Ulcers, good news? Most definitely when it not only provided an explanation for Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming's abrupt form reversal, it virtually plucked him out of retirement and put him on the path for a 4-year-old campaign.
There is no doubt the greatness was there with Classic Empire. And there is no doubt it was confronted by enough obstacles to prevent it from fully surfacing. But it did on occasion manage to trickle out, to show the world what might have been.
Steve shares his take on the new "Zenyatta: Queen of Racing" video.
Keen Ice may have lost the battle, as in the $750,000 purse of the Jockey Club Gold Cup, but don't be surprised when the war is over on the evening of November 4 he is the last one standing.
Once upon a time, not too long ago, Thoroughbred trainers considered prep races, well, prep races; short for prepare. As in prepare your horse for the ultimate goal.
We have entered a new era on the Triple Crown trail, where many trainers now plan only two preps for the Kentucky Derby. It has proven successful over the past decade, so more and more trainers are adopting that philosophy.
With his 7 1/4-length romp in the grade 1, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby, West Coast has now rattled off four consecutive stakes victories, all dominating scores.
If you like intrigue based on the uncertainty surrounding a major star you should have around for the inaugural running of the Marlboro Cup in 1973.
Steve Haskin shares fond memories of Penny Chenery and Secretariat.
So, one must ask: When is a mile not a mile? In a pure horse racing sense it is a mile run around two turns instead of the more traditional flat mile around one turn.
The spiritual power of the horse and the amazing healing powers, both physically and mentally, it possesses when it comes to humans.
A horse like Practical Joke is so important to the sport and should be admired.
Just as Arrogate burst on the national scene last year with great fanfare in the historic Travers Stakes, so too has his successor, West Coast, a colt Bob Baffert thought so highly of he contemplated running him in the Belmont Stakes.
Rachel Alexandra was led out of her barn, her coat glistening and dappled and a bit lighter than when she was racing. As she stood placidly in the morning sun, she was not bothered in the slightest by the two visitors fawning over her.
Why spend a million dollars on an untried yearling when you can buy a piece of history? We're not talking just any piece of history, but items that represent three superstars of The Turf, Secretariat, Dr. Fager, and Arts and Letters.
Steve Haskin takes a look at the pros and cons of 11 prospective Travers horses as they head into the all-important race that could nail down an Eclipse Award.
Because it is futile to dwell on something we most likely will never get to the bottom of, we can only look ahead and wonder if there is anything Arrogate can do to restore his reputation.
Let’s make a horse racing movie. You know, the kind they used to make in the 1940s and ‘50s. It doesn’t matter if the plot is implausible. People love this kind of stuff.
Waiting for a horse like this is something Sol Kumin and Jay Hanley no longer will do. For as many top-class horses as they own and will own, they know in their heart they will never again have a horse like Lady Eli. Nor will anyone else.
If John Henry had one positive trait, it was his ability to touch people's lives. Of course, everyone knows how John affected the lives of Ron McAnally and Sam Rubin, but no one's life was affected more by the horse than Phil Marino's.
I have posted photos of Secretariat over the years, but never all of them in one place. I figured it was time to put all these photos together in a single blog, just to have them archived and easily accessible.
Despite the emergence of numerous equine superstars and three more Triple Crown winners, Secretariat is still the gift that keeps giving. More than four decades later, his name still is part of our vernacular and in many ways of our culture.
When Diane Nelson passed away at age 54, her days riding regularly on the tough New York circuit were long forgotten by many. But those who followed racing in the Big Apple remember her as a top rider.
Could it be that we actually saw the Travers winner, or at least a major threat in the Midsummer Derby, compete on Saturday?
The more Arrogate accomplishes, the more we want to see if he can top it. Unlike the vast majority of today's champions, we want to know just how high a ceiling our champions have.
It didn't take the M.C. Hammer long to make a major impact on the sport with the exciting filly Lite Light, who surged into national prominence by capturing the Las Virgenes Stakes, Santa Anita Oaks, Fantasy Stakes, and the Kentucky Oaks.
While it is still too early to get a clear picture of who is going where, one thing is for certain: the Haskell, Jim Dandy, and Travers are going to be extremely competitive and entertaining events, from which a solid 3-year-old leader should emerge.
When Royal Ascot ended its five-day meet, there was a sense of sadness, as if something beautiful, yet comforting, was taken away after filling four and a half hours each morning with a kaleidoscope of images and colors and unbridled emotion.
Here we are once again following yet another John Nerud coup. He is now responsible this year alone for Arrogate, Always Dreaming, Tapwrit, Gun Runner, Classic Empire, and after today, Lady Aurelia.
Humans and animals overcoming physical handicaps and going on to achieve great things has always been a sure way to bring out the sentimental side of people, who admire grit and resolve in the face of adversity.
The fairy tale journey of Mucho Macho Man and trainer Kathy Ritvo that began on Father's Day 2008.
To set the stage for Hansel's Belmont victory, one must go back to Churchill Downs, where the colt had thrown in an inexplicably bad performance in the Kentucky Derby, finishing 10th after looking like a winner at the top of the stretch.
Tonalist...Frosted...Creator...Tapwrit. If not for Triple Crown winner American Pharoah defeating Frosted in 2015, Tapwrit would have been Tapit's fourth consecutive Belmont Stakes winner.
Here we are at the end of the road--the often unpredictable Belmont Stakes, without the Kentucky Derby or Preakness winner, without the favorite Classic Empire, and with a cloud of uncertainty hanging over the head of the Japanese invader Epicharis.
Steve Haskin reflects on the legacy of 1994 Horse of the Year Holy Bull.
Let's start off by saying what has happened in the past often has no bearing on what is going to happen in the future. In Thoroughbred racing, they call them past performances for a reason.
There was no doubt that A.P. Indy would be a heavy favorite in the Belmont Stakes. All that was left was for the colt to have his all-important major work. Unfortunately. the night before it poured at Belmont, turning the track into a quagmire.
If you want to get a bit more adventurous and take a shot on a horse who not only could win the Belmont, he could win in impressive fashion, then why not take a good hard look at the Japanese invader Epicharis.
Damascus went into the August 5 American Derby having already run 10 times as a 3-year-old, including victories in the Preakness and Belmont Stakes.
Steve Haskin reflects on Cloud Computing's victory in the 2017 Preakness Stakes.
If you enjoyed the Kentucky Derby dream, no sense waking up now. You might as well keep dreaming until you are jolted back to reality, if and when that ever occurs.
Of all the stakes to change to the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial, none would have made the Hall of Fame trainer happier than the King's Bishop.
Todd Pletcher and old-school training have never exactly been synonymous. Pletcher is known for being a conservative trainer, preferring long periods of time between races.
As I have done the past several years, I thought it would be interesting to go back week by week and re-live the observations, race reports, workout reports, and any news regarding the eventual Kentucky Derby winner.
Steve shares stories about the connections of Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming.
Steve announces his final selections and wagers for the 2017 Kentucky Derby.
The final Derby Dozen for 2017. Do you agree with Steve's list? How would you rank them?
Racing fans who were not around before the 1980s may find it difficult to appreciate just how much the dynamics of the Kentucky Derby have changed since then and how much more difficult the race is to win.
A BloodHorse magazine (issue of May 9, 2015) recap of American Pharoah's 2015 Kentucky Derby victory. The story carried the headline, "A Part of History, American Pharoah allows Ahmed Zayat to enter the Derby winner’s circle."
The details in the Dozen make the difference as the Derby draws near.
