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By Michele MacDonald While champion Royal Delta spent another morning turning heads as she soared around Meydan on March 30, stealing some of the spotlight from her Dubai World Cup (UAE-gr. I) rival and early favorite So You Think as he cantered at the same time, her owner and jockey were living out the dream with which she has gifted ...

Proud Citizen Photo: Airdrie I well recall in the summer of 2002, taking what was then the short drive to Belmont Park, to take a look at Proud Citizen (TrueNicks,SRO) on behalf of a friend who was managing a prominent Kentucky stallion farm. At the time, Proud Citizen was recuperating from an injury suffered in the Belmont Stakes (gr. ...

Can a maiden winner win the Louisiana Derby (gr. II)? If you answer yes then you would naturally turn your attention to Cigar Street. After all, as the ESPN show “Numbers Never Lie” would suggest, Cigar Street’s 13 ¾-length procession, earning a 99 Beyer speed figure, is more than sufficient ammunition to land the $600,000 winner’s prize.But what ...

By Fred A. PopeThis is a tough time for Oliver Wills. He can’t sleep. His annual review is approaching and he will be asked to grade his own job performance last year, then to present his plan for the next two to five years. Oliver Wills’ job is to protect the Thoroughbred breed in North America.Most people don’t know Ollie. He is an industry ...

 By Michele MacDonald      Every champion has a routine in life that helps them be the best at what they do.       For Royal Delta, a big part of her daily routine revolves around eating. And she approaches her meals with the same kind of enthusiasm that she has for running. ...

Fair or not, the Florida Derby is generally considered the most important prep of the season, and has been so for about a decade. Over the last 11 years its winner has produced three Kentucky Derby winners (Monarchos, Barbaro, and Big Brown) and a pair of runner-ups (Empire Maker and Ice Box). Harlan's Holiday went off as the favorite in 2002 ...

 By Michele MacDonald       Even though another “filly” has arrived in Dubai to share the Dubai World Cup (UAE-gr. I) spotlight, champion Royal Delta enjoyed one more perfect day in the desert on March 28. Caption: Royal DeltaPhoto: Michele MacDonald         From the time she ...

Fans of superhorse Zenyatta rallied for the 13-time grade I winner to take home any and all annual honors—even if by proxy. Vertigineux was the runaway winner of last year’s MarketWatch Broodmare of the Year title as fans of her 2010 Horse-of-the-Year daughter flooded the ballot boxes. Will Easter Bunnette, dam of reigning champion Havre de ...

Rosie Napravnik, who for the second straight year is running away with the jockey’s title at Fair Grounds, is one race away from hearing the strains of “My Old Kentucky Home” raining down on her again as she parades to the post in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).Napravnik ranks her Kentucky Derby experience last year, ...

For those who are inclined to accept Jung’s theory of synchronicity, racing throws out plenty of potential examples, with Sunday at Sunland Park being the latest candidate. The two classic trials, the $800,000 Sunland Derby (gr. III) and the Sunland Park Oaks – taken last year by subsequent Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) heroine Plum Pretty – both went to ...