La Verdad romps to victory in the Dancin Renee Stakes

In an impressive performance on Sunday, June 28, 2015, at Belmont Park, Lady Shelia Stables’ La Verdad, with jockey Jose Ortiz riding, made it look easy, as the filly went wire-to-wire and scored a 7-1/4 length victory in the Dancin Renee Stakes for the second consecutive year.

La Verdad, with jockey Jose Ortiz riding, romped to a 7-1/4 length victory in the Dancin Renee Stakes on Sunday, June 28, 2015, at Belmont Park. It was the second consecutive win in the race for La Verdad. (Photo by Coglianese Photos)

 

 

In fact, the EquiBase race chart said it all in its notes about the 5-year-old filly’s win – “No doubt about it.”

“She broke well and I just went out there and she did what she needed to do,” said Ortiz. “She handles a sloppy track great all the time, so I’m very happy with her. (Winning trainer) Linda (Rice) brought her in at 100 percent and I want to thank all the connections for giving me the opportunity to ride this horse.”

Added Rice, “I was happy she won as easily as she did because, frankly, this is a race we were just trying to use to get her to Saratoga in better condition than we were last year, going toward the Honorable Miss (G2) (on July 29), and, hopefully, the Ballerina (G1) (on Aug. 29),” said Rice. We didn’t want it to be a hard race on her, and elected to stay here rather than go to the Princess Rooney. We had also considered running her in the (Bed o’Roses), but in her last race she had worked pretty hard to keep Room for Me at bay. (Room for Me is also a Bed o’Roses entrant). (The Bed o’Rose) was a pretty strong race, so I’m really glad we’re going to Saratoga off an easy effort.”

La Verdad, who is by Yes It’s True-Noble Fire, by Hook and Ladder, ran the six furlong race on the dirt track rated sloppy in 1:10.27. With the win, the 5-year-old filly now has 13 wins, two seconds, and $1,050,700 in earnings in 19 career starts.

For La Verdad, the win was her third straight stakes victory, as she also won the Vagrancy Stakes on May 16, 2015 at Belmont and the Distaff Handicap on April 18, 2015 at Aqueduct.

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The Dancin Renee Stakes is named after one of the great New York filly’s, Dancin Renee, who was the 1997 New York Horse of the Year.

Foaled in New York on March 8, 1992, Dancin Renee, who is by Distinctive Pro- Lolli Lucka Lolli, by Sweet Candy (Ven.), won a number of graded stakes races in her career, with most of them coming in New York.

In 1995, her first stakes win was in the Park Avenue Stakes at Aqueduct. Then in 1997, she had her best racing season, winning seven races in a row, including six stakes races: the Broadway Handicap at Aqueduct on March 27; the Berlo Handicap at Aqueduct on April 13; the Endine Stakes at Delaware Park on May 18; the Breeders' Cup Handicap at Laurel Park on July 6; the Honorable Miss Stakes (G3) at Saratoga on July 30; and the Regret Stakes at Monmouth Park on Aug. 24.


With those wins, she was named New York Horse of the Year by the New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. The organization also named her Champion Sprinter and Champion Older Female that year.

Owned and bred by Sanford Bacon, Dancin Rene ended her career with 14 wins, three thirds and $490,258 in earnings in 21 career starts.

Following her racing career, Dancin Renee was sent to Mill Creek Farm, where she also had a successful breeding career, as her progeny consisted of several winners, including Risky Rachel, her first foal to earn a black-type stakes race win.

At age 20, Dancin Renee was pensioned and retired to Old Friends, where she arrived on September 14, 2012.

According to the Old Friends website, Bacon learned about Old Friends and decided early on that is where he wanted to send Dancin Renee when she retired.

“I met Michael Blowen (owner of Old Friends) at a happening in Saratoga,” said Bacon of how he came to know Old Friends. “Dennis Brida (the former executive director of the New York Thoroughbred Breeders) introduced me to him. I said, ‘This looks like a wonderful program. I would hopefully like to send Dancin’ Renee there.’ Well, Michael knew her background and her record. He knew everything about her! … I sent her there because the place is wonderful.”

For owner Michael Blowen, the decision to bring Dancin Renee to Old Friends was very easy for him to make.

“We have a lot of horses on our waiting list, but I made the decision to take Dancin' Renee because she was a remarkable athlete and Sanford loves her very much, "Blowen at the time. "She has already bonded with another great mare, one-time world-record holder Klassy Briefcase, and I'm just overjoyed.”

Dancin Renee enjoyed her retirement at Old Friends until age 22, when she lost her long battle with laminitis. She was euthanized on January 11, 2014.

In her honor, the Dancin Renee Stakes was created.

Dancin Renee shown, above and below, enjoying her retirement at Old Friends. (Photo by Rick Capone/KentuckyHorsePhotos.com)

(Information gathered from EquiBase.com, OldFriendsEquine.com, NYRA.com, and PedigreeQuery.com.)

Include Betty rallies to win Mother Goose Stakes

Coming from last place in the 10-horse field, Include Betty, with jockey Drayden Van Dyke riding, swung wide out of the final turn, charged down the stretch and, at the wire, scored a 3-1/4 length win in the $300,000 Mother Goose Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park on Saturday, June 27, 2015

Include Betty, with jockey Drayden Van Dyke, went from last-to-first to score a victory in the $300,000 Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont Park on Saturday, June 27, 2015. (Photo by Coglianese Photos)

For the 3-year-old filly, who is owned by Gov. Brereton Jones and Timothy Thornton, it was her second graded stakes victory in 2015. She also won the Fantasy Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park on April 4, 2015.

Include Betty finished the 1-1/16th-mile race for 3-year-old fillies on a dirt track rated fast in 1:44.68.

"It was a perfect trip," said Van Dyke. "I knew they were going fast up front and I knew this long stretch should really help her out, she makes that nice last run and I knew it'd work out just perfect for her. I just had to make sure that I kept pulling my goggles down (because of the rain) so I could see where I was going.

"I don't think she'll have any problems stretching out further. Me and (winning trainer) Tom [Proctor] were saying she's a filly that really doesn't like to be hit a whole lot, so it's more just getting along with her and keeping her happy."

For Van Dyke, it was his first Grade 1 stakes win at Belmont.

In the race, Include Betty broke from the gate, and then saved ground at the back of the 10-horse field through most of the race.

Meanwhile, Hot City Girl led the field, setting fractions of 22.66 and 45.50 early, with Embellish the Lace in second,

Heading into the far turn, Van Dyke began to angle Include Betty out four-wide as he tried to get his filly to move up toward the front.

As they headed out of the far turn and into the stretch, Include Betty moved out five wide and began to power towards the front.

Behind her, Wonder Gal was also moving towards the front, but by this point was still behind Include Betty, who had taken the lead near the final furlong marker.

At the wire, Include Betty had the win by 3-1/4 lengths, with Wonder Gal getting her nose across the wire in second by a nose over Chide, who finished third.

Wonder Gal's trainer, Leah Gyarmati, was pleased with her horse's gutsy second-place finish.

"I thought she ran well," said Gyarmati. "For a minute there in the stretch, it looked like we may be nowhere. She really showed a lot of guts running it out for second."

Rounding out the field, Pleasant Tales was fourth, followed by Hot City Girl, Eskenformoney, Danessa Deluxe, Money'soncharlotte, Embellish the Lace and Munasara.

With the win, Include Betty, who is by Include-Betty's Solutions, by Eltish, now has four wins, two seconds, 1 third and $543,030 in earnings in 10 career starts.

The filly was also bred by Gov. Jones, along with Lavin Bloodstock.

For Gov. Jones, owner of Airdrie Stud in Midway, Ky., it was another great win in 2015. Among his other horses, his 3-year-old filly Lovely Maria, who is trained by Larry Jones, won the Kentucky Oaks on May 1 at Churchill Downs.

(Information gathered from EquiBase.com, NYRA.com, BloodHorse.com, HorseRacingNation.com, and PedigreeQuery.com.)

American Pharoah: A Hero's welcome

Newly crowned Triple Crown winner, American Pharoah, has been having a great time since his he became only the 12th horse in history to win the Triple Crown.

Following his win in the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 6, 2015, which earned him the Triple Crown, American Pharoah returned to Churchill Downs, where he was paraded on the track and in the saddling paddock on Saturday, June 13, in front of approximately 30,000 fans.

Triple Crown winner American Pharoah was paraded at Churchill Downs on Saturday, June 13, 2015. (Photo by Wendy Wooley (EquiSportsPhotos.com)

He then returned to his home base, trainer Bob Baffert's barn at Santa Anita, on June 18, where he was greeted with a hero's welcome.

Then on Saturday, June 27, 2015, he was paraded at Santa Anita to the delight of all 21,528 in attendance.

Owner Ahmed Zayat, and his family, and trainer Bob Baffert, and his family were in attendance at both events, totally enjoying the reception.

Upon his return to California, American Pharoah was paraded in front of his Santa Anita fans on Saturday, June 27, 2015. (Photo by BenoitPhoto.com)

Love Love Me Do finishes second at Belterra

It was another great second-place finish at Belterra Park in Cincinnati, Ohio on Friday, June 26, 2015, for Love Love Me Do, the sweet filly owned by Dr. Bryan Waldridge, the equine veterinarian at Old Friends, and trained by Tim Wilson, the farm manager at Old Friends.

Love Love Me Do being walked down the track to the saddling paddock by owner Dr. Bryan Waldridge for the eighth race at Belterra Park on Friday, June 26, 2015. (Photo by Rick Capone)

Sitting in third place in the eight-horse field coming down the stretch under her regular rider, Yuri Yuranga, Love Love Me Do dug into the sloppy track, worked her way forward past Witchwaytheargo, and crossed the line in second place, 2-1/2 lengths behind race winner, Como Luz.

Finishing in third was Sunlite Pool, followed by Our Little Joy, Brookie's Rose, Imer, Witchwaytotheargo and Royal Fancy.

With her second place finish in the $5,000 maiden claiming race , Love Love Me Do, who is by Birdstone-Belle Chant, by War Chant, now has two seconds and $3,595 in eight career starts.

It is the second consecutive second-place finish for Love Love Me Do under the team of Waldridge, Wilson and Yuranga.

According to Dr. Waldridge on Saturday morning, Love Love Me Do came out of the race in good order and everyone is looking forward to her next start.

Love Love Me Do charging down the track and finishing in second place in the eighth race at Belterra Park on Friday, June 26, 2015. (Photo by Rick Capone)

Stellar Wind holds on for Summertime Oaks victory

Stellar Wind and Tara’s Tango battled side-by-side down the Santa Anita stretch on Saturday, June 20, neither filly wanting to give in to the other and both wanting the win in the $200,250 Summertime Oaks (G2).

In the end, it was Stellar Wind’s day, as she just barely got her nose in front of Tara’s Tango to score the win under jockey, Victor Espinoza, who has been riding high following his Triple Crown win with American Pharoah just two weeks ago.

Stellar Wind, with jockey Victor Espinoza riding, held off Tara’s Tango to win the Summertime Oaks by a nose on Saturday, June 20, 2015, at Santa Anita. (Photo by BenoitPhoto.com)

“I have to give Mike (Smith, aboard Tara’s Tango) a lot of credit because Tara’s Tango was really fighting and he was riding her so hard,” said Espinoza. “But Stellar Wind got the job done and she felt great. I know it’s a little bit hot, but she seemed to come back really well after the wire (finish line).”

Stellar Wind, who is by Curlin-Evening Star, by Malibu Moon, ran the 1-1/16th-mile dirt race for 3-year-old fillies in 1:42.53.

In the race, Stellar Wind broke from the outside gate and stayed four wide into the first turn, following closely behind race leaders Conquest Curlgirl and Tara’s Tango, who got squeezed at the start, moved up on the outside and ran in second.

Heading down the backstretch, Stellar Wind moved between horses, then went three-wide heading into the final turn. Tara’s Tango also moved between horses going into the final turn as well.

As they exited the turn, Espinoza urged Stellar Wind forward, and the filly took a short lead at the top of the stretch, with Tara’s Tango close behind.

As the two came down the stretch, they battled side-by-side, with Espinoza and Smith urging their filly’s towards the finish line.

At the wire, Stellar Wind prevailed, as she just got her nose in front to get the win in the hard-fought battle over Tara’s Tango.

“Whether the pace was going to be slow or fast…everything changed out of the gate and I was ready for it,” said Espinoza. “I bounced out of there and I was going to figure it out when we hit the first turn. I wanted to see how fast we were going. They slowed it down pretty good, so I kept her closer. That was the best thing because with that pace I couldn’t leave her too much to do.”

Finishing third, 3-1/4-lengths behind the second place finisher was Conquest Curlgirl, with Sheer Pleasure fourth, Scat Means Go fifth and Roksana sixth.

Interestingly, Curlin is turning into a very good stallion for Lane’s End Farm in Versailles, as he is also the sire of third-place finisher Conquest Curlgirl (Curlin-Montera, by Easy Goer).

Winning trainer John Sadler was also happy with the way his filly ran in the race, despite giving away five pounds to the field – Stellar Wind carried 123 pounds, while the other five horse carried 118 pounds each.

“She ran very well and had to give away the weight; she gave away five pounds today,” said Sadler. “With the pace slow she had a long, extended, wide run.” The second filly, Tara’s Tango is a very nice filly. It felt like a Stonestreet exacta with Curlin (Stellar Wind’s sire) being so close to Stonestreet’s Mrs. Banke and the late Jess Jackson who also owned the horse that finished second (Tara’s Tango).”

While his filly, Tara’s Tango, finished second, Smith was pleased with his filly’s performance.

“I’ve been waiting for this, to run long,” said Smith about his filly’s first race around two turns. “In saying that though, I didn’t want to have to make such a long run. But, it was a good tactical move on Victor’s part because I don’t think he wins if he didn’t move on me that early.

“He (Espinoza) had a horse that was more seasoned, who’s been around two turns several times and it was Tara’s Tango’s first time around two turns. All that happened was that she got a little tired at the end. If that doesn’t happen, I think I get it.”

With the win, Stellar Wind, who is owned by Hronis Racing and Stonestreet Stables, now has four wins – three of them graded stakes – one third and $493,200 in earnings in six career starts.

The win also keeps Stellar Wind undefeated at Santa Anita, as she also won the Santa Anita Oaks (G1) on April 4, 2015, and Santa Ysabel Stakes (G3) on Feb. 28, 2015, at the track as well.

As to possible future plans for Stellar Wind, Sadler said, “I don’t really have anything planned yet. I’ll take her down to Del Mar and then we’ll decide if we want to take her out of town or if we want to run her on the grass. We have two choices with her down there. We’ll see how it goes.”

(Info courtesy of EquiBase.com, BloodHorse.com, SantaAnita.com, HorseRacingNation.com and Brisnet.com)

Danzig Moon: A tough, tough loss for all

It was a sad day for all on Sunday, June 14, as John Oxley's sweet 3-year-old colt, Danzig Moon, had to be euthanized after breaking down in the Plate Trial at Woodbine in Canada on Sunday, June 14.

With jockey Julien Leparoux riding, Danzig Moon was closely following the race leaders down the backstretch before breaking down heading into the far turn.

The horse then collided with another horse, unseating Leparoux, who immediately jumped up, grabbed hold of the reins of his horse in an effort to try and protect him.

Unfortunately, the injury, a rare broken right-hind leg, was very severe and the horse had to be euthanized.

The other horse and jockey, as well as Leparoux, were unharmed.

Needless to say, Danzig Moon's connections were overwhelmed with grief over the loss of their horse, who seemed to have such a promising career ahead of him.

"I don't know if it has really sunk in yet," said Danzig Moon's trainer Mark Casse in an article in the Toronto Sun. "It's a crazy injury – a hind-leg injury you don't see that often. You just never know when something like this is going to happen."

Danzig Moon had a stellar spring season, finishing fifth in the Kentucky Derby (G1) and sixth in the Preakness Stakes (G1). The Plate Trial was a prep race for the $1 million Queen's Plate, which Danzig Moon was aiming to run in.

The Queen's Plate is the biggest race for 3-year-olds bred in Canada. By Malibu Moon-Leaveminthedust, by Danzig, Danzig Moon was bred by William D. Graham in Ontario, Canada, on March 24, 2012.

In all, Danzig Moon, who's owner, Oxley, is a Midway, Ky. resident, had one win, two seconds and $311,120 in earnings in eight career starts. His best stakes finish was second place in the Bluegrass Stakes (G1) at Keeneland on April 4, 2015. His lone win came in a Maiden Special Weight race at Churchill Downs on Oct. 24, 2014.

In an article in the Toronto Star on Tuesday, June 17, Casse talked more about what the loss has meant to him, his son, and owner John Oxley, “It’s been tough on me, very tough on Mr. Oxley (owner John C. Oxley) and especially crushing to Norman (assistant trainer Norman Casse, Mark’s son),” a sombre Casse said Tuesday afternoon. “The biggest problem is this: you don’t know why it happened.

“If you knew why it happened, you could try to do it better or do it differently. So now we’ve got this fear and worry that it could happen again. It’s going to take a long time to be able to watch races because they (horses) are part of your family. We had the (Woodbine) Oaks the next race (Sunday), we had four horses in it and I couldn’t even watch.”

Noble Bird holds off Lea for Stephen Foster win

Monday, June 15, 2015

Drawing clear in the stretch, Noble Bird, with jockey Shaun Bridgmohan riding, looked to be an easy winner in the $500,000 2015 Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs on Saturday, June 13, 2015.

But then here came Lea, the race favorite. Ridden by jockey Joel Rosario, the 6-year-old First Samurai colt ran four-wide around the final turn, dug down and set her sights on the race leader.

Closer and closer he came, but Noble Bird dug within himself as well, and held on to win the race by just a neck over the hard-charging Lea, while Hoppertunity, ridden by jockey Mike Smith settled for third, 5-1/2 lengths behind the second place finisher.

Noble Bird, with jockey Shaun Bridgmohan riding, held of Lea to win the 2015 Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs on Saturday, June 13, 2015. (Photo by Windy Wooley / EquiSportPhotos.com)

Noble Bird, a 4-year-old colt by Birdstone-Anyhow, by Tiznow, ran the 1-1/8th-mile dirt race under the lights at Churchill in 1:47.94.

“I’ve been around a lot of good horses and he’s been working about as good as I have seen a horse train – just week after week," said trainer Norman Casse, assistant trainer of Noble Bird and son of trainer Mark Casse. "He just ran in the Alysheba and ran a really big race in that, and he’s just gotten better from there and he rewarded our confidence."

In the race, Noble Bird broke cleanly from gate four, was guided over to the rail by Bridgmohan, and then settled in behind race leader, Paganol, for most of the race.

As the horses moved down the backstretch and into the final turn, Noble Bird began to pick up the pace and as he came out of the turn he took over the lead from a tiring Paganol.

As Noble Bird moved into the stretch, he continued to widen his lead, while behind him, Lea came barreling out of the final turn and began to give chase.

As the two got closer to the wire, Lea continued to close the gap, but Noble Bird caught sight of him and powered forward himself.

At the wire, it was Noble Bird by a neck, with Lea second and Hopportunity a distant third.

Rounding out the order of finish was Majestic Harbor fourth, followed by Cat Burglar, Commissioner and Paganol.

“He (Noble Bird) had been training very well and obviously he showed it tonight," said Bridgmohan. "He won three out of his last four races. He’s getting better. He’s been working like this in the morning so this performance was expected.

"That [Lea] is why I didn’t turn my stick over; I just kind of gave him a little reminder because he was trying and giving me everything he had. He’s been training very well and he’s a horse that is on the improve. He just ran lights out tonight. He’s been maturing and I think he’s going to be a horse to watch for. I think in every race he’s improved and he’s not lacking any talent. He’s a very talented horse.”

Owned by John Oxley, who lives in Midway, Ky., Noble Bird now has four wins, three seconds and $531,278 in earnings in 10 career starts. With the win, he also secured a spot in the starting gate in the Breeders" Cup Classic (G1), which will be held at Keeneland, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 30-31, 2015.

As to his next possible race, Casse said, "He’s trained extremely well and he wanted to win just as bad as we did. We’d probably have to look at the older horse races at Saratoga. I think he deserves to be in that discussion."

(Information courtesy of EquiBase.com, ChurchillDowns.com, BloodHorse.com and PedigreeQuery.com)

Two nice guys and one sweet filly

Last week, Saturday, June 6, the world watched and cheered for American Pharoah, as he won the Kentucky Derby (G1), Preakness (G1) and Belmont Stakes (G1) and captured the first Triple Crown in 37 years.

It was a great achievement by American Pharoah and his connections, owner Zayat Stables, trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Victor Espinoza.

However, while all the headlines were about AP’s Triple Crown win, the backbone of horse racing – the claiming horses, the back side workers, the exercise riders – continued to quietly ply their trades at tracks across the country in hopes of success and, maybe, some glory one day in the future.

Sure, they were all cheering for American Pharoah as well, but they also knew that when the race was over, it was back to business as usual for all of them.

One case in point …

In one of the barns at the Thoroughbred Training Center on Paris Pike in Lexington lives a sweet, 5-year-old, chestnut filly named after a song by the Beatle’s – Love Love Me Do.

“Love” hanging out in her stall at Belterra Park on May 22. She seems to like her silks. (Photo by Tim Wilson)

The “two guys” behind “Love” are her owner, Dr. Bryan Waldridge, and her trainer, Tim Wilson.

Coincidentally, among their other duties, Dr. Waldridge, is the equine vet for Old Friends, the Thoroughbred retirement farm in Georgetown, Ky., and Wilson is Old Friend’s farm manager.

Now, Love Love Me Do has a nice pedigree – she’s by Birdstone-Belle Chant, by War Chant – and she has some talent. She just seems to need a little more discipline.

Together, Waldridge and Wilson are working with Love Love Me Do to tap into her talent and, ultimately, get her into the winner’s circle for the first time in her career.

And, they’re work is beginning to pay off.

On Saturday, in just her second race under their tutelage, Love Love Me Do, ridden by jockey Yuri Yaranga, came within a half-length of her first win, as she finished second to 13-to-1 long shot, Cross Your T’s in a $5,000 maiden claiming race at Belterra Park (formerly River Downs) in Cincinnati, Ohio.

In the six-furlong dirt race, Love Love Me Do broke well and stalked race leader, Johnie J, for most of the six-furlong dirt race.

Then, in the stretch, she rallied, and even led for a few strides at one point, but in the end she was caught near the wire by Cross Your T’s, who took away Love’s first win by a half-length.

To date, Love Love Me Do has raced seven times, with this second-place finish being her best to date.

In her first outing for Waldridge and Wilson on May 22, 2015, she finished eighth out of nine in a six-furlong Maiden Special Weight dirt race, also at Belterra Park.

Prior to that, her best finish was a fourth in a five-and-a-half furlong dirt race, on Sept. 27, 2014, also at Belterra Park, in a Maiden Special Weight race.

So, with her second-place outing for Waldridge and Wilson in the books, they are all looking forward to their next race and maybe, just maybe, a chance to all stand in the winner’s circle together.

Love Love Me Do running at Belterra Park on May 22 in a Maiden Special Weight race. Ridden by jockey Yuri Yaranga, she finished seventh. (Photo by Rick Capone)

America’s Hero

American Pharoah romps to win Belmont Stakes and captures first Triple Crown in 27 years

As American Pharoah rounded the final turn in his quest for history in the Belmont Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park on Saturday, June 6, America held its collective breadth as Frosted began to make his move to try and catch the race leader.

Then, it happened. It was a subtle move by American Pharoah's jockey, Victor Espinoza, but it was all that was needed to secure the win.

Espinoza loosened his grip on American Pharoah's reins, and the horse did the rest. He raised his head, he lengthened his stride, and he began to fly down the Belmont stretch. And, with each step he took, he continued to widen his lead on the field, as the cheers from the crowd began to get louder and louder.

Then, with the cheers bellowing from the crowd, American Pharoah not only crossed the finish line with a 5-1/2 length win over Frosted in the Belmont Stakes, but he stepped into the history books as the first horse to win the Triple Crown in 37 years.

American Pharoah, with jockey Victor Espinoza riding, won the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 6, and captured the first Triple Crown in 37 years. (Photo by Jessie Holmes/EquiSportPhotos.com)

"Wow, wow, I only can tell you," said Espinoza, who finally won the Triple Crown after losing it in the Belmont with War Emblem in 2002 and California Chrome last year. "It's just an amazing thing. It's just unbelievable how things work out. It's just an amazing horse like American Pharoah. I was coming to this race with so much confidence the last two times. It's just unbelievable.

Added winning trainer Bob Baffert, "It's very emotional. What a feeling. It's probably going to take a few days to sink in. … All I did was just take in the crowd. The crowd was just thundering and I was just enjoying the crowd and the noise and everything happening.

"We knew we had the horse. We hoped we had the horse. Once Victor got him in the clear and got him into that beautiful mode of the way he just goes over the ground, I just loved every fraction. I saw 1:13 and change; I loved that. I was talking to (my wife,) Jill, the whole way around there and turning for home, I was preparing for somebody coming because I've been through this so many times. I was just hoping for once and I could tell at the eighth pole that it was going to happen."

For Baffert, the fourth time was the charm in his quest for a Triple Crown. He had been on the threshold of winning it three times before – in 1997 with Silver Charm, in 1998 with Real Quiet and in 2002 with War Emblem – but each time, he lost in the Belmont Stakes. This time, he finally got the win.

American Pharoah, whose last name was misspelled following a naming contest held by the horse's owners at Zayat Stables, ran the 1-1/2-mile race in 2:26.65. Even more impressive, he set faster fractions at almost every checkpoint along the way. He opened in 24.77, and then went 24.58, 24.58, 24.34 and then 24.32 as he crossed the finish line.

In the race, he exited the gate a step slow, but that was about the only flaw (if you could call it that) he had the entire race, as Espinoza took him straight to the lead and by the first turn he was ahead by a length over Materiality

"He walked into the gate amazing," said Espinoza. "He was ready today. As soon as I sat in the saddle, there was so much power and so much energy this horse had. He trained perfect, just unbelievable coming into the race."

As he went around the first turn, Espinoza settled his horse and they continued to lead the race down the backstretch and into the final turn, with the field following closely behind in the hopes he would tire.

As they rounded the final turn and headed into the home stretch, Frosted began to close the gap and it looked like he might catch up to American Pharoah. But, that never happened, because that is when Espinoza began to loosen his hold on the reins and let American Pharoah take flight.

As they continued down the stretch, the cheers became deafening, as American Pharoah widened his lead on the horses behind him and finally stepped across the finish line a 5-1/2-length victor.

"It was a beautiful moment," said Baffert in an interview on Sunday morning. "I'll' never forget the sound of the crowd. When he turned for home, and even past the wire, people were just ... they erupted. I've never been involved in anything like that."

To make the day more special, Baffert and Espinoza announced they were making large donations to some charities.

Baffert said he was going to donate $50,000 to four equine charities, including Old Friends, the Thoroughbred retirement farm in Georgetown, where two of his former horses now reside – Game on Dude and Silver Charm, the 1997 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner.

"I want to share this, I want to make sure that those horses that we really love – we have to take care of them," said Baffert."Win, lose, or draw, I was going to do it."

Espinoza donated his entire winnings to a charity he's been involved with for a number of years: City of Hope, a cancer research and treatment facility located in Duarte, Calif.

One other thing that should make this win even more special to people living in Kentucky's Woodford County and the surrounding area, are the number of connections American Pharoah has to the area.

His sire is Pioneerof the Nile stands at WinStar Farm in Versailles, and his dam, Littleprincessemma, is at Summer Wind Farm in Georgetown. (His full pedigree is Pioneerof the Nile-Littleprincessemma, by Yankee Gentleman.)

In fact, Littleprincessemma recently gave birth to a full brother to American Pharoah. His name is Irish Pharaoh – and this time, the name was spelled correctly.

When his race career comes to an end, which will, hopefully, be in the Breeders' Cup Classic on Saturday, Oct. 31, at Keeneland, American Pharoah will stand at Coolmore Ashford Stud in Versailles.

To date, American Pharoah now has seven wins in eight starts and has earned $4,530,300.

As to his future, this Saturday, American Pharoah will be paraded in the Churchill Downs paddock prior to the Stephen Foster Handicap. He will then be flown back to California, Baffert's home base, where tentative plans are to race him one or two more times before the Breeders' Cup.

Such races as the Jim Dandy Stake at Saratoga on Aug. 1, the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth on Aug. 2, the Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Aug. 22 and the Travers Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 29, have been mentioned, but no definite plans have been made yet.

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Information gathered from EquiBase.com, PedigreeQuery.com, NYRA.com, BloodHorse.com.

This article also appeared in The Woodford Sun, Thursday, June 11, 2015.

Old Friends' Karma

There are two sayings at Old Friends, the Thoroughbred retirement farm in Georgetown, Ky., that are gospel.

The first is – It's All About the Horses.

Michael Blowen, the president and founder of Old Friends, bases the foundation of the farm on that saying.

"The horses are the athletes. They are what make the sport. Without them, there would not be horse racing," Blowen has said repeatedly over the years.

It is a great foundation for Old Friends.

The second saying is, more or less, for fun. But, it also keeps happening and because of that, more and more, people believe it it.

That saying is – Old Friends' Karma.

Do something good for the farm and for the horses and your fortunes turn to gold.

Recent case in point – Bob Baffert!

Here's how the karma worked for him…

* Oct. 7, 2014: With his help, his horse, Game on Dude arrived at Old Friends to enjoy his retirement. (Amazombie, not a Baffert horse arrived with him.)

* Dec. 23, 2014: With his help, along with owners, Robert and Beverly Lewis, Three Chimneys farm, and the Japan Bloodhorse Breeders Association, Silver Charm, who Baffert trained and almost won the 1997 Triple Crown, arrived at Old Friends to enjoy his retirement.

* May 2015: Just a few days prior to winning the Kentucky Derby, Baffert, along with his wife, Jill, and son, Bode, drove from Louisville, Ky. to Old Friends in Georgetown, Ky., to visit Silver Charm and Game on Dude. According to an article by Steve Haskin, in Blood-Horse magazine, May 9, 2015, “A Part of History:"

"… It proved to be a cathartic experience for Baffert as he was reunited with the horse who made his career and endeared him to people all over the country. …"

Silver Charm at Old Friend. (Photo by Rick Capone)

 * May 26, 2015: Just a few days before taking American Pharoah to New York for the Belmont Stakes, Baffert invited Michael Blowen and any Old Friends' volunteers who wanted, to come to Churchill Downs to see American Pharoah. It was a fun day for all.

Which brings us to…

* June 6, 2015: American Pharoah romps in the Belmont Stakes and wins the first Triple Crown in 37 years – and the first for Bob Baffert.

Old Friends' Karma! You better believe it!

Welcome to "Watching from the Rail."

I love Thoroughbred horse racing and just wanted to find a way to write articles about the sport. I hope you will enjoy the reading.

Thanks for reading.

Rick Capone
Versailles, Ky.