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Bobby Frankel not only was a trainer, owner, and breeder, he was a darn good handicapper, a skill he developed studying the old Morning Telegraph as a kid growing up in Brooklyn. And it was his handicapping skills that won him many a race as a trainer. Unlike the majority of trainers from the 1960s, when he got started, Frankel came from the ...

Last year Gio Ponti put together a four-race win streak – all in grade I events – from spring through summer, that stamped him as one of the best around. Since then, however, the now five-year-old has been on a more frustrating streak. He ended the year with seconds in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational (gr. I) and Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. ...

At Royal Ascot, Australian-bred Starspangledbanner captured the Golden Jubilee (gr. I), a contest that the Racing Post suggested was “arguably the classiest sprint ever run in this country” with 12 of the 24 starters having previously won group or grade I events. In the July Cup (gr. I), Starspangledbanner lined up against another top-class ...

Clyde Haugan always said: ''Don't let the bastards get you down.'' Haugan, a longtime resident of Indian Harbour Beach, Fla., began suffering from skin cancer at the age of 51 and had to undergo more than 100 procedures to have them removed, extensive lymph node surgery, and high dose radiation therapy. Despite his ordeal, he never stopped ...

With all the gloom and doom in Kentucky, it’s nice to know some people in the horse industry have a sense of humor. On opening weekend at Ellis Park—more than 5,000 packed the place Saturday on a hot, sunny day—the mood was anything but negative and the racing better than expected. And it wasn’t without a few laughs. “The horses are at the gate ...

This is our final profile of first crop offerings at the upcoming Fasig-Tipton July Yearlings sale. Click here for a complete list of Fasig-Tipton July TrueNicks reports. Hip# 130 – Discreet Cat – Tia Lea, by Songandaprayer (TrueNicks B+) Generally he has been disappointing with Mr. Prospector but Discreet Cat’s sire, Forestry (TrueNicks,SRO), ...

This week we are profiling some interesting first crop offerings at the upcoming Fasig-Tipton July Yearlings sale. Click here for a complete list of Fasig-Tipton July TrueNicks reports. Hip# 62 – Half Ours – Internal Affair, by Orientate (TrueNicks A) This is a very clever pedigree. The Unbridled’s Song/Mt. Livermore cross is a very good one as ...

.commentForm, .postComments, #comments{display:none;} Robert J. Kulina, vice president-Thoroughbred racing for the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and general manager of Monmouth Park, will be the next guest on bloodhorse.com’s Talkin’ Horses podcast. A product of a racing family, Kulina is the son of the late Joseph Kulina, ...

Let's take a look at some of the stakes on a solid weekend of racing. Calder, Hollywood, Monmouth, and Belmont take center stage. Let me know who you like. Princess Rooney The headliner on a very good Summit of Speed card. This six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares drew a full field of 13. Warbling is the 7-2 morning line choice and even ...

He may not be awesome, but he’s definitely a gem. Although Awesome Gem has won only six of 35 starts in his career and was winless in 2008 and is winless this year, he has compiled a record that should make him one of the most endearing horses in the country.It’s difficult not to root for a horse who has given his all for so long over so many ...