Hello. This is Big Red's Stable, a board that can be used for both as a chat board and a guestbook. Use it either way but I'd appreciate it if you would leave a message here so people can get together and talk about horses, horseracing, or whatever. Thank-you :-)
Rules
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If you can agree to these rules, then you are more than welcome to post on this board. Welcome :-)
What A song Died
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What a song die this morning, he broke down during a workout
I've been trying to find out how many hands high Man O War Was - anyone out there know? My friends are debating the issue, everything from 15'2 to 17'!
Man O'War was 16 hands high. i know this because my grandpa's uncle was Samuel Riddle and my grandpa always tells me stories on his uncle and Man O'War.
Man O'War was 16 hands high. i know this because my grandpa's uncle was Samuel Riddle and my grandpa always tells me stories on his uncle and Man O'War.
This Saturday Aug 20, 2005 The Alabama will be run at Saratoga. It is the second oldest feature race at Spa and the second oldest race in America exclusively for fillies. First run in 1872 and named for Captain Cottrell of Alabama. The first running was won by a filly named Woodbine who was owned by August Belmont I.
The Alabama is now the third leg of the NYRA filly Tiara. NYRA now offers a $2 million bonus to any filly that wins the NYRA filly triple crown. No filly has won the bonus as yet.
This year Ogden Phipps Smuggler has won the first two legs of the Filly Tiara. That is The Mother Goose (named for Harry Payne Whitney’s 1924 star) and the CC Oaks.
(That is Coaching Club American Oaks) Ruffian still holds Stakes record at 1 ˝ miles 1975
Smuggler now enters the Alabama with a chance to sweep the Filly Tiara!
Arlington Million
1st. Powerscourt
2nd. Kitten's Joy
3rd. Fourty Niner's Son
(Yes everyone, the same Powerscourt who won the Arlington Million last year and was disqualified, won against this year and this time legitamately)
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) — Trainer Nick Zito was inducted into the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame Monday, the latest milestone in a career that started with a two-horse stable and includes four wins in Triple Crown races.
Zito was elected in May in his eighth year of eligibility. Three steeplechase standouts, jockey Thomas Walsh, trainer Sidney Watters Jr. and five-time champion Lonesome Glory, also were inducted during the ceremony across from Saratoga Race Course.
"Some of us get a chance to do something we love," the 57-year-old Zito said. "Sometimes if we're fortunate, we get to do it over and over. Some things we do well, some things not so well. No matter how bad we do, with the love that we have for the sport, there's never really a bad day attached to it."
Zito won the Derby with Strike the Gold in 1991 and Go for Gin in 1994, and won the 1996 Preakness with Louis Quatorze and the 2004 Belmont Stakes with Birdstone, who played the spoiler's role in Smarty Jones' Triple Crown bid. On Saturday, he won the $750,000 Whitney stakes with Commentator, the first time Zito's won that Grade 1 race.
"It's an incredible honor," Zito said. "What can I say? It gives you goose bumps."
Under a new voting format, nominees in four racing categories — trainer, jockey, contemporary male horse and contemporary female horse — had to get 75% of the votes to be elected. Previously, the top vote-getter in each category was elected. Zito was the only one of 20 nominees who received the necessary votes of 127 returned ballots among 163 eligible voters.
The steeplechase division is separate, with nominees considered every four years and voting done by a 12-person committee.
Zito missed out on a chance to win the Derby with a record-tying five horses or the Preakness with a record-equaling three horses this year. At the time of his induction, he had saddled 1,420 winners and horses he trained had earned $71,119,670.
Zito, who started out as a hotwalker before opening a two-horse stable in 1972, had his best earnings year in 2004, when he saddled 86 winners and totaled nearly $7 million in purse money. After his Strike the Gold won the Kentucky Derby in 1991, Zito made Triple Crown events his primary goal.
Zito has had 19 Derby starters, 16 in the Preakness and 13 in the Belmont. He also has trained two champion fillies — Storm Song in 1996 and Bird Town in 2003.
During his 12-year riding career that ended in 1967 at the age of 27, Walsh was fifth in victories with 253, including five straight wins in the prestigious Grand National Steeplechase. Walsh currently trains horses and is based at Belmont Park.
The 88-year-old Watters led or shared the lead in steeplechase victories six times between 1948 and 1971. He led steeplechase trainers in purse money earned three times. He also was a successful flat-race conditioner who trained 1983 3-year-old champion Slew o' Gold and 1970 2-year-old champion Hoist the Flag. Watters was not able to attend the ceremony. He was represented by his son, Eric.
Lonesome Glory, with 24 wins in 44 career starts from 1991-1999, is steeplechase racing's leading money-earner with $1.4 million.
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Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
*Haskell Invitational/Taylor Made Matchmaker Handicap/ Whitney/Test Stakes
NTRA Road To The World Thoroughbred Chmps, Powered By Dodge
Monmouth Park Oceanport, NJ USA
Saratoga is now running its meet. It has the biggest on track average daily attendence of all tracks in America. 27,000 people a day go to the Spa. Saratoga has the biggest on track averge daily betting handle too. $3.5 million a day.
It is the oldest sports facility in America by far. First meet was in Aug 1847 at Horse Haven across the street from main track.
Lady Suffolk the Old Grey Mare was the first winner of a formal race at Saratoga. That is when the song was written about her.
Just a few months after recovering from hip surgery and returning to race riding, Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day -- the winner of 8,804 races and $297,941,912 in purses -- has decided to retire
It doesn't suprise me! It's sad to see him go though! I would of thought he would have finished up the season!
Hello - I am new here. I read that jockeys hold the reins in a special way. Can anyone tell me how they hold them. I would like to try the next time I ride my horse.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Just months after returning to racing following hip surgery, Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day is weighing his future.
Day, 51, is spending time alone in a cabin on the Kentucky River, deciding whether to continue racing and, if so, how much.
Sheila Day told The Courier-Journal of Louisville that her husband was "on a sabbatical" and doing some soul searching.
"He needs to know he's where God wants him to be," Sheila Day told the paper. Neither Pat nor Sheila Day returned phone messages from The Associated Press.
Churchill Downs vice president and spokesman John Asher, a longtime friend of the jockey, said Day didn't say anything about his future or taking time off from racing to weigh the possibilities.
"I can't say I'm 100 percent surprised he's doing this," Asher said. "He always said there were other things that would determine if he'd go on racing."
Day took time off this winter, riding only a few days in Florida while spending time at home for his daughter Irene's senior year in high school. When riding a full schedule, Day spends the summer at Saratoga.
A hip injury and surgery to repair damaged cartilage ended Day's record 21-year streak of Kentucky Derby mounts.
Day, who started racing in 1973, is racing's leading career money earner with purses totaling $297,941,912, according to industry record-keeper Equibase.
His 8,804 career victories rank fourth and trail only Russell Baze among active riders. He won 23 races this spring at Churchill, putting him 10th in the jockey standings and lifting his career total to a Churchill-best 2,481.
Day, elected to the Hall of Fame in 1991, resumed racing in mid-May and earned his first stakes win about a month later, guiding Two Trail Sioux to a start-to-finish victory in the $330,000 Fleur de Lis. His last race was the $1 million Delaware Handicap at Delaware Park on July 17.
Just a reminder to everyone on the board, there are 3 races in ESPN tomorrow:
Jim Dandy Stakes
Diana Handicap
Washington Park Handicap
The show starts at 4:00PM EST if anyone is interested in watching. The entire list of horse racing (up to the Breeders' Cup races) can be found at http://www.breederscup.com/races_index.aspx if anyone is interested.
On June 30, 2004, Mr. David H. from England wrote:
Longest stride I have heard of for American horses is 26 ft for a leaping jump start and 25ft 6in on the run. This horse was Longfellow c. 1846.
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I note here that -- according to the dean emeritus of American turf writers, Charles Hatton, writing on August 20, 1962 for the Daily Racing Form from Saratoga Race Track in New York, he commented that the three year old American thoroughbred colt Jaipur, who had just won the Travers Stakes in record time, was measured with having a 28 foot stride. Here's what Hatton wrote that day:
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"They measured his stride at Arlington Park. It came to 28 feet. He runs on everybody's race track and is holding up well in a campaign that began last winter in Florida."
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My comment: It should also be noted that Native Dancer (b. 1950) is credited with having had a 28-foot measured stride.
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David H. further commented, ... "It seems almost impossible for a horse 16 hands to get a 30 ft stride. He would have to do a terrible leg split to get that."
No doubt that David’s observation is correct. In the first instance, the popular references to MOW having a 29 or 28-foot stride are somewhat suspect, because there exists no documented record that such measurements were ever taken for MOW. Although, as is noted above, per Charles Hatton, the three-year-old Jaipur was measured having a 28-foot stride in 1962.
In MOW's case, however, his full stride length (whatever it truly was when he was fully extended) was the end result of his unique high-bounding pendulum-like running action and not -- as was in the case of Jaipur and Native Dancer –- simply obtained by stretching himself forward in an extreme fatigue-generating running motion like an elongated string bean.
In the 6 years this board has been up I've only asked this question once or twice, but I ask it out of curiosity.
How did y'all find out about this board?
When I first started this board I had no one, not friend or family member, I could talk to about horse racing or Man O'War, which is why I started this board, I'm the only person I know (outside of the internet) that follows horse racing.. I knew of no one outside of the internet that knew of horse racing, and I still don't.
Starting in 1971, my brother-in-law undertook to write what he expected would be the definitive book on Man o' War. Acknowledging that the excellent work by Page Cooper & Peter Treat already existed, the crux and centerpiece of the proposed book and his research was to do what no one else had previously documented. Determine and certify as to the (i) sustainable length and (ii) maximum length of MOW's stride. Most observers of MOW had commented that the extraordinary length of his stride and the drive behind it was the source of his speed and record-setting racing achievements. I joined my brother-in-law, to help out in that research effort, when he was already well along in the late 1970s.
We amassed an enormous amount of research material about the horse; including long-out-of print books; microfiche copies of articles that had appeared in the NY Times, NY Daily News, NY Herald Tribune, The Thoroughbred Record, the Journal of the American Museum of Natural History (esp. as to the writings of Harmsted Chubb regarding weight distribution and stride length of race horses), the Saturday Evening Post, American Racing Manual, Morning Telegraph, the Racing Form, McKay W. Stewart’s “Staying Power and the Racehorse,” the Estate Auction publications of the Samuel D. Riddle estate managed by Samuel T. Friedman & Co., etc.
Also, numerous contemporary photographs were obtained from the NY Times Photo Library, the Associated Press, the New York Public Library, the Jockey Club, United Press International, etc. The Keenland Library, the Blood Horse Magazine, NY Racing Association, and the National Museum of Racing, among others, provided research assistance. Extensive newsreel footage that included many of MOW’s races was acquired from MovieTone News, etc. I am just scratching the surface here from memory.
The book manuscript never got fully completed and published because we could not verify the answer to our primary inquiry. However, every so often, one or both of us will peruse the Internet, looking to see if any new and relevant information has appeared.
In that respect, while surfing the web, I came upon your interesting and entertaining web site.
With the recent media announcements advising that a new book about MOW, which is being written by Dorothy Ours, who is presently on leave from her duties with the National Museum of Racing, is soon to be released, we look forward with hopeful expectation that her scholarly efforts will provide new and verifiable information. Best regards!
Hervey wrote the most extensive book and first hand account of MOW. It was never published!!!! I have a photo copy of the manuscript and it is my prized possession. Hervey states few horses weighed over 1100 lbs then and most had the same stride as MOW. It is not in the stride legnth of the horse it is the energy level in a horse`s body. No one can get a more complete account of MOW than Hervey has already done.
I do not understand the stride controversy on this site.
If one could tell how fast and far a horse can run by seeing his stride then we can all become millionaires by watching post parades! Dosen`t work. Riddle had many home made films of MOW races which he showed at his home in Saratoga and were never shown to the public. I have met many people of that generation , during my young days, who did see Riddle`s films of MOW Riddle made it open house for Turf people.
JJ, you are expressively correct. If the stride length of a running horse were the primary determinative factor of its speed and endurance, then the shorter striding horses and at least those nowadays generally standing perhaps less than 16 hh would – in large measure and in the main, be non-competitive. Such, of course, is not the case at all.
One needs to look foremost and closely at the physiology of the individual horse -- which really entails a consideration of a myriad of intertwining contributing factors such as the ability of its heart and cardio-vascular system to pump and sustain the huge volume of blood flow needed and the capacity of its lungs to oxygenate the blood; ... its genetic ability to generate and consume adequate quantities of glucose to power its muscles, and an equally important ability to quickly dissipate fatigue-causing lactic acids and carbon dioxide molecules that accumulate rapidly in the blood stream; ... its physical soundness and bone density are no less important factors as is the proper weight distribution (i.e., balance) as between the hind and front quarters, etc. If a race horse is seriously lacking in any several of the foregoing criteria, its having even a 50 foot stride won’t get it much beyond the half-mile pole.
I am signing off now. It’s been my pleasure and enjoyment to have participated in these discussions during the past several days. Best regards to all.
Article: Afleet Alex out for summer with leg injury
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NEW YORK (AP) -- The summer is over for Afleet Alex before it begins: The Preakness and Belmont Stakes winner has a left front leg injury that will keep him out of the Haskell Invitational and the Travers Stakes.
I'm going to the KY Horse Park this weekend. If you have a request for a photo of something at or around the Man o' War memorial let me know and I'll try to get it.
No problemo, I should be able to post some Sunday or Monday. I'll have to wait for the rest to get developed to post, but I will. I'm taking a 35mm camera and 2 digital cameras so I'll have plenty of photos.
I would like to offer my comments in response to two issues posted elsewhere on these web site pages:
#1 - Length of MOW’s stride – my brother-in-law (Steve C.) and I conducted considerable research on this subject, in the early 1980’s with the assistance of the National Museum of Racing in Saratoga and with Doris Jean Waren at the Keenland Library in Lexington, KY. We uncovered that the maximum length of MOW’s stride, as Officially Measured, was 26 feet. This was recorded in both the Thoroughbred Record (Nov. 6, 1920) and Bloodhorse Magazine (April 30, 1966), as follows:
“Man o’ War’s stride, which has been reported variously from to 25 to 28 feet, was measured in the stretch run of the Lawrence Realization at 26 feet”
C.W. Anderson, in his book, “Big Red” (c.1943) wrote, “ .. his stride, which covered 29 feet, is the longest on record." (see, page 26). Also, an article by Theodore Von Ziekursch, which appeared in the Saturday Evening Post on July 26, 1930, stated, “ …at Harve de Grace they measured his stride ... and in the back stretch, with the jockey turning on the juice by letting him out, this was increased to 29 feet.”
However, both the book and the article are written with considerable hyperbole and embellishment, so their “29 foot” stride claims must be considered bogus.
#2 – Re, the comment “I see this photo everywhere and people claim it's Man o' War. The jockey silks are wrong, and he's got a number on his saddle pad so it can't be a workout (methinks). What do y'all think? http://sportsville.org/manowar.jpg
Correct – the photo is NOT MOW. It’s distribution as being that of MOW has been promulgated erroneously for numerous decades by the Bettmann Archives Photo Library formerly located in NYC.
The photo clearly is not of MOW for the following readily identifiable reasons:(i) the physical conformation clearly does not match MOW’s and the horse in the photo is about two hands shorter than MOW; (ii) the jockey’s racing silks are wrong, (iii) MOW’s saddle cloth number was always #1 – not any other number; (iv) the jockey is not Clarence Kummer; (v) MOW’s tail was always braided with gold-black ribbons; (vi) on his racing days, the portion of MOW’s mane that overlapped his head was always braided in a prominent and forward-extended topknot (conspicuously missing in the photo).
MOW set his third and last World Record in The Lawrence Realization, a mile and 5/8, in 2:40 4/5.
Before the track was raked, it occured to somebody to repair an oversight. They had never measured Red`s Stride. So now they did. It was 25 feet from the leaping start and 24 ft 8 inches on the run. MOW was a foot short of Longfellow`s 26 ft stride. This is recorded by Hervey and many local newspapers of that day.
Unfortunately, there exists no authentic contemporary confirmation (re, from 1920) that supports the 28-foot measured length argument. It must be regarded as conjecture. But the issue really should not be focused the maximum length of MOW's stride; what is most relevant, and what my brother-in-law and I sought to uncover and determine, was the length of MOW's sustainable running stride.
In any horse, maximum stride length translates into rapid muscle fatigue and the shortening of the stride and a slowing down. During the late 1970s, we acquired from MovieTone News in Manhattan a copy of every newsreel film that still existed of MOW -- hundreds and hundreds of feet of 16 mm film -- many of which showed segments taken from his races.
We transferred much of that film onto videotape to still-capture his running gait and motion. Nothing definitive could be obtained. The imprecise measurements we made suggested a sustainable running stride of about 25 to 26 feet.
Perhaps one of the single most interesting running segments that we took the opportunity to study, was his stretch run in the 1920 Belmont Stakes. The newsreel photographer had positioned his camera directly alongside the inside rail so that he captured MOW head-on as he came bounding down the track through the home stretch. And, even though he was clearly held under a snug pull by jockey Clarence Kummer, his high bounding pendulum-like running action is clearly displayed. But that contributed nothing to our inconclusive investigation into the actual length of his running stride.
The exhibit shown at the Kentucky Horse Park, with respect to MOW’s alleged 28-foot stride, is based on speculation and conjecture. Nothing more. MOW might well have had such a stride length, but it appears never to have been truly documented by any creditable contemporary source when he was racing. Sorry.
Right after the Lawrence Realization on September 4, 1920 Belmont Park officially measured MOW`s stride. It was indeed 25 ft from the leaping start and 24 ft 8 inches when running. It was measured by checking the footprints MOW left in the sand on the track that day. It is still on record with Belmont Pk.
Belmont Pk is now part of the NYRA. It is also well documented by Hervey a leading Turf Historian! Daily newspapers of Sept. 5, 1920 also have the story as well as photos of the men taking the stride measurement.
MOW always wore saddlecloth number one because he was always the favorite in his races and it was the custom in 1919 and 1920 to assign number one to the favorite.
Afleet Alex was assigned 123 Pounds For The Haskell on Aug. 7th!
Thats way more than any other horse in the field! Though Tim Ritchey announced that Afleet Alex has gained 100 pounds. The clockers said they got him in :25 and change for the opening quarter and around :49 4/5 for the half.
I think this race will define Afleet Alex hopefully show that he can be a great race horse! Most of the Triple Crown horses he beat are back! Sun King is showing some improve meant!
What do you guys think?
Afleet Alex, 123
Scrappy T, 120
Dover Dere, 117
Roman Ruler, 119
Sun King, 119
Surf Cat, 119
Golden Man, 117
Magna Graduate, 117
Palladio, 118
Park Avenue Ball, 118
Wild Desert, 118
Pinpoint, 117
Shamoan, 117
Chekhov, 116
Indy Storm, 116
Devilment, 117
Smokescreen, 116
Papi Chullo, 116
Fifth-place Kentucky Derby horse fetches $725,000
By Murray Evans, The Associated Press
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Santa Anita Derby winner and fifth-place Kentucky Derby finisher Buzzards Bay was sold for $725,000 on Monday at Fasig-Tipton auction house.
Gary and Wendy Broad of Incline Village, Nev., who have re-entered the racing business after about a decade, outbid Rich Sulpizio, the owner of a California farm.
"How often do you get to buy a Santa Anita Derby winner," Gary Broad said. "We just thought it was a good opportunity to buy a horse that's a Grade I stakes winner."
The unusual auction of a 3-year-old colt in training, held at the end of the first day of Fasig-Tipton's Kentucky July Yearlings sale, occurred so a partnership between the former owners of the Florida-bred chestnut son of Marco Bay could be dissolved.
The former owners, Bill Bianco and David Shimmon, have raced under the name Fog City Stable. Both men plan to remain in racing, said Davant Latham of Darby Dan Bloodstock, an adviser to the stable which will remain under Shimmon's ownership.
The stable purchased Buzzards Bay last fall. He won the Golden Gate Derby in January at Golden Gate Fields before taking the Grade I Santa Anita Derby in April, beating eventual Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo and 2004 Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Wilko in the process.
Buzzards Bay has won three times in 10 starts and has finished in the money three other times, earning $625,746.
Jeff Mullins has been the horse's trainer, but Broad said he'll switch to Ron Ellis, who trains Broad's other horses.
Buzzard Bay's previous owners were pointing him toward the Grade III West Virginia Stakes on Aug. 15. Broad said he will leave that decision to Ellis. Broad also said that the horse might someday race on turf.
In his last start, the Grade III Affirmed Handicap at Hollywood Park on June 18, Buzzards Bay finished last in a four-horse field after starting as the 6-5 favorite in the 1 1-16th-mile race.
The horse was shipped from Santa Anita to Lexington on Saturday.
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Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Egg Head euthanized at 3
By MIKE WELSCH
Egg Head, one of the up-and-coming members of the 3-year-old division, was euthanized on Monday after succumbing to a case of founder.
Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, who also owned part-interest in the colt, said Egg Head became lame in behind just before a scheduled work two weeks ago, and his condition steadily deteriorated.
"His hock blew up and we started to treat it immediately," McLaughlin said. "We stayed on it, but the problem never got better, eventually spread to his other hock, after which he began to founder. We still have no real clue what caused it."
McLaughlin was part of a group that purchased a 45 percent interest in Egg Head, a son of Honor Grades, from owner Harvey Clark shortly after the colt's 9 1/2-length victory in Delaware Park's Francis "Jock" LaBelle Memorial Stakes on May 7. That victory earned Egg Head a Beyer Speed Figure of 112. In his previous start, Egg Head had won a second-level allowance race by 11 lengths at Philadelphia Park, earning a Beyer of 103.
Egg Head made his first start for McLaughlin in the Grade 2 Riva Ridge Stakes at Belmont Park on June 11, finishing second, just 1 1/4 lengths behind the undefeated Lost in the Fog. It is the closest Lost in the Fog has come to being defeated in eight career starts. Egg Head, who began his career with trainer Lynda Knee, won four of seven starts overall and earned $145,420.
"This is devastating," McLaughlin said from Belmont on Tuesday. "These things don't happen very often, and in this case it's really a shame, because Egg Head was one of the best horses I've ever trained, and Mr. Clark is such a great owner."
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The prediction that Patrick Valenzuela issued in the paddock before he rode Lava Man in Saturday's $750,000 Hollywood Gold Cup turned out to be prophetic.
Valenzuela told owners Steve and David Kenley and Jason Wood and trainer Doug O'Neill not to worry too much about pre-race tactics. Lava Man, Valenzuela said, could be anywhere as the race unfolded and still manage to win.
"'I can sit second. I can sit third. I can sit fourth. I could be on the lead,'" Valenzuela said in the paddock.
Then, he went out and proved it.
Lava Man stalked pacesetter Congrats for the first six furlongs, took the lead on the second turn and pulled away for a dramatic win by 8 3-4 lengths. Winning the first Grade 1 of his career, Lava Man ($14) finished 1 1-4 miles in 1:59.63. Racing near a decent pace of 22.96; 47.05 and 1:10.82 did not bother Lava Man.
"I was confident the whole way," Valenzuela said. "They went 10 and change and he still kicked the last quarter mile."
Borrego, last of nine on the backstretch, rallied to finish second, a length in front of Congrats, who set an early pace of 22.96; 47.05 and 1:10.82. Limehouse, the 6-5 favorite, finished fifth, beaten 15 3-4 lengths. He was unsettled in the gate before the start and was never closer than fifth.
Lava Man scored his third consecutive win in the Gold Cup. He won an optional claimer on May 14, in which he was eligible to be claimed for $100,000, and the Grade 2 Californian Stakes as an 8-1 outsider on June 18.
The victory completed Lava Man's ascension from a $50,000 claimer to a major stakes winner. Last summer, the Kenleys and Wood claimed Lava Man out of a runner-up finish in a turf race at Del Mar. Since then, he has won 4 of 11 starts. The Gold Cup win was worth $450,000.
Despite his claiming background, Lava Man carried starting highweight of 118 pounds in the Gold Cup.
A gelding, Lava Man, 4, has won 7 of 24 starts and $908,039.
The first three finishers had run well in major races this year. Congrats and Borrego were second and third in the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap in March behind Rock Hard Ten, who is only in light training right now.
I will be honest I loved Funny Cide as a 3 year old. He was great and its still great to see him run. But after today in the Suburban it's almost painful to watch the gelding. Do you guys thinks he's past his prime?? I'm not sure I'll wait for another race but he's put in 3 clunker preformances in his last three races.. Idk?
According to the NTRA.com website as of the end of last month they were still trying to figure out what to do with Funny Cide. According to the article "Funny Cide At Crossroads" at http://www.ntra.com/content.aspx?type=news&id=14141 his Grade 1 races days may be slowly dwindling down. I pray they're wrong, he did a great job in the Preakness but (playing the devil's advocate in this) it wouldn't be the first time that a Triple Crown (1 or 2 race) winner puts his all in those races and afterwards becomes a dud, as if either he won by sheer luck or he gave it is all in the Triple Crown races and he has (or had) nothing left for any more races.
PLEASANTON, Calif. (AP) - California plans to test the use of microchips in identifying thoroughbred racehorses in the state.
It would cost $40-$50 per horse to implant the rice-sized chip into a neck ligament in a five-minute procedure by a veterinarian, said Dan Fick of the Jockey Club.
The chips contain a seven-digit facility location number and a 15-digit ID for each horse, and can also indicate a horse's temperature. The devices that read the IDs cost $200-$400 each.
The chips also can be used to verify the identities of horses during workouts.
The California Horse Racing Board on Thursday instructed its staff to develop a pilot program to test use of the chips.
Chips are used widely in 16 other countries and on a limited basis in some states, but if the testing is successful, California would become the first state to require chips as a way to identify racehorses, Fick said.
Fick co-chairs the equine division of the U.S. Agriculture Department's National Animal Identification System. The USDA is interested in the chip technology to quickly locate horses that might have been exposed to contagious diseases
This message has been edited by bmc86 on Jul 1, 2005 10:39 PM
Article: Horse Racing's Eclipse Awards Settle in California
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Horse Racing's Eclipse Awards Settle in California
Jun 30, 2:31 PM (ET)
http://sports.iwon.com/news/06302005/v8668.html
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) - The Oscars of horse racing will be given out in California in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association said Thursday the Eclipse Awards, honoring thoroughbred racing's human and equine champions will be at the Regent Beverly Wilshire hotel.
The hotel was the site of the awards this year and in 2003.
"The combination of Beverly Hills, Hollywood and a major racing center provide the perfect backdrop to honor our sport's champions," said Keith Chamblin of the NTRA.
You can vote for...website. http://espn.go.com/espy2005/s/05nomineesindex.html
Best Sports Moment:
Afleet Alex's Preakness recovery
Credentials: Afleet Alex, who came from the back of the pack, stumbles at the top of the stretch, then wins the Preakness by 4˝ lengths.
Biggest Upset:
Giacomo
Credentials: Won the Kentucky Derby as a 50-1 longshot.
Best Jockey:
Jerry Bailey
Exceeded $15 million in career earnings in 2004.
Javier Castellano
Credentials: Rode Ghostzapper to a win in the 2004 Breeders' Cup Classic.
Jeremy Rose
Credentials: Rode Afleet Alex to victory in the Preakness, surviving a stumble at the top of the stretch, and the Belmont.
Mike Smith
Credentials: Rode 50-1 longshot Giacomo to a win in Kentucky Derby.
Don't forget to tune-in to the ESPY Awards on Sunday, July 17 (ESPN, 9 p.m. ET) to see which of your favorite athletes received the most votes.
OMAHA, Neb. — This is the story of a lost time, a lost place and a horse nobody can find. The horse’s name is Omaha, just like the town. Only Omaha the horse was not born in Omaha the town. He died here. That’s where the story begins.
In 1959, a time when horse racing still enthralled America, when Charlton Heston was riding chariots in “Ben Hur,” when Plymouth was comparing its cars to Thoroughbreds (“Full of fury and eager to run”), Omaha was living out his final days on Grove Porter’s farm near Nebraska City. Omaha was a grumpy former athlete. He had traveled and run all his life. He won the Triple Crown in 1935 — the first horse, in fact, to be credited with winning the “Triple Crown” — and he won races all over America and England. He retired to stud in New York.
Then he was sent to Nebraska to die. He had never been to Nebraska, and he did not particularly like it. He stomped around angrily. He seemed to long for another track, another race. One cold day, he chomped hard on the arm of Grove’s son, J. Morton Porter, who was wearing many layers of clothes. J. Morton’s arm turned black and blue.
“He was a bit cranky,” J. Morton would say.
On a Friday in April of that year, Omaha died. He was taken to Ak-Sar-Ben, the Omaha race track, and was buried near the grandstand. A few workmen and reporters were there to see “the chestnut stallion lowered into the ground,” as it said in newspapers across America. A bronze figure of Omaha was placed at the grave site.
Now, horse racing withers and dies. Ak-Sar-Ben race track is gone. On the site, they are building a huge village — Aksarben Village — with homes and shopping and all sorts of entertainment. The cranes dig in. There are giant holes everywhere.
They can’t find Omaha anywhere.
Ak-Sar-Ben, as you certainly figured out, is Nebraska spelled backward. The name comes from a group of Nebraska men in the late 19th Century who felt like their state was going backward. They got together “to build a more prosperous Heartland.” They called themselves the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben.
The Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben decided they wanted to right wrongs, fix injustices, lay their coats over the largest Nebraska puddles. For years, there was a toll every time you crossed the Douglas Street Bridge between Omaha and Council Bluffs. People were furious. So, Ak-Sar-Ben bought the bridge. It was that kind of group. It still is.
Doing these sorts of good deeds cost money, of course, and the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben held coronation balls, livestock shows, concerts and so on. But the bulk of money for their good deeds came from Ak-Sar-Ben race track, built in 1920 when they somehow convinced the state to legalize gambling. Between 1935 and 1985 — according to www.ak-sar-ben.com — more than 25 million people came through the Ak-Sar-Ben turnstiles. It was, for quite a long time, one of the top 10 race tracks in America.
“It was a special place,” says Tim Schmad, who was everything from public relations director to CEO at Ak-Sar-Ben. “People would come from all over the Midwest.”
It was more than the place, though. It was the time. For many years, horse racing was one of America’s three major professional sports, along with baseball and boxing. It was a time when people would spend afternoons in the sun, bet on the horses, talk to friends, pore over the Daily Racing Form. Horse racing was a part of life. Men would sneak away from work. Families would come to the big race days. For so many years, horse racing had its place in America’s heart because, as the great horse owner Cot Campbell likes to say, “it was outdoors, you were with a crowd, and it was a little bit naughty.”
In 1984, Ak-Sar-Ben still drew more than 15,000 people per session.
Then, in 1985, everything changed at Ak-Sar-Ben. Slot machines came to Council Bluffs. Attendance immediately dropped 25 percent. In four years, attendance was cut in half. It would take about a decade to complete the cycle. But when that first bell of a slot machine rang, Ak-Sar-Ben was doomed.
“People found a way to stay indoors and lose their money much faster,” Schmad says.
Even now, nobody is quite sure why William Woodward named his horse Omaha. Apparently one time he was quoted saying he named the horse after “one of the best towns in these United States,” but nobody is quite sure when or why Woodward, a New York banker, had spent time in Omaha. There are stories that he just liked the way the name sounded or that he named the horse after Omaha Beach.
Anyway, whatever the reason, much was expected from Omaha. He was the son of Woodward’s finest horse, Gallant Fox, who in 1930 won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes. This was before that triple was called the Triple Crown. But it was still impressive. Gallant Fox was an American sensation as the Depression began.
Omaha was supposed to be the next great champion.
It didn’t look that way. A 2-year-old in 1934, Omaha won only once in nine races. Immediately Omaha was pegged as a horse with talent but without his father’s heart. That charge would follow Omaha all his life. As Frank Sinatra Jr. and Pete Rose Jr. will tell you, it’s not easy to be a famous man’s son.
But Omaha matured as he turned 3. His trainer, Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons, was a genius at turning horses into champions in their third year. It’s funny, Fitzsimmons is probably best known now as the trainer who could not pull out the greatness from Seabiscuit. But he had an awesome sense of a horse’s potential. He was the one who had turned Gallant Fox into a winner. And on the first Saturday of May in 1935, Omaha finally flashed his potential and won the Kentucky Derby by a length and a half. The next week, he ran away in the Preakness Stakes.
The phrase “Triple Crown” was invented by Charlie Hatton, a writer for the Racing Form, to describe Gallant Fox’s win in the Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes in one year. One month after his Preakness performance, Omaha did win the Belmont and the first “Triple Crown.” But there wasn’t much glory. Not for Omaha. Two weeks after the Belmont, Omaha raced in the Brooklyn Handicap — it was considered a match race between Omaha and a great star named Discovery. It was no contest, Discovery won going away. Omaha finished third. The horse racing writers were so unimpressed, they snubbed Omaha and picked Discovery as horse of the year. That’s the only time a Triple Crown winner did not win Horse of the Year.
After that, Omaha had a spotty career and life. He raced in England and won a couple of races but he was beaten by a nose at the big race, the Ascot Gold Cup. “Omaha does not have his father’s heart,” a horse racing writer wrote. Omaha then came home and failed at stud in Kentucky, was moved to New York, and finally came to Nebraska.
Why Nebraska? The name. Also nobody else wanted him.
Ak-Sar-Ben took him in and buried him near the grandstand.
“He was buried here by special invitation from Ak-Sar-Ben in honor of the great place that he had earned in the annals of American racing,” the historical marker would read. For 15 years after his death, people would walk by that marker and read all about Omaha, the first true Triple Crown winner. Then, in 1974, the track needed some major reconstruction because the crowds were overflowing. The grandstand was expanded. The clubhouse was lengthened. Omaha’s headstone and bronze figure were moved.
Somewhere along the way, in the excitement, the Ak-Sar-Ben people realized that Omaha’s remains had not been moved.
And then they realized that they had no idea where to find Omaha.
There is still an Ak-Sar-Ben exit along Center Street. You take the exit and it takes you along a road past the Saint Mary school to a large building which, from afar, looks a little bit like a grandstand. Up close, you realize it is not a grandstand at all. This is Scott’s Technology Transfer and Incubator Center. Visitor parking is in the front.
In fact, there is no sign of a race track here. It’s typical. Horse racing slowly disappears all over the country. Oh, every so often a fun story like Smarty Jones will emerge. There will be a rush of nostalgia over Seabiscuit or Secretariat. But there are fewer and fewer stories. Fewer and fewer rushes of nostalgia. Fewer and fewer tracks. Even Pimlico, site of the Preakness Stakes, is fighting for survival.
Ak-Sar-Ben fought the good fight for a long time. The place closed in 1995, but they kept the grandstands up, leaving this irrational hope that horse racing might come back to town. Hope ended last year. The grandstands were torn down. Now plans for Aksarben Village (“An Urban Mixed Use Community”) move ahead.
It looks like an ordinary construction site now except for a few rusting parking signs. Schmad, who now works as executive director for the Omaha Community Playhouse, finds himself going out of his way to drive by the site. Schmad says he is not the only one. There are a few old souls who remember those days.
“It breaks your heart,” he says. “It’s almost to the point where you can’t even remember what it looked like.”
And what about Omaha? They do say the headstone for Omaha is still around here somewhere, although with the construction crews everywhere no one is allowed in to find it. His remains, though, remain a mystery. Some say he was dug up long ago by some careless construction worker. Others say he will turn up still. And some say he’s there all right, somewhere in the dirt under the track, but he will remain buried. That’s horse racing.
“Nobody knows, for sure,” Schmad says. “You hear a lot of stories.”
Ther term "Triple Crown" was already in print in 1931! It refers to a horse winning the Ky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stks. It was in reference to Gallant Fox!
Gallant Fox, who was Omaha`s sire, was the inspiration to Charlie Hatton to coin the phrase "Triple Crown" Charlie Hatton said the words just fell out of his typewritter. The publicity department at the DRF did not MILK the term Triple Crown untill 1935!!!
The term Triple Crown is clearly in print in 1931 referring to Gallant Fox! Nobody cared.
Gallant Fox won the Preakness first!! That Preakness was the first Triple Crown race to use a starting gate.
Ky Derby was run a week AFTER the Preakness in 1930.
Gallant Fox is best remembered for his loss in the Travers in 1930 to 100 to 1 shot Jim Dandy.
Gallant Fox got into a speed duel with Wichone in 1930 Travers and it was muddy too. They went head to head for a mile and Wichone broke down and never raced again. But that speed duel finished Gallant Fox and allowed Jim Dandy to win! Earle Sande the jockey on Gallant Fox was visibly upset and came into the jockeys room in tears. It hurts to lose on so great a horse said Sande. Daymon Runyon, the best reporter to hit the Saratoga Track since Nelly Bly, said "One can only dream the fate that happened here today"
Gallant Fox only loss in 9 races that year and Jim Dandy`s only win in 20 starts in 1930.
According to Tim Capps' book, Secretariat, Byran Field used the term "Triple Crown" in the New York Times the day after Gallant Fox won the Belmont, referring to Gallant Fox's sweep of the three races.
If that was the first use of the term to describe the Derby-Preakness-Belmont combination, then I guess it would be fair to say that Omaha was the first actual Triple Crown winner.
The first real winner of the Derby, Preakness, and Belmont is Sir Barton but they didn't use the term until Gallant Fox. So technically the first is Sir Barton but they used the term "Triple Crown" in a newspaper in 1931 which is what JJ said.
My point was that you can't win something that doesn't exist.
There's a difference between retroactive recognition as "Triple Crown winners" and going forward with the clear understanding that you are trying to win the Triple Crown.
While his Wood Memorial was by far the best prep race to the Derby do you guys honestly think he is as great as some people say he is? When you look at the field he ran against in the Wood it really wasn't all that strong a few decent horses maybe? Does he have what it takes to come back in the fall and beat Afleet Alex, Saint Liam, Roses in May, or Rock Hard Ten whose having a great year?? What do you guys think???
Well, it is hard to say, he got hurt in the derby, so, I will have to wait until is next race. Also, don't look to much in the horses thatr an, look at his time. I don't knwo what it is, so, I don't want to say it was great or not.
I think we need a good race between Alex, Bellamy, Declan's Moon, Giacomo, Andromada's hero (I think he is getting better and better every race!)
Afleet Alex remains at Belmont Park, where he won the third leg of the Triple Crown, which put the 3-year-old division in perspective and established himself as an animal with star quality and charisma.
The Preakness and Belmont winner has apparently emerged unscathed from the most rigorous five weeks he will ever endure. This is good news, not only for those directly connected to Afleet Alex, but for the rest of a season that at its midpoint holds little else in the way of intrigue.
On the morning after the Belmont, there was fresh speculation that the season might end with Ghostzapper and Afleet Alex in the Breeders' Cup Classic. Trainer Tim Ritchey entertained the possibility of a race that held the potential to develop into a 10-furlong, winner-take-all for the Horse of the Year title. Within days, however, that balloon was deflated, discarded and recycled.
The retirement of Ghostzapper, the defending Horse of the Year and champion older male, leaves a void that may remain for some time. He had a winning streak spanning three seasons. He won the Woodward, the Classic and Met Mile in his last three races, all with memorable performances. He won Grade I races from sprint distances to 10 furlongs. There was always suspicion that Ghostzapper was not the soundest of horses. He raced only 11 times, five last season at age 4, and was on a four-race schedule this year before a small fracture in an ankle prompted his untimely retirement.
Saint Liam, who last autumn took Ghostzapper to the wire before yielding in the Woodward, and Roses in May, winner of the Dubai World Cup in March, are now the leading active older males. Both are a long way from attaining the stature earned by Ghostzapper, however, and unlikely ever to occupy a similar position. Winning the Donn Handicap in Florida and the Stephen Foster in Kentucky will not vault Saint Liam to stardom. Roses in May, who won the Whitney last summer at Saratoga, has been idle since returning from Dubai, and many veterans of that race in the desert take some time to regain their best form.
After Afleet Alex's dismantling of the 3-year-old division in the Preakness and Belmont, little intrigue remains beyond the anticipated return of Wood Memorial winner Bellamy Road, who is recovering from a minor injury suffered in the Kentucky Derby. Bellamy Road, the favorite in a race won by 50-1 Giacomo, may in time prove to be the best in the division and will be a force when he returns to competition, but that may not be before fall. The sensational, undefeated Lost in the Fog, brilliant in the Riva Ridge on Belmont day, is easily the nation's best 3-year-old sprinter. He may be the best of any age, but though he is one of the more exciting horses competing, there is little glamour among sprinters.
In Ghostzapper's absence, this becomes the year of Afleet Alex; the year of the throwback, the horse who trains hard and races often, whose 2-year-old form holds up at 3, who is capable of overcoming adversity, of rising to the occasion. It is likely that we have yet to see the best of him.
This is an article from England about our champion, Man O'War. I found it interesting that Endland would do an article on him, but then again there are a lot of English horses in his pedigree.
Much of MOW if not all of his races have been reconstructed by Equibase and Brisnet and several other companies! Much data comes to light.
Take your pick as to what makes a horse great.
The Dwyer he ran in 1920. MOW did the 6 fl together with JP GRier in faster time than the track record for 6 fl. Fast fractions DO NOT HURT front runners as much as PRESSURE and PRESCENCE of another horse. J P Grier was in his face!! It is the prescence of another horse that takes great energy out of any horse. They will run slower fractional times and set slower final times when they are head to head with another horse. Some collapse, others quit abruptly some gamely fight on in head to head fighting.
MOW was incontestably headed at the 3/16 pole by J P GRIER. MOW got the whip and responded by winning and setting a World Record. No horse has set a WORLD RECORD
WITH SO MUCH PRESSURE AND PRESCENCE FROM ANOTHER HORSE AND PASSED THE 6 FL TRACK RECORD TOO!!!! This sets MOW apart from other tops who may or may not have been up to doing it. MOW has faced the greatest competition while setting a WR as J P Grier pushed him all out!
All other Word Records have been set when the horse was running at his most comfortable running style. Mostly when loose in front of the field.
MOW equalled this WR in a workout at Saratoga a few weeks later. Showing his gameness under any racing circunstance.
NTRA.com has a typed up Teleconference about Smary Jones' retirement. The telecomference took place Aug. 2, 2004. Y'all can see a copy of it at http://www.ntra.com/news.asp?type=news&id=11974
I wish he was still running! He against Afleet Alex would be an intersting match but I don't know where I would rest my loyalties to o well! ood article!
Afleet Alex as of now! He may need a few more wins under his belt to secure the Horse of the Year. Rock Hard Ten as of know would be his top competitor.
Giacomo doesn't have a chance if he does the whole things rigged.
Smarty Jones should have been the Horse of the Year. Ghostzapper's a good horse but Come On Smarty was practicly undefeated and when he lost he lost by a lenght.
They can mail the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year to Afleet Alex right now! That dosen`t mean he matches up well with a lot of past winners. He does not!!!
I forgot to say what I thought about him. But the gist is he was a well bred horse and top pedigree made him favorite in his first start. He was undefeated until the Belmont and missed by a small margin from being Undefeated TC winner. That was sad.
I forgot to say what I thought about him. But the gist is he was a well bred horse and top pedigree made him favorite in his first start. He was undefeated until the Belmont and missed by a small margin from being Undefeated TC winner. That was sad.
Article: Three jockeys punished for Derby ads appeal sanctions
by
The address for the article is http://www.usatoday.com/sports/horses/2005-06-20-jockeys-appeal_x.htm?csp=34
Posted 6/20/2005 5:25 PM
<b>Three jockeys punished for Derby ads appeal sanctions</b>
LOUISVILLE (AP) — Three jockeys fined and suspended for wearing unapproved advertising on their clothing during the Kentucky Derby have appealed the penalties levied by stewards at Churchill Downs.
Stewards suspended Jeremy Rose, Kent Desormeaux and Corey Nakatani from riding for seven days and fined the jockeys $5,000 each. The suspensions, announced Friday, were to begin Monday, but the penalties will be stayed until the appeal is heard by the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority, executive director Jim Gallagher said Monday.
Gallagher said no hearing date for the appeal has been set.
Rose, who rode Afleet Alex to a third-place finish, wore an ad for an online poker company during the Derby. Nakatani rode Wilko and Desormeaux rode Greeley's Galaxy in the May 7 race.
Jockeys sued in federal court and won the right before the 2004 Derby to wear advertising on their clothing. But under racing authority guidelines, any advertising must be approved by the horse's owner and track stewards.
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Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Article: Three jockeys punished for Derby ads appeal sanctions
by
The link to this article from USAToday is http://www.usatoday.com/sports/horses/2005-06-20-jockeys-appeal_x.htm
Posted 6/20/2005 5:25 PM
Three jockeys punished for Derby ads appeal sanctions
LOUISVILLE (AP) — Three jockeys fined and suspended for wearing unapproved advertising on their clothing during the Kentucky Derby have appealed the penalties levied by stewards at Churchill Downs.
Stewards suspended Jeremy Rose, Kent Desormeaux and Corey Nakatani from riding for seven days and fined the jockeys $5,000 each. The suspensions, announced Friday, were to begin Monday, but the penalties will be stayed until the appeal is heard by the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority, executive director Jim Gallagher said Monday.
Gallagher said no hearing date for the appeal has been set.
Rose, who rode Afleet Alex to a third-place finish, wore an ad for an online poker company during the Derby. Nakatani rode Wilko and Desormeaux rode Greeley's Galaxy in the May 7 race.
Jockeys sued in federal court and won the right before the 2004 Derby to wear advertising on their clothing. But under racing authority guidelines, any advertising must be approved by the horse's owner and track stewards.
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Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
My mom and I are going up to Lexington, Kentucky this summer. And in the bookelt guide thing it said something about Man o' War the greatest race horse of all time. My mom asked who this horse was and I had no idea. So I got on the internet and did some research about him. I found out that he was the greatest racehorse of all time. I always thought Smarty Jones was but now I have changed my mind! =D
Hi Allie, welcome to the board. I've been to Kentucky Horse Park which is in Lexington, Kentucky. If you go there one of the things you may see is a statue of a horse in front of the building. That statue is a statue of the great Man O'War, it's also a grave marker since he was burried there.
That's a good question. The first horse that comes to mind is Seattle Slew since I think he lost is first race when he was 4?? I'm not 100% sure but I know it's after he won the Triple Crown, my Seattle Slew trivia is a bit rusty at the moment.
I'm thinking either Exterminator who pulled up lame in his 100th race he won
His final record was 100 starts, 50 wins, 17 seconds and 17 thirds. Total earnings: Or Do You mean like overall who won like every race???
Exterminator went on to win many races in a long career, averaging a 50% win rate.
STAKES WINS BY EXTERMINATOR
1918
Kentucky Derby (1 1/4 miles, 114 pounds)
Carrollton Handicap, Laurel (1 1/6 miles, 118 pounds)
Ellicott City Handicap, Laurel (1 1/8 miles, 113 pounds)
Pimlico Autumn Handicap (1 1/2 miles, 118 pounds)
Latonia Cup (2 1/4 miles, 121 pounds)
1919
Ben Ali Handicap, Lexington (1 1/6 miles, 124 pounds)
Camden Handicap, Lexington (1 1/4 miles, 132 pounds)
Saratoga Cup (1 3/4 miles, 126 pounds)
Pimlico Cup (2 1/4 miles, 121 pounds)
1920
Long Beach Handicap, Jamaica (1 1/8 miles, 119 pounds)
Brookdale Handicap, Aqueduct (1 1/8 miles, 129 pounds)
Windsor Handicap, Windsor (1 1/8 miles, 125 pounds)
Hendrie Handicap, Windsor (1 1/16 miles, 131 pounds)
Saratoga Cup (1 3/4 miles, 126 pounds)
Autumn Gold Cup, Belmont (2 miles, 128 pounds)
Toronto Autumn Cup, Woodbine (1 1/4 miles, 132 pounds)
Ontario Cup, Woodbine (2 1/4 miles, 134 pounds)
Pimlico Cup (2 1/4 miles, 126 pounds)
1921
Long Beach Handicap, Jamaica (1 1/8 miles, 130 pounds)
Independence Handicap, Latonia (1 1/2 miles, 130 pounds)
Merchants/Citizens Handicap, Saratoga (1 3/16 miles, 130 pounds)
Saratoga Cup (1 3/4 miles, 126 pounds)
Autumn Gold Cup, Belmont (2 miles, 130 pounds)
Toronto Autumn Cup, Woodbine (1 1/4 miles, 137 pounds)
Pimlico Cup (2 1/4 miles, 126 pounds)
1922
Harford Handicap, Havre de Grace (6 furlongs, 132 pounds)
Pimlico Handicap (1 1/16 miles, 133 pounds)
Clark Handicap, Churchill Downs (1 1/4 miles, 133 pounds)
Kentucky Handicap, Churchill Downs (1 1/4 miles, 138 pounds)
Brooklyn Handicap, Aqueduct (1 1/8 miles, 135 pounds)
Saratoga Cup (1 3/4 miles, 126 pounds)
Toronto Autumn Cup (1 1/4 miles, 132 pounds)
Laurel Stakes (1 mile, 132 pounds)
1923
Philadelphia Handicap, Havre de Grace (1 1/6 miles, 132 pounds)
Note: Of Exterminator's 16 "non-stakes" wins, a number of these were in handicap races with names -- such as the Hotel Como Handicap at Oaklawn Park and the Galt House Handicap at Churchill Downs. However, these were overnight stakes and handicaps, and were thus not included among the horse's stakes wins. The 34 stakes above were those events listed by each track on their stakes calendars and requiring advance nominations.)
Most wins by a filly lifetime is 76 held by Pan Zareta who raced in Mid west and Mexico mostly. Died in Jan 1918 of Pneumonia in her stall at Fair Grounds and is buried on infield at Fair Grounds side by side with Black Gold.
She was by all accounts Queen Of The Track. Every year for DECADES The Pan Zareta Stks is run at Fait Grounds and a wreath of roses placed on her grave after the race.
2 Stories y'all may be interested in, both with an ankle injury
Ghostzaper is retired because of an ankle injury
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/horses/2005-06-13-ghostzapper_x.htm?csp=34
http://horseracing.about.com/b/a/177251.htm
Giacomo's racing season ends
http://msn.foxsports.com/horseracing/story/3697798?CMP=OTC-K9B140813162&ATT=241
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/horses/2005-06-17-giacomo-injury_x.htm?csp=34
Blues and Royal...dead...Lyphard....Dead (36!!!)...GIACOMO hurt.
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GIACOMO
Surgery to sideline Giacomo
By STEVE ANDERSEN
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo has a bone chip in his left ankle that will keep him away from racing until the end of the year at the earliest, trainer John Shirreffs said Thursday.
The injury was discovered when X-rays were taken on Wednesday, Shirreffs said. Noted veterinarian Rick Arthur will conduct surgery at Hollywood Park next week.
"The prognosis is excellent," Shirreffs said.
Shirreffs said the injury to Giacomo's foreleg is not severe, and he is encouraged that Giacomo can make a full recovery. "I would go with a cup-is-half-full scenario," he said.
Shirreffs said Wednesday's procedure was the first time that Giacomo had been X-rayed in his life.
The X-rays were conducted after jockey Mike Smith said that Giacomo had displaced his palate and could not breathe properly during the Belmont Stakes last Saturday. Giacomo finished seventh, 17 3/4 lengths behind Afleet Alex.
Early in the race, Giacomo was just behind the leaders. He took the lead briefly on the final turn, but faded rapidly in early stretch. Shirreffs said that Giacomo did not suffer the same breathing problems during a postrace examination by a veterinarian.
Still, Shirreffs ordered the X-rays when Giacomo returned to California, wanting to give the colt a full checkup before resuming any training.
"He's not had a displacing problem before in any race, and he's been through a lot," he said.
Shirreffs said that Dr. Dawn Hunkin, Giacomo's regular veterinarian in California, had told him that "it looks like a fresh chip because there was so little damage to the joint itself."
Owned by Jerry and Ann Moss, Giacomo has won 2 of 10 starts and $1,966,316. He scored a shocking victory in the Kentucky Derby on May 7, rallying from 18th in a field of 20 to win by a half-length at 50-1. The race was his first stakes victory in five attempts.
Giacomo finished third in the Preakness Stakes on May 21, losing by 9 3/4 lengths to Afleet Alex.
Shirreffs is hopeful that Giacomo can return to exercise in September, with a possible return to racing at the end of the year or the start of 2006.
"Most of the time for these type of injuries, it's between three or four months" off, Shirreffs said. "He should be at the short end of the time. With time, he should go on to be a better horse."
Lyphard
Lyphard dead at age 36
By FRANK MITCHELL
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Lyphard, who at 36 was the oldest living elite Thoroughbred sire and one of the oldest horses in the world, died on June 10 at Gainesway Farm in Lexington.
The stallion was euthanized because of the infirmities of old age, a farm official confirmed.
His death was not unexpected, since the bay stallion had stubbornly held off death for years.
Lyphard, a son of Northern Dancer, won 6 of 12 starts in Europe and was nearly a champion before embarking on a remarkable stud career. In all, Lyphard sired 115 stakes winners from 843 foals (14 percent stakes winners), with 84 percent starters and 60 percent winners from his foals. He ranks as one of the half-dozen great sons of Northern Dancer, alongside Nijinsky, Danzig, Sadler's Wells, Nureyev, and El Gran Senor.
These stallions made a mark on the breed, exuding class, speed, soundness, and athleticism. And Lyphard was one of the best. He was the leading sire in North America in 1986, led the list in France in 1978 and 1979, and led the French broodmare sire list in 1985 and 1986.
BLUES AND ROYALS
odolphin Racing’s promising United Arab Emirates Derby (UAE-G2) winner Blues and Royals was euthanized last weekend at Belmont Park due to complications of colitis.
"Very sadly, we’ve lost Blues and Royals," said Godolphin Racing Manager Simon Crisford. "He’s foundered and had to be put down. It’s a great shame because he’s a lovely horse with a lot of talent. He had colitis and things just deteriorated."
Blues and Royals was considered Godolphin’s second-stringer behind English Group 1 winner Shamardal going into the UAE Derby, but Blues and Royals ran off to a 12-length victory in the $2-million 1 1/8-mile dirt race on March 26 at Nad al Sheba.
That win led Godolphin to aim the Florida-bred son of Honour of Glory for a run in the Kentucky Derby (G1). But on April 18 Godolphin pulled him from consideration for the American classic, citing a minor respiratory condition.
Blues and Royals was later shipped to Belmont Park with designs on running him in the second half of the year, but he did not handle the travel very well, Crisford said.
Out of the Dixieland Band mare Dixieland Blues, Blues and Royals was a half-brother to Brooklyn Handicap (G2) winner Limehouse.
"He was great on [Dubai] World Cup (UAE-G1) night," Crisford said in reference to Blues and Royals brilliant win in the UAE Derby. "He won really well as you know and we were just hoping he could have a nice career in North America, but he couldn’t be saved."
Godolphin has had its share of bad luck with sending horses from Dubai to the United States. The stable lost champion two-year-old filly Tempera to colic in 2002 after she shipped from Dubai to prepare for a run at the Kentucky Oaks (G1). And last weekend, their Grade 1-winning homebred three-year-old filly Balletto (UAE) was retired after intestinal surgery. She developed colic after she shipped from Dubai to Belmont this spring.--Pete Denk
Re: Blues and Royal...dead...Lyphard....Dead (36!!!)...GIACOMO hurt.
by Horse Racing Fan
It seems we can't go a day without hearing something bad about retired horses or injured horses. I believe Giacomo if he runs next year will have a better year. I think he will improve with age!? Does any one agree or will he be a pluncky lucky horse again next year?
Steve Haskin's Belmont Story: Crescendoby Steve Haskin
Jockey Jeremy Rose says 'see ya later' to the competition as Afleet Alex wins the Belmont Stakes by seven lengths.
Photo: Dave Harmon
It was a typical lazy afternoon on the Belmont Park backstretch as two figures strolled down the horse path heading to Barn 5. Afleet Alex and trainer Tim Ritchey had already spent five days stabled in Barn 14 preparing for the 137th Belmont Stakes (gr. I), but Ritchey decided he wanted to move to the barn in which he had originally been assigned.
This atypical stroll on a hot, humid afternoon didn't seem to faze Alex in the slightest. He was used to anything by now. But when Ritchey unhooked the lead shank and let him loose in his new stall, the colt suddenly started bucking, kicking, squealing, and rolling in his wood chips, interrupted only by an occasional quick stop in front of the window fan for a blast of cool air.
An amused Ritchey said to the Northern Afleet colt, "Hey, save that for Saturday."
But Alex was saving much more for Saturday. The Preakness (gr. I) winner had already written one of the most amazing chapters in the annals of Thoroughbred racing, and was planning to add to it in the mile-and-a-half Belmont.
This is a horse who has affected the lives of more people than any horse in recent memory. He has kept his dying breeder alive. He has kept the mission and memory of a courageous young girl alive. He has kept the hopes of hundreds of seriously ill children alive. He has kept the great American dream of his workaday owners alive. And he kept himself and his jockey alive with one of the most remarkable feats of agility ever seen in any sport. Now, with his spectacular seven-length victory in the June 11 Belmont, he has kept alive one of Thoroughbred racing's great Cinderella stories.
Although he was not trying for a Triple Crown sweep, which accounted for a much smaller crowd than the past three years, the ovation he received following the race was no less enthusiastic than the ones that had been meant for War Emblem, Funny Cide, and Smarty Jones. After three consecutive years of disappointment and frustration, the 62,274 Belmont fans on hand finally got their chance to erupt, and they did so with a deafening roar and a chorus of chants for racing's newest hero.
Whatever glory Afleet Alex had failed to attain with his third-place finish in the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) he made up for two weeks later in the Preakness. The frightening image of him nearly falling and picking himself up made its way on to national TV news and sports shows and front pages of newspapers across the country. The colt had become the poster child for courage and athleticism, and everything that is pure in the world of sport.
Alex's owners, Cash is King Stable, as well as Ritchey, jockey Jeremy Rose, and publicists J.J. Graci and Anita Saint Clair, were now thrust into a world beyond their wildest imagination. In addition to the fame and glory, they all became involved with the fight against childhood cancer through Alexandra "Alex" Scott's now-famous lemonade stand that has spread throughout the racing world thanks to the heroics of Afleet Alex and his ever-growing Web site and the proceeds from his merchandising products.
"Here was a little girl who had the awareness at age four to think about her fellow humans," Ritchey said. "That's amazing to me. She obviously was a special little girl and we're all very thankful and grateful we could be a part of this cause and try to bring some awareness to the American public."
Afleet Alex, produced from the Hawkster mare, Maggy Hawk, was bred in Florida by John Silvertand, who was diagnosed with cancer more than two years ago and given only a few months to live. But he says it has been Afleet Alex who has helped keep him alive. At last report, he seems to be making excellent progress in his battle.
There still was one more stop on Afleet Alex's already magical journey on the Triple Crown trail. The road to the Belmont Stakes proved to be an unconventional one, but then, there has never been anything conventional about Afleet Alex or his trainer. Since the winter at Oaklawn Park, Ritchey has had to withstand a barrage of criticism about the way he was handling the colt, especially his routine of training him twice a day. But Ritchey stood firm, insisting to anyone who would listen that he knew what was best for his horse.
"If no one did the unconventional, we'd still be in Italy," he said. "We would never have gotten to America."
Afleet Alex came out of the Preakness "a little muscle sore" from his ordeal, according to Ritchey, but "jogged right out of it." Ritchey had planned on shipping the colt to New York the Saturday following the Preakness, but decided to delay it a week when a suspected case of strangles was discovered on the Belmont backstretch. "I'm not going to do anything to jeopardize my horse's health," he said at the time.
One week later, he was given the green light by the New York Racing Association, which later said the infected horse did not have strangles but an illness that mimicked the disease.
Originally, Alex was to be put in Barn 5, which housed the Randy Schulhofer horses and was the temporary home of Smarty Jones last year. But it was decided by NYRA to take over Angel Penna's Barn 14 and use it for all horses racing on Belmont day. So, out went Penna's horses to Barn 11, and in came the NYRA maintenance crew, which gave Barn 14 a complete makeover, painting the entire barn, disinfecting it, and doing extensive carpentry and metal work.
Even as the Andrew Simoff horse van arrived at 4:45 p.m. June 4, dropping off Afleet Alex; Always Noble, a 4-year-old gelding entered in the True North Breeders' Cup Handicap (gr. II); and a pony, work was still being done on the barn.
On the Monday before the Belmont, Afleet Alex stunned onlookers by coming out at 8:45, following a mile-and-a-half jog earlier in the morning, and galloping three miles in near-90-degree weather, going the final mile in a two-minute lick. As Ritchey, who was sweating profusely, came off the track on the pony, he broke into a broad smile. "Do you think he's fit?" he asked.
What no one realized was that there was a method to Ritchey's apparent madness. He was banking on his skills as a horseman and former equestrian and jump rider to get Afleet Alex through the Triple Crown without falling victim to the Belmont's demanding distance, as so many others have done.
"This all began back in December," the 54-year-old trainer said. "I started with a plan to try to get him through the Triple Crown preps and build him up so he was physically and mentally as fit as he possibly could be. The whole plan was to get him through all the rigors of the prep races, then the Derby, Preakness, and Belmont. It was a slow buildup over a period of time, and as a result, he is still in peak condition."
When asked about Afleet Alex's ability to get the mile and a half, all Ritchey would say was, "He will run as far as they write races. He'll run three miles if he has to, because he relaxes so well."
With everything appearing to be running smoothly, a mini-drama unfolded Tuesday when several top trainers complained it was unfair to have the locally-based horses go to the new monitoring barns on race day, while the Belmont shippers were permitted to remain in Barn 14 until it was time to go to the paddock. NYRA officials decided to change the rule, stating that all horses would have to go to the monitoring barns.
That didn't sit well with Ritchey, who had been told he would not have to be moved on race day, but he elected not to pursue it. "It is what it is; you can't let it bother you," he said. "Nothing bothers my horse, so it'll affect him less than any of the others."
On Wednesday, Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo arrived from California, and, with strangles no longer an issue, trainer John Shirreffs asked to be put in Shug McGaughey's barn after paying a visit there and being impressed with the accommodations and quiet atmosphere. One by one, the other shippers also were placed in different barns, leaving Afleet Alex and the maiden Nolan's Cat as the only two Belmont starters in Barn 14. Nolan's Cat's trainer, Dale Romans, had had his barn at Palm Meadows in Florida quarantined due to strangles earlier in the year, and was coming from Churchill Downs, which has been hit with equine herpesvirus.
Although Romans' horses had all been tested several times, a cautious Ritchey decided to pack up and move to Barn 5, where he originally was supposed to go. That meant Afleet Alex would be stabled in three barns in three days, but this is a horse who cares little where he hangs his hat. "They could put him in the hot dog stand and it wouldn't bother him," Ritchey said.
As Ritchey watched Alex dashing about in his new home, he couldn't help but be amazed by the horse's unique personality and his ability to capture people's hearts. "I've received letters from people who say when they watch this horse run it literally brings tears to their eyes," he said.
With the arrival on Thursday afternoon of the Patrick Biancone-trained Chekhov, all the Belmont starters were on the grounds, including three--Andromeda's Hero, Pinpoint, and Indy Storm--trained by Nick Zito, who had a record 11 starts with seven individual horses in this year's Triple Crown. It was Zito and Birdstone who denied Smarty Jones the Triple Crown in last year's Belmont.
Biancone had a great deal of confidence in Chekhov, but understood the reality of the situation. "I need to find a weakness in Afleet Alex," he said. "I think he has an 'A' game and a 'B' game. If he runs his 'A' game he's unbeatable, so I have to hope he runs his 'B' game."
That seemed to be a slim hope, as Alex's "B" game this year has consisted of one race in which he was suffering from a severe lung infection and his close third in the Derby. In his other races, he displayed amazing versatility and the ability to annihilate his opponents with one explosive burst of speed.
The hot weather in the Northeast continued into race day, and there was little morning activity from the Belmont starters. Over at Barn 2, Bobby Frankel shared a revelation. "You know what? I was thinking the other day, Afleet Alex just may be that good," he said. "Maybe he is a Seattle Slew or an Affirmed or one of those kinds. Looking at his 'sheet' numbers, the fact that he's still around and doing what he's doing is pretty amazing."
Afleet Alex was made the even-money favorite, with Giacomo (5-1) the only other horse going off at single-digit odds. Everyone else was lumped between 11-1 and 20-1.
At the start, Pinpoint, as expected, went to the lead from post 2, followed by A. P. Arrow, Southern Africa, and Chekhov, who was hung wide going into the turn. Giacomo was closer to the pace than he had been in the Derby and Preakness, racing in fifth along the inside. Rose, as he had done in the Preakness, took a comfortable hold of Afleet Alex after breaking from post 9 in the 11-horse field, and steered him to the inside, getting an excellent position in the two-path while racing in ninth.
Pinpoint continued to lead as they headed into the backstretch, the opening quarter in :24.47 and half in :48.62. The field began to spread out a bit, as Afleet Alex, who had been a length behind Giacomo, was now some four lengths off him and eight lengths behind the leaders, with Andromeda's Hero directly outside him. Ritchey had told Rose to "wait...wait...wait," and Rose sat chilly on the favorite, knowing he had a crate of dynamite under him and could light the fuse any time he wanted.
Giacomo seemed a bit keen to go on and Mike Smith eased him out and took off after the leaders. But Rose paid no attention, and he continued to keep Alex covered up, waiting as long as he could.
As they headed into the far turn after a mile in 1:38.05, Pinpoint held a narrow lead over A. P. Arrow, who stuck his head in front at the three-eighths pole. But Giacomo was on the move and looked strong coming to the quarter pole as he easily disposed of A. P. Arrow and took the lead. Smith said later he heard the Derby winner make loud noises, as if he were displacing his palate.
Rose finally decided to step on the gas. He eased out to avoid a retreating Pinpoint, and then sliced his way between horses. In a flash, he was all over Giacomo. Andromeda's Hero tried to keep up with him, but had no hope of matching the power and quickness of Afleet Alex. Nolan's Cat was steered abruptly off the rail and wound up eight wide at the head of the stretch.
Turning for home, the 2005 Belmont Stakes was history, as Alex stormed clear of Giacomo and was six in front at the eighth pole. Rose kept looking back under his right arm and over his left shoulder, occasionally giving Alex a crack of the whip. He crossed the wire seven lengths in front of Andromeda's Hero, who was giving Zito his sixth second-place finish in the Belmont. It was another 6 3/4 lengths back to Nolan's Cat, with Indy Storm fourth. Giacomo, apparently unable to get his air, finished seventh.
The final time was 2:28.75, and Afleet Alex's final quarter of :24.50 was the fastest in the Belmont since Arts and Letters in 1969.
After the race, Rose put it best when he described Afleet Alex as "a beast" and a "freak of nature."
Although Rose took the blame for Alex's defeat in the Derby, in which the colt was down on the worst part of the track, Ritchey disagreed, claiming it simply "was not meant to be."
Ritchey said the plans are to point Afleet Alex for the Haskell Invitational (gr. I) and/or the Travers Stakes (gr. I), concluding his campaign in one of the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships races. "There are a couple we can run in," he said. "We'll have to decide which one."
Immediately after the race, you could almost feel the roar of the crowd beginning to swell as Afleet Alex got closer, and it erupted into a glorious crescendo by the time he reached the winner's circle.
"I told you he'd be able to run three miles," Ritchey said. "I could go for the Grand National maybe in a couple of years. We know he's athletic enough to jump."
As Ritchey walked back to the barn following the post-race interviews, he was more reflective about the gift he and the Cash is King partners have been given.
"I've never even dreamt of a horse like this," he said. "He's an absolutely amazing animal. I may get some good horses in the years to come, but I'll never have another one like him, no way, shape, or form. He's just a special, special horse, and now everyone is seeing it for themselves."
Afleet Alex apparently does everything fast, as he surprisingly had already left the test barn when Ritchey went to check in on him. Back in Barn 5, Ritchey, Graci, and Saint Clair toasted Alex's victory with champagne. "To a job well done. You guys were a great part of it," he told them.
The three, along with Cash is King managing partner Chuck Zacney and his wife Carol, recently visited New York Presbyterian Hospital, bringing Afleet Alex posters, caps, shirts, and buttons to the children and telling them of the horse "who almost fell, but didn't let it stop him, and how he kept fighting just like you guys are doing."
Later, Zito drove by the barn and congratulated Ritchey. "You're a credit to the game," Zito told him.
Ritchey thanked Zito and told him, "I consider you a friend, I really do." He then congratulated Zito on the second-place finish by Andromeda's Hero. "He just ran against a tremendous horse," Zito said.
In the quiet of the evening hour, all was finally tranquil as Afleet Alex grazed contentedly while Ritchey looked on, holding his jacket under his arm and wiping the sweat off his forehead. As if feeling the urge to be close to the horse, he walked over and took the shank and immediately gave Alex several firm pats on the neck before running his hand over his back and hind quarters.
Alex returned to grazing until he was interrupted by a sound off in the distance. It was the faint call of the day's final race. A wide-eyed Alex turned his head toward the grandstand and then turned his body until he was facing it. He picked his head up and cocked his ears and did not move a muscle until the call was over.
"He's probably saying, 'Heck, I can whip them, too,' " Ritchey said. As soon as the race ended, Alex calmly walked back into his stall. After sharing a few special moments with Rose, who showed up later, and being given several mints, the light was shut off. All was dark, except for the glow that emanated from the stall. It was the same glow that has reached out and touched so many people. On this day it reached out and touched tens of thousands of appreciative fans at Belmont Park who, after years of disappointment, finally went home happy.
Here's some pictures of jockey Gary Stevens with some of the horses he's ridden. http://www.garystevens.com/keep-informed-new-photos.shtml I don't know about the rest of you, but when you look at Gary standing next to Point Given and Thunder Gulch, either Thunder Gulch was an average/small horse, or Point Given was huge. I'm not sure which yet.
2005 Best Triple Crown Race. Derby,Preakness,or Belmont?
by Horse Racing Fan
I would definitly have to say Preakness that is one race I will never forget! Everyone keeps comparing that to Alysheba's Derby but he barely got clipped by the other horse. Afleet Alex got clobber by Scrappy T and still won by 4/3/4 lenghts! The Belmont was a great race I was really happy Afleet Alex won I'd been watching him as a two year old and have always been impressed he's awesome! The Derby was a disapointment, agree or disagree with me Giacomo didn't deserve to win that It should of been Closing Argument or Afleet Alex. Of course Afleet Alex because then we would have our next Triple Crown winner! :)
By far teh Preakness was teh best, fell down and got right back up, just like an old pro.
"When one ceases from conflict, whether because he has won, because he has lost, or because he cares no more for the game, the virtue passes out of him."
