Secretariat and his Preakness win!

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Violet's Handsome Cousin

Here is a photo of Violet's  handsome cousin, Secretariat, with his team leader, Ron Turcotte.  I shall label them Team Big Red!

Secretariat Retired

Here's a photo of Secretariat, taking a sexy post-retirement jog for his fans. Handsome handsome handsome! And it won't surprise you all to be reminded for the kajillionth time -- Violet is closely related to this handsome dude!

Breaking News! Violet back to Work

Okay, so this is a photo of Secretariat and not Violet, but she's related to this majestic creature, so why not! This morning I went out to the stable and lunged Violet and she felt fresh and eager. Her hooves stayed cool and were an even temperature all around, so we saddled up. I finally had a chance to use her new dove-colored pad with pink and silver corded trim and grey sheepskin accents. The pad is great. She and I went for a lovely relaxed responsive ride. She was light to the feel, had good breaks and turning, and gave to the aids with real sensitivity. It's the usual thing - take a big long break and when you first come back instead of being nervous or afraid, you're just generally better at riding. I don't know why. Anyway, I am delighted to report that she wasn't lame or ouchy or short in her strides. She didn't trip. Her feet were cool when we were done. I think the girl may be growing out of her short trim. I sure do notice that there's more growth by her coronet band and considerably more since she started the Grand Hoof treatment. Tomorrow evening, I'll take her out for another spin at the walk, trot, canter and then we'll be ready to get back into lesson mode with lessons on Saturday morning. Wish us well! Namaste!

Full Celebration! Secretariat's Statue

Here's a photo of Secretariat's home at Claiborne Farms and through that gate, you will find not only his stall and paddock and his famous breeding shed, but you will find his gravestone where well wishers can come and greet him. And the statue below is a recently commemorated bronze reproduction of Ron Turcotte, Eddie Sweat and Secretariat, probably on their way to the winner's circle. This statue stands at the Kentucky Horse Park directly down from Man 'O War. Secretariat is #2 in the history of racehorses, right behind Man o' War.



His record still stands for 2 of the 3 components of the Triple Crown jewels and he won the Belmont by 31 lengths at a scorching speed! He was a 16.2 hand stallion named Big Red, sharing the same nickname as Man o' War. He earned many honors in his life, including being in the Racing Hall of Fame, getting a postage stamp, being voted #35 of the top 100 athletes of the 20th century by ESPN, the highest ranked animal by far! And in 2005, ESPN classic television chose him to represent the animal world for most amazing athletic moments! His mom was Penny Chenery!

Full Celebration! My Zen Perfect Day

Okay, so in these photos, you see exercise riders at the Thoroughbred Training Center in Lexington, Kentucky. Over 900 racehorses and 100 trainers quarter here to learn the ropes! These are racehorses learning their trade, or tweaking and refining their trade. Here is where they can get their "gate card" which is their official permission to run at our country's race tracks because they have proven they can load into and leap out of a gate. Here is where exercise riders earn about 10$ a ride to jump on novice baby race horses. The place has two tracks, one you see in this photo, and then a second which is only a 5/8th mile on the inside of this larger one. It was an amazing facility! We got to meet and speak with a trainer, Mike Cameron. We got to see Chris McCarron's North American Riding Academy, it was awesome.

Okay, so here was the perfect day, and it occurred on Saturday, April 25th, when I finally got in the zone on my Full celebration weekend. I woke up and felt the cool breeze of early morning. I heard horses whiffling and snorting. I made coffee and had my morning java and chocolate mousse with Revelry and the Paints and Palimino. I drove out to the Thoroughbred Training Center and took a tour. I took a driving lesson with Breimer. I visited a horse farm and talked with a young college student with two paint horses. I went to Rolex and watched the Cross-Country. I met David O' Connor's mother, Sally O'Connor, who was working as a fence judge! I visited the Kentucky Horse Park and saw Funnycide and visited John Henry's gravesite. I took a tour of the Driving Center and looked at all the amazing sorts of carts, carriages, gigs, and phaetons. I saw Secretariat and Man 'o War's statues and visited Violet's and Hailee's relatives, War Admiral and others at their burial ground. I went to an art museum and saw Scott Tree's photos of Arabians and Fay Moore's sports paintings of equines. I went home and had a glass of wine with the horses back at Gayla. And then I had a relaxed dinner at Galvin's in Georgetown while reading In Service of the Horse, reading how David O' Connor's groom cares for his horses. Then I slipped into a sleep, as horses snorted and puffed and made agreeable happy noises!

Breaking News! Genuine Risk Passes at 31!

Genuine Risk passed away peacefully this morning, just after being turned out into her paddock at Virginia's Firestone's Newstead Farm. Here she is in a photo from August 2006 with the world famous photographer, Doug Prather. She was the second Kentucky Derby filly winner (of 3), and the best filly as far as Triple Crown race records. She won the Derby and then placed in both the Preakness and Belmont Stakes. She's also the first Kentucky Derby winner to be bred to a Derby winner, Secretariat, though she failed to conceive. She also happened to be the oldest living Kentucky Derby winner before passing.

Her final record was 15: 10-3-2, and she bore two foals, both boys, neither raced. They are named Genuine Reward who stands at stud, and Count Our Blessings who was gelded. Her parents were Exclusive Native out of Virtuous by Gallant Man. Both my girls share many relatives with her, including Equipoise and Case Ace. Rest in peace, you Champion girl!

Breaking News! Storm Cat Retires from Stud Duties!

Here is a photo by Mark Cornelsion of the fabulous Storm Cat whose grandsires are Northern Dancer and Secretariat. On May 13, Overbrook Farm announced that this world's leading sire, with over $112 million in earnings from his children, retired from stud duties. He is 25 years old now and his fertility is beginning to decline. His dam, Terlingua, who lived on his same farm, was euthanized in late April, so now her boy gets a chance to really unwind, relax, and reflect on his enormous impact on the breed! In 2007, his fee was $500,000, the highest listed in the world! Blessings on the head of this champion. Namaste and love to this child of Secretariat and Northern Dancer! You can read more about this champion at the following links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storm_Cat

or

http://www.bloodhorse.com/stallion-register/sr_sire_page.asp?refno=935962&origin=BHonline

or

http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/stallion-directory/stallion.aspx?stallion_no=935962

or

http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/stallion-directory/stallion.aspx?stallion_no=935962

or

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmCFG2zQXFs

Secretariat in Grey on Track

Here's our handsome man, Secretariat, taking a spin and enjoying an early morning breeze. At the Kentucky Horse Park, they have his silks and tack from his Triple Crown days on display. It's really a thrill to see.

Secretariat with his Derby Roses!

Here's a picture of Secretariat, the fine gentleman who looks like my sweet girl, Violet! Here he is with his favorite groom, Eddie Sweat, after winning the Kentucky Derby. They based the statue of Secretariat at the Kentucky Horse Park on this win with Ron Turcotte and Mr. Sweat in the statue. After this win, Big Red was completely on the bit, full of himself, wired, huge, strong, and dancing on his toes. Eddie Sweat and Ron Turcotte had their hands filled to get him to the winner's circle to collect his roses!

El Gato Malo

Here is the handsome boy, El Gato Malo, son of El Corredor and One Bad Cat by Mountain Cat. He is registered for the Kentucky Derby and has a race before that one! He has many famous relatives, including Secretariat, Reviewer, Mr. Prospector, and Nashua. He was born on February 6, 2005 and has a record of 4: 3-1-0. The "buzz" is that he'll have to "outrun his pedigree" if he wants to win the Derby because his super-fast, lightning hot sire won lots, but not at the Derby distance! But good luck you macho little gelding boy!

Quite a Bride and My Girls!

Here is a photo of Quite A Bride taken by Vanessa Ng in 2006 when QB was a young thing. She is a Florida-bred thoroughbred, just like Violet and was born a handful of days after Violet, on March 12, 2003. They are very closely related, as you can tell in this photo.

QB is a turf girl. She has a solid career with a 18: 10-1-4 record, and setting a new Churchill Downs track record on turf at 8.5 furlongs timed at 1:40.70. In late January of this year, her 5th year of racing, she won easily against Nashoba'sKey who was a finalist for the 2007 Eclipse Award for Turf. In this race, the $500,000 Sunshine Million Filly and Mare Turf race at Santa Anita track, she stalked behind the pacesetter SomethinaboutLaura until she was ready to let it roll. NB never really was a contender. She now has $878,881 in earnings!

As her jockey Garret Gomez said, "She placed herself well, like she does in all her races. In the middle of the turn, she hit another gear and I said, 'Let's go.'"

Her parents are Stormy Atlantic and Wise Bride by Blushing Groom. So, Blushing Groom is QB's grandsire on her dam's side and is V's great-grandsire on her sire's side. What's also cool about QB is that because of the Stormy Atlantic parentage, she also has Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Northern Dancer, and Moccasin in her. What a powerful girl!

Precious Kitten and My Girls!

Precious Kitten is a filly born on February 20, 2003, the same year as Violet. She's had a very successful career so far, with 19: 7-8-1. Among her wins was the Gallorette Handicap. She was owned and bred by Ken and Sarah Ramsey of Kentucky, and her parents are Catienus out of Kitten's First by Lear Fan. Among her famous relatives, therefore, are Storm Cat, Mr. Prospector, Secretariat, Northern Dancer, and War Admiral.

She is currently listed as #10 of 3 year-olds and up fillies and mares by the 2007 World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings.

And on January 12, 2008, Barbaro's parents, Roy and Gretchen Jackson, purchased her from her Ramseys for an undisclosed sum. Of this purchase, the Ramseys said, "We hope that she brings as much pleasure to the Jacksons as she did to us. Selling her was a tough decision and we'll miss running her in the big races this year. We hope she wins a 2008 Eclipse Award for the Jacksons and goes on to an equally successful career as a broodmare. We will be following her closely and hope to see them in the winners circle with her often this year."

Breaking News! Winning Colors Passes at 23

This past Sunday morning, at age 23, Winning Colors was euthanized after complications from colic surgery. She was one of three fillies to win the Kentucky Derby. Her sisters in pride are Regret and Genuine Risk. This good girl was born on Valentine's Day, 1985.

Here is a photo of Winning Colors defeating 49er for the Derby win back in 1988. Before this race, she had won both the Santa Anita Oaks and Santa Anita Derby, and Gary Stevens, her jockey, rode her to the first derby win for her trainer, Wayne Lukas, after 12 tries.

Secretariat's son, Risen Star, then beat her in both the Preakness and Belmont, but her record still shines! She won the 1988 Eclipse Award for Champion 3 year-old filly.

Lukas said of her, "Of all the horses that we had in our stable, and we've been blessed with some good ones, she was probably the one that was closest to Jeff (Lukas' son)." Jeff assisted his dad in preparing Winning Colors in preparing for her Derby win.

She passed hands a few times when she retired, but was a good broodmare and well beloved. Rest in Peace, you champion girl!

Breaking News! Heading Down the Homestretch

The longest-running racetrack in California, Bay Meadows, will close on May 11th after its last 70 day meet. It was founded in1934, so has had a 74 year run! It's an historically significant track for many, many reasons. It's innovative founder, William P. Kyne, introduced the ideas of pari-mutuel betting and the Daily Double, and implemented the technologies of the all-enclosed starter gate, the totalizer board, and the photo-finish camera, all Bay Meadows firsts!

Famous horses ran here, including Majestic Prince and Native Diver who broke their maidens at Bay Meadows. Determine and Charismatic used Bay Meadows as preps for theier Kentucky Derby wins. And other regular famous horses included Seabiscuit, Citation, Round Table, John Henry, Noor, Coal Town, Cigar, Lost in the Fog, and Secretariat's best girl, Lady's Secret! Famous jockeys included Bill Shoemaker, Laffit Pincay, Jr. and, of course, Russell Baze who just won his 10,000th race there!

A sad thing about it's history is that the groundwater contains poisonous environmental hazards, including petrochemical hydrocarbons, benzene, toluene, and pesticides.

I hope Californians enjoy their last meet at this famous track. And I hope they open another in the area which they have discussed and planned.

Breaking News! Amazing Results in the Black Gold Stakes!

News from the Fairgrounds in New Orleans is good! Amazing Results won the tradition-rich $60,000 Black Gold Stakes by 1 length this Saturday. Here you see a photo by Lou Hodges Jr. of the winning jockey, Julien Laparoux, placing a wreath on Black Gold's grave after his win! Amazing Results has Secretariat and Northern Dancer on his sire's side and Buckpasser and Nasrullah on his dam's side.

The Fairgrounds is the third oldest track in the United States, having opened in 1872.

In other news from the Fairgrounds, trainer Greg Sacco says that he likes being at Barn 34. His nervous filly, Sicilian Soul, settled right down once she moved into Barn 34. She likes it because the barn has stalls facing each other, so she can see her buddies. She settled down right away, quit pacing her stall, and gained weight! He thinks that she's ready to get out in front and run like a queen now!

Citation -- 1948 Triple Crown Winner!

Citation was a Calumet Farms horse who was 8th of the 11 Triple Crown winners! His parents were Bull Lea by Hydroplane by Hyperion. He was in the Kentucky Derby with his half-brother, Coaltown by Bull Lea and Easy Lass by Blenheim. These two brothers were so scorching hot that only 4 other horses had the courage to enter the Derby that year!

The day of the Derby was wet and sloppy, but Citation pulled immediately into the lead. Eddie Arcaro pulled him back and let Coaltown surge ahead. But finally, Arcaro let him go, and Citation went on to win by 3 1/2 lengths!

Eddie Arcaro, one of the best jockeys of all time, said of Citation, "Citation was the best. He was so fast he scared me." Jimmy Jones was Citation's trainer, and his dad, Ben Jones, also a famous trainer, told him the night before the race, "Jimmy, you can sleep well tonight, and you can take this as gospel: any horse Citation can see, he can catch. And he's got perfect eyesight."

Now just a small recap of his racing career! He ended with 45: 32-10-2, and had to take some time off for an osselet in his fetlock joint. He was the first horse to earn more than $1 million. In 1947, he was voted the Champion 2-year-old colt. In 1948, his big year, he earned Champion 3-year-old colt and the Eclipse Horse of the Year, and, of course, won the Triple Crown! He was the first horse in the U.S. to win 16 races in a row, and the second in the world. He had 19 wins in 20 starts. In 1950 and 1951, he was Champion Older Male.

Of his 1948 season, it can be said that he won at every distance, won at 10 different tracks, won in 7 different states, travelling in unairconditioned trucks and rail cars. He won all his races by a total of 66 lengths, and won the Triple Crown races by a total of 17 lengths. He ended his racing career in 1948 (at that point) with a 29-27-2-0 record! His 16 race winning streak made it as #67 of Horse-Racing's Top 100 moments according to Blood Horse, and Blood Horse reported that the owners of the horses entered in the Belmont the year Citation swept the Triple Crown were true good sports, "These gentlemen deserve some credit for their sportsmanship, for they knew when they entered they were filling a race for Citation." He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in 1959. And he was voted #3 of the Top 100 racehorses of the 20th century.

His trainer, Jimmy Jones, said that he would put Citation above Secretariat in that ranking, at #2, saying "He was the best horse I ever saw. Probably the best anybody else ever saw, I expect. Citation didn't have a fault. He could sprint, he could go two miles, he could go in the mud, and could go on a hard track. He could do it all. Secretariat couldn't run a bit in the mud." His dad, Ben Jones, put Citation at #1, saying "Man o' War? Citation is a better horse."

Of the Derby win, writing in his autobiography, Eddie Arcaro reported thinking of Ben Jones' words, "the horse that Citation could not run down had not yet been born." And Jimmy Jones said, "My horse could beat anything with hair on it."

My girls are related to this superstar most immediately through Bull Lea, Hyperion, St. Simon and Isinglass.This blog entry received help from Horse Racing's Top 100 Moments, Thoroughbred Champions: Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th Century, and Two Minutes to Glory: The Official History of the Kentucky Derby.

You can read more about Citation who is buried at Calumet Farms at the following links:
http://www.spiletta.com/UTHOF/citation.html
or
http://horseracing.about.com/od/famoushorses/l/aa012998.htm
or
http://horseracing.about.com/library/blcitation.htm
or
http://www.thoroughbredchampions.com/biographies/citation.htm
or
http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00014135.html
or
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citation_(horse)

Vikki's Take on My Red Girl!

My friend, Vikki, came to visit the stable in September. I had just given my girl a bath on this blazing hot day and let her out in the pasture.

So, she did what she always does when there are cameras -- she vogued! She cantered around the pasture in her nameplate sale halter, snorting, gallivanting, and putting on her imitation of Nasrullah, Secretariat, Swing On, Rags to Riches, and Count Fleet. You can just see her royalty rippling along her! What a sweet beautiful girl. I love this photo and appreciate Vikki's talent! Thank you!

Kentucky 2007: Bold Ruler's Grave

Here is Bold Ruler's grave. He was bred and owned by Mrs. Henry Carnegie Phipps' Wheatley Stable, and Mrs. Phipps loved him dearly and even had a St. Christopher's medal braided into his forelock before his races. He was foaled at Claiborne Farms, the same night as the fabulous Round Table. In fact, Bold Ruler's career took place in the company of the most amazing mega-crop of racers and sires.

He's lucky he even had a race career because he was plagued by accident, injury and illness. When he was a baby, he cut his tongue very badly and almost broke a leg in a water trough. Through his career, he suffered back, leg, rheumatoid injuries, and at the end of his career, it was discovered he'd been running with a large splint fracture for some time, probably in great pain!

But when he did retire, he retired as a champion. He was voted the #19 race horse of the Top 100 of the 20th century by Blood Horse magazine. He was inducted into the National Museum and Racing Hall of Fame in 1973, the year his kid Secretariat won the Triple Crown. He even has a race named after him, The Bold Ruler Handicap, run each year at Belmont Park. His final record was 33: 23-4-2, and he beat some major horses in his life. At 3, in 1957, he was voted 3-year-old Champion and Horse of the Year! The latter award was pretty impressive given his competition! He beat Iron Leige in the Preakness Stakes, and beat both Gallant Man and Round Table in the Trenton.

He was beat by Iron Leige in the Kentucky Derby, but here's what his rider, Eddie Arcaro had to say about that miss: "He was so full of run that he could have gone right on past Federal Hill, and I should have let him do that, but it wasn't until then that I realized I was fighting him too hard. Then he was empty. I had discouraged and confused him by fighting him when he wanted to run." So, that's why it felt good to let Bold Ruler run like a king in the Preakness and win.

When he retired after his splint bone injury, he became one of the most important studs ever. He led the sire list 8 years, including 7 consecutive years. He has 11 champions among his offspring. He was by Nasrullah and Miss Disco by Discovery. He passed that strength and speed in the 1970s to 7 of the 10 Kentucky Derby winners in his male line. His descendanta include Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Spectacular Bid, Foolish Pleasure, and Ruffian. He was the sire of 82 stakeswinners, and broodmare sire of 6 Champions and 121 stakeswinners. In fact, he led the American sire list more times than any other sire of the 20th century, and sired more stakeswinners than any other stallion except for his dad, Nasrullah. He had a 22% stakeswinner percentage. And let's not forget that he is the dad of the horse most think is the very best racer of this century -- Secretariat!

On July 12, 1971, he was euthanized after a strong battle with cancer. Bull Hancock said of him, "You can pick the Bold Rulers out by their conformation. I see the same musculature as Nasrullah. They all had an extra layer of muscle beside their tail running down to their hocks. It is a good sign when you see it on a Bold Ruler. It means strength and speed."

Something sweet about him is that even though he was a big old macho sexy stud colt, he was sweet with his mom. Whenever she came down to lead him to the winner's circle, he would lean his face down for her to hold his lead line and he would walk like a sweet old pony, all proud to be with his mom. I think that's nice.

I got help for this Blog entry from the 1999 Thoroughbred Champions book by Blood Horse and from the Unofficial Thoroughbred Hall of Fame website. You can read more about Bold Ruler and see photos, and even see film footage of his amazing Preakness Stakes win at the following links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bold_Ruler
or
http://www.diamondjfarms.com/boldruler1.html
or
http://www.aro.co.za/aroHorseProfiles/BOLD%20RULERUSA1954.htm
or
http://www.spiletta.com/UTHOF/boldruler.html
or
http://horseracing.about.com/library/pics/blboldruler.htm
or
http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/horse.asp?ID=34
or
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6PuKjzWATs

Kentucky 2007: Princequillo's Grave

Here is the grave of Princequillo, also an important sire in Violet's family tree and a grandpa of Secretariat! You'll recall from my earlier blog that Princequillo had quite an interesting career. He really had poor breeding with a pedigree "crammed with plodders" and his first three dams "sired by proven failures." So, there is really no explanation at all for why he was such an important stud who sired 479 foals and produced a 13.4% stakeswinner rate. He led the sire list in 1957 and 1958 and has been a leading broodmare sire 8 times since 1966. One of his most important fillies was the lovely Somethingroyal. And one of his most famous colts was Round Table, the Horse of the Year in 1958 and 3X Turf Champion.

Princequillo's dad was Prince Rose the Triple Crown winner in Belgium who was nationalized he was beloved so, and so he would never be allowed to leave that country. But in World War II, they were intent on protecting him, so they sent him to France where he was killed by artillery fire. By then Princequillo had been bred by an American in Paris who worked for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and had chosen the lovely Cosquilla as the dam, and our little hero was a gangly underfed weanling ensconced in New Orleans.


He had a checkered, spotty race career and ended his career with most thinking that he was well-below the best. At one point, he was claimed in a stakes race for $2,500. He ran in New Orleans which I think is cool, as well as other places. There were a few conflicts in his life about who actually owned him, and there were fights between his trainer (who was mad at the owner for never paying his training bill) and the owner (who was mad at the trainer for not showing up for work at the stables on Sundays). Despite this, Bull Hancock told his dad when he saw Princequillo win the Saratoga Cup at 3 that "This is one horse we've got to have."


And that was that -- the poorly bred, spotty record, better at longer distances, stamina horse -- made it to Claiborne Farms where he and Nasrullah formed the heart and foundation of the top of the thoroughbred lines in the United States. You go, sweet Princequillo!


Again, information for this entry are from Abram S. Hewitt's Sire Lines and Horse Racing's Top 100 Moments both from the 2006 publishing year of Eclipse Press.