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By Avalyn Hunter Bridlewood Farm is one of the showplaces of Florida breeding. It is something of a Southern counterpart to Kentucky's Claiborne: deeply involved in all aspects of the Thoroughbred industry, with an emphasis on function over style. You won't find fancy appointments or elegant architecture at either, just well-kept paddocks; clean, ...

(By Avalyn Hunter) Unbridled's Song has been one of those horses that people seem to love or hate. On the track he was something of an enigma, flashing enormous talent yet never completely delivering on his potential. Although he won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I), outgaming Hennessy in an excellent performance for both colts, his 3-year-old ...

(By Avalyn Hunter) If any proof were needed that a Thoroughbred can be quite a volatile asset, one need look no further than Starship Truffles. An $11,000 yearling at the 2010 Keeneland September yearling sale, she doubled her value at the June 2011 OBS sale of 2-year-olds in training (after being bought back for $29,000 two months earlier at ...

(By Avalyn Hunter) Day two of Royal Ascot saw racing fans treated to both youthful brilliance and raw staying power. The former was contributed by No Nay Never, who became the latest in a series of triumphant juveniles for American trainer Wesley Ward when he ripped off a new juvenile course record of :58.80 while capturing the Norfolk Stakes ...

(By Avalyn Hunter) Animal Kingdom's quest to become the first grade or group I winner on three different surfaces--and on three different continents to boot--fizzled ingloriously June 18 in the Queen Anne Stakes (Eng-I) at Royal Ascot. Nonetheless, it was a noble attempt and a sporting gesture by the colt's owners. It was also one of the ...

(By Avalyn Hunter) Forty years ago, Secretariat blazed his way to one of the milestone performances of American Thoroughbred racing. Those who watched his breathtaking run in the 1973 Belmont Stakes (gr. I), whether live or on TV, could only marvel as the big red horse thundered home all alone. Even on a day on which the track had been playing ...

(By Avalyn Hunter) Whether or not Unlimited Budget can cash in on her shot at history in the Belmont Stakes (gr. I), Mike Repole's willingness to test her against the boys is welcome. Barring solid evidence that racing fillies against males carries a higher risk of breakdown than racing them in sex-limited competition, there are actually ...

(By Avalyn Hunter) Anyone who has studied pedigrees for any length of time knows that most successful sires share certain characteristics. Aside from being above-average performers on the track, they are usually sired by stallions substantially above the average both as racers and as sires. If their dams were not top race mares, they ...

(By Avalyn Hunter)The last time Gary Stevens sat on the winner of a classic race, Point Given had taken him to victory in the 2001 Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes (both gr. I). The last time Wayne Lukas had trained a colt of that caliber was in 2000, when Commendable won one of the more forgettable editions of the Belmont. And the last time a ...

 (By Avalyn Hunter) For Hollywood Park, the long goodbye already has begun. While the venerable plant will keep the doors open for its fall meeting, that's it. Seventy-five years of racing history will come to a close when the lights shut down Dec. 22. The handwriting has been on the wall for some time, of course. When Bay ...