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.
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.
Mike Curry finds 20 of the 75 top-three finishers during the last 25 years were five lengths or more off the pace.
American Pharoah will be the first Triple Crown winner to stand at stud since Affirmed was retired in 1979, and the first available to breeders since Affirmed died in 2001. A stud fee announcement is expected soon.
Lovely Maria does have some of that old-fashioned classic stamina on her dam's side, as she's out of Thundercup, an unraced daughter of the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) and Belmont Stakes (gr. I) winner Thunder Gulch.
A historical race sequence for Thunder Gulch's Kentucky Derby win on May 6, 1995. view slideshow
In honor of the 20th anniversary of Thunder Gulch's 1995 Kentucky Derby win, see where each horse was at several crucial points of the race with our interactive slideshow.
As a companion to the feature in the February 21, 2015 issue of The Blood-Horse, 'The Thunder Rolled,' we present a visual look at Thunder Gulch's 1995 championship season. View Slideshow
A celebration of the career of Gary Stevens on the occasion of his 5,000th North American victory. View Slideshow
Photos from Santa Anita Park, Delta Downs, Gulfstream Park, Golden Gate Fields, Aqueduct and more! view slideshow
See photos from Anne's recent visit with Thunder Gulch at Ashford Stud, as well as Groupie Doll and Plum Pretty at Timber Town Stable. read blog
Thunder Gulch, champion 3-year-old male of 1995 and leading sire of 2001, has been retired from stallion duty at Ashford Stud near Versailles, Ky. The 23-year-old is the sire of 96 stakes winners.
Mr. Besilu, a $4.2 million yearling by A.P. Indy out of three-time grade I winner Balance, has been retired and will stand at Mike Grossman's Eureka Thoroughbred Farm in Texas for $2,000 in 2015.
Ashford Stud near Versailles, Ky., has announced its 2014 stud fees, led by Giant's Causeway (Storm Cat--Maria's Storm, by Rahy), who will stand for $85,000, the same fee as last year.
When D. Wayne Lukas sends Preakness winner Oxbow in the Belmont Stakes June 8, the Racing Hall of Fame trainer believes his competitors will be tangling with a much more mature horse.
Just looking at recent history, eight of the previous dozen Belmont Stakes winners were by sires who won grade I races at 1 1/4 miles or longer, including three winners by previous Belmont Stakes winners.
by Anne Peters
Winning the Derby immediately marks a colt as a potential stallion prospect. Breeding success does not always follow, however, and the commercial market has been hard on Derby winners in recent years.
Keeneland has cataloged 137 juveniles for its 2013 April 2-year-olds in training sale, to be held April 8.
Randleston Farm's Spy in the Sky overcame his 25-1 odds as the longest shot in a 10-horse field and held on to win the $100,000 A.P. Smithwick Memorial Handicap (NSA-I) Aug. 2 at Saratoga Race Course.
Michael Marten, a two-time Eclipse Award-winning photographer, died May 28 of cancer at his Del Mar, Calif., home.
MAHUBAH'S CORNER
Went the Day Well and Daddy Nose Best still have questions to answer about class, but on paper both look as if they should have no problems with the distance.
Trainer C.R. Trout's homebred grade I winner Shotgun Gulch has been retired from racing because of a cracked sesamoid in her left front leg suffered during a workout.
Keeneland has cataloged 161 horses for its 20th April sale of 2-year-olds in training. The number is down 4.7% from last year's total of 169.
Zenyatta's weanling half sister by Henrythenavigator will be offered at the Keeneland November breeding stock sale by Select Sales.
Monzon, who finished sixth in the May 14 Peter Pan Stakes (gr. II) at Belmont Park and is being pointed for the June 11 Belmont Stakes (gr. I), worked six furlongs in 1:16 May 31, according to Daily Racing Form.
Shotgun Gulch passed favored Amen Hallelujah in deep stretch to post an 11-1 upset in the $300,000 Vinery Madison (gr. I) April 14 at Keeneland.
Adirondack Summer, responding to left-handed urging from jockey Alan Garcia, got up at the wire to win the roughly run $100,000 Dania Beach Stakes by a nose over Brilliant Speed on the turf at Gulfstream Park Jan. 16.
Lookin At Lucky, the leading contender for champion 3-year-old male, will enter stud for a fee of $35,000 at Ashford Stud near Versailles, Ky.
J.B.'s Thunder, a 2-year-old son of Thunder Gulch got in his final drill prior to the Grey Goose Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) when he took to the track the morning of Nov. 1.
J. B.'s Thunder earned his way into the Breeders' Cup Grey Goose Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) with a front-running romp in the $400,000 Dixiana Breeders' Futurity (gr. I) at Keeneland Oct. 9.
In honor of Point Given's induction into the Hall of Fame, Steve Haskin recalls the 2001 Belmont Stakes. Read Blog
Keeneland has cataloged 181 horses for its April 2-year-olds in training sale, to be held Monday, April 5.
D. Wayne Lukas, the dean of Kentucky Derby trainers with four winners from 42 previous starters, expressed confidence in Flying Private following the colt's four-furlong work in :47 2/5 April 27.
Thunder Gulch won the 1995 Kentucky Derby at odds of 25-1, as well as the Belmont Stakes, was retired at the end of his 3-year-old season due to a leg injury.
The 2009 stud fees for Ashford Stud stallions were announced Nov. 7, including the fees for their newest additions, Henrythenavigator and Majestic Warrior. There was a decline in fees for many of the stallions at Ashford, a division of Coolmore located near Versailles, Ky.
A Macho Uno colt brought $400,000 to top the Sept. 14 session of the Keeneland September yearling sale, a session that saw the trend of decreases in the major sale indices continue.
Grade I winner Circular Quay, a 4-year-old son of leading sire Thunder Gulch, has been retired from racing and will stand the 2009 breeding season at Brent and Crystal Fernung's Journeyman Stud near Ocala, Fla.
Giant's Causeway, who ranks third on this year's general sires list, will stand the 2008 Southern Hemisphere breeding season at La Mission stallion station near Buenos Aires.
PORTER ON PEDIGREES by Alan Porter Following the Breeders' Cup World Championships each year, a major focus for race fans is the game of "spot the classic candidate," with bragging rights for the earliest identification of a future star. Colonel John was added to several lists when the youngster scored an impressive victory in a seven-furlong maiden at the Oak Tree-at-Santa Anita meet, and in all probability he has now moved several places up those lists following a decisive win in the Real Quiet Stakes at Hollywood Park, an effort which may have earned him a tilt at the Hollywood Futurity (gr. I).
The runaway train that had been the 2007 Keeneland November breeding stock sale hit a slight speed bump during its 10th session Nov. 14, with gross, average, and median all falling off slightly while the number of horses sold were up compared to figures from last year.
Three-time grade I winner Balance has been retired and will be sent to Mill Ridge Farm in Kentucky, trainer David Hofmans said Nov. 1.
Ashford Stud, a division of Coolmore located near Versailles, Ky., released its 2008 stud fees Nov. 1. The list includes Fusaichi Pegasus seeing another significant drop, Van Nistelrooy a sizeable jump, and a fee announced for new stallion Scat Daddy.
The Belmont Stakes (gr. I) might be referred to as the Test of the Champion, but how many winners of the 1 1/2-mile classic go on to become champion sires?
Despite the large run of passed in hips, the quality horses continued to find good homes on day three of the 2007 William Inglis & Son Australian Select Broodmare Sale on Wednesday in Sydney. And some of them for good prices.
Kinghaven Farms homebred Seductively kicked off her 4-year-old campaign in style, winning Sunday's US$154,616 Whimsical Stakes (Can-III) at Woodbine by 2 1/4 lengths.
Balance, the nation's leading 3-year-old filly last year before going off kilter, continued her ascent toward the top of the older female division on Saturday while overcoming obstacles to win Santa Anita's $300,000 Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap (gr. I) at 1 1/8 miles.
Favored Circular Quay, able to avoid the traffic issues he encountered in the Risen Star (gr. III) one month ago, circled the field five wide coming off the far turn under John Velazquez and rallied impressively to win the $594,000 Louisiana Derby (gr. II) at Fair Grounds Saturday.
John Amerman's Balance, a two-time grade I winner last year, resembled her old self while winning the $200,000 La Canada Stakes (gr. II) for 4-year-old fillies by 4 1/4 lengths over Bai and Bai Sunday at Santa Anita.
A Thunder Gulch colt sold for $75,000 Tuesday to top the Washington Thoroughbred Breeders summer yearling sale at Emerald Downs.
Unbeaten Circular Quay, the fifth winner of the day ridden by jockey Rafael Bejarano, shot through a narrow gap along the rail in deep stretch and drew off to a 1 ΒΌ-length victory in Saturday's $166,500 Bashford Manor (gr. III) for 2-year-olds at Churchill Downs.
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