Steve Haskin revisits Blind Luck and Invisible Ink and other stories.
John Fort is grieving over the death of his beloved 'Inky.'
Invisible Ink, runner-up in the second-fastest Kentucky Derby (gr. I) for Peachtree Stable, has been relocated to Dr. William J. Solomon's Pin Oak Lane Farm near New Freedom, Pa.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010Invisible Ink, runner-up in the 2001 Kentucky Derby (gr. I), and graded stakes winner Malabar Gold were represented by their first winners Oct. 13.
Sunday, October 15, 2006Peachtree Stable's Invisible Ink, runner-up in the 2001 Kentucky Derby (gr. I), will stand at Jim and Sheila DiMare's Rising Hill Farm in Ocala, Fla.
Thursday, February 20, 2003Taylor Made Farm has been named as the broker for Kentucky Derby runner-up Invisible Ink. John Fort, president of Peachtree Stable, the syndicate that owns Invisible Ink, said that the farm will be the sole agent in negotiating deals to stand the son of Thunder Gulch.
Friday, December 06, 2002Peachtree Stable's 2001 Kentucky Derby-runner-up Invisible Ink, whose miraculous return from near death made national headlines, has been retired to stud, Peachtree president John Fort said Thursday.
Friday, November 15, 2002Trainer Donald Winfree bypassed a shot at the Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) with 4-year-old Tenpins, opting instead for the $156,122 Fayette Stakes (gr. III) at Keeneland. While the $4-million question remains unanswered, Tenpins did earn owner-breeder Joseph Vitello $99,789 for his 1 3/4-length triumph over a pesky X Country in the 1 1/8-mile Saturday feature at the Lexington oval.
Saturday, October 26, 2002Keeneland's closing-day feature, the $150,000-added Fayette Stakes (gr. III), brings out a tight-knit field of five, ready to run 1 1/8 mile on the main track.
Thursday, October 24, 2002Harlan's Holiday, off since running fourth in the Preakness May 18, had an easy five-furlong breeze Saturday morning on the Oklahoma Training Track.
Saturday, August 10, 2002So, there is a king among the Amazon queens after all. In the past two years, trainer Mark Hennig and owner Edward P. Evans have been racking up one stakes victory after another with their bevy of femme fatales. But in the June 15 Brooklyn Handicap (gr. II), Evans' familiar yellow and black silks were carried to victory by a 4-year-old hunk name Seeking Daylight.
Saturday, June 15, 2002Stonerside Stable's Lone Star Park Handicap (gr. III) winner Congaree tuned up for a possible berth in Saturday's Stephen Foster Handicap (gr. I) at Churchill Downs when he breezed five furlongs in 1:01 1/5 Monday.
Monday, June 10, 2002Those heading to Louisville early for Kentucky Derby weekend might want to dust off their "Go Inky Go!" caps and bring them along. Last year's Derby runner-up, whose health problems as a 2-year-old touched the hearts of race fans when publicized heading into the big race, is entered to run Thursday at Churchill Downs.
Monday, April 29, 2002Michael Tabor's Duckhorn proved to be in his element on the wet track at Keeneland Sunday, taking the $103,984 Ben Ali Stakes by seven lengths over New Orleans Handicap winner Parade Leader.
Sunday, April 21, 2002Invisible Ink finished a good second in his 4-year-old debut, rallying to finish 4 3/4 lengths behind He's a Knockout in a $40,000 allowance race at Gulfstream Park on Wednesday.
Thursday, March 14, 2002Kentucky Derby (gr. I) runner-up Invisible Ink finished second in his 4-year-old debut Wednesday at Gulfstream Park. Invisible Ink finished 4 3/4 lengths behind 9-5 favorite He's a Knockout in the seven-furlong optional claiming/allowance race.
Wednesday, March 13, 2002The depleted handicap division may soon receive a boost as last year's 3-year-olds make their way back to the races. Dollar Bill returned at Fair Grounds March 8, winning a contentious allowance heat and Invisible Ink is entered in a seven-furlong allowance race at Gulfstream Park Wednesday. Also at Gulfstream, Outofthebox returned to the work tab Sunday morning.
Sunday, March 10, 2002There were no surprises Wednesday when nine 3-year-olds were entered for Saturday's $1-million Belmont Stakes, third leg of Thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown. As he did in the previous two legs of the series--the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness--morning line favorite Point Given will start from the outside post position.
Wednesday, June 06, 2001Belmont Stakes action picked up Sunday morning with solid works by Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos, Derby runner-up Invisible Ink, and Arkansas Derby and Spiral winner Balto Star, all of whom worked five furlongs over a muddy track. In France, Grandera boosted the form of Dr Greenfield with a troubled third-place finish in the French Derby.
Sunday, June 03, 2001How the horses that finished behind Monarchos came out of the Kentucky Derby and their future plans.
Monday, May 07, 2001Tick...tick...tick. Nothing to do now but wait. This evening's draw for post positions will be the final stress test for the Derby trainers, after which they will just have to get by Thursday and Friday, and then racing's longest day – Derby Day. Then, it'll all be over in a heartbeat, and all the questions will be answered. There was little activity this morning, as summer temperatures continue to climb by the day, bringing with them the forecast of possible thundershowers throughout the next few days. The morning's main action was Bob Baffert slipping Point Given past the hordes of onlookers virtually unnoticed.
Wednesday, May 02, 2001No matter where Invisible Ink finishes in the Kentucky Derby, he will depart Louisville a winner. Just the fact that the son of Thunder Gulch, nicknamed "Inky," is here and considered a legitimate contender is enough of a miracle to those who stood by this colt and never gave up hope when all seemed hopeless. By all rights, Invisible Ink should be nothing more than a tragic memory in the hearts and minds of the people who raised him and broke him and treated him. Instead, he is at Churchill Downs, about to run in America's greatest race. And all because he refused to die, thanks to a handful of people who refused to let him die.
Sunday, April 29, 2001Throw 'em in a hat and pick one. Regardless of which one you choose you'll have the work of the day. That's how similar this morning's four Derby works were. In fact, the times of all four horses – Dollar Bill, Balto Star, Thunder Blitz, and Invisible Ink – were within a fifth of a second of each other. For the seventh morning in a row, since we arrived, the dawn brought bright skies and mild to crisp temperatures. More of the same is predicted through the week, with showers arriving, you guessed it, on Friday.
Sunday, April 29, 2001The Todd Pletcher-trained duo of Balto Star and Invisible Ink turned in workouts Sunday morning that their trainer labeled "excellent" as the two continued to progress toward next Saturday's Kentucky Derby. In other Sunday workouts, Thunder Blitz worked five furlongs in :59 4/5 and Dollar Bill was timed in 1:00 flat for the same distance.
Sunday, April 29, 2001Now that this past weekend's preps have had time to sink in, is the Derby picture more or less clear than it was last week? Although only five strong horses emerged – Congaree, Monarchos, Millennium Wind, Balto Star, and Jamaican Rum – the opinion here is that the Derby picture still is very confusing, based on the number of horses trying to buck history.
Wednesday, April 18, 2001Top trainers from New York to Kentucky to Arkansas are gearing up for this weekend's three big Kentucky Derby preps, after which we should have a good idea who will provide the main challenges to Santa Anita Derby winner Point Given. On the foreign front, the two Godolphin invaders, Street Cry and Express Tour, arrived safe and sound at Churchill Downs today at approximately 1 p.m. after clearing quarantine at Keeneland.
Tuesday, April 10, 2001Steve Haskin, the award-winning turf writer and senior correspondent for The Blood-Horse, updates his top Kentucky Derby contenders weekly. During his 29 years with the Daily Racing Form, Haskin became known for his insightful coverage of the Triple Crown races. Haskin won the Red Smith Award for Kentucky Derby writing in 1997, 1999, and 2000.and received the David Woods Award for best Preakness story in 1997. In 1999, he co-authored "Baffert: Dirt Road to the Derby" with trainer Bob Baffert and wrote the book, "Dr. Fager" for Eclipse Press' "Thoroughbred Legends" series in 2000.
Monday, April 09, 2001Steve Haskin, the award-winning turf writer and senior correspondent for The Blood-Horse, updates his top Kentucky Derby contenders weekly. During his 29 years with the Daily Racing Form, Haskin became known for his insightful coverage of the Triple Crown races. Haskin won the Red Smith Award for Kentucky Derby writing in 1997, 1999, and 2000.and received the David Woods Award for best Preakness story in 1997. In 1999, he co-authored "Baffert: Dirt Road to the Derby" with trainer Bob Baffert and wrote the book, "Dr. Fager" for Eclipse Press' "Thoroughbred Legends" series in 2000.
Monday, April 02, 2001Steve Haskin, the award-winning turf writer and senior correspondent for The Blood-Horse, updates his top Kentucky Derby contenders weekly. During his 29 years with the Daily Racing Form, Haskin became known for his insightful coverage of the Triple Crown races. Haskin won the Red Smith Award for Kentucky Derby writing in 1997, 1999, and 2000.and received the David Woods Award for best Preakness story in 1997. In 1999, he co-authored "Baffert: Dirt Road to the Derby" with trainer Bob Baffert and wrote the book, "Dr. Fager" for Eclipse Press' "Thoroughbred Legends" series in 2000.
Monday, March 26, 2001Steve Haskin, the award-winning turf writer and senior correspondent for The Blood-Horse, updates his top Kentucky Derby contenders weekly. During his 29 years with the Daily Racing Form, Haskin became known for his insightful coverage of the Triple Crown races. Haskin won the Red Smith Award for Kentucky Derby writing in 1997, 1999, and 2000.and received the David Woods Award for best Preakness story in 1997. In 1999, he co-authored "Baffert: Dirt Road to the Derby" with trainer Bob Baffert and wrote the book, "Dr. Fager" for Eclipse Press'"Thoroughbred Legends" series in 2000.
Monday, March 19, 2001Ranked in preference order, with horse/ trainer/breeding
Click on horse's name to access Contender Page
Monday, March 12, 2001Now, we're not one to indulge in hyperbole, but the fact is, Monarchos was a million lengths the best in Saturday's Florida Derby. OK, so we will indulge once in a while. After all the waiting, listening to nothing but faint rumblings, the smoldering volcano finally has erupted. Although metaphoric cataclysms on the Derby trail normally signify uplifting events, such as Monarchos' explosive display, that is not true when mentioning Sunday's Louisiana Derby. This was more like an earthquake that nearly swallowed up favorites Dollar Bill and Hero's Tribute.
Monday, March 12, 2001It will go down in Florida Derby (gr. I) history as "The Move." As a dozen tightly-bunched 3-year-olds jostled for position nearing the far turn in the golden anniversary edition of the Florida Derby, one horse was running by the rest of the field with electrifying ease. THE horse, making THE move, was Monarchos.
Saturday, March 10, 2001For a million-dollar purse, and with no clear-cut favorite, it's no surprise that 13 horses passed the entry box for Saturday's grade I Florida Derby. The likely choices will be Songandaprayer, Monarchos, and Outofthebox. The only real surprises in the field are California invader Trailthefox, last year's Arlington-Washington Futurity winner who was supposed to stay in sprint races, and the Nick Zito-trained It's So Simple, an impressive allowance winner at the meet whom Zito called "the best kept secret on the backstretch."
Wednesday, March 07, 2001A week ago the presence of Dollar Bill didn't scare anyone involved with bringing a top notch 3-year-old to the Louisiana Derby. And although highly touted Millennium Wind and Hero's Tribute are still on track for Sunday's grade II Kentucky Derby prep, the local flavor is simmering out.
Tuesday, March 06, 2001With the final major preview event in the books, the field for Gulfstream Park's $1 million Florida Derby (gr. I) on March 10 is starting to take shape. The top three finishers in last week's grade I Fountain of Youth Stakes – Songandaprayer, Outofthebox and City Zip – are expected to top a field of eight or nine in the 50th anniversary running of the Florida Derby, centerpiece of the winter meeting for 3-year-olds.
Friday, February 23, 2001
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