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(Originally published in the July 28, 2012 issue of The Blood-Horse magazine. Feel free to share your own thoughts and opinions at the bottom of the column.)   By Tracy Gantz When brothers Kosta and Pete Hronis were kids living in Southern California’s San Joaquin Valley, they often visited their grandparents in Pasadena.“Our ...

Southern California always has been a bit of an island on the U.S. racing map. And although it can be a very difficult circuit for out-of-state shippers to win at (keep that in mind later this year for the Breeders' Cup), new arrivals trained by the home team can be quite dangerous.   Last Friday and Saturday at Del Mar, ...

Day three of the meet is too early to begin worrying about empty seats.  But if the attendance was 18,425 as reported July 22, they counted obese people twice. Despite beautiful weather and a card suited to betting, Saratoga remains the “August Place to Be.” Old-timers and locals, who remember when Saratoga went 24 days─Mondays through ...

It’s darn near impossible to keep up with all that’s going on in this town. Once the horses arrived, Saratoga Springs sprung to life like hydrangeas in season.  The Hat’s Off to Saratoga Festival has begun.  The track’s hat contest is Sunday. Women in search of a hat for the Hat's Off to Saratoga weekend find Joyce Locks' Hat Sational ...

Some intern in the Governor’s office must have forgotten to remind officials of the New York Racing Association that Saratoga Racecourse was to open.  Glitches occur on the first day of racing every summer.  But this summer, NYRA’s operators neglected to turn the running water on in the toilets and the sound system on in half the ...

In 2006, Uruguayan import Invasor burst on the racing scene with a victory in the Pimlico Special. Six consecutive grade I wins later, Invasor was the Horse of the World and Horse of the Year in America, with scores in such prestigious races as the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Dubai World Cup, and Whitney. Prior to that, few in America even knew where ...

A reassuring indication that Saratoga is still a place that’s set in its ways was embodied in the deliciously ironic delivery of two pre-meet announcements.  The first was that Shirley’s Restaurant, a newly-established food service provider in the dark, lower Carousel – where few hungry gentlemen have strayed before – will try to draw life ...

We taped That Handicapping Show this morning, and I went with Finnegans Wake in the Grade 2 Virginia Derby (Race 9 at Colonial Downs, Saturday, 8:38 ET). He is appealing beyond the ''other Romans'' angle (Dale Romans also trains favorite Silver Max, a winner of five in a row). Finnegans Wake is by Powerscourt, a multiple Group 1 winner going ...

Last week brought the news that ace sprinter/miler Caleb's Posse (TrueNicks,SRO) would be retiring to stand at Three Chimneys for the 2013 breeding season. Over the weekend, however, it was two Three Chimneys stallions that have departed for greener pastures, Rahy and Dynaformer, that took the headlines with a quartet of graded winners. Like the ...

2012 James Marvin starter Jackson Bend (photo: Kim Brewer) ''If Seabiscuit were picking runners, he'd say, 'Hey, Jackson, I want you on my team,''' one Nicholas P. Zito remarked on a Wednesday afternoon, two days before he was to send Jackson Bend postward in the $100,000 James Marvin Stakes (gr. III) at Saratoga Race Course. It has ...