by Chelsea Hackbarth|11.16.2023|5:55pm Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: Goodnight Olive Gave Owners Much More Than A Ghost Story There’s an old black-and-white photo of an early 1900’s actress hanging on the wall of a theater in New Amsterdam, N.Y., with which half the members of the Thoroughbred ownership group First Row Partners have taken a “selfie.” Following the back-to-back success of First Row-owned racemare Goodnight Olive in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly […]
by Chelsea Hackbarth|10.31.2023|1:07pm Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: Colasanti ‘Locked’ In With New Lucky Charm The favorite for this year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, Locked, will be carrying a bit of extra weight when he enters the starting gate on Friday, Nov. 3. Rosa Colasanti, breeder of the 2-year-old Grade 1 winner, will be sending the colt positive vibes from all the way across the Atlantic as she tucks into a […]
by Chelsea Hackbarth|10.19.2023|5:38pm Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: Trombetta Hoping For Another Turf Sprint Surprise The last time Michael Trombetta brought a horse to the Breeders’ Cup, Wet Your Whistle nearly posted a 26-1 upset in the Turf Sprint held at Keeneland in 2020. Thus, when Arzak posted a 12-1 upset of the Grade 2 Woodford Stakes on Oct. 7 over the same turf course in Lexington, Ky., it felt […]
by Chelsea Hackbarth|10.05.202310.05.2023|5:43pm5:53pm Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: Graded Stakes Win Helps Campbell ‘Turn The Page’ On Loss Of Arlington Park For as long and as hard as Mike Campbell fought to keep Arlington Park from being shut down, there must have been a little extra joy when he saddled his first graded stakes winner in nearly two decades on Sept. 23 beneath the Twin Spires at Churchill Downs. Lady Radler, sent to post at 23-1, […]
by Chelsea Hackbarth|09.21.2023|4:11pm Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: ‘Bumps In The Road’ Can’t Stop Demeritte’s Derby Dream Trainer Larry Demeritte’s dream has always been to make it to the Kentucky Derby, and he’s now one step closer after 2-year-old colt West Saratoga (Exaggerator) won Saturday’s Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes beneath the Twin Spires. “When I was growing up in the Bahamas, I always watched the Kentucky Derby, and I said, ‘In order […]
by Chelsea Hackbarth|09.07.202309.08.2023|4:46pm10:36am Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: The ‘Surreal’ Moment Prince Maverick Became A King There’s a spot near the rail at Woodbine where you’ll find Ericka Rusnak on race day afternoons, a place at which her long-range camera allows her nearsighted eyes a clearer view of the action. Those well-worn footprints have seen their fair share of heartache, to be sure, but on Aug. 20, 2023, that is where […]
by Chelsea Hackbarth|08.10.202308.10.2023|5:28pm5:33pm Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: For DeMasi, ‘Just Being Around The Horses Is So Enjoyable’ It isn’t always success on the biggest stage that keeps horsemen enjoying the task of waking up in the earliest hours of the morning. For 60-year-old Kathleen DeMasi, the first female trainer inducted into the Parx Hall of Fame, it’s something much less tangible that keeps her love of the sport alive. There’s a moment […]
by Chelsea Hackbarth|07.31.202307.31.2023|5:39pm5:42pm Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: ‘Resiliency’ Keeps California Breeder Adrian Gonzalez Looking Forward California breeder Adrian Gonzalez got quite the thrill when Yo Yo Candy, bred by his family’s Checkmate Thoroughbreds, jumped up to win a graded stakes race at Saratoga on July 15. The 2-year-old son of Danzing Candy paid $94 for his unlikely victory in the Grade 3 Sanford Stakes, but his win also represented a […]
by Chelsea Hackbarth|07.13.2023|4:26pm Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: 61-Year-Old Jockey Beats All Odds For Milestone Victory Longtime jockey Cindy Murphy was just seven wins away from her milestone 2,000th victory last June at Prairie Meadows, but a pre-race incident left her with injuries severe enough that that goal could easily have been ripped from her grasp forever. Riding the 2-year-old filly Crypto Mo, trained by her husband Travis, Murphy was approaching […]
by Chelsea Hackbarth|06.29.2023|6:58pm Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: Special Juvenile Filly Keeps 73-Year-Old Trainer ‘Smiling’ Over the past four or five years, there have been moments when trainer Steve Specht has found himself contemplating retirement. Those thoughts rarely last long, especially when that year’s 2-year-olds come into the barn; wouldn’t you just know it, it always seems that at least one of them can run a little bit! “I’d probably […]