11 Grade 1 Races This Weekend…Only ONE on ESPN

Last week, at the NTRA’s marketing summit, a lot of talk centered on how to attract and keep the next generation of fans.  The first part would be having horses stay around long enough for us to enjoy them.  The second part would be broadcasting the races where these stars are competing!!!
This weekend are the PLAYOFFS [...]

GAWKED: BOURBON COUNTY SECRETARIAT FESTIVAL 2008

After 35 years, the spirit of Secretariat still gallops strong through the hearts of racing fans, as evidenced by the turnout at the first Bourbon Co. Secretariat Festival last Saturday.  The line for the autograph session with Penny Chenery wrapped around the exhibition building, and tours of Claiborne Farm, where Secretariat lived after his retirement [...]

Infield at Claiborne Farm

Thanks to the McKinley Connection, I got an incredible tour of Claiborne Farm after the backside excursion last Friday.  A short but scenic drive up the road to Paris brought us all to Claiborne’s office, where stallion groom Tony Battaglia waited to show us around.  Battaglia works with Eddington and During.  In 1976, he trained Boldson [...]

Infield on the Backside

Despite the miraculous nature of modern technology and hour of uploading and formatting, the previous entry was still FUBAR.  Here are some photos from my visit to the Thoroughbred Center in Lexington last Friday morning.
 
 

InField Trip Day 1: Walk Like an Insider

Brisk morning at the training track.  Long, low barns glowing white in the sunlight.  Horses galloping past railbirds with stopwatches.  It helps to know someone pretty famous in the horse world to get behind the scenes access like I experienced today.  I haven’t mentioned this before, but I am friends with Jim Gaffney, former exercise rider [...]

InfieldTrip: BOURBON CO. SECRETARIAT FESTIVAL

The Infield is an equal-opportunity blogger:  Top stakes races are not the only places you’ll find people slogging beer and looking at thoroughbreds.  This weekend, I’m headed to Paris, KY, home of the first-ever Bourbon County Secretariat Festival. 
The event is in honor of His Highness Big Red’s retirement to Claiborne Farm 35 years ago.  The big red [...]

BIG BROWN VICTORIOUS! + MUSIC NOTE & PROUD SPELL!!

By now most Infield readers know that Big Brown won on Saturday, holding off Proudinsky in a thriller stretch drive (I think that must be my favorite phrase, seriously).  The Derby Winner has passed the “beat older” test with winning colors…now on to synthetic and CURLIN! 
There is no way now for Curlin to repeat as [...]

BIG BROWN vs OLDER HORSES & and OFF TRACK

Big Brown is such a star that Monmouth Park has carded a race just for him, the Monmouth Stakes at 11/8 miles on turf.  I suppose the idea was to get an easy prep in for the BCClassic, but this has turned out to be anything but for the presumptive 3yo champ.  The half-million dollar [...]

Infield Favorite Alert!

MY LITTLE CONNOR

Notes
 

Activity type
Entry

Activity date
09-13-2008

Track
Arlington

Surface
All Weather Track

Distance
1 1/8 Miles

Race number
12

Purse
$11,500

Claim price
$5,000

Individual claim price
Not Entered for Tag

Race type
Starter Allowance

Post position
9

Jockey
Alvarado J

Race entry
http://www.drf.com/entries/13/eAP13.html#12

GO CONNOR!
Stick around after the A/W Futurity on Saturday and catch an Oaklawn fave.  Connor is 20-1 ML and likes to win off of a layoff (he did in March).  Extra points if it’s a [...]

Winner’s Circle Presentation

Here it is! 

I’d like to thank Thunder Gulch for winning the 1995 Kentucky Derby and making my first pick a winning one.  I’d also like to thank Al Gore for inventing the internet that allows me to keep up with all the racing info I need to win awesome contests like SAUHBR.    Thanks again BT, [...]