Tagged: Horse Racing RSS

  • Failed Triple Crown Bids since 1978 



    Watching these races, you see the variety of ways that horses lose the Triple Crown. Sometimes they move too early. Sometimes too late. Things go array. Sometimes they're just beat by better horses.

    I like to think back to how each of the horses gunning for the Triple Crown were perceived at the time and how that compares to I'll Have Another: (more...)

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  • Paying back those responsible for big scores 

    Whether life imitates art or the other way around really does not matter, not when the story hits home as a tale imbued with the assuring touch of truth. Still, it did sound like a preposterous swing at the stars when Michael Beychok, dramatic winner of the 2012 Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas last January, marked his million-dollar triumph six weeks later by claiming the horse that, in effect, won him the tournament.. .

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  • The Black to run at Churchill Downs Saturday 

    Led by Zayat Stable’s talented but lightly raced Paynter, a field of 11 sophomores was entered in the $200,000 The Cliff’s Edge Derby Trial (gr. III) on opening night of the Churchill Downs 39-day spring meet April 28..

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  • Seeking understanding and tolerance 

    It is said that a thoroughbred is born and then spends the remainder of its life attempting suicide. This is not far from the truth. A highly strung nature and an inborn desire to run fast on fragile legs is often a volatile combination. More »

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  • Suggest A Name For Rachel’s Colt 

    Rachel Alexandra and Curlin’s very spirited colt needs a name and we are looking for suggestions from racing fans! We are looking for a name that reflects the legacy of the late Jess Jackson and embodies the vision through which he bred his two champions to produce this very special colt.. .

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  • Jim Rome’s Miss Radiance wins at Santa Anita 

    Rome and trainer Mike Puype opted to run Miss Radiance in the Bug Brush after scratching from Sunday’s Grade II La Canada Stakes, and the decision proved prudent. The 4-year-old Yes It’s True filly overtook pacesetter Bwana Babe to win by one-half length in 1:43.22. Although Rome’s romance with horse racing ownership had brought some immediate success, “It wasn’t until I got punched in the face a couple of times that I realized just how tough this is,” he said in the winner’s circle Thursday. More »

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  • Racehorse “speed gene” traced to 18th century British mare 

    Irish researchers writing in the journal Nature Communications say that the original "speed gene" variant entered the equine Thoroughbred line from a single British mare about 300 years ago. The origin of the speed gene (known as the C type myostatin gene variant, first identified in 2010) was revealed by analyzing DNA from hundreds of horses, including DNA extracted from the skeletal remains of 12 celebrated Thoroughbred stallions born between 1764 and 1930..

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  • Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra foals Curlin colt 

    (more...). .

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  • Royal Ascot bans fascinators 

    Organizers of the Royal Ascot race meeting in England say they’re tightening their dress code by banning fascinators--small hats--from the royal enclosure. New rules put out by organizers Jan. More »

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  • Jim Rome: out of The Jungle and onto the (horse) farm 

    He’s got a radio program called “The Jungle” and a TV show called “Rome Is Burning.” His trademark content is called “smack,” which Austin Murphy in Sports Illustrated defined as an opinion “served with impudence, insolence, attitude” (emphasis his). He’s intimidating, baiting, and biting. More »

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  • Breeders’ Cup Classic: Uncle Mo seeks fairy-tale end to remarkable comeback 

    When Todd Pletcher put Uncle Mo on a van bound for a farm in Lexington the morning of May 9, two days after the Kentucky Derby was run, the multiple Eclipse Award-winning trainer didn’t know if he would see his champion colt again.

    Three days earlier, Pletcher and the colt’s owner, Mike Repole, held a press conference to announce that Uncle Mo was scratched from the Kentucky Derby due to an illness, the exact nature and severity of which weren’t known. All that was known was that Uncle Mo had one elevated enzyme, a depressed appetite, loss of weight, and his hair coat was not right..

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  • Uncle Mo spectacular in Kelso victory 

    Uncle Mo grabbed the lead at the start, repelled a bid by Jackson Bend into the stretch and splashed away to win the Grade 2 Kelso by three lengths under John Velazquez.

    Uncle Mo ($3.20), who was notching his first graded stakes victory since the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile nearly 11 months earlier for owner Mike Repole and trainer Todd Pletcher, set fractions of 23.47, 46.03, and 1:09.34, and finished the mile in 1:33.82 over a muddy and sealed track.. .

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  • Uncle Mo to return to racetrack next week 

    Uncle Mo, last year’s 2-year-old champion who missed the Kentucky Derby because of a rare liver disease, has recently started galloping and is expected to ship to Saratoga next Monday, according to trainer Todd Pletcher.

    Uncle Mo has been based at WinStar Farm in Kentucky since May 9 and started jogging on June 24.

    “Excellent so far,” Pletcher said when asked how Uncle Mo was doing.. .

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  • Uncle Mo to Begin Light Training Next Week 

    Uncle Mo, the champion 2-year-old male of 2010, continues to exhibit positive signs of improving health and is on target to resume light training in about 10 days, WinStar Farm president and racing manager Elliott Walden said June 7.

    Owned by Mike Repole and trained by Todd Pletcher, Uncle Mo has been at WinStar Farm near Versailles, Ky., since May 9 when he was shipped from Churchill Downs after being scratched from the Kentucky Derby. The week of May 29, after undergoing a biopsy, he was diagnosed with cholangiohepatitis, which is a disease that affects the liver.

    Since his time at WinStar, Uncle Mo's appetite has improved considerably and his weight has increased steadily. More »

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  • Liver Disease Keeps Uncle Mo Sidelined 

    Uncle Mo, the two-year-old champion who was scratched the day before the Kentucky Derby, has been diagnosed with a liver disease called cholangiohepatitis.

    “Cholangiohepatitis is a severe inflammation of the bile passages and adjacent liver, which sporadically causes hepatic failure in horses,” according to the Merck Veterinarian Manual.

    The disease was discovered following a biopsy of the liver and lymph nodes. It is unclear how the colt contracted the ailment. More »

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  • Uncle Mo gaining weight at WinStar 

    Uncle Mo, the 2010 2-year-old champion who was scratched from the Kentucky Derby the day before the race due to a yet-to-be diagnosed internal issue, has put on 30 pounds since being moved from Churchill Downs to WinStar Farm on May 9, but there is still no timetable for his return to training or racing.
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  • Preakness draw: Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom in post 11 

    Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom was assigned post 11 as the 2-1 morning-line favorite for the Preakness Stakes at the post-position draw for the 136th running of the second jewel of the Triple Crown on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course.

    A full field of 14 3-year-olds was entered for the 1 3/16-mile Preakness, which will be televised on NBC Sports, with post time set for 6:18 p.m. Eastern.

    Other draws for the top Preakness contenders include Dialed In (9-2) in post 10, Mucho Macho Man (6-1) in post 9, and Shackleford (12-1) in post 5.

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  • Who can beat Animal Kingdom in Preakness? Kentucky Derby veterans have edge 

    Fans of Animal Kingdom will have to look elsewhere for any kind of betting value on the 2011 Preakness Stakes. The Kentucky Derby champ surely will have short odds -- DRF's Mike Watchmaker has him as a 5-2 favorite on his early Preakness line.

    For DRF's Steven Crist, the search for the answer to the question, "Who can beat Animal Kingdom?" begins with the end of Kentucky Derby. More »

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  • Preakness: Nehro’s sharp work tempts owner to send him to Pimlico 

    With owner Ahmed Zayat watching from the grandstand, Kentucky Derby runner-up Nehro breezed a half-mile in 50.80 seconds over a sloppy Churchill Downs racetrack early Monday morning, leaving Zayat trying to decide whether to send the colt to the $1 million Preakness.
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  • Animal Kingdom’s Pedigree a Throwback 

    "The thing about a horse like this," Team Valor's Barry Irwin told the media after his Animal Kingdom won the 137th Kentucky Derby, "is he’s got a different kind of pedigree than Americans are used to.
    In order for him to really be worth a lot of money, he’s got to go on and do something more than just winning the Derby. More »

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  • Uncle Mo will be based at WinStar Farm until he regains health 

    Uncle Mo, who was scratched from Saturday’s Kentucky Derby due to a yet-to-be diagnosed internal issue, was vanned from Churchill Downs to WinStar Farm in Versailles, Ky. Monday morning, his connections announced.
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  • Nine New Shooters Could Join Fray at Pimlico 

    Pimlico officials said on May 8 that as many as four starters from the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) could gather in Baltimore on May 21 for the Preakness Stakes (gr. More »

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  • Uncle Mo Scratched Out of Kentucky Derby 

    tewards at Churchill Downs were informed Friday, May 6, that 2010 champion colt Uncle Mo was officially scratched out of the May 7 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).

    The scratch came after days of speculation about the status of the son of Indian Charlie , who had been treated for a gastro-intestinal tract infection diagnosed after a third-place finish in the April 9 Resorts World New York Casino Wood Memorial Stakes (gr. More »

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  • Uncle Mo decision to come Friday morning 

    It has become Thoroughbred racing's version of "The Decision."
    The drama over whether juvenile champion Uncle Mo will start in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday is expected to reach a conclusion Friday morning, according to owner Mike Repole.
    Speaking before what has become a customary large gathering of media outside of Barn 34, Repole said Thursday morning that he, trainer Todd Pletcher, and a trio of veterinarians headed by Dr. Doug Byars would discuss Uncle Mo's progress since he was diagnosed with a gastrointestinal infection. More »

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  • Free Kentucky Derby Past Performances (pdf) 

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  • Kentucky Derby: Mucho Macho Man’s owners do their part for Coa, sport 

    LOUISVILLE, Ky. – There has been no more compelling story at this year’s Kentucky Derby than that of Mucho Macho Man, whose trainer Kathy Ritvo is a heart-transplant survivor and whose former rider, Eibar Coa, has made a remarkable recovery since being left temporarily paralyzed from a riding mishap at Gulfstream Park.
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  • So Many Memorable Races, Too Many Forgettable Picks 

    The other night I closed my eyes and remembered that steel gray colt named Monarchos steaming down the stretch at Churchill Downs on May 5, 2001, my heart racing right alongside him, on his way to an emphatic four-and-three-quarter-length victory in the 127th running of the Kentucky Derby.. .

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  • Wood Memorial winner Toby’s Corner out of the Derby 

    Graham Motion came back to one of the three tables in the Fair Hill Country Maid Deli, and dropped into his chair after ending a phone call late Sunday morning. His son Chappy, daughter Jane and wife Anita chatted with friends about school, Pokemon, breakfast sandwich preferences, Kentucky Derby hats, the Royal Wedding, anything really.

    Motion laughed lightly to himself, grabbed a french fry from the basket and said to no one, “Every time I get a call, I think it’s bad news.”

    That call wasn’t bad news. More »

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  • Historical Kentucky Derby Front Pages 

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  • Herd dynamics of the Kentucky Derby field 

    Kerry Thomas is a horse whisperer of sorts, an equine psychologist. Ironically, he knows a thing or two about lions. More »

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  • The Voice of Excitement 

    Tom Durkin said that over the last decade, the anxiety of describing the Kentucky Derby’s chaos had grown debilitating. This week, after calling the Derby 13 times, 9 of them for NBC, Durkin, 60, did not renew his contract and will be replaced by Larry Collmus. More »

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  • Durkin steps down as Triple Crown announcer, citing stress 

    Three days before last year’s Kentucky Derby, track announcer Tom Durkin found himself on a couch in a Louisville psychiatrist’s office getting hypnotized. Though he had called the world’s most famous horse race 13 previous times – nine for NBC Sports – Durkin was feeling stressed out.

    “It’s always been stressful,” said Durkin, who was prescribed Inderal, a beta blocker, to deal with the anxiety.

    Looking to alleviate that stress from his life, Durkin will no longer be the voice of the Triple Crown, deciding not to seek a renewal of his contract with NBC Sports, with whom he has been affiliated for 27 years. More »

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  • Kentucky Derby: The Factor misses work and is withdrawn 

    The Factor, who disappointed as the heavy favorite in the Arkansas Derby in his last start, on Tuesday morning was officially withdrawn from consideration for the May 7 Kentucky Derby, co-owner George Bolton said. That leaves his trainer, Bob Baffert, with just Midnight Interlude as a Derby starter. More »

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  • Kentucky Derby workouts: Uncle Mo gets his work done early 

    Trainer Todd Pletcher called an audible on Tuesday morning, sending out Uncle Mo shortly before 6 a.m. to work five furlongs in 1:01.69 over a sloppy track at Churchill Downs..

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  • Through One Man’s Lens – James W. Sames and the Kentucky Derby 

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