Kentucky Derby Archives - Page 11 of 11

August 22, 2015August 23, 2015

Thoroughbred Tour Time

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It was a perfect morning here in The Horse Capital of the World, Lexington Kentucky! The weather is beautiful and I got to be in the 1st group ever to participate in the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Tour at Keeneland. We assembled at the South Grandstand entrance of Keeneland right after we turned in our sold out tickets at the ticket window. The tour began promptly at 8:30 a.m. on 8/22/15.

Rick, our skilled tour guide, walked us thru Keeneland’s entry and took us under the grandstand where we watched a short video. The film went over Keeneland’s creation in 1936 and Lexingtonian, John Gaines’, plan to develop the Breeders’ Cup, which was held 1st in 1984. Horses sold at Keeneland have won in 19 Kentucky Derbys, 21 Preakness Stakes, 18 Belmont Stakes and 83 Breeders’ Cup races. That is why having the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland for this 1st time ever, is like a home coming for the sales graduates and the founder. The Breeders’ Cup races will be held on October 30th and 31st this year.

After the movie, Rick took us to the rail to watch the morning workout for some of the horses living at the track. They have 57 barns that house about 2 thousand horses. I was hoping to get a glimpse of Wise Dan but he didn’t make it to the track today. Wise Dan lives at Keeneland and he won the Breeders’ Cup Mile in 2012 and 2013. Those same 2 years he also won, each year, American Horse of the Year, American Champion Older Male Horse, and American Champion Male Turf Horse. He has earned 3 consecutive Eclipse Awards as well. Secretariat sired Askmysecretary, who is the dam to Lisa Danielle. Lisa Danielle is Wise Dan’s dam.

Rick also pointed out the trainers watching and clocking the horses up in the stands. He talked about the tons of construction taking place to prepare for the enormous crowd that the Breeders’ Cup races will bring. They are putting in roughly 10 thousand more seats to hold a crowd of about 50 thousand people. Despite the track bringing in all the visitors and business, Rick said Keeneland makes most of its money on the 3 annual horse sales. The next sale is the Yearling sale to be held at Keeneland September 14th thru 26th of this year. I will attend several days and follow up with all of you.

Our next stop was in the Winners Circle. Keeneland usually presents winners with a Tiffany and Co. sterling silver Julep Cup. The Breeders’ Cup has a special trophy. In the circle we got to pose holding the trophy. Those aren’t my hands, I am a little camera shy but I got one to show to my friends and family anyhow. This trophy is a mini replica of the larger ecorche horse. We went thru the tunnel to see the full size version in the Paddock area, where they are putting down new concrete and sod.

My hour long tour ended there. For participating I received a wealth of knowledge, a sticker, a lapel pin and 15% off in the gift shop. The tour is the best $8 I’ve spent. Go to the website to sign up to take this tour yourself. Kids under 12 are free. The tours are select Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from now and until October 28, 2015. The maximum group size is 30 so don’t wait until it sells out.

Breeders’ Cup Tours

The tour does not take you to the barns but I had an equestrian friend visiting one, so I went to see more horses. It was bath time, which is fun to watch. I also took advantage of petting a chatty barn cat. During the Breeders’ Cup I won’t have access to the barns on Rice Road at all. The National Guard will be there to protect racing’s finest horses.

I hope all of you enjoyed my summary. Have a great weekend!

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August 15, 2015August 15, 2015

Jockumentary John

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From the dirt on the tracks to the red carpet, our super star jockeys are about to appear in a Triple Crown jockumentary. I am one lucky girl and I was real excited that I had the accidental pleasure of meeting John Rousseau, producer, writer and director of “Heart, Hope & Glory-Masters of the Triple Crown”.

Earlier this week, I was hanging out and enjoying an evening off from work when I spotted a man in a Saratoga shirt. I couldn’t help myself, I had to ask him when he was there last. It was pretty recently and then he showed me his nice bridle style Seattle Slew bracelet, a gift from Jean Cruguet himself. Wow! I had to hear his story so I whipped out my Thoroughbred U business card and started grilling the man. As it turns out, this man is working on an amazing film on the last 3 living Triple Crown winning jockeys, prior to this year’s big win by Victor Espinoza with American Pharoah. Even nicer, part of the proceeds will got to fund the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.

The movie will feature Ron Turcotte, Jean Cruguet and Steve Cauthen. This is the first time that these famous jockeys have gathered together to tell their stories on camera. The film is set to be released in Lexington, KY this September prior to the Keeneland September Sale. The studio is GoldMark Media Ventures managed by GoldMark Farm owner Paul Bulmahn. There is already a movie trailer, a Facebook page, a Twitter account and a website. Heart, Hope & Glory

The PDJF was founded in 2006. It is a nonprofit public charity that benefits jockeys that have suffered debilitating on-track injuries. Currently, about 60 jockeys are being helped by this fund. Here is the link to read about the charity and/or donate to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund

Ron Turcotte is the amazing retired jockey for many horses including the 1973 Triple Crown Winner, Secretariat. Turcotte was born in Canada in 1941. He is featured in another documentary, “Secretariat’s Jockey, Ron Turcotte”, that had its world premier in Louisville, KY during the Kentucky Derby festivities in 2013. That film was directed by Phil Comeau. Turcotte was the 1st jockey to win 5 out of 6 consecutive Triple Crown races. He was the only one to do this until just this year when Espinoza matched him. Mr. Turcotte has been inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame and he received the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award. Secretariat was born in 1970 and grabbed the Triple Crown in 1973, after a 25 year drought of no Triple Crown victories. He was just our 9th Triple Crown champ ever. Secretariat has an amazing fan following and he earned it, collecting wins and awards in abundance. He is ranked 2nd on the list of top 100 U.S. Race Horses of the 20th Century. Man O War is ranked 1st. Secretariat made records in all legs of the Triple Crown and holds the fastest times to this day. In his retirement, he became the Leading Broodmare Sire in North America. He died in 1989 and was buried at Claiborne Farm in Paris, KY.

Jean Cruguet was born in France in 1939. He won the Triple Crown in 1977 riding Seattle Slew. Cruguet got his start in Europe but he moved to the United States in 1965 and only briefly raced in Europe again in 1972. He has a long list of achievements and honors. He has retired a few times since 1980 and is currently living in Kentucky. Back in June he rode American Pharoah around the barn area at Churchill Downs. This is probably the only time a Triple Crown winning horse has been mounted by two Triple Crown winning jockeys. Seattle Slew was born in 1974 and he is the only horse to ever win the Triple Crown undefeated in all races of his prior career. He went on to win the Belmont too and retired winning 14 of 17 career starts. He was our 10th Triple Crown horse and is ranked 9th of the Top 100 U.S. Race Horses. He had a nice stud career at Spendthrift Farm and Three Chimneys Farm and was buried at Hill N Dale Farm in 2002. He was a Leading Sire in North America as well as a Leading North American Broodmare Sire.

Right here, in Kentucky, in 1960, Steve Cauthen was born. He rode Affirmed in the 1978 Triple Crown sweep. Cauthen raced in the United Kingdom for many years and has racked up big wins in not only the United States but Great Britain, France, Germany, Ireland and Italy. He is a National Museum Racing Hall of Famer. So was his horse Affirmed. This Thoroughbred was inducted in 1980. He won our 11th Triple Crown and is ranked 12th on the Top 100 Race Horses. Affirmed later raced against Seattle Slew twice and was beat both times. These are the only times two Triple Crown winners have competed against one another. He was the sire to many stakes winners and champions. Affirmed earned many awards and titles and was buried at Jonabell Farm in 2001.

It was a pleasure to meet John Rousseau and to hear his stories and see the pictures on his phone. I love the passion he has for Thoroughbred horse racing and his special perspective on the human athletes of the industry. I can’t wait to see his jockumentary. I hope this makes him very successful and raises a lot of money for the PDJF. I think this will be a very special project to shed some light on many great racing stories of the past while the jockeys are still here to share those tales themselves. I love racing and all the interesting characters involved. Have a great weekend everyone and keep your eyes and ears peeled. You never know what opportunity knocks next! Oh, and my lovely dirt pics above are from my surprise backside invite to Churchill Downs for early morning breezing. That’s some nice dirt!

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August 5, 2015

Saratoga’s Sweet Summer

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Saratoga is having a big summer! I won’t be able to make it there myself, but our regularly contributing handicapper friend did. He spent the end of the week and last weekend visiting and got us some great pictures. Saratoga is the place to be for Thoroughbred racing right now.

Saratoga Race Course was established in 1864 in Saratoga Springs, New York. It had its first race over 150 years ago. Today, 8/5, the city of Saratoga Springs will celebrate its Centennial. The city was founded in 1915. The Saratoga Sales, put on at Fasig-Tipton, will take place in Saratoga Springs on August 10th and 11th. This Saratoga race course meet started on July 24th, with live racing, and will remain open through September 7th. Above we see a welcoming sign and the backyard where Saratoga’s sweet summer is savoured. The race course motto is, “Health, history and horses”. The racetrack is located on 350 acres of land. The main track is 1 and 1/8th mile. The turf track is 1 mile in length. Other smaller courses are located throughout. In the many stables, there are over 1,800 stalls. The facility can hold about 70 thousand fans but the record attendance has exceeded that. The largest one day handle was over 10 million dollars. That was on Travers Day in 2003 which brings us to yesterday’s big news. American Pharoah’s next race will be the grade 1 Travers Stakes on August 29th!

AmericanPharoah just won his 8th straight graded Stakes race while at Monmouth Park in New Jersey this past weekend. He easily beat out Keen Ice in the grade 1 William Hill Haskell Invitational Stakes on Sunday, 8/2. Keen Ice riden by Kent Desormeoux and trained by Dale Romans put in a great effort. Keen Ice was 7th in the KY Derby and 3rd in the Belmont is showing improvement. That race gave the park a record crowd of over 60 thousand fans. Meanwhile, over 3 million viewers tuned in to television to watch the live race on NBC. The plan is to race American Pharoah in the Breeders Cup in October at Keeneland in Lexington, KY. We are all waiting on pins and needles to see where he goes next, in the meantime. For now, we know he made it safely back to Del Mar in California and he will make his Saratoga debut later this month in the Travers.

Back in Saratoga last week, Thursday was a bit wet and the live racing that day included the John Morrissey won by Moonlight Song with Jose Ortiz riding. Friday Saturday and Sunday featured some big races too but those weren’t limited to just the horses. There were several activities to raise money for the Permanently Disabled Jockey Fund and one of those events was a jockey foot race. Above, see a photo of the gates being loaded for a soggy Thursday race and a shot of the jockeys running.

When the fans weren’t watching PDJF events or Thoroughbred racing they could check the Walk of Fame. Above we see a display for Angel Cordero, Jr. and D. Wayne Lukas. Cordero was born May 8, 1942 in Puerto Rico. He had over 7 thousand career wins as a jockey. He won 3 Kentucky Derby races, 2 Preakness Stakes, 1 Belmont Stakes and 4 Breeders’ Cup races in addition to many other graded stakes. He has 3 Eclipse Awards, he is a member of the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame, he was the leading rider at Saratoga for 13 years and he was the jockey for Triple Crown winning Seattle Slew when Cordero had his best ride ever in the 1978 Marlboro Cup Handicap. I have had a lot of good things to say about D. Wayne Lukas before and I met him in June and covered that in my post Birthday, Breezing, Betting and Backside. I also met several of his horses that day too. One was Hillbilly Style who ran 2nd in a claiming race at Saratoga this weekend. Lukas also took the stage in the finale of the jockey karaoke fundraiser for the PDJF this weekend. He will have another entry in at Saratoga on 8/7 in a maiden special weight allowance optional claiming race. Lukas is a top trainer and top class in my book.

So, what about those big races at Saratoga last weekend? Well, Texas Red beat out Frosted in the grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes seen in the two pics above. Texas Red was riden by Kent Desormeaux and trained by the jockey’s brother. He is looking like a fine runner and has placed in multiple graded stakes including a win in the Sentient Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in 2014 and ranked 16th in earnings that year. Frosted, sired by Tapit, a descendant of Secretariat, riden by Joel Rosario and trained by Kiaren McLaughlin has a fine racing history as well with a win in the grade 1 Wood Memorial Stakes, 4th in the KY Derby and 2nd in the Belmont Stakes. Not pictured, but I must mention, Rachel’s Valentina’s win in the Maiden Special Weight at Saratoga too. I am excited about this Todd Pletcher trained and Joel Velazquez riden daughter of Rachel Alexandra. Rachel Alexandra won the Kentucky Oaks, Mother Goose and Haskell in 2009. She was an amazing runner in her day. I hope her little girl does as well. Her sire, Bernardini swept the Preakness, Jim Dandy and Jockey Club Gold Cup in 2006 with a 2nd place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic that year too. Another big filly win at Saratoga this past weekend went to Stopchargingmaria over Untapable in the grade 3 Shuvee Handicap. Stopchargingmaria won the Black-Eyed Susan, Alabama Stakes and the Coaching Club of American Oaks last year. Untapable has an Eclipse Award and a win in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff as well as a win in the Kentucky Oaks and Mother Goose. That was quite a showdown of great fillies.

I wish to extend thanks to our friend and tipster with the photos. I hope someone wants to share some info on the Saratoga Sale and other fine races ahead. Tapit has yearlings for sale with hips 24, 34, 51, 70, 160, 177, and 182. The Tapit filly at Fasig-Tipton’s July Sale brought in the most money. I hope you all enjoyed this peek at Saratoga as much as I did. Have a great week!

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July 31, 2015August 4, 2015

Horse Park Happenings

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Time flies! I can’t believe it has almost been a week since I spent a day at the world famous Kentucky Horse Park. On July 25th the park hosted Hats Off Day to salute Kentucky’s Horse Industry and to benefit the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation and the Kentucky Equine Humane Center. Both are fantastic charities.

The KY Horse Park was built in Lexington, KY in 1978. The park is both a horse farm and an educational facility. Many competitions take place here as well. I arrived at lunch and had a nice picnic taking in the views of the last of the white fences. I have fond childhood memories of visiting and even camping at the park. It has always had endless looking acres of white fences with lush green grass and horses everywhere. About 18,000 horses visit the park annually and some live here permanently. Very recently the decision was made to start painting the fences black as the white paint is too expensive to maintain. I could see some of the new fence work in place. It seems a little sad.

After lunch, I began photographing the beautiful statues and plaques in place to honor some of the most famous Thoroughbreds. I also toured some barns and the museum. I could write all year about the things I saw here but a picture is worth a thousand words. Here are some Secretariat pics.

Also, some nice Man O’ War photos.

I got some Alysheba and John Henry pics too.

Then, I saw my favorite part of the day! My parents said it was like taking me to Disneyland. We saw the Hall of Champions featuring Funny Cide, Go For Gin and Da Hoss. The KY Horse Park is the only home of 2 live Kentucky Derby winners. Funny Cide won both the 2003 KY Derby and Preakness as well as an Eclipse Award that same year. Go For Gin won the KY Derby in 1994 and ran 2nd in both other parts of the Triple Crown in 1994 too. He is the oldest living KY Derby winner. Da Hoss won the 1996 and 1998 Breeders’ Cup Mile. I got to see each of theses beauties in the barn and the show presentation.

I had such a great trip last weekend. There was some great racing going on this weekend. Saratoga, in New York, featured several graded stakes including the Grade 1 Diana and Grade 1 Coaching Club of American Oaks. Go For Gin showed 3rd at Saratoga in the Forego in 1994. Forego lived in Funny Cide’s stall until he passed away in 1997. Forego won 8 Eclipse Awards. Funny Cide has a Saratoga race named for him that will take place August 28, 2015. Da Hoss finished 1st place in the Fourstardave Stakes at Saratoga in 1996. The race I am most excited about is this Sunday, 8/2/15, at Monmouth Park, in New Jersey. It is the first time our Triple Crown winner, American Pharoah will race since he won the Belmont Stakes. The race he will be in is the $1.75 Million William Hill Haskell Invitational. Funny Cide showed 3rd in this same race back in 2003. For sure there will be great Thoroughbreds making history this weekend that will someday be memorialized or perhaps even come to live at The Kentucky Horse Park!

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July 10, 2015July 10, 2015

Super Summer Sale

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Yesterday, 7/9/15, I took some time off to catch Fasig-Tipton’s “The July Sale” which was followed by the “Summer Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale” live at their Lexington, KY location. It was a great time and I am looking forward to watching the future of these Thoroughbreds play out on the race tracks!

Fasig-Tipton is a premier Thoroughbred auction company with its Lexington location being established in 1972. The July Sale is the first United States Yearling sale of 2015. Hips 1 through 332 and 401 through 524 were featured in the barns, walking ring and sales pavilion. I came 2 hours early to walk the barns. It was a beautiful, cooler summer morning and fortunately dry to start, though we did get some sprinkles throughout the day. The horses were gorgeous and the grass appeared to be a real treat. Yum, fresh Kentucky Bluegrass! I watched as the horses were brushed and shown to some eager perspective buyers. Then I made a hasty dash to a bar stool, within the entrance to the sales pavilion. I was seated right off the walking ring, to see the sale that started at 10 am. I stayed there until nearly 3 pm watching the horses and people as I enjoyed a nice salad. I am fortunate to have made many great connections and I encountered several of these wonderful horse enthusiast throughout the day.

One of my first such connections of the day stopped by to ask me if I watched the show, “Mad Men”. I do not but I was curious as to why he would ask and he told me that Hip 6 had an interesting back story. His dam is Her Smile. She is a graded stakes winner and showed in the Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint in 2011. The more interesting fact is that while she is now owned by Frank Stronach, breeder and owner of horses and of prominent racetracks and Adena Springs Farms, Her Smile has been owned by both Bobby Flay, celebrity chef and horse owner, and Bill Backer, ad executive and creator of the Coca-Cola ad jingle, “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” used in a 1971 commercial and as the finale of television show “Mad Men” that ended in May 2015. Her hip #6 colt sold for $280,000 to De Meric Stables.

The rest of my day was full of more exciting stories and people but don’t forget, the focus was those magnificent horses. I was still there to see hip #152, a colt of Scat Daddy, sell for $385,000. Scat Daddy had sired 4 horses listed in the auction. One of those fillies, #220, was marked out but his other filly, #281, sold for $300,000 and his other colt, #105, sold for $110,000. #152 has Starbourne for his mare. Scat Daddy, who stands at Ashford Stud, currently has sired 10 stakes winners including El Kabeir winner of 2014 and 2015 multiple graded stakes.

In all The July Sale ended late but was a success. 205 yearlings were sold for a total of $20,005,000. The sale had 7 yearlings go for $300,000 or more each. 18 others sold for $200,000 or better. The average price was over $97,000 and the median was over $77,000, with both of those figures being up from the previous year, while the buy back rate went down, at 29%. #317 brought in the biggest price at $500,000. She is a filly by sire, Tapit and French Dip, her mare. Bred at Gainesway Farm, she sold to agent Steven Young. Tapit currently stands at Gainesway. He is the leading 2014 and 2015 sire. This filly was the only Tapit yearling at auction. His other offspring include 12 stakes winners. One of these is Frosted, 4th in this year’s Kentucky Derby and 2nd in the 2015 Belmont Stakes.

Before, I had to rush back to work I made a trip out with a friend to see one of the Taylor Made Sales Agency barns. I Saw some nice horses for the later sale there. #421 Mizzen Moon went on to sell for $57,000 and # 503 Seely Rose brought in $40,000.

I was long gone by the time the “Summer Sale Horses of Racing Age Sale” began. Somewhere around 9 pm, the last horse to go through the auction brought in the biggest money. The victor was #524, Temper Mint Patty, for $350,000. In this sale 65 horse sold for $3,996,000. The average price was $61,477 and the median was $48,000. Last year 109 horses were sold with a superior average but a lesser median.

The next Fasig-Tipton Sale is “The Saratoga Sale” in August. I won’t be able to make the trip to New York so please, share with me if you attend. Our 2015 and 12th Triple Crown winner, American Pharoah, was offered as hip #85 in the 2013 Saratoga Sale. You could buy the next winner or at least take a chance. Happy shopping!

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July 3, 2015July 3, 2015

Birthday, Breezing, Betting and Backside

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One week ago today I got a little older. So what does a Thoroughbred blogger do to celebrate her birthday? She spends her time with the horses! I had a great time at The Thoroughbred Center, Churchill Downs, and again at Churchill, to visit the backside.

The Thoroughbred Center in Lexington, KY is owned by the Keeneland Association. This property is the home for up to 1,000 horses. The facility has 32 barns and 10 paddocks. I went out early Saturday morning to meet power couple, Mr. and Mrs. V. They took me to meet with their friend’s horses and trainer Geoff Mulcahy. Mulcahy Equine has been in operation in Lexington for 10 years and is a premier equine operation. Mulcahy Stables has a barn on the property. There I met 2 year olds Ma’am and Tidal as well as several other beautiful horses and a barn cat. Ma’am and Tidal went onto the track and got their 2nd ever turn to run. I watched the exercise riders work the horses on the track. It was a great time and I plan to return. The Thoroughbred Center offers tours as well. Tours

That same evening, I got dressed up and headed to Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY, home of the Kentucky Derby. My friends and I sat in a nice box to watch the Night Racing and by great fortune we were sandwiched between the famous trainer, D. Wayne Lukas and his exercise rider, Jessica Sheffield. Sheffield was excited that my friends and I were spending my birthday following the Thoroughbreds so she invited us back to the Lukas barn on the backside in the morning. We took in all 11 races that night including race 8 where Skyring ran for Lukas. When that race concluded Lukas left promptly. He awakens daily at 3:30 a.m. and heads to his barn, which is located on Churchill’s property.

Somehow, my group and I struggled but after three and a half hours of sleep we woke at 4:45 a.m. to get to the backside by 5:30 a.m. These horse people start their days way too early. It was pitch black outside but Churchill’s backside was busy with horses, horsemen, and barn cats everywhere. My weary but excited group seemed to be the only tourist that morning. We were taken by Sheffield directly to be introduced to Lukas. He was very welcoming as his busy barn had the horses up and training. D. Wayne Lukas is a top trainer. He is a Hall of Famer and an Eclipse Outstanding Trainer. He has trained 26 world champions, 20 Breeders’ Cup champions, 4 Kentucky Derby winners, 6 Preakness winners, 4 Belmont winners, has 14 world champion training titles and has had 3 horse of the year champions. In his barn we met Take Charge Brandi, Hillbilly Style, Mr. Z. and more. We watched the horses be exercised in the barn and on the track. The track kitchen has direct track side views as well as biscuits and gravy. We walked all over the backside and it was a very good time. Hillbilly Style will race today, July 3rd 2015, at Ellis Park and he looked great to me Sunday morning.

My birthday weekend was wonderful and I am glad I got to share my experience with all of you as well. If given the chance you should check out The Thoroughbred Center and Churchill Downs. I hope you all get to watch some good racing this weekend and enjoy all the 4th of July festivities!

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May 6, 2015May 6, 2015

Cash Is King

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Winning money on a horse race is fun but do you ever think about how much you are winning even when you don’t bet? The Thoroughbred racing industry is a cash ~~horse~~ cow for the local, state, and national economy.

The horse industry in America pays 1.9 billion dollars in taxes. It employs 4.6 million workers generating 39 billion dollars directly and the figure explodes to 102 billion after figuring in the money from suppliers, employees and spectators. There are horses in every state. When live racing is in season the local shops, restaurants, hotels, etc. get a massive boost in visitors and money.

This past weekend featured The Kentucky Oaks and Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY. Churchill won’t release it exact figures but it is estimated to have made 100 million dollars in revenues. Nationally, the horse industry has a 3.5 billion dollar impact on Kentucky’s economy. 194,300 Kentuckians work in the industry. Visitors to Keeneland race track for 2 meets and 4 sales in 2014 brought $590 million dollars to Lexington, KY’s economy.

On May 16, 2015 Pimlico in Baltimore, MD will hold the 140th running of the Preakness Stakes. In 2013 this race brought in 2.2 million dollars to state and local taxes. All expenditures figures in at 34.7 million dollars supporting 393 full-time jobs.

The 3rd leg of the Triple Crown series will be run at Belmont Park in Nassau County in New York. In 2012 this race brought a 9 million dollar boost to the county’s economy before consideration of the money made at local businesses.

Lucky Kentucky gets yet another boost this Fall when Keeneland will host the Breeders’ Cup for the first time. When the race ran in Los Angeles in 2008 and 2009 it brought in over 60 million dollars for the city. This race was held at Churchill in 2010 and it generated 53.3 million dollars in regional revenue. The economic impact expected in 2015 is over 80 million dollars.

Keep in mind most tracks and many horseman provide a wealth of donations and funding in the name of charity and philanthropy on their own. I have had the pleasure of eating breakfast with James E. “Ted” Bassett III and he signed my copy of his book “Keeneland’s Ted Bassett My Life” for me. He is a leader in the horse industry and former chairman and president of Keeneland and president of the Breeders’ Cup Ltd. among many other things. He just funded the construction of Bassett Hall for student residence in 2016 at Transylvania University in Lexington, KY.

In the Thoroughbred racing industry we are all winners. The economic impact is outstanding. Cash is king, and it is also the name of the partnership that ran the 2005 Preakness winner, Afleet Alex. My mind is stirring with excitement for the Preakness that is just around the corner. Afleet Alex was owned by Cash is King Stable. He ran third in the Kentucky Derby and 1st in both the Preakness and Belmont Stakes. He almost fell while running the Preakness. He earned a career 2.7 million dollars before retiring to stud at Gainsway in Lexington, KY. He is still a sire there and his son Materiality just ran 6th in the Kentucky Derby and is a contender for the Preakness.

Yes, I will have a full Preakness Stakes story before race day. Until then, I will be reading and learning so I can keep on sharing. Thank you for following my posts.

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May 1, 2015June 5, 2015

Derby Dreaming

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Final Update: American Pharoah for the win, Firing Line in 2nd, and Dortmund in 3rd

UPDATE! International Star just scratched.

I should be sleeping, but I’m blogging. I’m too excited for rest anyway. Tomorrow, Saturday May 2, 2015 at 6:34 p.m. EST is the 141st running of the Kentucky Derby! I wavered on my pick for the Oaks, she showed, but tomorrow it is time to seize the day. I have my sights set on Carpe Diem, he has been my favorite for a long time. Before I get ahead of myself, we need to explore the history, traditions, contenders, and keep it fun.

The Kentucky Derby was ran at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky for the first time in 1875. It is the only race in the Triple Crown that has run consecutively since its beginning. It is also the youngest of the 3 races. The Preakness started in 1867 and took time off from 1891 to 1893. The Belmont began in 1873 but took a break from 1911 to 1912. The first Triple Crown winner, Sir Barton, ran in 1919.

The Derby is also called The Run for the Roses. The winning horse has received a garland of roses since 1896. The drink of choice is the distinctive, but not delicious, Mint Julep, consisting of bourbon and crushed mint, like booze and toothpaste, yuk. The pie, named for the day, is quite yummy and when I start making You Tube videos I am going to share my version with you. I plan to start the You Tube thing soon as I just got a book on it. The song, of course is, “My Old Kentucky Home”. The fastest Derby horse ever clocked was Secretariat in 1971. Only one other horse has beat the 2 minute mark. That happened in 2001 with Monarchos. This race is 1 and 1/4 miles (10 furlongs) on the dirt. It will be the 11th race of the day at Churchill. The purse is 2 million dollars. There will be 4 trophies issued. A gold trophy goes to the winner and a silver one for each the jockey, trainer, and owner. The side depicts a horseshoe and the top has a mounted horse. Don’t forget the hats. Ladies, be creative. Spend big, make a fashion statement, or make your own hat. Be on the lookout for markdown hats in the Fall and Winter then custom design your hat to match your dress, with a stop at your favorite hobby shop. Go from drab to fab if your mom is good with a glue gun, wire cutters and thread.

Finally, lets get to the horses! Listed by post position the Derby will feature:

Ocho Ocho Ocho
Carpe Diem
Materiality
Tencendur
Danzig Moon
Mubtaahij
scratch
Dortmund
Bolo
Firing Line
scratch
scratch
Itsaknockout
Keen Ice
Frosted
War Story
Mr. Z.
American Pharoah
Upstart
Far Right
Frammento

American Pharoah is the favorite. He lost his first start but has not been defeated since, he is a speed horse but he has to cut to the rail from a great deal away. He is the reining juvenile champion. He is owned by Zayat Stables just as Mr. Z is. They are running side by side and he is also a speed horse. They do have different trainers, the 1st is Bob Baffert ,who took all of his fillies out of the Oaks, and the later is D. Wayne Lukas.

Dortmund is the 2nd favorite. He is sired by 2008 Derby winner Big Brown. He has the experience of 6 races including this very track where he won by over 7 lengths. He is running undefeated, as is Materiality. Only 7 undefeated horses have ever won the Derby. Dortmund is trained by Baffert, as is the favorite. He is also a fan of the speed. I like his position better too. He is one of 3 California horses in the race, including Firing Line and Bolo. Firing Line is also known for speed and finished close 2nd twice to Dortmond but also set a track record for 1 and 1/8 miles at the Sunland Derby of just 1 minute and 47 seconds. He is a steady runner. Bolo, has finished third to Dortmund twice this year.

Carpe Diem and Materiality also have to come out side by side under the same trainer, Todd Pletcher, but are owned by separate groups. Both speed horses they have to be careful not to get in each others way. Carpe Diem has won 4 of 5 races and was 2nd only in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, he has shown a lot of versatility in his races. Danzig Moon trailed him at 2nd place in the Bluegrass Stakes. Materiality was the winner of the Florida Derby.

Ocho Ocho Ocho will also speed early. He is sired by 2007 Derby winner, Street Sence. He is right on the rail, so that should get him out in front but I do not think he can keep up the pace for the duration. Far Right isn’t as far out to the right as he was positioned before Pletcher scratched a third horse, and yet another last minute scratch. He is a deep closer, perhaps the strongest closer, so he can probably handle his position. He has run second to American Pharaoh and will benefit from this race being a bit longer. International Star and Keen Ice are closers too. Keen Ice has run third to International Star and looks to be a longshot. He is owned by the lovely Irish, Donegal Racing. International Star is so experienced with 20 to 1 wins. He is sired by 2000 Derby winer, Fusaichi Pegasus. He won the Louisiana Derby. He is owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsey, the winningest owners at both Churchill and Keeneland. Frammento was added in when Pletcher pulled a horse out. He has no stakes wins this year. He does have the experienced and derby winning Nick Zito for a trainer.

Frosted could be a pleasant surprise. He had surgery recently to improve his breathing and he is trained by Kiaran McLaughlin who is no newbie to the Derby or major racing. He has the same odds as Upstart, who ran second in the Florida Derby to Materiality.

Other long shots include Tencendur, Itsaknockout, and War Story. Tencendur runs with the pace. Itsaknockout lacks experience and was fourth by a distance in the Florida Derby. International Star has beat out War Story, also a closer, 3 times.

Mubtaahij may have done the best job of staying off the radar. No Middle East horses have won the Derby yet but he has a fighting chance. He is in a good post position. He has talent and won the United Arab Emirates Derby. This will be his first race in the United States.

I gave you my pick. My tipster opted out of a tip, this time, but shared a lot of materials. Two of my experienced and winning friends volunteered their favorite horse for this Derby. They say, go with Firing Line, with Mr. Prospector and Raise a Native on both sides of the pedigree. Looking at recent Derby winners, and his loss by a nose to Dortmund, after a bump, and again by just a nose, to the same, he is ready to win. In his last start he won by over 14 lengths! One winning Derby horse since 2010 has defaulted by this bloodline. That amazing freak of nature was Animal Kingdom in 2010.

As for the fun… I hope everyone does something special to enjoy the Kentucky Derby. Keeneland is hosting the world’s largest party and that is where I will be. Whatever you do, seize the day! Please, follow me on Twitter and Facebook, also ThoroughbredU. Go Carpe Diem! I leave you with 2 great songs:

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