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When the Secretariat rocket ship soared to a galaxy never before reached in his 31-length procession in the Belmont Stakes, it gave the colt an aura of invincibility and made it seem inconceivable that he would ever be defeated again. He had raised the bar higher than any horse in history or at least the same level as the previous Big Red, Man o’ ...

So what do we make of the beginning of the second half of the 2017 race season, where in the space of one week we’ve seen the defeats of Arrogate, Always Dreaming, Cloud Computing, Irish War Cry, and Timeline with nary a battle offered? These named, are, after all and respectively, the highest ranked horse in the world, the Kentucky Derby ...

It’s doubtful the second half of the racing season—read Saratoga Race Course and Del Mar—could have gotten off to a more interesting start over the past weekend. The two grade 1 races at Saratoga delivered drama with both outcomes requiring photo finishes—and stewards’ approvals—before being made official. At Del Mar, Arrogate, number one on ...

It was 40 years ago, July 29, that a mean spirited 2-year-old named John Henry, who had sold for a paltry $1,100 and then $2,200, toppled over a fallen horse during an overnight handicap at tiny Jefferson Downs in Louisiana. Fortunately he somehow emerged unscathed and the rest as they say is history. But this chapter in John Henry’s life is far ...

I posted a column this week about Secretariat’s widespread popularity after 44 years, which elicited a large number of comments, most of them illustrating the reverence in which he is still held. Someone also posted a photo of him working on Facebook that I took, and I noticed a lot of people had never seen it and marveled at what a ...

Racing has many—we might say too many—naysayers, or “neigh-sayers,” which immediately reminds us of Bob Dylan’s lyrics from “Tangled Up in Blue:” “Her folks they said our lives together sure was gonna be rough, they never did like Mama’s homemade dress, Papa’s bankbook wasn’t big enough.” Dylan’s words came to mind the day following Songbird’s ...

In a game marked by incredible highs and insufferable lows, there’s something to be said for consistency in the Thoroughbred industry. A year ago in this space we discussed the life and times of Diane Perkins, a longtime breeder, owner, and trainer of Thoroughbreds in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. She, along with trainer Ignacio Correas ...

Could it be that we actually saw the Travers winner, or at least a major threat in the Midsummer Derby, compete on Saturday? Hmm, let’s see, could it be the Dwyer winner Practical Joke, who ran a sensational race, or the 43-1 runner-up Tale of Silence? How about the impressive Iowa Derby winner Hence, who was equally impressive when he won ...

Racing fans, in their own innocent and well-meaning way, can be selfish. And when I say racing fans, I am covering a broad spectrum, from the casual fan to the media. When we choose our icons, it is usually from the heart as much as it is performance and the perception we have of greatness, for which we all have our own criteria. My ...