Rachel is gonna RUN!

Finally! After the sale! After the jockey decision! After all the drama! All the ridiculous "collusion" and "plots" to keep her out of the race! It looks like she really is gonna make it to the Preakness on Saturday! Which means the BOYS had better WATCH OUT!

I honestly cannot imagine a horse on this EARTH - male, female or "other" LOL - beating this filly! Seriously. I have NEVER seen a horse like her in my lifetime! That's saying a lot! Granted I was not around when the ill-fated Ruffian ran, or Secretariat, or Seattle Slew or even Affirmed. But I think Rachel Alexandra might be right up there with that crowd - for sure!

Now I may be over hyping her just a bit because she didn't have a lot of competition in the Oaks on May 1st. Had Stardom Bound or Justwhistledixie made it maybe it wouldn't have been such a HUGE victory (I mean, 20 1/4 lengths is INSANE for ANY race ... let alone a race like the Kentucky Oaks!). We don't know if she could beat a proven mare like Zenyatta even ... boy would I pay good money to see that race! I'd fly across the WORLD to see it in person if I could!

But just as we saw Rags to Riches spin in the almighty Curlin's face on Belmont day two years ago ... I think we are going to see Rachel absolutely RUN AWAY from these boys in a few days. If not, I will gladly eat my words! I think the whole industry will. She is a freak. A tank. She is bigger than most of these colts (and geldings - counting the Derby winner, Mine that Bird). No reason at all to think she can't run with them ... and past them!

I cannot wait for Saturday afternoon! The sport needs this, desperately! A breath of fresh air! It's going to be great!! GO RACHEL!!! I just wish she had run on May 2nd instead of May 1st, because I swear ... not only would we be potentially looking at a superstar filly, we would be looking at our first Triple Crown winner in 29 years and our first Triple Crown winning FILLY in the history of the sport!

Just wait and see! :)

Calvin will be looking over his shoulder again on Saturday ... but it will be his Derby winning mount Mine that Bird, and the rest of the boys, who will be BEHIND him this time!

Speaking of Calvin, he's on Jay Leno tonight! Can't wait to see him ... love it when he gets this kind of recognition. The man is a legend, truly. Too underrated in our sport and I'm thrilled that he's getting the limelight again, just like he did in 2007 with Street Sense. Couldn't happen to a better guy!

Bound for Revenge?

Today was all about TWO horses and two horses only.

I Want Revenge. And. Stardom Bound!

I Want Revenge (right) was absolutely DOMINATING in the Gotham. Not much to say, really. He was brilliant, and he simply pounded the rest of the field into the dirt!

Stardom Bound continues to blow my mind. She was caught a ridiculous SEVEN-wide (you could almost say eight-wide considering the gap) on the final turn - as always coming from last place with her stunning closing-style - but she triumphed in the end and REALLY had to fight for it this time!

There was no telling who had it, FOUR horses hit the wire all at once but she managed to squeak by. Barely!

Don't know what it says for her chances to come back on April 4th in the Santa Anita Derby ... but I really do hope she comes out of this well so they will consider it. I think she still has what it takes - the only real concern is whether or not this took too much out of her. We'll see. Either way, she is a champion in every sense of the word!

Just check out the SLOW replay - just amazing!

Feb. 22nd works/breezes

Pioneerof the Nile, Stardom Bound, The Pamplemousse ...

All looking fantastic ...

Is it too early to have my Derby horse?

I still want to see what develops with horses like Stardom Bound, Pioneerof the Nile, Friesan Fire and even Capt. Candyman Can before I make it official ... but after the Southwest today I think I'm pretty set on Old Fashioned!

He just has something special, no doubt about it! Sure it was mainly two-horse race between Old Fashioned and Silver City the whole way ... the rest of the field never really came close to the front ... but he showed that he has heart. So far this horse can run just about anything down, in any fashion, and he still comes away looking like he doesn't even break a sweat. Just. Wow. Let's see how he comes back from this.

She did it!

OK, I'll admit it. I got a little nervous. She got boxed in. She moved a little earlier than she normally does. But she prevailed! Boy did she ever! What an exciting race that was!!!! What a champion!



Let's see what she can do against the boys!

Stardom Bound + Big Brown = Champion!

Well they aren't wasting ANY time!

Stardom Bound is already booked to Big Brown following her retirement!

No matter what the rest of her career looks like, I have a feeling that foal is going to have very high expectations.

You can bet I'll be keeping an eye out for him/her in a few years!!

Just imagine what the potential will be!

In and out ...

Well, Saratoga Sinner is out of the Triple Crown bid. So much for that amazing performance in the Holy Bull. He looked promising too, but there are plenty of others to consider ... as always. Hopefully he'll heal up OK and they won't push him too hard. I know all too well, from very personal experience, what chipped knees can mean for thoroughbreds.

Seems even Square Eddie is facing some setbacks, which bums me out a bit because his last work was a nice one. Since horses don't have "shins" I'm assuming they're referring to either a digital extensor tendon injury or something more serious with the cannon bone (though I hope not). They could also be referring to his tibia, but less likely. Not a huge thing to miss 30 days this early in the season if that's all they're planning on and it's just a sprain or swelling of some sort. He could still rebound, but it definitely hurts his career and his development - physical and mental - toward preparing him for any chance at the Derby. Then again, look at what Big Brown did last year. Won't count Eddie out just yet. Still, it's not a good sign.

Finally some news on Midshipman (and Vineyard Haven) from Dubai. They are doing well and getting ready for their three-year-old debuts. I'm hoping the one they are planning to send back to the US is Midshipman, personally I think he is the most promising but I'm only basing that on his performance in the BC Juvenile. Since we haven't seen anything from either horse since they've been shipped overseas it's hard to judge, so clearly they know better what they are working with.

It's sounding more and more as though they might just be thinking about pointing Stardom Bound towards the Derby instead of the Oaks. And I quote ... "Her new connections have said they could tangle with males in the Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) this spring." So we might see a filly running with the boys this year again after all! Should definitely be exciting to see what she does on Saturday in the Las Virgenes!

Also looking forward to Pioneerof the Nile (right) making his three-year-old debut this Saturday in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes. Just one more to keep an eye on. There will be a few good horses in that race ... I Want Revenge, Brother Keith, Bittel Road, etc. ... so it should be fascinating to see who comes out on top.

The Risen Star should be another good race on Saturday. Lots of good horses there, or else a lot of equal quality horses. We'll find out. Friesan Fire, Indygo Mountain, Giant Oak, Uno Mass, Flying Pegasus. Take your pick.

They are already making Old Fashioned the early favorite for the Derby, which I hate since right now he's the one I'm focused on. I typically avoid the favorites, but then again the past few years have usually seen several co-favorites so we'll see. Plus Big Brown, Street Sense and Barbaro all were early favorites at one point or another ... and I typically stuck with them right along even after their support wavered. Eh, it's worked out for me so far. Looking forward to his Feb. 16th debut, and wondering if we'll hear anything about the breeze he was supposed to have this morning or not.

The list is going to get VERY long, as it does every year around this time, but hopefully by late March or early April it will start to thin out as the best horses rise to the top. ;)

More girl power?

The more I watch Stardom Bound, the more I wonder whether or not they will point her toward the Derby or the Oaks.

Just look at this flawless workout she had yesterday:



She is maturing beautifully. She has a fantastic closing style, just like Zenyatta. She was brilliant in the BC Juvenile Fillies and just as spectacular in the Oak Leaf. Never out of the money (never worse than 2nd)!

Granted. She'd have to get the perfect trip in order to take the Derby ...

Then again, considering so many of the top three-year-olds seem to be front runners, she might be able to just sit at the back of the pack all by herself and wait for the huge wall to just break down in front of her!

It's been 21 years since a filly has taken the Derby (RIP my beloved Winning Colors). We almost saw it last year, but witnessed tragedy instead with Eight Belles collapsing after her impressive second place finish. Of course we had Rags to Riches winning the Belmont in 2007, not sure anything can ever top that brilliant moment - especially considering she beat the "almighty" Curlin in that thrilling stretch duel! Zenyatta was, and is, a pleasure to watch - but sadly she missed out on the fame of the Triple Crown races.

Who knows. Maybe Stardom Bound can get the job done. What would be really something is if a filly could go ALL the way. Whether she heads to the Oaks or hits the Triple Crown trail, one thing is for sure. The greys are looking mighty strong this year!!

Looking forward to her three-year-old debut this Saturday! Let's see what this girl can do!

An "Old Fashioned" Crown?

I like the big names.

Square Eddie caught my eye last year as a two-year-old. Still keeping him in my sights.

Midshipman sure is impressive; he has the stamina but we don't know what plans for him will be.

Stardom Bound brings the girl power.

Haven't had a chance to catch up on all of the top contenders yet ... but I am looking forward to a particular horse's three-year-old debut in a couple of weeks. He seems to have that "it" quality, very reminiscent of recent champions like Barbaro, Street Sense and Big Brown. Yes, I have actually picked the Derby winner successfully for the last 3 years in a row and I'm trying hard not to break my lucky streak!

I think I only have to say his name once.

Old Fashioned.


Can't wait to see what he brings as a three-year-old, but his career as a two-year-old was absolutely dominating!

A pleasure to watch. It will be fun to see what he does.

Case in point ...


The Remsen Stakes on November 29th ... and this wasn't even his most impressive winning margin!



Yes, he controlled the pace. Yes, he had easy fractions through the first half-mile. Still, he won with such ease that it's hard to ignore.

Now I learn he worked 5 furlongs in 58.80 yesterday morning!

Sure, he's a front-runner, but it seems as though he can hold off the competition and, in fact, he almost appears to accelerate further when they run at him!

Considering the tragedy Larry Jones had last year with Eight Belles, let's hope he has a winner this season with Old Fashioned. It sure would be a high note for him to retire on!