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On the Occasion of Rachel Alexandra’s Retirement

I had been planning a blog comeback for next week, coinciding with the release of Secretariat (the film, not some sort of terrifying reanimated zombie Secretariat), but a number of news stories earlier in the day – notably Kingmambo being pensioned and Real Quiet’s death in Pennsylvania yesterday – seemed likely to get me back […]

History, Achieved

Opportunities to bask in the glow of historical perspective abound in Rachel Alexandra’s win in the Woodward – it’s difficult to imagine anyone else even close to Horse of the Year after such a performance – but the chance to see her become the first 3-year-old filly to hold that position since 1945 has been […]

Rachelmania

It’s a rare year in which the Woodward could determine Horse of the Year; we are lucky enough to be living through one of them now. While some have scoffed at the level of competition Rachel Alexandra (pictured yesterday in the paddock at Saratoga – courtesy of NYRA) will be facing in the race, others […]

Both Sides Now

I get it, I really do – after the debacle with Curlin in the Breeders’ Cup, I can see why Jess Jackson doesn’t want to bring Rachel Alexandra to the Breeders’ Cup this year. But two facts don’t quite fit in with his firm anti-‘plastic surfaces’ viewpoint. The first is that Curlin always seemed to […]

End of Part One

While the dust settles from the Triple Crown and many of the 3-year-olds take a little break (literally, in the case of Dunkirk, who is having surgery for a left hind fracture – although with luck he should be back in the fall – although it still adds fuel to the Unbridled’s Song = ‘soft […]

2009 Kentucky Derby: On the Record

It’s official – I’ve (almost) made some decisions. Without further ado, here is your official Superfecta Kentucky Derby handicapping exercise for 2009 – as ever, with the note that my recent successes with Smarty Jones and Barbaro are tempered by the fact that my last correctly-predicted winner was Winning Colors in 1988. You have been […]

Let Me Count The Ways

If you’re a regular reader, you know how much we love Einstein here – and how much we appreciate his Big Cap victory over the weekend. It’s amazing how much he’s accomplished (and how much he’s been through) with so little respect accorded (which is why we chose him as ‘most underrated‘ for 2008). His […]

Everyone’s a Hero

I didn’t actually watch the Eclipse Awards myself, since Monday night is sacrosanct – House and How I Met Your Mother both take precedence, even on TiVo. But it sounds like I didn’t miss much: Curlin repeated as Horse of the Year, all the expected names won in their respective categories (although I would argue […]

Sometimes I Miss California Weather

While we shiver on the Right Coast, there’s fine racing action on tap in sunny California (and I’d like to take a brief moment to recommend that state’s Mount Shasta Brewing Company Mountain High IPA). The older horses are meeting up in the San Fernando and The Blood-Horse seems to like El Gato Malo, but […]

Managing Expectations

Note: A revised version of this post appears at The Blood-Horse.

While there is much excitement in certain quarters over the upcoming debut of brother, Barbaro’s brother Nicanor, it’s a good idea to temper expectations with a bit of reality. Most horses never compete at racing’s highest level. Some show early promise that suggests they […]

 
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