s events in Louisiana to head over to Dubai early (more on that later), Grasshopper has stepped up to contest the Mineshaft in his absence; Better Than Bonds will also be making an appearance in that race. Most eyes will be on the three-year-olds, though, in [...]
New Zealand -bred Efficient took home the Melbourne Cup in an upset win; favorites Purple Moon and Mahler rounded out the top three. Efficient is the third Melbourne Cup winner sired by Zabeel. Efficient was a favorite to win last year, but had had such a streak of bad luck [...]
It’s a great holiday/racing weekend coming up — Laurel’s Festival of Racing includes the De Francis Dash which features Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Thor’s Echo and the Laurel Futurity, a nice little two-year-old race won in the past by horses named Count Fleet, Citation, Riva Ridge, Secretariat, Affirmed, Spectacular Bid and most recently by Barbaro. [...]
The good news is that it sounds as though Fleet Indian is doing quite well under the circumstances — but owner Paul Saylor voices what I had been wondering as well, which is why it took so long for an ambulance to arrive for her. Clearly Pine Island’s injury was worse, but it seems [...]
The European perspective seems a bit glum in some quarters; in others, they are simply surprised that George Washington is not being seen as a conquering hero by the Americans.
Here in the States, there is comparatively little Bernardini-centered coverage compared with a number of European articles focusing on star horses; one of the few is [...]
While the build-up to the Breeders’ Cup should be focused on the major contenders, there is instead much focus on the end-of-season retirements and sales of those horses. Fleet Indian will be on the block as a broodmare prospect after her appearance in the Distaff and it seems clear that Bernardini and Discreet Cat [...]
The short version of this weekend’s events, as there are just too many exciting races:
The Goodwood: Lava Man really needs an easy win here to prepare to face non-Californians in the Classic. Is Brother Derek really ready to run against his elders?Oak Tree Mile: Cinch for Aragorn. I should probably work in [...]
While on paper we finally get a showdown between Bernardini and Bluegrass Cat, the Blood-Horse has a wonderfully-titled article pointing out that there’s more to the Travers than the two headliners: Travers Analysis: Pletcher and the Accidental Rabbits. I do like the suggestion of High Cotton as a spoiler, although I really feel that [...]
Despite the oppressive heat, Del Cap day was quite enjoyable. We walked past a smiling Michael Matz in the paddock and on the escalator, Kenny Mayne was signing autographs and the Steadicam (right) was at the ready throughout.
Jerry Bailey was taller up close than I had imagined him to be, but I suppose I‘m [...]
Superfecta is back from her family emergency and normal updates will now resume.
It has been a busy news week; obviously Barbaro’s condition is the biggest worry right now. The Washington Post details the latest surgery and the problems in the other hind leg; the NY Times covers much the same territory, but with [...]
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