by Chelsea Hackbarth|01.22.2023|7:03pm Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: Kirstenbosch No Garden Variety Homebred For Keith Abrahams Owner/breeder Keith Abrahams was quietly confident in Kirstenbosch ahead of last weekend’s Grade 3 La Canada Stakes at Santa Anita. The filly, named for a famous botanical garden in Abrahams’ native South Africa, proved his confidence was not misplaced when she won by a nose. Kirstenbosch became the second homebred graded stakes winner to race […]
by Claire Wilson|01.15.202301.15.2023|2:43pm3:27pm Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: Hampton, 20, Balances Studies With New Role As Jockey Agent Kyle Hampton, a 20-year-old Louisville native and full-time college student, is currently mastering the act of balancing homework and a new career as a jockey agent for British newcomer Tyler Heard. The two celebrated Heard’s first stateside win the night of Jan. 12 in the sixth race at Charles Town in West Virginia aboard Baytown […]
by Chelsea Hackbarth|12.24.202212.24.2022|10:01am10:14am Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: More Derby Dreams Take Root In New Mexico, Iowa Thirteen and a half years ago, the diminutive bay gelding named Mine That Bird was hauled over 1,000 miles from New Mexico to Churchill Downs by his trainer, Chip Woolley. His 50-1 upset will forever remain a legend in the history of the Kentucky Derby. This year, another trainer from New Mexico could be poised […]
by Chelsea Hackbarth|12.09.202212.09.2022|11:37am12:30pm Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: Cash’s Commitment To Racing Is Through The Roof Trainer Norman L. “Lynn” Cash won his first graded stakes race in the Oct. 29 Kelso (G2) with 42-1 longshot Double Crown, but it is a starter allowance horse who has really put his fledgling stable on the map. “I tell people that if I hadn’t claimed Beverly Park, nobody would know who I am,” […]
by Chelsea Hackbarth|12.04.2022|11:43am Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: ‘If You Have Dreams, You Have To Take A Chance And Follow Them’ There’s something to be said for a person who can not only recognize when they are making poor choices, but who can also step up and make the necessary changes to get back on track. Especially when that person goes it alone. Trainer Jeff Hiles’ brighter path continues to pay dividends as he celebrated a […]
by Chelsea Hackbarth|11.25.202211.28.2022|11:42am10:54am Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: ‘I Don’t Really Care If I Can’t Walk. I Just Want To Ride Racehorses’ This Thanksgiving, I want to bring you an inspirational story that’s a little bit different from this feature’s usual fare. It’s a story about perseverance, about the power of perspective, and above all, about the generosity of the horse racing community. Bryce Bourdieu is a 19-year-old horseman who had been plying his trade in Texas, […]
by Chelsea Hackbarth|10.27.202210.28.2022|5:45pm10:00am Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: ‘In A World Where We Can Be Anything, We Should Be Better’ How does a young horse lover with no familial ties break into the racing industry? If you’re British-born Alice Haynes, you simply write a letter to one of the top trainers around and get to work. A strong work ethic and an aversion to the word “no” have led Haynes, 31, to bring her first […]
by Chelsea Hackbarth|10.14.202210.14.2022|5:28pm5:29pm Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: ‘Unbelievable’ 47-1 Upset Brings Leitch To First World Championships The first time Gerardo Corrales breezed 2-year-old filly American Apple in the morning, the jockey returned to trainer Daniel Leitch’s barn with a big grin on his face. “He’s loved her since the first time he got on her,” Leitch said. “He said it then: ‘This is going to be our Breeders’ Cup horse.’ Me […]
by Chelsea Hackbarth|09.29.202209.29.2022|6:21pm6:29pm Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: ‘Unbelievable’ Journey From Barber Shop To Winner’s Circle It was just a regular afternoon in the South Florida barber shop: young Cuban immigrant Andy Hernandez was preparing to give a customer a haircut as he had done nearly every day since the age of 15, but Hernandez couldn’t have known that the man in his chair would change his life forever. When Hernandez […]
by Chelsea Hackbarth|09.15.202209.15.2022|5:15pm5:29pm Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: ‘We Kept Going And We’re Still Going’ It’s always exciting to have a Grade 1-winning 2-year-old in the barn, but it is perhaps more so when it’s your first graded stakes winner in 11 years and first Grade 1 winner since 1993. “It’s great. We are really, really happy for the people who own this horse,” said trainer Phil Serpe after Leave […]