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Secretariat, Dr. Fager, Affirmed, Hoist the Flag, Cougar II, and now Maximum Security. This is quite an elite group, and to be included would link you with four Hall of Famers and five champions. But, alas, in this context it is a list trainers and owners would prefer not to be on. You see, all these horses were disqualified from first ...

Here I am again back on my soapbox, much to the dismay of those who are tired of me preaching the same sermon ad nauseam. But the truth is I don't care about those who have tired of the message. I will keep shouting it from my pulpit even knowing it will fall on deaf ears. But once on a rare occasion, such as in 2016, some trainer will go ...

Between oddsmaker Mike Battaglia and the general public it is quite obvious that no one has a clue what to make of Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Storm the Court. The colt will remain an enigma until he launches his assault on the Kentucky Derby, most likely in next year's Robert B. Lewis Stakes. He also is going to cause a great deal of head ...

California Chrome will always have his huge legion of fans, who call themselves Chromies and worship the handsome chestnut with the same kind of fervor we saw with Zenyatta and Barbaro fans. But his place in history may have even escaped many of his fans. When he was sold to Japanese interests this past week, America lost more than one of the ...

All of us are deeply affected whenever a horse is seriously or fatally injured in a race. Sometimes it happens in a major race witnessed by a national audience, that without the incident, would be a race watched over and over and enjoyed for its impact on the sport. I have never watched a replay of the Ruffian-Foolish Pleasure match race or ...

No one likes getting old, especially when you still think of yourself as a kid--in my case growing up in Brooklyn and having my world revolve around sports. That spark of youth still burns brightly no matter how old you get. And you even miss the naivety that comes with being young. We looked at everything, especially sports, with a good deal ...

FILLY AND MARE SPRINT - This race is full of talented fillies, but the obvious showdown is between Covfefe and Come Dancing. As brilliant as Covfefe is, I am again going to lean toward the older horse, and Come Dancing has been a powerhouse all year, with her only defeat coming at 1 1/16 miles to Midnight Bisou. But at 6 1/2 furlongs, seven ...

The most fascinating aspect of 2019 is trying to envision how historians are going to treat this unique crop of 3-year-olds, whose adventures read something like an Agatha Christie novel, with twists and turns on every page. You just never know what is going to happen next. Not even Christie's super sleuth Hercule Poirot could decipher ...

It's not typical to have five Breeders' Cup races that could decide Horse of the Year, but that looks to be the case this year. The five races are the Classic, Turf, Distaff, Sprint, and Dirt Mile. Here is what is facing the horses who have a shot at landing racing's highest honor. BRICKS AND MORTAR (Turf) - If he stretches out and wins the ...

BREEDERS' CUP CLASSIC RANKINGS 1—Vino Rosso Todd Pletcher When in doubt go with the older horse. They are in most cases more mature mentally and physically and this tough, hard-knocking horse looks to be peaking. He's already shipped out there and won a grade 1 over the track and I loved his race in the JC Gold Cup. ...