The Breeders' Cup has received a dozen phone calls this week from persons asking about the eligibility of stallions that stood in 2000 (foals of 2001) and 2001 (foals of 2002) at Dr. William O. Reed's Mare Haven Farm near Lexington.
For the third time, the Breeders' Cup has had to alter its pre-entry and field selection announcement dates because of the Columbus Day holiday.
<i> By Dan Liebman</i> -- The Keeneland summer sale needs to be adjusted. It needs to be tweaked. Revamped. Changed. It absolutely does not need to be abandoned, as some have suggested.
With jockeys, owners, and trainers surrounding him, an emotional Chris McCarron bid goodbye to the racing world about an hour before his last ride aboard Came Home in the Affirmed Handicap.
Sarava was 70-1, the longest priced winner in 134 runnings of the Belmont Stakes (gr. I). That was nothing compared to the odds of buying both the Belmont winner and the race's last-place finisher...at the same sale.
Sarava, the Belmont Stakes winner, was bred by New Yorker William Entenmann's Timber Bay Farm.
The Belmont Stakes Day undercard and preceding days' stakes were characterized by dominating victories and strong-willed performances.
Pat Day broke sharply on Gygistar, but was content to let others take the lead. He then came off the rail and went around the leaders to easily win the Riva Ridge Breeders' Cup (gr. II) Saturday at Belmont Park.
Babae, in her second start of the year, sat second behind early leader Penny Marie, then took the lead and held off a late challenge to win the Just a Game Breeders' Cup (gr. III) Saturday at Belmont.
Though Prince Ahmed Salman's War Emblem is going for the Triple Crown at Belmont Park on Saturday, the Saudi owner is not in attendance. A spokesman for the prince's Thoroughbred Corp. confirmed Saturday afternoon that Salman was in Saudi Arabia and not in New York.
The complexion of the True North Handicap (gr. II) changed at the start, when Summer Note, who was unbeaten in four starts and had always showed speed, hopped at the start. Yonaguska and Explicit then were the two left on the lead, and Explicit proved best in the six-furlong race.
John Velazquez, who was involved in a spill on Friday, was involved in another on Saturday at Belmont Park. Velazquez took off his first three mounts Saturday, then in his first mount back, fell aboard Imadeed as the horses hit the three-sixteenths pole in the Belmont Stakes Day fourth race, the WNBC.
New York Racing Association chairman and CEO Barry Schwartz said Saturday morning at Belmont Park that he is hoping for one thing -- a crowd of more than 85,818. All indications are he might just get it.
With only $1 million in the pool, War Emblem is even money with those on hand at Belmont Park to complete the Triple Crown. Of course, there is still an hour until the first race on the Belmont Stakes Day card.
You led every step of the way to easily win the Acorn Stakes (gr. I) Friday at Belmont Park. Under Jerry Bailey, You was under pressure until they turned for home in the one-turn mile race, but she then spurted away and coasted home as much the best.
Whywhywhy won the Flash Stakes (gr. III) at Belmont Friday, a race marred by a spill in which Renegade Warrior apparently broke down, and then Windsor Lodge fell over him. Both jockeys, Ramon Dominguez on Renegade Warrior and John Velazquez aboard Windsor Lodge, were conscious and walking after the horrific episode.
With a persistent light rain falling Friday morning, trainer Niall O'Callaghan found a dry, warm spot to talk to the press -- inside the track kitchen. But the same question kept coming up: Is his Wiseman's Ferry the key to the Belmont Stakes (gr. I)?
The entire New York area, including Belmont Park where Saturday War Emblem will make a run for history in the Triple Crown, received a considerable amount of rain Thursday evening.
Even before he ran ninth in the Kentucky Derby (gr. I), Tom Albertrani thought Essence of Dubai would be more suited to the Belmont Stakes (gr. I). On Saturday, he will find out.
This may be the Belmont Stakes (gr. I), but trainer Murray Johnson sees it as just the start for Perfect Drift, who he sends out Saturday to try and deny War Emblem a Triple Crown.
<i> By Dan Liebman </i> -- There is a controversy over the $1-million bonus Sportsman's Park offered to a horse sweeping the track's Illinois Derby (gr. II) and one of the Triple Crown races. But no matter into whose account that million bucks goes, there is one place it should not have already gone--into the purse of the Kentucky Derby (gr. I).
The loss of Kentucky-bred foals for the 2002 breeding season, mainly due to mare reproductive loss syndrome of 2001, may not end up being as large as first thought, numbers from The Jockey Club show.
This Kentucky Derby (gr. I) and Preakness Stakes (gr. I) winner doesn't come from the school of hard knocks; he comes from the school of hard nucks. War Emblem was bred and raised at Nuckols Farm near Midway, Ky., an operation headed by one of the last true Kentucky hardboots, Charlie Nuckols.
The rate of reduction in foal losses in Kentucky is slowing, but it is still staggering. The latest figures from The Jockey Club show 32.4 percent less foals dropped in Kentucky this year through April 3 compared with a year ago.
For the first 64 days of the year, The Jockey Club has reported a significant drop in the number of Kentucky-bred foals. The decline was expected as a direct correlation to mare reproductive loss syndrome.
Stewards at Sam Houston Race Park ruled Feb. 23 that Chauffe au Rouge was ineligible for two stakes he won last year that were restricted to Texas-accredited horses.
The racetrack is the great equalizer. Breeders' Cup Day 2001 hammered home that point. On racing's biggest day, not only did some of the game's heaviest hitters--like Sheikh Mohammed, Juddmonte Farms, and members of the Coolmore group--win races, but so, too, did David Lanzman.
Sheikh Mohammed has made no secret of his desire to win the Kentucky Derby (gr. I). His Godolphin Racing has nominated 17 horses to the Visa Triple Crown by the early deadline, nearly twice as many as any other owner.
Keeneland expects to catalogue about 50 more horses this year for its April auction of 2-year-olds in training. The sale is scheduled for Tuesday, April 16, a dark day during the Keeneland spring race meet.
<i>By Dan Liebman</i> -- The old saying is, "Rules are made to be broken." What about a case where there are no rules? One example is the voting process for Thoroughbred racing's champions.
Representatives will meet in New York next week to discuss a possible new sponsor for the group of 14-races known as the World Series Racing Championship.
Leland and Sue Cook, owners of Richland Ranch near Corsicana, Texas, received the top award Saturday night at the Texas Thoroughbred Association's annual banquet in Austin.
The board of directors of the Texas Thoroughbred Association rescinded the accreditation of Texas-bred Chauffe Au Rouge after a lengthy hearing Jan. 18. The vote was 10-4. The move would appear to begin the process of releasing two stakes purses for Texas-accredited horses which have been held in escrow since Chauffe Au Rouge won them last year.
For the second time in four years, the Mockingbird Farm team came up with the leading North American freshman sire. They won't make it three in 2002. Well, if they do, it won't be the same team.
Forest Camp, a top 2-year-old of 1999, has been retired and will stand in 2002 at Brereton C. Jones' Airdrie Stud near Midway, Ky. Forest Camp, by Deputy Minister -- La Paz, by Hold Your Peace, will stand for $10,000.
<i>By Dan Liebman</i> -- With today's emphasis on the commercial market, large books of mares, and shuttling, it is highly unlikely we shall ever see another stallion sire 20% stakes winners.
Two-time Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) winner Tiznow, who will stand his first season at stud next year, has had his stud fee set at $30,000 live foal, payable Sept. 1.
<i>By Dan Liebman</i> -- On Oct. 27 at Belmont Park, there was a media press conference following each of the eight Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships races. After three of the races, the winning trainer did not show up.
One day last fall, David Lanzman picked up the phone and rang Bobby Frankel to see if he would discuss taking a horse for him. It was 7 a.m. Frankel told him to swing by the barn between 9:15 and 9:30 and hung up.
<a href="viewstory.asp?id=6659">Continued from Preceeding Page</a>
<i>By Dan Liebman</i> -- Who can say why we are more attracted to certain horses. I watched the replay of the 1990 Fountain of Youth Stakes. Over and over. I fell in love with this horse.
The Europeans added to their huge day when Fantastic Light set a course record in the Breeders' Cup Turf (gr. IT). The Euros won three straight races, with Banks Hill (Mile), Johannesburg (Juvenile) and Fantastic Light.
Say what's the word? Well at Belmont Park on Saturday, it was Johannesburg, who remained unbeaten when he won the Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I). Down to defeat went the Bob Baffert-trained Officer, who was on the rail in striking position but could not handle the pressure. Later, Baffert said Officer shut down after displacing his palate.
Val Royal came flying down the lane to win the Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IT) in 1:32.05, the course record at Belmont Park being 1:31.60.
Eoin Harty, who was hired by Sheikh Mohammed to train 2-year-olds in this country to try and win the Kentucky Derby (gr. I), may eventually accomplish that, but Saturday he showcased fillies, running one-two in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I) with Tempera and Imperial Gesture.
Eoin Harty, who was hired by Sheikh Mohammed to train 2-year-olds in this country to try and win the Kentucky Derby (gr. I), may eventually accomplish that, but Saturday he showcased fillies, running one-two in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I) with Tempera and Imperial Gesture.
A pall was cast on the 18th Breeders' Cup before it could even start when Exogenous flipped, got her foot caught in the winner's circle rail, and eventually had to be sedated and removed from the tunnel leading to the racetrack.
Yonaguska completed a chalky Daily Double on the Breeders' Cup undercard Saturday at Belmont Park. He won the second race, the Sport Page (gr. III), under Chris McCarron. He was 7-5 and first race winner Graeme Hall was 4-5.
Odds are this is the first time in this country that racing fans walked into a track with armed guards on the roof. But this is also the first time racing's biggest day has been held in the same area where a terrorist attack occurred just six weeks earlier.
A major interest in Guided Tour, who runs in Saturday's $4 million Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I), has been purchased by Buckram Oak Farm. The 5-year-old horse has been owned by a group led by majority partner Morton Fink of Chicago. He will be listed in the program on Saturday as owned by Buckram Oak and Fink and run in Fink's colors.
