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With the recent passing of trainer Lyn Whiting and this year marking the 25th anniversary of Lil E. Tee’s victory in the Kentucky Derby, it brought back a flood of memories. Lil E. Tee’s stunning score at 16-1 over that year’s Cinderella horse Casual Lies was extremely popular in Kentucky because of the always amiable Whiting, a longtime ...

While it doesn’t have the breeding and sales industry infrastructure of Keeneland, Oaklawn Park—and the town of Hot Springs, Ark.—is steeped in racing and gambling tradition. Both tracks run high-caliber meetings, feeding right into Triple Crown season. Oaklawn’s signature closing event—the Racing Festival of the South—brings together the best of ...

1 Always Dreaming Todd Pletcher Bodemeister—Above Perfection, by In Excess Boy, is it close up at the top. But rather than keep switching the No. 1 horse every few weeks based on the latest big-race winner, I decided to stick with this guy for now, partly because of his potential to be any kind and his combination of tactical speed, ...

The major preps are over. Now the anticipation begins. Time to call the car rental office and reserve a car, hoping it drives well enough to make the 11 1/2-hour trek to Louisville somewhere between tolerable and semi-enjoyable. For that, I also will need to specify the car has satellite radio. The big day finally arrives and I am out the door ...

Heading into April weekends we love seeing stories with headlines such as “Preps to Clear Derby Picture” because: a) the features always focus on the obvious, over-worn angles, and b) the results often prove them to be incredibly wrong. It played out in spades April 8 at Keeneland, Aqueduct, and Santa Anita. We anticipate more of the same next ...

1 Always Dreaming Todd Pletcher Bodemeister—Above Perfection, by In Excess There is very little separating him and Irish War Cry in natural ability and running style, and both should have no problem with the 1 1/4 miles. The Florida Derby now appears to be the best of the preps, mainly because he easily handled the No. 3 ranked horse ...

With Awesome Gem arriving at his new home at Old Friends April 7 I thought it would be an appropriate time to reprint a column I wrote in 2010 on this old warrior and the person whose life he changed. Clyde Haugan always said: ''Don't let the bastards get you down.'' Haugan, a longtime resident of Indian Harbour Beach, Fla., began suffering from ...

As an industry not famous for cooperation among competing entities, the two dozen members around Central Kentucky that came together to plan and see to fruition the advent of Horse Country Tours deserve accolades. The farms, sales companies, equine clinics, and one feed company identified the need to create an enhanced experience for tourists ...