Courtesy of Becky Johnston Just wanted to remember Bobby Frankel today and relive some of his greatest wins. A filly he loved, Flute. 2001 Kentucky Oaks Frankel did a masterful job of handling Sightseek's career knowing her strengths and sticking with them. 2004 Ruffian Stakes Then there is Megahertz...
Courtesy of Becky Johnston By putting an emphasis on Zenyatta throughout the race, Trevor Denman made a perfect pairing of a memorable call with a race that will stand the test of time. Here is what I heard of Trevor Denman's call: Something about the others. "Zenyatta is dead last, dead last early....
Courtesy of Becky Johnston Are the fans ruining the sport? Is Zenyatta great? She has only run outside California once. She's never faced the boys, until now. She's never raced a longer distance. She's never raced on grass. She needs to race on dirt again. She is too one dimensional. She needs to beat...
Courtesy of Becky Johnston How did this happen? The Breeders' Cup smack in the middle of the LSU Alabama football game? I guess it's payback time for me. I sarcastically empathize with my Gator horse racing friend each year when he has to make a choice between their biggest rivalry game with Georgia...
Courtesy of Becky Johnston There is something about a deep closer in horse racing that elicits the inner underdog in humans. We can relate. Who hasn’t had their back up against the wall in some task in life? Whether through procrastination or others simply having a better start. It is hard to beat that...
Courtesy of Becky Johnston This weekend’s races offer a feast for the fans, but they also honor some important people and equine athletes in our sport’s history. Arlington Park The Beverly D. Stakes will be run on Saturday. This is a race named in honor of Churchill Downs’ board member Richard Duchossois...
Courtesy of Becky Johnston If Superman wears Tim Tebow pajamas, I doubt Zenyatta honors her counterpart with a “Rachel is my Hero” negligee. In fact, I doubt she’s ever heard of her. With no match up anywhere in sight, the fans must speculate on who is better and it is getting to be a bitter feud. Can...
Courtesy of Becky Johnston Vic Stauffer was a hit at Indiana Academy (high school) this spring. I forwarded his great call of a race and a remarkable recovery by a filly to a friend's daughter. She showed it to many or her classmates who first asked "Why are you watching horse racing?" Afterwards, they...
Courtesy of Becky Johnston Two days and two wins for the Americans. What a great stroke of public relations on Wesley Ward’s part. Deciding to take the journey and then travelling to a small track like River Downs to work the horses in between races over a holiday weekend. Then you have John Velasquez...
Courtesy of Becky Johnston The monkey is officially off the Americans’ back as Strike The Tiger and John Velasquez carried Wesley Ward’s silks to victory in the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes at 33-1 (18-1 in the U.S.). Strike The Tiger is a gelding by Tiger Ridge out of the In Excess (IRE) mare R Lucky...