The Scat Daddy fillies are really turning my head. On a mission to find this sire’s beautiful Lady Aurelia, I was wildly entertained by another of his gorgeous daughters, Daddys Lil Darling.
This week started with some sad news. Social media was on fire with reports that Helen “Penny” Chenery, owner of the great Secretariat had died Saturday, 9/16/17, following a stroke. There have been countless stories and posts on her passing. It is wonderful to have this opportunity to reminisce about all the great things Penny did for Thoroughbred racing. It is equally fascinating that the passing of Penny has created an increased focus on women in racing. I am really enjoying all of the focus pieces on unique “Queens” that are important to “The Sport of Kings”. I want to share a bit on the legacy of Lucy Gay Bassett.
Share This: Man o’ War, photograph by Bert Clark Thayer
The 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale is underway and while attending I visited their magnificent library. Currently, the Keeneland library is featuring a photographic exhibit honoring Man o’ War in celebration of the 100th anniversary of his birth.
While preparing for the yearling sales this season I had the nice fortune of visiting five Kentucky Thoroughbred farms in just one day. A few farms were new to me and others were more familiar. One farm I had visited before was Gainesway Farm in Lexington, KY. I have been on their stallion tour and stood in awe of the beautiful and great Tapit. Stallion tours are quite popular and I truly enjoy them but there is so much else going on at the horse farms. This time I saw another part of the expansive Gainesway Farm including one of several Thoroughbred graveyards.
Share This: Free Drop Billy at Keeneland’s September Yearling Sale, 2016.
I won’t be home for the holiday as I will be laboring on Labor Day. Despite that, there is hope for the holiday, the Hopeful Stakes to be exact. As Saratoga winds down, the nation’s 2 year-old Thoroughbreds are racing forward.
Saratoga Springs is serving up a sweet stakes on Saturday! The 137th running of the Alabama Stakes posts at 5:40 P.M. EDT tonight and with a competitive field of 9 stakes winners there will be some surprises.
Last Sunday, August 6th, Mohaymen was eased in the Alydar Stakes. The dirt race of 1 and 1/8 miles (9 furlongs) was not the comeback we had hoped for and thus his connections chose to send him home for some rest and relaxation. Home for Mohaymen is Shadwell Farm.
The Ohio Derby at ThistleDown was so much fun that I just couldn’t wait to visit another one of Ohio’s 3 Thoroughbred racetracks. A road trip ensued and I was back in Ohio this weekend. Belterra Park was my destination of choice for live racing!
Though only a sparse seven sophomores dare to try, each contender for the Haskell Invitational Stakes has already achieved graded stakes success. A 1st place finish in this race secures a nice purse, a stunning trophy and an automatic berth into the Breeders’ Cup Classic. The 50th running of the Haskell is going to be sensational!
