Thoroughbred U

December 31, 2015December 31, 2015

Kisses for Chrome

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Happy New Year to all of you wonderful horse racing fans! I hope that each of you have a safe and pleasant evening followed with good luck in all of 2016. The New Year is a time to reflect on the past and plan for the future. It is also a time for celebration and tradition. I will be going to my same favorite bar and grill as I have done for 15 years now. Many folks will exchange a kiss at the stroke of midnight. As I think back on this year, I remember a very special kiss. I stole a kiss from California Chrome!

That’s right, I kissed Chrome this September. I was advised after not to do so, by a staff member at Taylor Made Farm in KY, but I have zero regrets and I look forward to the day he retires to stud there and I might sneak another peck! In fact I am very excited for the new year to see what the future has in store for California Chrome.

Right after I saw Chrome twice in late September, which I covered in my story below, he shipped back to California in October and began training in November. After healing his bruised cannon bone in Kentucky, that occurred sometime after his last race in March of 2015, he is just about ready to race again. The plan for California Chrome appears that he will hopefully race January 9, 2016 at Santa Anita Park in the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes for a $200,000 purse. He may then ship to Dubai for another chance at the $10 million dollar Dubai World Cup at Meydan Grandstand and Racecourse on March 26, 2016.

Kentucky Chromasomes

Chrome has had seven workouts on dirt since 11/14/15. All of these workouts were at the Los Alamitos Quarter Horse track in California. His last workout was 12/27/15 and was 7 furlongs. He is gradually running further. This champ is the son of Lucky Pulpit and Love the Chase. Chrome was born in 2011. He has earned over $6 million dollars in his 18 career starts. This horse has won 9 times, placed 3 times and showed once. California Chrome is trained by Art Sherman. He will use his regular jockey in Santa Anita. The jockey is Triple Crown winner, Victor Espinoza. Victor was the jockey when Chrome won the 1st 2 legs on the Triple Crown and then disappointingly came in 4th in the final race, the Belmont Stakes. Chrome has raced 6 times at Santa Anita in California and has won 3 times there including graded stakes wins. Chrome placed 2nd in the Dubai World Cup last March. I am hopeful that in 2016 we will see him excel again. He was the Eclipse Award winner in 2014 for both Horse of the Year and Champion 3 Year Old Colt. It would be wonderful if 2016 brought him another Eclipse Award!

The 2015 Eclipse Award finalist will be announced at Gulfstream Park Racing and Casino in Florida on January 6, 2016. Then the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters and the Daily Racing Form will together vote on the winners. The winners will be announced at Gulfstream on 1/16/16. Tickets can be purchased here: Eclipse Award. The Eclipse Award, founded in 1971, is named for the successful race horse and sire from the 18th century, Eclipse. These awards are given to both human and horse champions in the Thoroughbred racing industry. This year there are 17 categories from which a winner will be named for each.

Happy New Year! Leave a comment on which horse you would like to smooch in 2016! Tomorrow marks the birthday for all Thoroughbreds and for my blog, Thoroughbred U.

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December 26, 2015December 26, 2015

Equine Illuminations

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I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas. Mine was wonderful. I enjoyed a lot of family time which included a trip to the Kentucky Horse Park to experience Southern Lights. Tours will continue until December 31, 2015.

Southern Lights is an annual event at the park with over 4 miles of light displays. I like the horse themed lights the best. Above I included pictures of Keeneland and Churchill Downs. There are all sorts of displays including the Wizard of Oz and the 12 Days of Christmas. Views of the lights are most accessible by driving. Once parked they also have a craft market, gift shop, visit with Santa, train displays, a train ride, camel and pony rides, part of the museum for touring and a petting zoo.

I really enjoyed feeding carrots to all of the animals at the zoo. I am surprised the animals could still eat with so many people eager to feed them. The kangaroos were not eager to eat or allow themselves to be petted. They were ready to snooze.

I believe I was most excited to pet the llamas. A camel tried to eat my brother’s hat and I took a selfie with the happy and hungry camel.

On the grounds near the visitor center the Secretariat statue had a horse light display and the Man O’ War had the Wizard of Oz scene behind it.

I did not recognize any changes in the museum since my last visit in June but I included these pictures for your enjoyment. John Henry, Secretariat, Affirmed, and Seattle Slew were some of the featured Thoroughbred displays.

It was odd being at the Horse Park without getting to see the horses but still a great time. If you ever find yourself in Lexington, KY around Christmas time I would recommend visiting Southern Lights. This is one of those stories that are better told with pictures although photographing light displays is most difficult. I hope you enjoyed my pics and that you might see it in person some day.

For Christmas I was gifted a few new equestrian themed items too. I got boots, some horse shoe art and a horse hair bracelet. Feel free to comment with pictures or details about the horsey gifts you received this year.

Thoroughbred U turns 1 on this coming Friday! Thank you for following along with me. Wishing all of you a happy New Year!

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December 19, 2015January 7, 2018

Home For The Holidays

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There is no place like home for the holidays! It’s been another fantastic week since my last post. I got to spend some time in Gatlinburg, TN and had a blast as usual. I love the mountains and the shops there. I had some fun in my own town this week as well. This time of year Lexington, KY has an outdoor ice rink located downtown. Right in the middle of Triangle Park, you can pay to rent skates and spend almost 2 hours surrounded by the city. Lexington won’t fail to remind you, it is no ordinary city. It is the horse capital of the world!

From where I was skating I could see the store front to the Lexington Visitors Center and the clock for the 2015 Breeders’ Cup we hosted. Nearby, signs are posted to direct foot traffic to the many interesting places downtown. One of the most unique and best places for horse lovers is naturally, Thoroughbred Park. The park is situated on 2.5 acres of land in downtown Lexington. There are 13 full sized horse sculptures and 42 plaques containing the images and history for important persons in the Thoroughbred industry.

Gwen Reardon is the local and famed equine artist who created these amazing bronze structures. The jockeys featured on the horses above are depictions of actual people. Pat Day, Bill Shoemaker, Randy Romero, Don Brumfield, Jerry Bailey, Craig Perrot and Chris McCarron are immortalized for this perfect ride! Even the silks were replicated to represent particular owners. In front there is a nice structure of Lexington, a fine race horse and stallion who lived from 1850 to 1875.

The park opened in April of 1991 and it is lovely. On the grassy hill above there are several playful and grazing Thoroughbred structures. It’s like a little piece of pasture right downtown.

All around the park are these nice plaques. Each of these contains the name, lifespan and some information pertaining to how the featured person contributed to the Thoroughbred racing industry. Above we see England’s Queen Elizabeth II. She has visited Lexington for races at Keeneland and to visit horse farms. She has kept her own Thoroughbreds in Kentucky. Robert Kleberg, Jr. owned Triple Crown winner, Assault and King Ranch. A.B. Hancock, Sr. created Claiborne Farm in Paris, KY. Claiborne has been a very influential breeding farm and is the final resting place for many great Thoroughbreds including, Gallant Fox, Secretariat, Riva Ridge and Pulpit. William Woodward, Sr. boarded his mares at Claiborne. He owned Triple Crown winner Gallant Fox who sired the also Triple Crown winning Omaha. Finally, Samuel Riddle was the owner of the wonderful, Man O’ War. Man O’ War won 20 of 21 races and he retired to stud near Lexington. Many things in my town are named for this great horse. It is rare that I can get to anything by car without driving on Man O’ War Boulevard for a while.

I have photos of all 42 plaques and would be happy to share further if anyone has a particular interest in the who’s who of the industry as depicted at Thoroughbred Park. Please, drop me a comment on my page or Facebook and Twitter. Thank you for your time. I’ll be in touch after I see the Southern Lights at the Kentucky Horse Park next week.

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December 11, 2015December 11, 2015

A Season For Giving

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year! For many readers, myself included, we are eagerly awaiting Christmas, only 2 weeks away! Also, we are only 3 weeks shy of a new year. It is time to reflect and give thanks for all that we have received over the year and to give back however we can.

I have decked the halls and put out my 15 nativity scenes. I love to take in a live nativity this time of year and pet all of the animals. Llamas are so cute. Also, I am excited about my siblings visiting and going with them and my parents to see The Southern Lights at the Kentucky Horse Park. The Southern Lights is an event with over 4 miles of light attractions, an exotic petting zoo, crafts, trains, Santa and more! The same grounds that contain some of the world’s best horse museums, an equine theme park and the home of Da Hoss, Funny Cide and Go For Gin will again host this holiday event. For over 20 years Southern Lights has been a part of the holiday season in Kentucky and they expect to entertain over 120,000 guests this season. Additionally, I find this is a good time of year to focus on the spiritual meaning of the season and to be extra mindful to give thanks by donations and works of charity.

There are so many fantastic charities that could use more help. Even a large number of Thoroughbred racing related groups are available and in need of our time and money. To make it easier for you, if you were thinking of assisting with one, here is a small list:

The Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund : This organization provides funds to more than 60 jockeys that have been severely injured while racing. Ron Turcotte, Triple Crown Jockey, won with Secretariat in 1973. In 1978 Turcotte became paraplegic after falling from Flag of Leyte Gulf at Blemont Park. He is an advocate for the PDJF. Donate here: PDJF donate
Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farm: This group accepts donations to save champion Thoroughbreds and allow them to retire at 3 locations that are available by tour, for the public, to visit some of racing’s best. War Emblem, Silver Charm and Gulch are a few of the more than 150 horses that live at these farms. I visited the Georgetown, KY location in September and wrote a full blog about them then.

Old Friends

You can donate to Old Friends at this link: Old Friends
One Last Race: This is a charity to benefit former Thoroughbred race horses. American Pharoah along with his trainer Bob Baffert joined the race shortly after his Triple Crown victory to help raise funds. One Last Race takes in donations and organizes events to raise money for After The Finish Line and CANTER Illinois. The 1st group funds rescue organizations that can re-purpose or care for retired race horses. The later group rehomes former race horses or, if suitable, finds horses a new career. Donate here: One Last Race
Thoroughbred Charities of America: This group has worked for over 25 years to provide funds for over 200 Thoroughbred related charities. In 2015 alone they gave over five hundred thousand dollars to 67 groups. Much of their mission is involved in retirement and rehoming. I have the pleasure of knowing the group that will receive their Allaire duPont Leadership award this year for their dedication to Thoroughbred aftercare. The award goes to Bourbon Lane Stable. Browse TCA’s website to find many individual charities or donate directly here: TCA

I am blessed to have food, shelter, adequate healthcare and most of all love. It is my wish for Christmas that more people and animals alike can have these same basic needs met. I hope that you all have a wonderful season and, if you can, make some time to give to others. Maybe you can make a jockey, a backstretch employee or a Thoroughbred’s life just a little bit, or a whole lot better. I bet it might even make you feel better too for knowing that you helped. Happy Holidays! I will keep in touch with a few more posts before my 1 year anniversary for this blog. Take care!

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December 3, 2015December 3, 2015

Jotting For Juba

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Greetings racing fans! It is good to be home but there has not been much action for me since I returned other than Thanksgiving and lots of shopping. Yesterday, I had some down time and I started to think about what I wanted to check out and what I wanted to write about. My favorite horse, Juba, had a race that day and that was where my mind was set.

Juba is “Twitter’s favorite race horse” and since my first “tweet” this past February he has quickly become my favorite horse too. Twitter is one of the more popular social media networks. It was created in the summer of 2006 and by this summer it had over 500 million users. I joined to have an outlet to share my blog with. I found out fast that Twitter is the best way for me to get the latest information on current events in the Thoroughbred racing industry. I am happy to have over 200 followers on Twitter. Juba has over 2,200 followers. He is found on Twitter here @Jubacolt . Juba (the Gray), can not do his own tweets, since he is a horse, so an anonymous person handles that for him. He has created hash tags such as #GoJubaGo for his races and #haikujuba to write poetry and inspire others to do the same. Juba, the horse, still strikes the best poses and lights up for the cutest videos.

The real Juba is a 4 year old colt. He is gray with a black mane. He is so fair he looks white on photos and television. He is the Kentucky bred son of Tapit and Adoradancer. He grew up on Lane’s End Farm in Versailles, KY after his birth on 5/25/2011. He was sold to Centennial Farms at Keeneland’s September Yearling Sale in 2012. He lives at Belmont Park in New York now. Juba has had 11 starts with 2 wins, 3 second place finishes and 3 times at 3rd. He has raced at 4 tracks: Aqueduct, Gulfstream Park, Saratoga and Belmont. Juba’s jockey is Jose L. Ortiz. He is trained by Jimmy Jerkins. Yesterday he ran at Aqueduct again. It was a nasty day. The track was muddy and the fog was thick. Centennial Farm tweeted #GreyColtsBlendIntoGreyFog. He was in the 8th race. The 9th race was cancelled because weather conditions were so bad. Juba finished 7th in a field of 11 horses. He was doing well at second place early in the race. It was an odd race to watch because the fog was so dense. Sometimes fog can be exciting like on the top of Mount Humphreys, seen at the top, when I took that climb but in yesterday’s race it looked dangerous. It is very hard to even see. Click watch video here Race 8 Aqueduct 12/2/15

I have never seen Juba live. Centennial broke my heart this past October when it was decided at the last moment that he would not be racing at Keeneland shortly before the Breeders’ Cup. That put Juba and myself in a huff. I hope that I can pet his pretty face someday but it is a long trip from Kentucky to New York. I called Gainesway Farm in Lexington, KY yesterday to see if I could tour, meet his sire Tapit and see 8 other stallions but they responded that they are not currently doing public tours. Too bad, I hope they change that soon. Tapit is gray too. He has been the leading sire in the United States for 3 years now. He has the highest stud fee at $300,000. In 2015 he was bred to 135 mares. This year 5 of his off-spring have won Grade 1 stakes races: Frosted, Tonalist, Untapable, Ring Weekend and Constitution. He is the leading sire of G1 winners. Juba’s dam, Adoradancer, had 19 starts at 8 tracks including Keeneland, my home track. She raced there twice in 1997 so perhaps I have seen her.

Despite yesterday’s race I still wanted to do some jotting for Juba. I wanted to share that even horses that don’t win every race are still ever so wonderful. Penny Chenery, owner of the great Secretariat, is wise to stress this truth and award accordingly. She created the Secretariat Vox Populi award in 2010. Vox Populi is a latin term meaning the voice of the people. The winners from the 1st year to 2014 have been: Zenyatta, Rapid Redux, Paynter, Mucho Macho Man and California Chrome, respectively. She noted that while most awards for Thoroughbreds are based on statistics and performance measures she thought some horses should be honored for being a favorite of the public and an ambassador for the sport. Thru an on-line poll, done by the public, votes are collected. You can vote here now Vox Populi Award . Voting is open until 12/6/15 then the votes are reviewed by Ms. Chenery and a panel of 8 experts. On 1/9/16 the recipient will be announced at Santa Anita Park. American Pharoah, Beholder and Rachel’s Valentina are the horses on the ballot but write-ins are accepted. The horses listed are all lovely and deserving choices but Juba is “Twitter’s favorite horse” and I think that is quite a distinction in the popularity department.

Who will you vote for? Give Juba a thought or share who means the most to you. I will be blogging again before next week’s end and I will share the people’s choice with you in January as well. Please, keep following and sharing. Thank you!

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November 23, 2015November 23, 2015

This Side of Paradise

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A week ago today, while I was still on vacation, I finally put my track quest into action. I have been to Keeneland and Churchill Downs in Kentucky many times and I will be there a whole lot more but I want to see all of the U.S. tracks eventually. On 11/16/15 I made it to Turf Paradise in Phoenix, AZ!

Turf Paradise opened on January 7, 1956. It was built in the desert on 1,400 acres of land by Walter Cluer who owned the track for around 25 years. It was the first professional sports establishment in Arizona and is still the third largest sports attraction in the state to date. Ownership has changed hands five times since and there have been remodels but the track is still up and running. Currently, it is in the possession of Jerry Simms.

There are two tracks at this course. One is a 1 mile dirt track and the other is a 7 furlong turf track. Over 2,000 horses live and train on the backside. The track has live racing for 7 months, one of the longest live racing calendars in the country. The 2015-2016 meet runs 10/17/15 thru 5/8/16 on 136 scheduled days. There are seats for 7,500 guests. More than 14,600 fans have been in attendance at one time. The grandstand is 3 stories high and there are seats in the Clubhouse and Turf Club as well. The paddock is connected from the track and is easy to see from most viewpoints. The track is elevated to about eye level from a standing position in the area in front of the grandstand. There is a lovely infield pond with geese and ducks. Palm trees all around and mountains in the background make the atmosphere really beautiful. I had nice views of the horses in the paddock and while racing. I was there to see the 1st 6 races of 8 that day.

I mostly stayed in the clubhouse which is available for no extra charge on Mondays. Each of the little booths had a television for off track betting and a nice track view for all. A waiter came to the table to take our order and serve us lunch. My Arizona brother went for the taco salad, he can not get enough tacos. I had a nice reuben. Other than burgoo and hot dogs that is my go to track food of choice.

Notable races held here include the Turf Paradise Handicap, the Cotton Fitzsimmons Mile, the Arizona Oaks and the Luke Kruybosch. One of the more famous horses to run here was Da Hoss. Da Hoss lives at the Kentucky Horse Park now. He moved there in 2000. I met him this past June and he was lovely. He is known for his kisses. He ran and won the 1st three races of his career at Turf Paradise. Da Hoss went on to win many graded stakes including the Breeders’ Cup Mile twice, once in 1996 and again in 1998!

My time at Turf Paradise was fantastic. I would recommend spending a day there to any race fan. I have been told so many times how nice I have it at my home tracks in Kentucky and I agree but going to Turf Paradise makes me very excited to see all the other tracks this country has to offer. I am real glad I was able to attend this track for it’s 60th season.

Thank you for reading my stories and I hoped you learned something new or appreciated my review. Please, keep sharing and commenting and I will have another post for you no later than next week. Happy Thanksgiving!

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November 19, 2015November 19, 2015

Canyon Connections

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Ah, vacation! This past weekend I took a long overdue trip to Arizona. When I’m not chasing horses I enjoy time with friends, family and nature. For the second time in my life I made it out to see the third of Seven Natural Wonders of the World, The Grand Canyon. I have snorkeled the 4th wonder, The Great Barrier Reef in Australia. So many wonders, so little time. I saw birds, chipmunks, elk, deer and a tarantula. I didn’t see any horses, though you can ride the trails on mules and I saw some of them in a corral. The Grand Canyon truly is amazing and so was a Thoroughbred by the same name.

Grand Canyon, the natural wonder, was cut by the Colorado river over 17 million years ago. Grand Canyon, the Thoroughbred race horse, was born February 14, 1987. He was a special horse and he looked the part, very advanced for his age. Grand Canyon was trainer D. Wayne Lukas’ favorite horses, revealed in a 2012 interview. He was bred in Florida by Lin-Drake Farm. He was owned by both Lukas and W.T. Young of Overbrook Farm in Lexington, KY. Grand Canyon had 8 career starts in which he made over a million dollars in lifetime earnings. He won his 3rd maiden race after running twice at Hollywood Park and then at Del Mar. In his 1st race he came in 4th but from then on he was always second or first to finish. Every race, following his maiden, was a stakes race. He placed at Santa Anita in the Sunny Slopes Stakes, then won the Norfolk Stakes (Grade 1) at that same track. In his next race he was 2nd in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Gulfstream (G1) then won both the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G3) and the Hollywood Futurity (G1) at Churchill then Hollywood Park respectively. He was the runner up for the Eclipse Award for 2 Year Old Champion. Unfortunately, Grand Canyon’s career ended at the same track in the same year it began, 1989. He achieved a speed record riden by Angel Cordero, Jr. in the Hollywood Futurity. He had so much potential but he suffered a leg injury from which he never recovered. He was euthanized in July 1990. Grand Canyon was the 1st horse to be buried at Overbrook Farm.

Grand Canyon was only 3 when he died. He has no progeny but members of his pedigree did go on to produce more great horses. Grand Canyon’s dam was Champagne Ginny. His sire was Fappiano. Fappiano is the great great grandsire of American Pharoah! Fappiano’s son was Unbridled, who sired Empire Maker, the father of Pioneer of the Nile. Pioneer of the Nile is American Pharoah’s sire and both are registered stallions currently in Kentucky. Unbridled won the Kentucky Derby in 1990. Empire Maker was 2nd in the KY Derby in 2003. Pioneer of the Nile was 2nd the KY Derby in 2009. American Pharoah won the KY Derby in 2015. What a line of superior Thoroughbreds!

The road to the Kentucky Derby is well underway. On May 7, 2016 we will have our next Run for the Roses. The 142nd KY Derby, at Churchill Downs, will feature 20 horses that qualify from earning points in 35 select races. We have already completed 6 of these races. The next race is this Saturday, 11/21/15. That race is the Delta Downs Jackpot at Delta Downs in Louisiana. There are currently 10 entries for this grade 3 race of 1 and 1/16 miles for a $1 million dollar purse. Post time is 4:15 P.M. CST. Ocho Ocho Ocho won last year and went on to compete in the KY Derby. I will be tuned in to watch as I am excited to see all of our up and coming 2 year olds. As always, thanks for sharing and following along on my educational adventures in horse racing. I hope you enjoy my scenic pictures from my trip. Soon, I want to tell you about my first visit to Turf Paradise race track in Phoenix, AZ while I was visiting out West.

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November 13, 2015November 13, 2015

A November to Remember

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There truly is no rest for the weary. On the final day of last month we all watched in awe and disbelief as we finally got our Grand Slam, with American Pharoah winning the Breeders’ Cup following his Triple Crown victory. The very next day, in the same city, we kicked off with Fasig-Tipton’s one day November Sale and in the following day we moved right into Keeneland’s November Breeding Stock sale for 12 days. What a whirlwind!

On November 1, 2015 Fasig-Tipton sold 92 horses for over $43 million dollars combined. The top sale was Angela Renee. She is a grade 1 stakes winner who sold for $3 million dollars.

Today is the lucky Friday the 13th and the last day of this Keeneland sale. I got to attend on a few fine days and it was fantastic. I saw so many beautiful Thoroughbreds and met some nice, helpful people as well.

One of my favorite horses is so far the sales topper. She is Take Charge Brandi! I met her this summer at D. Wayne Lukas’ barn at Churchill. He was there to watch her at auction. See his picture from Keeneland’s October meet below. I was able to pet her pretty face, also seen below. She is a chestnut filly who was born in Kentucky on 2/7/2012. She has had 11 starts and is a multiple graded stakes winner. Take Charge Brandi took first place in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies race in 2014 and won an Eclipse Award that same year for Champion 2 year old filly. She was purchased at the Keeneland 2013 September Yearling Sale by Willis Horton. She last raced in the Cotillion Stakes at Parx Racing in September where she did not finish. She has lived at Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm in Lexington, KY since and she has now been purchased for this farm where she will be bred to Curlin. He raced in all 3 legs of the Triple Crown, improving with each race, coming in 3rd, 2nd and then 1st in 2007. He won the Breeders’ Cup Classic that same year. Curlin has 4 Eclipse awards and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014. His stud fee is $100,000. That is half as much as American Pharoah’s fee at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud. Hill ‘n’ Dale owns 20% of Curlin.

My other favorite trainer, Kellyn Gorder, was working with Cowboy Rhythm when he won at Keeneland on 10/18/15 by 3 and 1/2 lengths. Cowboy Rhythm is a 3 year old colt and he sold at Keeneland during session 9 for $335,000. He was sold by WinStar Racing to Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. I was with Cowboy Rhythm in the paddock and winners circle the day he won at Keeneland. See the picture I took below.

That same session another horse I enjoy sold for $550,000. He is Donworth. Day 9 of this year’s November sale saw 16 horses go for 6 figures when last year there were no horses that sold in that price range on the 9th session. Donworth placed 2nd in the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland this past April. His trainer was Graham Motion. He won his 1st and 4th career starts. He was sold in the Regis Farm dispersal by Three Chimneys Farm to Doug O’Neill. I went out to see Donworth in the barn before he went into auction. See him below.

By the close of day 11 yesterday, we could already call the sale a success. This year’s sale is a day longer than in 2014. The gross accumulation is 5.8% ahead of 2014 already. 2,735 horses have been sold versus 2,512 in 2014. The total for these sales is over $217 million dollars this year versus last year’s $205 million. I am excited to see what this day brings. It is always a good time at Keeneland. So pretty and so tasty too. Nom, nom, bread pudding! Thank you for reading and sharing!

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November 3, 2015November 4, 2015

Ceremony for Cigar

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A week ago tonight, on 10/27/15, among all the preparation and anticipation for this year’s Breeders’ Cup, a gathering of people assembled at the grave of Cigar to honor him with a new memorial statue. Gone but not forgotten, Cigar won the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 1995. This Sunday I paid my respects to his grave site once again.

Being the lucky Lexingtonian that I am, I have had the treat of making multiple trips to the Kentucky Horse Park, in Lexington, KY, over the course of my life. I have had the pleasure of meeting Cigar as well. He lived at the Horse Park from 1999 until his death October 7, 2014. I saw his grave at the KY Horse Park Memorial Walk of Champions this past July. Last week, Kentucky artist and former horse trainer, Douwe Blumberg, revealed his statue depicting Cigar’s Breeders’ Cup race. Cigar’s trainer, Bill Mott, and his jockey, Jerry Bailey attended the unveiling of the new statue. Many kind words were spoken and memories shared at the presentation. Cigar is remembered as charismatic and an ambassador with spirit and determination.

History remembers Cigar as the Thoroughbred who won 16 straight races in a row. Only Citation and Zenyatta have done as well. He was sired by Palace Music and his dam was Solar Slew by Seattle Slew, 1977 Triple Crown winner. He was a late bloomer. He didn’t race at all until he was 3 years old and he didn’t stop racing until he was 6. Cigar was born April 18th in 1990 in Maryland and owned by Allen Paulson. By 1995 he won the BC Classic going 1 and 1/4 miles in 1:59.58, a record. He went on to be Horse of the Year and American Champion Older Male Horse each in 1995 and again in 1996. He also won the internationally famed Dubai World Cup. He retired as the leading Thoroughbred in earnings at over $9 million dollars. Cigar is the American Horse of the Decade for the 1990s. In 2002 he was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. Blood-Horse ranked him 18th in the U.S. Thoroughbred Champions of the 20th Century. There is a life sized statue of Cigar at Gulfstream Park in Florida where he won the Donn Handicap. The Cigar Mile at Aquaduct Race Track in New York is named for him.

When he retired to stud he went to Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in Kentucky. This is the same place American Pharoah moved to yesterday. Unfortunately, Cigar proved to be sterile. He retired again to the KY Horse Park Hall of Champions where he lived out his days. He developed osteoarthritis and at 24 he needed surgery. Following surgery he died in recovery from a vertebral fracture. At the KY Horse Park he is buried near Alysheba, Forego, Bold Forbes, Kona Gold and John Henry.

Near his grave healthy and happy lives go on for the other champion Thoroughbreds, barn cats and visitors but no one can forget our great, Cigar. As his statue and stone state, Cigar is incomparable, unconquerable, invincible and unbeatable. Please, share and read along about all of my Thoroughbred posts and look for a Keeneland November Sale story coming soon!

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November 2, 2015November 2, 2015

Firsts, Favorites, Famous and Fun

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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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