Spring 2018 - Triple Crown Racing Time - Photos

Scat Daddy (2004-2015) has four sons in this year's Kentucky Derby

Curlin has three sons in the Derby

Medaglia d'Oro has two sons in the Derby

Trainer D. Wayne Lukas  has an entry this year

Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby

Pimlico, home of the Preakness Stakes

The ivy covered clubhouse at Belmont Park, where the last leg

of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, is held

The Preakness Runs Tomorrow

Time has really gotten away from me.   The second leg of the Triple Crown of American Thoroughbred Racing will be run tomorrow at Old Hilltop, or Pimlico Racetrack, outside of Baltimore, Maryland.  The distance is 1/8 mile (or one furlong) less than the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago.  There are eleven entries for tomorrow's race, as it was decided that Gun Runner, who finished third in the Derby, would not participate in the Preakness.  Nyquist, who won the Derby, drew post 3 in the small field.   The entries are, by post position:

1.    Cherry Wine, a grey/roan colt bred in Kentucky, sired by Paddy O'Prado
2.    Uncle Lino,   a bay colt bred in Kentucky, sired by Uncle Mo
3.    Nyquist,    a bay colt bred in Kentucky, sired by Uncle Mo
4.    Awesome Speed,   a bay colt bred in Kentucky, sired by Awesome Again
5.    Exaggerator,   a bay colt bred in Kentucky, sire by Curlin
6.    Lani,   a grey/roan colt bred in Kentucky, sired by Tapit
7.    Collected,   a chestnut colt bred in Kentucky, sired by City Zip
8.    Laoban,    a bay colt bred in Kentucky, sired by Uncle Mo
9.    Abiding Star,  a bay colt bred in Florida, sired by Uncle Mo
10.  Fellowship,    a chestnut colt bred in Florida, sired by Awesome of Course
11.  Stradivari,   a bay colt bred in Kentucky, sired by Medaglio d'Oro

There are three runners from the Derby - Nyquist, the winner; Exaggerator, who placed second; and Lani, the Japanese trained colt who's grandsire is Sunday Silence.  Awesome Speed is the son of Awesome Again, while Fellowship is the grandson of Awesome Again.  There are the four colts sired by Uncle Mo - Nyquist, Uncle Lino, Laoban, and Abiding Star.  Nine of the eleven colts were bred in Kentucky, and two in Florida.   There are two grey or roan colts; two chestnut colts; and seven bay or brown colts.
   Will there be another Triple Crown Champion this year?  We'll find  out the possibility tomorrow....

Racing News & Results From Pimlico

The thoroughbred breeding community has lost two stallions recently - Divine Light, a 19-year-old son of Sunday Silence, died in Turkey from a tumor that had wrapped around his intestines.  Dehere, the 2-year-old champion colt in 1993, passed away from a heart attack, also in Turkey.
  Wise Dan, the 7-year-old gelding and two-time Horse of the Year, had emergency colic surgery yesterday at Rood and Riddle Clinic near Lexington, Kentucky.  Wise Dan had his regular morning gallop, and cooled out well.  Then he began showing signs of discomfort, conventional remedies did not ease the chestnut horse, and he was taken to Rood and Riddle.  It was determined that a small section of his bowel had "flipped over itself" and was rapidly losing blood supply. The surgery went quickly, and Wise Dan is recovering nicely at the Equine Hospital.
  At Pimlico, Ben's Cat won the Jim McKay Turf Sprint Stakes for the third time.Due to heavy rain, the Sprint was run on the dirt course and not the turf.  Ben's Cat was bred by King T Leatherbury, and is also trained by that venerable gentleman.  He paid $2.80 on a $2 win bet.
  In the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes, Stopchargingmaria was the winner by a hard-fought neck. She was followed across the finish line by Vero Amore and then Fortune Pearl.  A $2 win bet on Stopchargingmaria paid $9.60; a $2 place bet on Vero Amore paid $12.80; and a $2 show bet on Fortune Pearl paid $5.80.  The $2 exacta paid $119.80, and the $2 trifecta bet paid $871.40.
  The Pimlico Special  was a heart-stopper for the connections of Revolutionary - at one point in the race, he was more than 30 lengths behind the lead in the race.  However, Revolutionary turned on his after-burners and won the race by a neck fro Prayer For Relief; Cat Burglar ran third.  A $2 win bet on Revolutionary paid $6.40; a $2 place bet on Prayer For Relief paid $7.20; and a $2 show bet on Cat Burglar paid $4.60.  The $2 exacta pay out was $74.00; and the $1 trifecta paid $217.10.
  And this is the day the Preakness will be run for the 139th time at Old Hilltop, Pimlico Race Course.  For more information on the race, and the 10 horses entered, I refer you to The Bloodhorse Magazine website, at  http://www.bloodhorse.com/ .

Bits And Pieces

The two mallard ducklings at the Wildlife Rehab Center have been put down - they were both blind and had serious head injuries that could not be healed.   The man who reported the two boys throwing rocks has now said that he also observed two adult Canada geese pecking at the ducklings.  Police have suspended their investigation, as the geese may have caused the ducklings' injuries.
  A 50-year-old man has been given a deferred sentence, here in Boulder, after a plea deal.  He says that he had a brain "glitch" the day he attacked two raccoons trapped in a dumpster and beat them to death with a nail-studded board.  He stated that "many years ago" he saw his cat killed by a raccoon, and that last November, when he saw the raccoons seeking food in a trash dumpster, he felt the need to avenge his cat.  The man was reported to police by several people who reported that the raccoons were "screaming and moaning" as the man killed them.  He has to get "anger management" counseling, and if he doesn't attract police notice for the next two years, his felony animal cruelty charges will be dropped from his record. (I want to be a giant with huge nail-studded boards and be turned loose with this man in a dumpster.)  No wonder the youth of our society has no regard for life of any kind....
  A 59-year-old homeless woman was found dead in a city park 3 blocks from my apartment.  The police are saying it was not a suspicious death.
  I must admit I laughed when I read a local newspaper headline that asked, "Is Boulder a Homeless Magnet?"  My answer would be an unequivocal Yes.  Having been a user of public transit for the past eight years, and frequently riding on bus routes that stop at the Boulder Homeless Shelter, as well as many Homeless assistance programs, I have heard so many conversations about the easy hand-outs available in Boulder, that I am almost sick of it.  Believe it or not, I do feel deeply for the people who have lost their jobs and their homes due to the economy and other issues beyond their control.  But more than half of the homeless in Boulder have chosen to be homeless.  Sitting quietly on the bus, in my dowdy work clothes, I hear men and women talking about how they move from town to town, coast to coast, and which cities have the most lenient programs for give-aways of food, lodging, learning, clothing and medical assistance.  Some of these folks winter in Florida or Arizona, spend the Spring or Fall in Oregon or Washington state, and come spend the summer in Boulder.  It's astounding, if one opens their ears and listens.
  Finally, this Friday, at Pimlico, there will be a Hall of Fame Jockey Challenge series - seven of eight active Hall of Fame jockeys will compete in four races on 16 May for a prize of  $50,000.  (And I have the feeling that the prize money will be donated back into the Injured Jockeys Fund.)  The four races are the second, fourth, sixth and eighth races on the daily card, and the jockeys will accrue points for finishing in first through fourth place.  The jockeys who will participate are: Edgar Prado, Kent Desormeaux, Russell Baze, Mike Smith, Alexis Solis, Calvin Borel and John Velazquez....  With the Pimlico Special and the Black-Eyed Susan on the same day, I certainly wish I could be there!

Black-Eyed Susan, Pimlico Special & the Preakness

Post positions have been drawn for the races at Pimlico this weekend.  The tenth race on the card on Friday is the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes, the second race of the Triple Tiara; the distance is 1 and 1/8 miles , and the purse is $500,000.  Nine three-year-old fillies will contest the race; five were bred in Kentucky, two in Florida, and one each in Maryland and Ontario.  In the first gate will be Monuka Honey, with Edgar Prado in the stirrups; second is Lady Banks; Fiftyshadesofhay breaks from the three hole, under Joel Rosario; Petit Trianon starts from gate four; Walkwithapurpose  is next; with Maracuya, ridden by John Velazquez in the sixth spot; Emollient, carrying Mike Smith ,will break from the seven; the chestnuts filly Toasting breaks from the eight; and Marathon Lady completes the field.  I like the pedigrees of Monuka Honey, Marathon Lady, and Maracuya is a daughter of Big Brown.
  The Pimlico Special has seven entries, and will be the 12th race on Friday, run at 1 mile and 3/16, it's the same length as the Preakness, but the purse is $300,000, and it's for horses age 4 and up.  Breaking from position one will be Avenida Paseo, a 5-year-old grey/roan.  Number two is Indian Dance, a bay gelding, born 7 years ago in Maryland. Brimstone Island is number three, a 4-year-old grandson of Tiznow. In four will be Eighttofasttocatch, a 7-year-old chestnut gelding bred in Maryland.  Richard's Kid will be the eldest starting, at age 8, a son of Lemon Drop Kid.  Breaking from post six is Concealed Identity, a 5-year-old bay gelding bred in Maryland, and a son of Smarty Jones.  Last Gunfighter will start from the seven; he's a 4-year-old bay "invader" from Kentucky.  I like the pedigrees of Indian Dance, Richard's Kid and Avenida Paseo.
   Only nine colts will race in the Preakness, compared to the twenty in the Kentucky Derby.  Six of those colts ran in the Derby, and the other three are new-comers to the Triple Crown.  The purse for the Preakness is $1 million, and the distance is 1 and 3/16 miles.  Orb, who won the Kentucky Derby 12 days ago, drew the number one gate; he will be ridden by Joel Rosario, and is trained by Shug McGaughey.  Goldencents will start from the two hole, carrying Kevin Krigger, as he did in the Derby.  Titletown Five is a new colt, trained by D Wayne Lucas and ridden by Julien Leparoux, in three. In the four spot is Departing, a bay gelding, ridden by Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.  Rosie Naparvnik will be riding Mylute, coming out of the five gate.  Gary Stevens riding Oxbow is in number six.  Will Take Charge breaks from seven, under Mike Smith.  Govenor Charlie, trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Martin Garcia will be next.  And John Velazquez will break from the outside, nine, on Itsmyluckyday.  Seven of the nine colts are bay, with one chestnut and one grey/roan; and all were bred in Kentucky.  I haven't seen any of the three new guys run; and Orb will be/is the betting favorite.  I have a feeling that Departing or Govenor Charlie will be the winner...

Spotlight on Pimlico

It's sprinkling rain and snow here - at least we haven't gotten the 3 inches of golf-ball sized hail that some areas got yesterday afternoon! The Creek is running a little high, but, so far, no signs of a flood. The kits are running in and out, getting them (and me) wet.
Tomorrow is the 136th running of the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes, the filly version of the Preakness. None of the fillies who raced in the Kentucky Oaks are racing in tomorrow's race, so there will be no filly Triple Crown winner this year.
*Of the seven competitors in tomorrow's event, four were born and bred in Kentucky: Royal Delta, Coax Liberty, Wyomia, and Love Theway Youare; Hot Summer and Buster's Ready are Virginia bred; and Art Of The Hunt is Maryland bred.
*All of the entries are bay in color; and they were born between 31 January and 24 April.
*The grandsires of Royal Delta are Unbridled and A.P. Indy. The grandsires of Wyomia are Seattle Slew and Kingmambo (and she's related to Court Jester via *Forli). Actually, all of the fillies have excellent pedigrees, and going back another generation finds every one with at least one Triple Crown race-winning stallion as a great-grandsire.
So, who am I going to root for (and place my imaginary bets on)? Wyomia, as a Williston, Florida based racer, and as Court Jester's relative, of course. Hot Summer - I like the way she looks, and with Seattle Slew, Mr. Prospector, Fappiano, and Summer Squall in her pedigree, I have to pick her. And, because one of her great-grandsires is Broad Brush, my third pick will be Art Of The Hunt, the Maryland filly.
The 136th annual Preakness Stakes will occur Saturday, with a payday of $1 million. The Preakness is always run 2 weeks after the Kentucky Derby, and is 1/16 of a mile less in distance (1 and 3/16 miles). Five colts who ran in the Derby will continue on in the Preakness: Animal Kingdom (the Derby winner), Shackleford, Midnight Interlude, Dialed In, and Mucho Macho Man. As the Pimlico track is narrower than Churchill Downs, the Preakness entries are not more than 14. We have 9 new contenders in this race, none of them horses that received a lot of publicity prior to the Derby.
* Nine of the colts were born and bred in Kentucky; Flashpoint and Mucho Macho Man were bred in Florida; Norman Asbjornson is a Pennsylvania bred; Dance City is Virginia bred; and Concealed Identity is a Maryland bred gelding.
* The single grey (or roan) colt in the race is Flashpoint; the two chestnuts are, again, Shackleford and Animal Kingdom; all the others are bays.
* Mr. Commons is the oldest colt, having been foaled on January 29. Once again, Mucho Macho Man is the youngest, as he won't be three until June 15.
*Sway Away, the bay colt breaking from post position 6, was born on April 9; his great-grandsires are Afleet, Hawkster, Bold Reasoning, and Summer Squall. (And a little farther back in his pedigree is *Forli.)
The pedigrees for these colts and gelding are awesome. If you'd like to view them, you can visit http://www.bloodhorse.com/ and see both 3 and 5 generation pedigrees. Who will I pick? I'll let you know tomorrow!
~~**~~ TV Coverage: Versus TV will show "Preakness Classics" Friday from 3 to 4 p.m. EDT. Live coverage of the Black Eyed Susans Stakes will follow from 4 to 5 EDT. The fillies race is scheduled for 4:46 EDT. Saturday, you can see part of the Preakness undercard from 2:30 to 4:30 EDT on Versus; the live Preakness coverage will then transfer over to NBC from 4:30 to 6:30 EDT. **~~**