Connections

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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,” […]

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 […]

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, […]