Railbird 2004–2019

Miscellany Archive

Headlines: December 17

– “Friends” to aid New York racing (NYP)
– Graves: Smith’s “Friends” good idea (TU)
– Haskin: Spring of the Samurai? (BH)
– Turf Paradise raid yields drugs (AR)
– Bailey plans to ride in 2005 (DRF)
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Posted in Miscellany on December 17, 2004

Headlines: December 16

– Futurity championship battle (DRF)
– Suffolk horses fill Maryland races (BH)
– Velazquez to ride Afleet Alex (PDN)
– I need lessons, says Fallon (Guar.)
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Posted in Miscellany on December 16, 2004

Headlines: December 15

– Watchmaker: Early look at Derby (MSNBC)
– Pownal track leaves legacy (NAT)
– Sellers announces retirement (BH)
– MD commissioner told to quit (WP)
– Laurel may reopen Jan. 22 (Sun)
– Fallon disrepute hearing dropped (BBC)
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Posted in Miscellany on December 15, 2004

Headlines: December 13

– Fountaine: Schedule corrects mistake (NYP)
– Garcia, Maragh injured in accident (NYDN)
– Naughty New Yorker wins Runyon (LHL)
– Hollywood Story provides drama (DRF)
– Alexander surprises in Hong Kong Cup (IHT)
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Posted in Miscellany on December 13, 2004

Osama’s Racehorse

“The horse Osama bin Laden used to ride now lives in the run-down stables of a colonial-era racetrack on the edge of Khartoum.
“Her name is Swift Like the Wind, but a more appropriate one might be Victim of Circumstance. At 12, she’s too old to race. Last year she almost starved to death. Now she spends her days in a small caged area, next to a grimy pool of water turtles.
“There was a time when the spirited white mare, dusted with gray spots, was one of a dozen prized horses that galloped in glory along the dusty stretch of track. In bin Laden’s heyday here, as a wealthy exile in the mid-1990s, Swift ran in Sudan’s most prestigious races. Her tail was combed, her hoofs oiled.
“But in May 1996, bin Laden, a Saudi, was driven out of Sudan by pressure from the Clinton administration, and the horse was left behind, abandoned property of the fugitive now wanted for the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.” Swift is now being cared for by Issam Turabi, “a flamboyant character … known as Sudan’s first cowboy.” (Washington Post)

Posted in Miscellany on December 12, 2004