On Irish Derby Day, another race may have stolen the show: the Railway S.-G2, a showcase for some of the best two-year-olds, featuring Monarch of Egypt, a much-touted son of American Pharoah, and the highly esteemed Fort Myers, a son of War Front, also Coolmore-owned, out of a Galileo mare, whose second dam is a full sister to the great Giant’s Causeway.
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That Nijinsky Eye…
Has anyone else noted the phenomenon of the Nijinsky II eye? I’ve been aware of it for years now, and was reminded of it when Simply Breathless got her close-up in the paddock at Santa Anita as she awaited her photo op in the winners’ circle after the Wilshire S.-G3, a stunning upset for a truly gorgeous mare. Simply Breathless was bred in Great Britain, and I was unfamiliar with her pedigree, though aware of the brilliant campaign her trainer, Neil Drysdale, had planned for her since her importation. Then I saw that eye.
Monongahela & The Return of Round Table
Monongahela’s longshot win in the Philip H. Iselin S.-G3 on 6/22/19 was a thrill for all pedigree nerds, as he may be the lone representative of a long-lost sireline, that of the great Round Table and his son Princequillo, who still influence the breed through his female offspring, through his son Apalachee and his grandson K One King. Monongahela is a five-year old son of K One King, trained by Jason Servis and ridden yesterday by Jose Lezcano, and the horse now has six wins from 24 starts, with total earnings of $381,043.
Track Superintendent Ken Brown Readying Colonial Downs Surfaces For Reopening
When the first thoroughbred race since 2013 is held at Colonial Downs Racetrack this August, one person in particular will breathe a sigh of relief. Track superintendent Ken Brown, who began his second stint at the New Kent, Va., track in April, is in charge of bringing its two highly regarded racing surfaces back to life after years of inactivity. The last Thoroughbred race was held there in July 2013 and the last Standardbred race took place over the dirt track in October 2014.
Golden Gate Fields Winter/Spring Meet Sees 7.4% Increase In Handle
Golden Gate Fields saw another strong increase in all sources handle at its 2018-19 Winter/Spring Meet, which concluded on Sunday, June 9. The 94-day meeting, which began on Dec. 26, was highlighted by a successful edition of the inaugural Gold Rush Weekend in April, and track management and horsemen look forward to continued positive trends and numbers heading into the next live race meet which begins August 15th.
Bayern Gets His First Winner
I always liked Bayern as a race horse, as I’m a sucker for big, handsome guys, and he was one of the biggest—to the point that his trainer, Bob Baffert, went to measure Zenyatta, sure that his guy was every bit as huge as the supermare. He wasn’t, but he sure came close. And big handsome guys who win the Breeders’ Cup Classic-G1, along with the Haskell-G1, at three, and earn over $4.4 million? How could you not be a fan?
A Week of Daredevilry
With the freshman sire race warming up, a new entrant has jumped to number seven in the top ten list: Winstar’s Daredevil, a precocious son of More Than Ready whose first foals were pictured in a memorable advertising campaign featuring them photoshopped into dramatic activities demonstrating their, well, daredevilry.
Horseracing Integrity Act of 2019 Introduced
The Coalition for Horse Racing Integrity (CHRI) today announced its strong support for the Horseracing Integrity Act of 2019, introduced in the U.S. Senate earlier today by Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Martha McSally (R-AZ). The bill would create a private, independent horse racing anti-doping authority, the Horseracing Anti-Doping and Medication Control Authority (HADA), responsible for developing and administering a nationwide anti-doping and medication control program for horseracing.
Adena Springs’ Senior Citizens Rule Belmont Day
Right now, it appears that 2020 will be a battle of the geriatric tyrannosaurs, old Trump versus old Biden. Yawn. Belmont S.-G1 day, however, was a triumph for the senior citizens of Adena Springs, with the Belmont being won by Sir Winston, a son of Awesome Again, and the Acorn S.-G1 being won by Guarana, a daughter of Ghostzapper (in only her second start), a granddaughter of Awesome Again. You can’t count these old boys out.
Pedigree Review: Epsom Derby Winner Anthony Van Dyck
Much has been made of the domination of the Galileo line in both the entries in the Epsom Derby-G1 and the winning order, and it is indeed impressive, and of trainer Aidan O’Brien and owners/breeders that are the usual Coolmore suspects lock on the race. No mention, though, has been made of the influence of North American breeding in the pedigree of Anthony Van Dyck, the brilliant winner.