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Despite being run over 2 1/2 miles, the Ascot Gold Cup (gr. I) resulted in a three-way photo finish. In a Godolphin one-two, and after surviving a stewards' inquiry, the verdict went to 4-year-old Colour Vision, over Halling's son Opinion Poll, and Saddler's Rock. The defending champion of the race, Fame and Glory, made a smooth move from the rear ...

Each year, I keep thinking there is no cure for Triple Crown trail withdrawal, and each year I am reminded that there is a cure, and it’s called Royal Ascot, which thankfully comes only 10 days after the Belmont Stakes. But, that poses a new problem. What is the cure for Royal Ascot withdrawal? That one we haven’t been able to figure out.The five ...

New Zealand-bred So You Think (NZ) (TrueNicks) came to the yard of Aiden O'Brien with a ranking as the official high-weight on the International Classifications in the long-distance category, as well being highly-rated at shorter distances. However, that long-distance rating, which was earned with a brave third under top weight in the Melbourne ...

There is no doubt that maidens often run big and can win graded stakes races for two -year-olds. But it still feels like a bit of wiseguy play when I land on one. Such is the case in the $100,000 Debutante Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs on Saturday. Slated for 5:25 p.m. ET, the six-furlong dirt race drew a field of 10 two-year-old ...

''He's not a horse, he's a bloomin' steam engine...'' We were reminded of that statement, made by the legendary jockey Fred Archer, after being run off with on the Newmarket heath by the mighty St. Simon. Frankel didn't quite bolt off on Ascot heath yesterday, although it did take Tom Queally about half a mile to pull up after the finish of the ...

So, after nearly 40 years, the Maryland Jockey Club, after hearing two hours of testimony and forensic analyses, finally has awarded the Preakness stakes record to Secretariat. When Penny Chenery first began her crusade to change Big Red’s time in 1973, it appeared as if the true time was 1:53 2/5 instead of 1:54 2/5 instead of 1:55.It was ...

With the Triple Crown over, the road to the Breeders' Cup begins. I thought I'd take an early shot at ranking the candidates for the Breeders' Cup Classic. My #1 ranked horse -- the 4-year-old Empire Maker filly Royal Delta -- is currently being aimed for a repeat victory in the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic, but there is plenty of time ...

(Originally published in the June 23, 2012 issue of The Blood-Horse magazine. Feel free to share your own thoughts and opinions at the bottom of the column.) An early foray into Thoroughbred racing spoiled breeder and owner Mike Anderson. The second horse purchased at auction by the 60-year-old Illinois car dealership owner developed ...

(Originally published in the June 23, 2012 issue of The Blood-Horse magazine. Feel free to share your own thoughts and opinions at the bottom of the column.)  By Eric Mitchell - @EJMitchellKy on Twitter Churchill Downs shook up the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) trail last week by tossing out its requirement to ...

A couple of recent observations drew our attention to E Dubai (TrueNicks,SRO), who we've noted before as a very good value-for-money sire. One was the upset victory last weekend of the progressive 3-year-old filly My Gi Gi in the Honeymoon Handicap (gr. II). The other was a look at the leading Beyer speed figures, where we noticed that in among ...