Veteran jockey Steve "Cowboy" Hamilton is indebted to his son, Wes, for helping him to make a comeback on the Maryland circuit after a 10-year absence from competition. Wes may someday owe much of his success to the tutelage of his father.
Runaway Ghost, the first foal of multiple stakes winner Rose's Desert, by Ghostzapper, could land a spot in the Kentucky Derby starting gate with a win in the March 25 Sunland Derby.
Albaugh Family Stables' Free Drop Billy will be entered in the $300,000 Gotham Stakes (G3) March 10 at Aqueduct Racetrack, after he was scratched March 3 from the Xpressbet Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park.
Lane Luzzi always wanted to be beside his father, Mike, a well-respected jockey on the ultra-competitive New York circuit.
Anyone who doubts Frank Stronach's ability to think big needs only to gaze at the 473-ton steel and bronze statue of Pegasus, the winged stallion of Greek mythology, that captivates visitors as they enter Gulfstream Park.
Jerkens cannot help but recall his father's Hall of Fame career throughout the prestigious summer meet.
Trainer Jimmy Jerkens has seen enough in the morning and in the afternoon to feel sure that Unified is a 3-year-old with considerable ability. He is less certain about how best to tap into that talent.
Lady's Secret, an eventual Horse of the Year and Hall of Fame inductee, strung together multiple stakes wins at the highest level. Trainer D. Wayne Lukas described her as an overachiever that "you never got to the bottom of."
Undefeated Lady Eli is set to take yet another significant step in her recovery from laminitis with a workout scheduled for July 3 at Belmont Park.
He received numerous awards and accolades, and was dedicated to the future of the sport and mentoring upcoming journalists in the racing industry.
Trainer Dale Romans is enjoying a new perspective after what he describes as a "life-changing" experience.
He says all indications are Nyquist is "sitting on go" and he expects a big effort Saturday, as befitting his morning line odds.
Tom Pedulla writes of Affirmed's rare talent and equally rare competition, Alydar.
Trainer Doug O'Neill, in his first of two diaries as told to Tom Pedulla for America's Best Racing, said the plan for Nyquist has succeeded so far, and now it comes down to the post-position draw for the Preakness Stakes.
Mike Repole, the former owner of Uncle Mo, believes the horse's eye-opening success with his first crop as a sire offers insight into what might have been.
Todd Pletcher doesn't hesitate to put Rachel's Valentina in the company of his trio of previous Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) winners as she's set to contend Friday's race. A full field of 14 will go postward after champion Songbird's defection due to fever.
An evening of laughter and warmth began with the presentation of a trophy to Bob Baffert as the winning trainer of last year's Derby.
"It's going to be hard," Espinoza said of tackling the Run for the Roses on Whitmore. "But you never know. As long as I have a horse in the race, I always think I can win the Kentucky Derby."
Repole Stable's Outwork needed every ounce of energy he had left April 9 to win the $1 million Wood Memorial (gr. I) at Aqueduct Racetrack over longshot Trojan Nation.
A week after Mohaymen finished fourth in his final Kentucky Derby prep, Sheikh Hamdan's Shadwell Stable will have another potential star 3-year-old race when Shagaf tries the Wood Memorial April 9.
Shadwell Stable's homebred Bernardini colt could step up in a big way in the April 9 Wood Memorial (gr. I), New York's final stepping-stone to the May 7 Kentucky Derby (gr. I).
Nyquist pushed his perfect record to seven-for-seven with a clear victory in the $1 million Florida Derby (gr. I) April 2 at Gulfstream Park, while his previously undefeated rival Mohaymen finished fourth.
Owner Reddam is more than willing to play catch-us-if-you-can with Mohaymen now and leave the future to the future. "...There is no guarantee we're going to make the Kentucky Derby," he said.
"If they peak that race before, it will be hard for them, even with five weeks, to come back and give their best effort," trainer John Servis said of Nyquist and Mohaymen.
Five weeks before they chase the penultimate prize in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), the stakes are huge for both star 3-year-olds as they tower over the rest of their Florida Derby competition.
Sheikh Hamdan's Shadwell Stable has more than one undefeated 3-year-old securely on the Triple Crown trail.
The Triple Crown grind goes against Jason Servis' preference for giving his horses ample recovery time, and even though he's running the Withers (gr. III) winner in the Gotham, a Kentucky Derby (gr. I) run is no sure thing.
Shadwell Stable's Mohaymen dominated the $400,000 Xpressbet.com Fountain of Youth Stakes (gr. II) at Gulfstream Park Feb. 27, his fifth straight victory for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin.
The promising 3-year-old colt Cherry Wine will miss the Feb. 27 Xpressbet Fountain of Youth Stakes because of a fever that spiked Feb.23, trainer Dale Romans said.
Jockey Calvin Borel said the key to their success together was to allow Rachel Alexandra to be the boss. She knew she could handle fractions that often seemed impossibly fast. His biggest job was to stay out of the way.
Sunny Ridge would not be denied his first graded stakes win Saturday, Jan. 30 as he outlasted Vorticity to win the $250,000 Withers Stakes (gr. III) at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert often describes American Pharoah, the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years, as the "horse of a lifetime." But that doesn't mean he's not looking for the next one.
A career launched with modest expectations led to almost surreal accomplishments for Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux.
