My Soapbox for Equestrian Writings
Fifty years after Secretariat’s blazing run in the Belmont Stakes, we don’t have a Triple Crown winner, but we do have a few firsts. Most impressive is that Arcangel’s trainer, Jena Antonucci, became the first female trainer to win a Triple Crown race (the race series has been run since 1919), and his jockey, four-time […]
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There will be no Triple Crown winner this year (the Kentucky Derby winner, Mage, finished third), but National Treasure ran a strong race and provided a thrilling battle to the wire against Blazing Sevens, prevailing at the end by a head. National Treasure was sired by Quality Road and sold as a yearling fo $500,000. […]
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A horse with only three starts, Mage was not favored to win the Derby, but he came on with a decisive run in the stretch and battled Two Phil’s all the way to the wire. Angel of Empire finished third. Mage is an interesting horse and I’ll write more later, but right now Zelda is […]
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With only hours to go before the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby, this morning the favorite, Forte, was scratched after his morning workout. The colt had developed a hoof bruise on Wednesday and state vets found him unfit to compete. This decision came after four horses died at Churchill Downs last week and four […]
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Pretty Mischievous held off a late race challenge from Gambling Girl to prevail in the Kentucky Oaks by a neck. The Alys Look finished third, while race favorite Wet Paint, was fourth. Pretty Mischievous broke from post #14 (the farthest outside post in the Oaks), which caused her to go wide on the first turn. […]
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Japan’s Continuar has become the third horse scratched from the Kentucky Derby, following Practical Move and Lord Miles. Trainer Yoshito Yahagi released the following statement tonight: “After evaluating the colt upon my arrival, I feel that he has not been able to reach the peak fitness required to take on a race as tough as […]
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Lord Miles, winner of the Wood Memorial, has been scratched from the Kentucky Derby after his trainer, Saffie Joseph Jr. was suspended from Churchill Downs indefinitely following the unexpected — and unexplained — death of two horses trained by Joseph over the past week at Churchill Downs. “For the betterment of racing, the health and […]
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Yesterday, Equine Ink looked at the Derby entries with the highest Derby points, their starting gate positions and their jockeys. Today, I’m going to look at how breeding might help identify contenders that have the stamina/endurance to perform well over the Derby’s mile and a quarter (keeping in mind that with 20 three-year olds breaking […]
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