Kentucky Derby, Dubai World Cup and multiple stakes winning trainer Graham Motion moved to the US from his native England in 1980. Since starting to train in 1993 Graham’s horses have won more than 2000 races and over $100 million in purses. Graham talked to Thoroughbred People about the Fair Hill training center where he is based, Derby winner Animal Kingdom, the legendary Better Talk Now and his training career so far.
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Stud Notes: Malibu Moon
What’s not to love about Malibu Moon? Perhaps his curmudgeonly displeasure at open house stallion shows at Spendthrift, where viewers are warned not to pet or offer fingers to the old man, now 21. But currently at number eight on the leading stallions list, with his Magnum Moon considered the favorite for the upcoming Kentucky Derby, and his sons turning into sires themselves, he seems a bargain at $75,000, while the Tapits and War Fronts of the world are priced far higher. Malibu Moon has already sired a Kentucky Derby winner, Orb, and his list of graded stakes winning sons and daughters takes over his page in the Stallion Register.
Three Years On. Remembering The Triple Crown and Grand Slam Champ, American Pharoah
It is hard to believe for this writer that almost three years have gone by since the countdown to American Pharoah’s 2015 Kentucky Derby. Since then we have had the likes of Beholder, California Chrome, Arrogate, Songbird and Gun Runner grace us with their presence. But there was, and only ever will be, one American Pharoah. Kentucky Derby Countdown – Justify and Mendelssohn
Commenting upon a post parade on TVG, Simon Bray said, “I’ve never met a Scat Daddy I didn’t like.” Most horsemen share this opinion these days. In what has been called the deepest Kentucky Derby crop in recent memory, after a spate of lightweight fields, the late Scat Daddy, with his penultimate crop, stands out. Two will surely be in the field, and they are both thrilling colts—Justify and Mendelssohn.
Arrogate vs Gun Runner
We have, this year, two knockouts beginning their careers as stallions, Arrogate and Gun Runner, and it seems likely that they will duke it out for reigning freshman sire three years from now. The question is, which one will be more successful? Can we make a prediction based on pedigree, race record, and looks? Maybe not, but I’d sure like to try.
Stud Notes: Capo Bastone’s First Winner
An unlikely star emerged from the first crop of Adena Springs Kentucky’s stallion, Capo Bastone (Street Boss/Fight to Love). In the second race at Keeneland on April 11, 2018, Hargus won a maiden special weight for two-year-olds by 2 ½ lengths, earning $26,820. Capo Bastone stands for $4,000, and wasn’t on anybody’s radar as a freshman sire to watch.
Stud Notes: Death of Giant’s Causeway
If one were to design the ideal horse, the result might very well be Giant’s Causeway, whose death at 21 on April 16, 2018 marks a great loss for the thoroughbred horse industry. Without question Storm Cat’s best son at stud, his sons and daughters have thrived on the race track and in the breeding shed themselves; a Giant’s Causeway mare is the dam of the great Gun Runner. European Horse of the Year and Champion Three-Year-Old Colt, he was also a three-time champion sire, equaling Danzig’s record. He never finished worse than second, running 13 times with nine wins and four seconds.
What The Next New Racetrack Needs To Be. Bigger & Better With Three Surfaces. Dirt, Turf & Tapeta.
Thoroughbred People writer Victor Ryan recently penned a “What’s Happening” piece on the initiative by the Georgia Horse Racing Coalition to build a brand new racetrack, and bring thoroughbred horse racing to the state. It is always uplifting to hear of a plan to build a new racetrack, and Thoroughbred People sincerely hopes it comes off for Georgia. What we also hope is that as a new track with a “21st century race track design”, it is indeed built differently to current tracks, and that a golden opportunity is capitalized on.
The Interviews: Renowned Thoroughbred Artist Thomas Allen Pauly
Award-winning equine artist Thomas Allen Pauly has portrayed some of the finest horses and jockeys in the country. Born and raised in Chicago, Pauly’s work encompasses Royal Ascot, the Hong Kong Cup, the Arc de Triomphe, the Dubai World Cup, the Velka Pardubicka Ceske Pojistovny Steeplechase in Prague and numerous Breeders’ Cups, Preaknesses, Belmonts and Kentucky Derbies.
Slots, Slots, Slots… Why Does Horse Racing Continue To Build Itself a House Of Cards?
Thoroughbred racing’s casino bedmates are restless, and they want out. Is this really a shock to anyone? As soon as the gold digging casino operators had their feet parked firmly enough under the table to be able to survive without having to deal with and attend to the horses and horsemen they used to get in business in the first place, they were going to make a play to legislators and government for a case to leave those horses and horsemen behind.