When trainer John Shirreffs knew that he wanted to work with Thoroughbreds:
“I got on his back, and I could feel his heart pumping under my legs,†Shirreffs, 68, said. “It was so clear that he wanted to work with me. It was magnificent, and from then on I wanted to know everything about them and the people who worked with them.â€
Less poetically, it was 10 years ago today that I and Mr. Railbird went to Suffolk Downs for the first time and won $39 on a chestnut gelding named Ascot Doll. My life hasn’t been the same since, and I couldn’t be more grateful — for every friend I’ve met through horse racing, for every opportunity I’ve been given in the game, and to every horse I’ve watched run.
Posted by JC in Racing on 08/16/2013 @ 12:44 pm / Follow @railbird on Twitter
The Breeders’ Cup announced today that it’s bringing back the Distaff, which was cast aside for the Ladies’ Classic in 2008. Alicia Wincze called the news “the most popular name restoration since Prince,” and for at least an hour on Twitter, that seemed true. It may be minor, but restoring the Distaff for the 30th running of the BC is a feel-good, fan-friendly bit of change, a return to a classic word with resonance in the game, evoking greats such as Personal Ensign and Azeri. “I couldn’t help doing handsprings,” cheered Bill Finley. Thanks to the Breeders’ Cup, or, as Exacta-Mundo says much better,
… hats off to the Breeders’ Cup for proving themselves yet again to be an organization that takes fan feedback seriously and WELCOME BACK DISTAFF, WE MISSED YOU!
Celebrate by enjoying three great Distaff moments.
Posted by JC in Racing on 08/08/2013 @ 9:48 pm / Tagged Breeders' Cup, Distaff / Follow @railbird on Twitter
About the $1.2+ million topper of the Saratoga select yearling sale:
“It’s hard to get into those pedigrees,” Hogan said. “[She’s from] an old Phipps family and has a great pedigree. If she works out to be a good race filly, you’ve got the residual [value]. She’s a half sister to a really good horse and with that kind of pedigree she could be a good hen.”
Buying, the real gamble. Not that Optimizer’s little half-sister by Dynaformer is going to sink anyone in this deal if she doesn’t perform. “When you have one billionaire (Brad Kelley) selling to another billionaire (Goncalo Torreabla) you know it is a good time to be in biz,” observed Byron Rogers.
Posted by JC in Sales/Auctions on 08/06/2013 @ 4:52 pm / Tagged Dynaformer, Fasig-Tipton, Indy Pick, Optimizer, Sale Topper, Saratoga, Yearlings / Follow @railbird on Twitter
