Horse Blog

Unfortunately, America didn’t know the rule, and last spring, we fell in love with a horse called Barbaro. But we weren’t the first to fall. This extraordinary article in Vanity Fair recounts Barbaro’s story from the inside — through the eyes of the owners, trainers, doctors and jockeys who helped hone him into a Kentucky Derby champion, and then tried to save his life after his devastating injury at the Preakness.

My pick for the Kentucky Derby did well in the Preakness. He came in second and just wasn't able to hold off Curlin. It was a photo finish and very enjoyable.

Among the eight runners left in the wake of Premium Tap and a game Second of June were third-placed Sun King, who had finished second by a nose to Invasor in the Whitney Handicap (Gr.1) earlier in the Saratoga meet; Andromeda’s Hero, the 2005 Belmont Stakes (Gr.1) runner-up; ’05 Queen’s Plate winner Wild Desert; ’05 Travers Stakes (Gr.1) winner Flower Alley, who was turning in his second consecutive off-the-board finish for trainer Todd Pletcher; and 2003 Kentucky Derby (Gr.1) and Preakness Stakes (Gr.1) winner Funny Cide.

Both Shamardal and Dubawi went on to win European classic races for Godolphin. While sticking to dirt in America, Wilko finished sixth in the Kentucky Derby (Gr.1) and 12th in the Preakness Stakes (Gr.1).

After that race, Cerin said he gave the son of Preakness Stakes (Gr.1) winner Pine Bluff a brief vacation before beginning to focus him for Dubai. Super Frolic worked six furlongs at Santa Anita Park in 1:13.20 on January 26 and then was shipped to Gulfstream, where he fired a bullet half-mile in :46 on Tuesday.

You are Baltimore, Maryland. Baltimore, the largest city in Maryland, is situated in the northern part of the state on the Patapsco River estuary, an arm of Chesapeake Bay. The city is independent and does not fall within any county. Baltimore’s economy is very diverse, with strong financial, legal, and nonprofit service industries. The city also leads in scientific research and development through two highly acclaimed medical institutions, Johns Hopkins Hospital and University of Maryland Hospital. There is also a significant tourist sector. Major attractions include the the National Aquarium, Harborplace, the Maryland Science Center, the Babe Ruth Museum, Fort McHenry National Monument, and Pimlico Race Course, site of the Preakness.

The Canadian owner of Baltimore’s Pimlico Race Course said yesterday that it would operate the famed track for just 18 days next year as a way to cut costs and boost purse money, but some politicians fear the reduction could be a prelude to closing the facility and moving the Preakness Stakes out of Maryland.

I recently learned that thoroughbred trainer D. Wayne Lukas has won more Triple-Crown races (13) than any other horse trainer, more Breeders’ Cup races (17) than any other horse trainer, and higher earnings than any other horse trainer (14 years), for a lifetime total of an astonishing $250 million. As a student of management, I learned something even more interesting: that he’s done this by challenging the conventional wisdom that a horse should always be raced in a location near its stable. Bucking conventional wisdom, Lukas shipped horses to tracks around the country, carefully picking locations and races that offered a given horse the best chance for victory, while also gradually increasing the level of competition for that particular horse over time.

Hi there! We are running our ’soft’ opening for friends and family this weekend, getting feedback on our physical plant, our food and everything before our ‘hard’ opening in just a couple of weeks. We moved into the Coda just a couple of months ago–and it’s been a busy couple of months. Cleaning, redoing the interior, flying off to cater the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, the Belmont and who knows how many other events–and relentlessly learning more and more about food.

Whew. Preakness yesterday left me sunburnt, exhausted, and about $50 poorer.

I actually avoided drinking, which I know is totally not in the spirit of Preakness, but if you've ever seen the port-a-potties there, you'll understand that I did what had to be done. I managed to only go once in the entire day, and that was enough for me. One of the port-a-potties had just been knocked over when I got up there and I overheard someone saying that he saw a girl come out covered in shit. Seriously, that's the stuff nightmares are made of. Mark then told us a story of someone being knocked over in a port-a-potty that fell over...

You’d think the Preakness would be enough for him but no this horse insists on having his own rap album as well!

Gosh how the time flies! It is a beautiful Sunday here after having temperatures in the 90’s yesterday. We went to a Preakness party and I actually won a little money on the race. (Go, Afleet Alex, go!)

Incase you missed today’s Preakness accident - here is a clip:

Remember how we used to compare notes on the Triple Crown? We just finished watching The Preakness. A few weeks ago at The Kentucky Derby a horse named Giacomo won with a 50 to 1 odds. Unfortunately, he didn’t win today. A horse named Afleet Alex won. He almost didn’t with a near fall a couple of hundred yards from the finish. But he caught himself and with agility, speed and a big heart…he won!

When trying to pick the winner of the Preakness, it's impossible -- and foolish -- to ignore the results of the Kentucky Derby. After all, the race was just two weeks ago, and 10 Derby horses are running in the Preakness. Add to that the fact that, of the four new shooters in the Preakness, three�appear to have no shot at winning the race, and you have something nearly resembling a re-run -- on paper, at least.

In the first race of the coveted trio - Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes - Giacomo provided the second-biggest upset in the history of the Kentucky Derby, winning as a 50-1 longshot.