Steve Hiatt never thought he would win an award for doing the thing he enjoys more than anything else in the world-helping horses.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
There must be steel coursing through the veins of the Campbell family. Three generations of these steel-driving men have been blacksmiths, shoeing some of the finest Thoroughbreds on the East Coast.
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
For more than a decade it seemed that Lady Luck was refusing to smile upon the Last Call Racing Partnership of Chicago residents Clyde Peterson and Tim Fella, until Mizzcan'tbewrong came along.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Charlie Gillespie's 2% ownership of 3-year old colt Bunker Hill helps him cope with clinical depression.
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Some people have to overcome one large obstacle to achieve their goals. DeShawn Parker climbed three different hurdles to get what he wanted.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
In mid-July, Ruben Beltran, Consul General of Mexico, paid a visit to Anna House, a childcare center located on the backstretch of Belmont Park for the working families at the New York racetrack.
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
A painting worth thousands left in the trash has since prompted a zeal-filled quest for Gordon Burnette to give acclaim to the long forgotten, but well-revered 19th century equine artist Thomas J. Scott.
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
On Aug. 5, as it is does from time to time for the community, Saratoga Race Course recognized the historic neighboring town of Mechanicville. For trainer Chad Brown, who comes from this small town southeast of Saratoga Springs, it was a chance to relax for a little while with high school friends and family, a break from the intensity of running an up-and-coming stable.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
For nearly a quarter of a century, Denny Brace has guarded the gap at Saratoga's Clare Court training track, among the loveliest spots at the racecourse, as if he's watching over the crown jewels.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Despite losing to Birdstone in heartbreaking fashion in the Belmont, Smarty Jones touched Madison Scott's heart. And from that point on she became "Smarty's No. 1 Fan," an unofficial title that became official July 6 when Three Chimneys Farm and Smarty's owner, Pat Chapman, arranged for the 15-year-old Scott to spend a week with her favorite horse.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
For most women with six children and six grandchildren, the next step in their life includes things like retirement and relaxation. But for Sherry Kirk, there will be no baking cakes, sewing, or taking strolls on the beach. Those things can wait another 20 years. For now, she is just getting started on the second half of her riding career.
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
When Jon Hall, yearling manager at Taylor Made Farm, heard that his daughter had been diagnosed with breast cancer, he decided to do something to fight the disease that was threatening her life.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
When it came time to do the right thing by the bay gelding, there was no hesitation. P. Kerney would be retired with dignity and live the rest of his life like a former racehorse should: as a retrained Thoroughbred with a useful second career.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
For Angelina Costa, her family, and the legions of professionals and volunteers at the Saratoga Therapeutic Equestrian Program, the weekly sessions are therapeutic as well as enjoyable. This farm, along with dozens like it throughout the country, helps children with a wide range of physical, cognitive, and emotional disabilities by teaching them to ride.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Don Blowe never guessed that Halo Silver, who quickly proved she was a valuable producer, would be fighting for her life. But thanks to the generosity of a Kentucky veterinarian, who donated his services to help the daughter of Silver Buck, her story will hopefully have a happy ending.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Barbara Luna discovered that even greater than her love of campaigning runners was the passion that came from helping retired racehorses have a second chance.
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
As the June 6 Belmont Stakes (gr. I) approaches, discussions often turn to the last Triple Crown winner, Affirmed in 1978, or to Secretariat's 31-length spectacle in 1973. Dan Silver, the new director of communications and media relations for the New York Racing Association, appreciates those historic races, even though he wasn't born when they occurred. Silver is only 29 years old.
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Thomas Allen Pauly's love for painting subjects of Thoroughbred racing was developed somewhat like the intricate portraits he produces from his Chicago-area studio: layer by layer.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Meeting people was a big part of Marcia Taylor's job at Fasig-Tipton, and she never got tired of making new acquaintances during her nearly 30 years with the Thoroughbred auction firm.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
The best story of Kentucky Derby weekend was 7-year old Rachel Mattson and Kentucky Oaks winner Rachel Alexandra.
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
After watching a Discovery Channel show documenting how residents of Greensburg, Kansas, were rebuilding their tornado-ridden city as a "model green community," horse industry veterans Chad and Tammy Hassenpflug became determined to support that community in a special way.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Only a fool can be trusted with the Holy Grail, and William "La-Tee" Braud meets all of the qualifications.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
As he was a full brother to three-time champion Skip Away, whom many consider as one of the greatest racehorses of all time, big things were expected from Skipingo when he was purchased as a yearling for $300,000 in 1998.
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Job security is a two way street. It's a continual dance of give and take. In the transient labor pool of American race tracks, finding good help on the backstretch is like catching fire-flies in a bottle.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
It took only one fundraiser for Mary Lee-Butte to become a permanent fixture at the Blue Grass Farms Chaplaincy. After organizing the chaplaincy's first fundraiser in 2003, she said they just couldn't get rid of her.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Even though Iain Holmes didn't pioneer the concept of using a Thoroughbred racehorse's name to raise awareness for a cause, the fact he's used that platform to promote the act of saving lives via organ donations still deserves some accolades.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Turning into Woodstock Farm, visitors are greeted by a canopy of towering sycamores and pines lining a road that slopes down to the original training barn and track, all the way to the tranquil beauty of the Bohemia River.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
In the fall of 2005, Shake the Bank, his name stitched across the front of Breeders' Cup hats, was best known as the rabbit for 2004 John Deere Breeders' Cup Turf (gr. IT) winner Better Talk Now.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
With 14 Kentucky Derby winners and many successful stallions having stood at the nearly century-old farm, Claiborne is among the most influential Thoroughbred breeding operations in American history.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Because of the owners, trainers and jockeys who frequent The Pamplemousse restaurant near Del Mar in Southern California, co-owner and chef Jeffrey Strauss gets more than his share of tips.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Even though Ted Watkins is only a casual fan of Thoroughbred racing, he might know more about the breed's early history than some of the sport's most enthusiastic admirers. He owns a copy of the first edition of An Introduction to a General Stud-Book, which was printed in England in 1791.
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
When Windswept Lady arrived at Shannon Hahn's Argyle, N.Y-based Double L Stable Equine Rescue and Sanctuary near Saratoga Springs with her newborn foal, the outlook looked grim for the granddaughter of Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew.
Monday, January 26, 2009
When Ruberto Racing Stable Inc. claimed Frazee's Folly in January of 2005 he was already a 9-year-old who had been through 11 different owners and won 10 of 65 lifetime starts. For most Thoroughbreds, that is a full career, and then some.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Attorney Jim Philpott has taken a lot of journeys throughout his life. And though he was casually involved with horses at a young age, he never imagined his career path after law school would eventually revolve around the Thoroughbred world.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Exercise riders have a special trash talk all their own, usually along the lines of how the horse they are aboard can trounce anything on four legs in this century or last. That's why few people paid any attention in 2007 when Steve Willard, riding a huge unraced filly from John Shirreffs' barn, told a Hollywood Park outrider, "This is the second coming of Ruffian."
Monday, January 05, 2009
The 10th annual Daily Racing Form National Handicapping Championship will be held in January, 2009, in Las Vegas, and carries with it a $500,000 first prize, and an Eclipse Award as Handicapper of the Year to the winner.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
On Dec. 17, tributes poured in for South African master horseman Felix Coetzee, who said goodbye to Hong Kong racing after an "experiment" that lasted 16 years, to be reunited with his family in Cape Town.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Many Thoroughbred farm workers consider themselves lucky if they played a part in buying, selling, or raising at least a couple successful horses throughout their careers.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Kris Prather did not just enter the world of Thoroughbred horse racing in 2000, she burst onto the scene like a woman on a mission.
Monday, December 08, 2008
University of Kentucky student Sean Feld and alumnus Billy Ajello have defied the notion one must reach a particular age or gain a certain level of experience to invest in the Thoroughbred industry.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
For many, getting an after school job is an important part of learning responsibility and gaining financial independence during the high school years.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Michael Amo's innovative idea for Thoroughbred racing's first organization dedicated solely to fans started innocently enough.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
What started as a simple conversation 13 years ago with the then chairman of Ocala Breeders' Sale Co. has turned into an extended labor of love for artist Catherine Goldman-Bloomfield - nearly 2,500 square feet of painstaking Thoroughbred painting excellence.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Close your eyes for a minute. Imagine the scene. Barbaro is roaring down the stretch in his runaway victory in the 2006 Kentucky Derby.
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
For artist Merritt Finnell, painting horses was never his thing. Horses were his twin brother Michael's territory, and like many twins Merritt was different from Michael.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
When Thoroughbred horse trainer and former Louisville police officer Jay Wilkinson retired from the service, he did not picture himself volunteering for a job that would teach kids a whole new career.
Monday, October 20, 2008
From just 14 starters, Argentina has been represented as the breeding ground of the winners of four Breeders' Cup World Championships races.
Monday, October 13, 2008
When Shelley Hunter was asked by officials at the Kentucky Horse Park to create a sculpture of legendary racehorse John Henry earlier this year, she not only felt honored, but a strong sense of karma.
Monday, October 06, 2008
by Terry Conway - For the past year change has been the buzzword in America. That's nothing new for Dr. Sue McDonnell.
Monday, September 29, 2008
For the first 45 years of his life, Vincent Harris had absolutely no experience with horse racing. As a youngster growing up in New York City, working at a Thoroughbred racetrack was one of the last things on earth Harris envisioned for himself as an adult.
Monday, September 22, 2008
