JC / Railbird

Racing Archive

Breeders’ Cup Scenes

Photos from the first half of Breeders’ Cup 2011 week at Churchill Downs …

Gio Ponti takes in the early morning track activity.

Midday (center) and company return from galloping.

Turallure pauses at the top of the chute.

Goldikova heads to the track.

Goldikova kicks up her feet a little. Harmonious is at right.

Trainer Freddy Heads talks to the press after Goldikova comes off the track. He confirmed that the 2011 Breeders’ Cup Mile would be her final race. Asked what he hoped for on Saturday, he replied, “I want her to get a good run.”

Trainer D. Wayne Lukas, outside his barn with retired Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day, reminisces about Breeders’ Cup races past.

Breeders’ Cup Juvenile contender Creative Cause plays around during his bath.

Flat Out in his stall. He looks sweet, doesn’t he? As though he’d like you to come over and give him a pat. I would have, but was warned off — apparently he’s a biter. Even trainer Scooter Dickey gets nipped by the big horse.

“Go Scooter! Go Scooter!” Well wishes for the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Havre de Grace gets a mint from owner Rick Porter.

Breeders’ Cup Juvenile favorite Union Rags, out to graze.

Game on Dude exits the track after galloping.

Outside Bob Baffert’s Churchill Downs barn.

And for a little fun! The Breeders’ Cup Classic contender cartoons.

Posted in Racing on November 2, 2011 / Tagged Backstretch, Breeders' Cup, Churchill Downs, Goldikova, Training, Turf

Blind Luck to Lady’s Secret

Farewell to the rivalry for this year:

While Blind Luck’s rival Havre de Grace will likely use the Beldame as a prep for the Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I) against males, Hollendorfer said there is no way his filly will run in that race.

“I’m not running her in the Classic,” he said. “I don’t believe in that. If others want to do it, God bless them. If we win the Ladies’ Classic, that’s plenty good for us.”

Farewell to Horse of the Year, too.

9/22/11 Addendum: About HOTY, Hollendorfer? Hovdey inquires. “If I did the right thing for my horse, I’d say that nothing would make a difference.”

9/29/11 Update: Interesting — the rivalry could resume in 2012. According to their connections, both fillies are expected to race as 5YOs.

Posted in Racing on September 21, 2011 / Tagged Blind Luck, Distaffers, Havre de Grace, HOTY, Rivalries

How Inhumane

Dick Powell on the Lasix debate:

But rather than ban it, I think we should mandate it.

Nearly all Thoroughbred race horses bleed. If you think we can breed our way out of this by separating the horses that bleed from those that don’t and breed a new racehorse that doesn’t bleed and doesn’t need Lasix, you would have to ban it in training as well which nobody wants to do.

And, how do you explain banning it to the animal rights activists that view our sport as being cruel and inhumane? …

Or, as trainer Rick Violette has said:

“Horses bleed. That is a fact. To force an animal to race without it is premeditated, borderline animal abuse.”

Arguing that a Lasix ban is abusive raises the question — if it’s inhumane to race horses without a drug, then isn’t it inhumane to race horses at all? If horses need a drug to mask the conditions in which they’re bred, trained, and raced, then shouldn’t the focus be on changing those conditions?

I don’t have answers; I merely ask.

Posted in Racing on September 20, 2011 / Tagged Lasix