When Sixtythreecaliber stepped into the starting gate for an allowance optional claiming race at Saratoga on July 19th, she brought a record of 5 wins from 11 starts into the race. She broke her maiden in her second start and became a graded stakes winner by the end of her first season of racing. She also won her first stakes race, the non-graded Seneca Overnight Stakes at Churchill Downs in September 2022. That victory added to the impressive tally of wins for progeny of Gun runner, her sire. He had five stakes winners that day.

I invested in Sixtythreecaliber as part of a bundle of yearlings My Racehorse purchased from a Keeneland sale. Each yearling was offered individually as well, but I opted for the less expensive bundle, although it did not have the perks that came with individual shares of horses. It still let me get updates on each horse in the bundle and follow along throughout their journey to get to the races and then root for them when they raced.

I met Sixtythreecaliber when she was on a layup at Silver Springs, where she was recovering from tieback surgery. At that point, although I knew the intent of the surgery was to get her in condition to race successfully, I didn’t know how her race career would play out. Part of me even wondered if she would get to the races.

One thing I’ve learned for sure from the My Racehorse experience is how many little setbacks can occur just trying to get a horse to the races. So I was hopeful but adopted a position of waiting and seeing how it would play out for her.

What I did discover that day was what a sweet horse she is. She was perfectly willing to rest her head in my arms for what seemed like nothing so much as a cuddle. I was enamored.

When she began racing and it was evident she is all heart, always trying hard, and being a bit of a fighter to excel, that further endeared her to me. It always stands out to me when a horse takes on challenges with an innate drive to persevere.

When Sixtythreecaliber raced in the Seneca that September last year, I would have loved to be in attendance since it was so close to Lexington, my home at the time. But I was facing an imminent surgery and had to avoid crowds so I didn’t potentially contract anything that would compromise my chances of having the surgery when it was scheduled.

I cheered her on from home and seeing her win that first stakes race of her career was so thrilling that it eased the sting of not being able to experience it all in person.

Saratoga opened their annual boutique meet on July 13th this year, and Sixtythreecaliber stepped onto the track to race there in their second week of racing. She was seeking her first win of 2023, after notching a few placings in stakes races earlier this year. That explained the decision to enter her in an allowance optional claiming race.

Post time was a few moments after my work shift concluded, and Sixtythreecaliber was last in the initial stages of the race. When she began moving up through the field, it looked like she would hit the board in third, and it was impressive to see how she made up ground. But I should never underestimate how she’s all heart!

She kept going and won in a thriller, surging to the lead nearly in the shadow of the wire and holding off Nostalgic, who was charging hard on her outside. It was a wonderful interlude after the work day.

I was elated – at the manner of the win, how much heart she has, and that she won at such a boutique meet. Later, when she returned to the worktab at Saratoga after that race, her trainer Tom Amoss remarked that she is thriving at the upstate New York track.

She is a horse of top caliber, indeed. I’m glad to have a little investment in her journey, and even more to have the connection to her that I feel.

No matter that I am in a state without horse racing now, moments like those transmit a great deal of the sensations of attending in person. I am grateful for that.

Recently I saw an update about American Heiress, the first horse I ever invested in through My Racehorse, about her filly and that the farm where she lives is waiting to see if she is in foal to Essential Quality. The way the farm employee phrased how they were waiting for her pregnancy scan to reveal a foal made it sound like they were quite eager for her future as a producer and I was happy to read that. 

Even though American Heiress, daughter of American Pharoah and Keertana, did not pan out as a racehorse with a small number of starts to her credit, she endeared herself to me with her sweet nature and several different occasions when we got to spend time together one-on-one. 

I also already felt a bit of a connection to her prospective foal of 2024, the one they are waiting to see if she will have from the cross with Essential Quality, because his Belmont in 2021 was the first I had ever attended of that race. 

It was actually a bit of a funny story that I purchased my ticket to that race in installments and I did not even remember I had done it until I received an email that the second installment was due. I have no recollection of when I purchased the first installment, and when I got the email that the second installment was due I called Belmont Park to check that they would allow attendees or if there were restrictions about that because Churchill Downs had still limited attendance to their signature race in the Triple Crown series in 2021. 

Since I could not recall when I had purchased the ticket I did not know if they had considered how many people could attend or not and if that would affect my seating arrangement. They did have limited attendance but I was able to complete my purchase. 

When I arrived at Belmont Park on that first Saturday in June for the race, they had placed seat cushions in each spot where they had assigned a seat to a ticketholder and placed significant space between each seat purchased to allow for social distancing. Masks and proof of covid vaccination were also supposed to be required, but when I arrived no one asked to see my proof of covid vaccination. 

I had an amazing spot right in front of the finish line directly at the rail. I also enjoyed that due to the social distancing aspect no one was going to crowd in on my space.

All was set for a perfect view until unfortunately, for the actual Belmont Stakes, they starting gate crew stood up in front of those of us at the rail at the wire and blocked our view. I had never attended a race where the starting gate crew didn’t kneel or crouch underneath the the rail so they did not block paying patrons’ views. And I could not believe they did that there, especially for a Triple Crown race. 

Since they had blocked my view of getting a good photo of Essential Quality winning, I went over to the winners’ circle to get photographs of him that still somewhat showcased his victory, and that was how I coincidentally ended up in the background of some professional photographers’ captures of his winners’ circle ceremony. 

When I spotted myself in their photos later, I thought that was pretty neat to happen for the first Belmont I ever attended and would not have happened if my view did not get blocked at the wire. 

So when I read that American Heiress was bred to him, I reflected back on his Belmont and this experience there, and thought that would be neat if there is a foal by the first horse whose Belmont I attended and out of the first horse I ever invested in. 

I share some of the hope the farm where she lives has for that prospective foal, for those reasons named above, and I love to be reminded of the hope that is inherent in racing and that we can usually find in the world even when circumstances can at times be difficult. 

I also look forward to when they share updates about American Heiress’ first foal, the filly born this year, and maybe one day –  even though I have moved away from the racing state where I lived – I will see one of her foals race. But I know for sure I don’t have to live in a racing state to feel connected to racing and that is what matters – that I find the ways to keep that connection alive.

My Racehorse recently hosted a wonderful day of farm visits to see multiple horses affiliated with them, as well as a few standouts that are not. Departing from Keeneland Racecourse on a Gold Shield bus, the first stop was WinStar Farm, where Miss Macy Sue noisily greeted the group (she was typically turned out at that time but kept in a little longer to be shown). Mark Taylor hosted the visit at WinStar, and shared insights gleaned from his years at the farm. He pointed out the best attributes of Miss Macy Sue, a stellar-looking mare for any age, but especially at age 20. Taylor said she is a perfect example of what a Thoroughbred should be, and further noted that there are mares who will dominate the stallions they are bred to every time, mares that will dominate half the time, and some who always have the influence of stallions show in the foals they produce. He said Miss Macy Sue was one who dominated every time, and that she has two stallion sons to her credit in Liam’s Map and Not This Time is another feather in her cap. He also said her owners know she did enough for them with the foals she produced, so she has been retired from breeding. Taylor said as good as she looks, it could have been tempting for some owners to breed her still.

Then Wicked Lick and her 4 1/2 month old colt by Authentic came out to meet the group. Mark Taylor went through conformation points of note the colt possesses. After that, it was on to meet 2019 Kentucky Oaks winner Serengeti Empress and her gray pasture buddy Noted and Quoted.

Leaving the mare and foal division of the farm, we went to see stallions Knicks Go and Not This Time, with Mark Taylor again providing insight into their conformation. He had a wealth of knowledge that I found interesting, more so for it being geared to industry professionals with existing familiarity with horse racing. He also mentioned how Taylor Made was considered to be on the outskirts of top farms with good soil, but with their nutrition program that did not hold as much relevance as it could have, and the stakes winners raised on the property attest to that. I enjoyed that he conducted that part of the day’s events for how much I learned, and it seemed to be a continuation of what I gleaned from classes that were specifically encompassing the equine part of the University of Kentucky’s Equine Science and Management Degree.

After WinStar, it was on to Spendthrift to see another Horse of the Year, Authentic, and the primary reason I booked this tour – to meet Monomoy Girl at last! As I avidly followed her career since shortly before she won Keeneland’s Ashland Stakes en route to Kentucky Oaks victory and jumped at the chance to buy microshares in her last year of racing in 2021, I was quite excited for the opportunity. Seeing her featured a bonus visit with Beholder, freshly inducted into the Hall of Fame in her first year of eligibility. She was stabled directly across from Monomoy Girl, so our group got to feed both mares carrots and Got Stormy as well, stabled further down the barn.

Feeding Monomoy Girl the carrot was a wonderful moment of communion with a mare I’ve admired for years. Though it was a simple moment, it was giving her something she loved and finding connection and joy in that. And what a beautiful thing to experience when first meeting a horse who means so much. I am grateful to My Racehorse and Spendthrift for providing that opportunity. Not long from now, I will be moving out of Kentucky and away from these horses I’ve had such pleasure in being around over the years. It was an unexpected change, so I am even more glad to have met Monomoy Girl before I go. As I will be in a state without a racing industry once more, I know I will look back on that memory and others made over the years fondly. Yet I hope one day to be back in a racing industry, once I’ve had a bit of a reset, particularly as I will soon tackle the Racing Officials Accreditation Program and would like to utilize that training eventually.

But that is in the future, and this day was about enjoying the visits with all the horses we got to see. The visit wrapped up with future offerings for My Racehorse, and some who are sold out and on layup. There was also a polydactyl cat in their training barn; the first time I’ve ever seen one outside of photos.

It was an idyllic day to visit Gainesway, and see most of their six active stallions. All was quiet and peaceful, as the stallions begin to settle into the lull between breeding seasons. I noted the fairly new stone placed by the fountain to honor Empire Maker, one of my favorite racehorses.

Raging Bull was brought out for the tour group, followed by Tapit.

After seeing those stallions outside, the guide took us through the breeding shed and the barns to see a few other stallions. I was glad to see Afleet Alex again, who was pensioned from breeding this year and is now living the easy life. He will stay at Gainesway for the rest of his days. While he was not the most commercial stallion his whole life, I am still glad he stayed in Kentucky and at one farm. The guide talked about what a good-natured horse he is; that and the way he snatched victory from what seemed like near-certain defeat in the Preakness have always made him stand out to me.

The visit wrapped up at the circular mare and foal barn, which had once been a dairy barn, and where I had never gone before. The guide hoped to show us mares and foals up close but they were all at the far end of the pasture, the lure of the grass there apparently too strong!

It was an enjoyable visit.

On a recent visit to Chicago with my nephew, I took the opportunity to visit Hawthorne for the first time. Tentative plans to visit Chicago with him, and lovely Arlington, did not pan out so if we wanted to visit a racecourse in that area, Hawthorne it was.

While it would never be considered on a par with Arlington’s charm (a track I only visited once, but that was enough to make it one I both wanted to introduce other people to and one I will miss), the visit to Hawthorne was a nice lowkey end to a vacation that had been packed with activity each other day, and I still found a somewhat rustic charm to the track. While I liked the outdoor setup trackside, I didn’t enjoy the small overly crowded indoor area, and it was unusual that there didn’t seem to be public access to see the horses in the paddock. I did inquire about that and was told how to get there, but there was a sign posted where I had been told to go that said it was for horsemen only. I have read since my visit that construction on Hawthorne’s casino was halted months before October 2021, and is expected to resume at the end of this year. That may explain why public access to the paddock was off-limits, as well as why the grandstand which was behind the path to the paddock had no spectators in it. In addition, there was not an admission charge though I had read there would be one, and that too may have been because grandstand seating was not an option.

The day of our visit coincided with Belmont Stakes day. I had not thought of that when I planned the trip in March (it’s been a stressful year, and sometimes details like that get lost), but I had chosen that date because Hawthorne would hold the Work All Week Stakes that day. While it was not a graded race, it was a chance to see one of their bigger races.

I did enjoy the trackside atmosphere, as previously mentioned. While it was a lowkey setting, the picnic tables and benches seemed to intimate a family day out, which is what this was for my nephew and myself and I enjoyed having a table to spread out on. There was also a tent nearby with TVs inside, with several set to Belmont Park’s simulcast signal. I was glad to have a place to watch the Belmont Stakes when the time came outside of the crowded indoor area and also have more tables and chairs. It was never too crowded outdoors to have access to a table to ourselves, either in the tent or alongside the track rail.

My nephew picked a winner early on, who later had an article written about him since he was his sire’s first winner. While we didn’t actually bet, my nephew was quite happy to pick a winner. For myself, I enjoyed a chance to be back at the races for the first time since Keeneland concluded its spring meet, particularly as I was having some issues that made it difficult to attend as much as I would have liked, but since that was not an option I could accept it and was just glad to watch the live feed of the races from home. Speaking of Keeneland, during the few times I do attend a track without a video screen like that central Kentucky plant has, it does first seem unusual, outside of the norm. And without paddock access, that may have been beneficial, but after a little while I realized what I did enjoy about Hawthorne was it seemed to let one more purely take in the horses and the experience, without analysts interjecting their commentary into the day. And I do love to connect with the horses more, through observation, if not actual contact.

After watching the Belmont where Rich Strike didn’t manage an effort on par with his Derby win (although according to trainer Eric Reed, he apparently did attempt a similar run by trying to get to the rail – where of course he launched his Derby winning bid from – more than he tried to run down actual rivals) and Mo Donegal won, we watched a few more races at Hawthorne and then called it a day.

While Rich Strike likely proved his Derby win was a stroke of luck, it is still inspiring that he won for a small stable, and that the racing world was introduced to the close, touching bond between him and his groom Jerry Dixon Jr.

While Hawthorne is not a track of the caliber of Keeneland or Arlington, I still enjoyed my day there. It’s not a track I would feel drawn to again and again like those named above, but it is one I am glad I saw once to form my own impressions of it. One other aspect that stood out to me, as a racing history enthusiast, were several photos from the 1940s and 1950s mounted on a wall. One showed a race winner receiving a tall trophy filled with carrots, dipping his nose in enthusiastically, and several people in the winner’s circle with him munching on a few of the carrots with large smiles on their faces. It was a contrast to typical winner’s circle photos, standing out for the levity and the immediate reward to the winning horse.

A recent visit to Ashford, famously home to American Pharoah and Justify, began in their visitors’ center, allowing a significant glimpse into the farm that began to house Thoroughbreds as the grand vision of Dr. Bill Lockridge, once he converted it from a cattle farm. Even the cattle that lived there, however, had been a top-notch enterprise. According to an article by Maryjean Wall, the cattle raised there were frequent winners at cattle shows.

It was interesting to read her article and realize how much meticulous planning had gone into the farm when Lockridge started the process of renovating it to suit his specifications. All was done to convey an impression of elite status, just like the horses he wanted to inhabit the barn that now is home to American Pharoah and Justify. In fact, Lockridge said if he never found six horses of the caliber he desired to fill that barn, then there would be empty stalls. American Pharoah, of course, has already proven himself as a sire and it remains to be seen how Justify will fare, but if he is half the sire his own sire was he too should have met the standards Lockridge sought.

What I also did not know previously was that the farm is called Ashford because of the castle in Ireland where Lockridge stayed while seeking to acquire the stallion Storm Bird to be the first inhabitant of the barn in Kentucky that was meant to be evocative of a castle. It is very possible if Storm Bird had only sired Storm Cat, his contribution to the Thoroughbred would be assured. A link to one of the future denizens of Ashford was his daughter Line of Thunder through her son Thunder Gulch.

While the visitors’ center contained an impressive array of articles, photos and racing trophies displaying the history linked to Ashford, the equine cemetery showcased its history with equal reverence. Pausing at Thunder Gulch’s gravesite, the tour guide recounted how he was the stallion that was pastured next to new arrivals since he had a calming effect on them while they adjust to life off of the racetrack, and indeed I remember hearing he served that role with American Pharoah too. It is another link between past and present, as well as an anecdote I enjoyed for what it revealed of Thunder Gulch’s nature. I like to know what they were like, beyond the statistics of race records and sire records for as important as those are, they do not tell the whole story of all that a horse was or is.

There is a beautifully landscaped area in front of a stone wall a short distance from the equine cemetery, which provides another link between past and present. The current stallions are posed there for marketing purposes and conformation photos.

I was glad to hear Cigar receive recognition too as we stood at the equine cemetery, and that his name is on a stall at Ashford still as a former resident. While his time there was short-lived due to his infertility, they still recognize that he was one of the greats of the sport who spent some time there, even though the hoped-for stud career did not pan out. That is definitely the strongest impression a visit to Ashford provides, the reverence for the horse which began with styling a barn worthy of equine royalty and continues when they relate how sweet American Pharoah is with the mares and how Maximum Security leaned towards his groom for a show of affection.

When American Pharoah was brought out into the sun, the tour guide said he is ten now. I had lost track of that; visits here to anyone but breeders had understandably been off limits for a lot of the time since the pandemic began. I then thought, at age ten he hopefully has many years left. That is not a thought I normally have about horses as I prefer not to dwell on that but to enjoy the time in their company. But I knew why that thought came to me – it was wonderful to see American Pharoah again, and that mattered most of all, but I also had a fleeting thought about lost time, a bit wistfully. That is certainly what the pandemic and some non-pandemic related health challenges I have faced represented, but the thought didn’t linger. And I knew that was because I was grateful to be around these horses once more. Paul Simon sang life is what you make of it and I believe that and in that moment what I made of it was being there mattered more than any times not being there, for we go forward as best we can. Even if life throws obstacles and curve balls our way, it also gives us lovely May days of flowers and sunshine and the serenity a farm like Ashford bestows.

Source:

Wall, Maryjean. “Texan Builds A Castle Fit For a Horse.” Lexington Herald and Leader, November 14, 1981.

This year’s Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby seemed indicative of reaching for dreams, and how sweet it can be when they are realized. In the case of the Kentucky Oaks, it was seeing D. Wayne Lukas add another Oaks victory to his tally at the age of 86, and age doesn’t have to be an obstacle to success. Certainly in his case, as a racing icon, that should never be doubt but it was great to see him reach that pinnacle again. At the post-race press conference, he talked about realizing there was not a playbook for horse trainers to learn the trade, and he made a commitment to teach others along the way, many of whom have gone on to become top-notch trainers in their own right. The owners of Secret Oath, his latest Oaks winner, mentioned that as a service to racing. Lukas also spoke about the rapport he has with those he mentored to this day, and how horse racing can create a lasting bond. He also said he wanted the victory for the owners more than himself, since he’s already had that experience. While horse racing gets a lot of bad press and isn’t perfect, how it can unite and uplift people on the good days is worth noting.

Moving on to the Derby, it turned out Lukas had an impact on its outcome by withdrawing Ethereal Road the day before it ran, citing him not seeming quite as good as he had in his training earlier in the week and wanting to save him for the Preakness if that suited him, instead of use him hard in the Derby. That moved Rich Strike into the race, with less than an hour before another horse could draw in if one scratched. In fact, Rich Strike’s trainer Eric Reed later related that he had already been notified no horses scratched and he wasn’t in the race, since it was so close to the scratch time allowing another horse to draw in. But shortly after that, his exercise rider told him they did get in and he told her she had bad information, because they had removed the security guard from his barn. Then he got a call from steward Barbara Borden who asked him if he wanted to draw in from the also-eligible list, and he had to catch his breath to say yes.

I saw Rich Strike Tuesday of Derby week, during the designated training time for Derby and Oaks contenders. I didn’t realize until later he was also-eligible, and I didn’t know anything about his race record, but I did walk away impressed by his physical appearance.

It was just the beginning of one of the Kentucky Derby’s most improbable sequence of events and results. Summer is Tomorrow took the lead initially, setting fast fractions, and Crown Pride and Messier had a compelling duel among themselves before they fell back. It had been mentioned ahead of this Derby it seemed like an evenly matched field, or at least there were no superstar standouts but a lot of horses that had a chance to make a mark on the race. That appeared to hold true when in deep stretch it looked like a handful of horses began mounting challenges, although two touted as top contenders – Epicenter and Zandon – began a duel that appeared it would go right to the wire. Their battle for the lead was such a source of focus for most watching that few noticed the chestnut colt surge forward on the rail until he grabbed victory nearly at the last possible moment. It was Rich Strike, the horse who nearly didn’t get to run the race, under a masterful ride by Sonny Leon. He and the colt even had to go around a tiring Messier to seek the victory.

While I was watching the gate crew load Rich Strike, I was thinking how lucky they kept training him like he’d start that day. While his race record did not suggest Derby success was in the cards, the very improbability makes it more fantastic. The look on jockey Sonny Leon’s face after the race of amazement mingled with perhaps a touch of disbelief was the visual echo of the incredulity in Tom Durkin’s voice when he called Mine That Bird’s rail-skimming 2009 Derby win “an impossible result.” Yet the look on Leon’s face was not indicative of not having faith in the colt he rode; in the post-race press conference it was clear all the connections believed he belonged in the Derby, even if they weren’t sure being the victor was how it would play out for him. But Leon was riding his first Derby ever – easy to see how that feeling would sweep over him after the win!

Trainer Eric Reed recounted thinking he knew they had a good horse, maybe a Derby horse, and then he and the owner worked backwards from the first Saturday in May to pick spots to hopefully get to the Derby. He quoted bass fisherman Mike Iaconelli, who said, “Never give up.” Things like this can be inspiring to people even outside the circle of those connected to the horse, and that quote from Iaconelli and how it all played out spoke volumes to me, as I’ve been facing physical challenges from an accident that have kept me from work and been tough to persevere through, and this result is such a feel-good story for the connections and for what it says to me to keep going through obstacles and when odds can be stacked against you.

As Reed relayed how he found out Rich Strike drew in, it became more evident why the “don’t give up” quote resonated so deeply. “We knew what we had. I’m not telling you by any means we’d have the Derby winner but if we didn’t think we were going to be in the Derby we wouldn’t have been prepping for this all year. We know we had a horse that was going to be capable of running good. So anybody that’s in this business – lightning can strike.

“I had a guy that was assigned to us and he would give me a lot of information every day, each time a horse would withdraw, and one time we were twenty-fourth and we got up to twenty-second. And then the Lexington Stakes came and we were back to twenty-fourth. We came here on a prayer and I told my dad and I told Rick the worst thing that could happen to us is they call a day or two before the Derby and say, ‘You’re going to get in,’ and not be prepared. We trained against all odds, nobody thought we could get in, we got a defection, we got another one. The morning of the entries at 8:45 I was notified there were no scratches. We were not going to get in. The security guard was told to leave the barn. I texted my dad it didn’t happen, texted some friends, ‘We didn’t get in. Sorry guys.’ I went in to my crew because I knew they were going to be really let down and I said, ‘Guys, we didn’t make it but we were number 21.’ And I said, ‘We’ve got to get ready for the Peter Pan next week. If we run well, we’ll go to the Belmont and show them we belong.’ And I was trying to keep their spirits up. It didn’t matter how I felt. I had to keep my crew going, and they were really sad.

And then about five minutes to 9, my pony girl Fifi calls me on the phone and she goes, ‘Don’t do anything with your horse. Don’t move him.’ I said, ‘What do you mean?’ She calmed down and said, ‘No, you’re getting in.’ I said, ‘No, I’m not. Somebody gave you bad information.’ And she goes, ‘I’m telling you, I just got notification Wayne is scratching and you’re going to get in.’

Then Barbara Borden calls, and she says, ‘This is the stewards. Tomorrow in the twelfth race, the Kentucky Derby, do you want to draw in off the also-eligible?’

And I couldn’t even breathe to answer to say yes. I was like, ‘What just happened?’ I was told no, I lost my security guard and now I’m in.”

The morning after the Derby, Reed told gathered media, “I don’t get these horses, 10 or 12 a year like some. I get one a lifetime, so I’ve got to protect him. I’d like him to be here in a couple years and not just have a few races and something goes wrong.”

Reed said Rich Strike will ship to his private training center in Lexington while they assess if he looks set to contest the Preakness. When asked if he felt an obligation to go to the Preakness, he replied, “My obligation is to Rich Strike first, and if Ritchie’s ready to go and I think it’s the right thing for him, we’re gonna go. I need him around a long time. As long as he’s okay after a week and I know it’s the right thing to do we’ll do it. And I want to go – that’s naturally what we want to do – but I have to do what I’ve done from day one with this horse and that’s manage him to take care of him, cause he’ll take care of the rest if I do.”

A toast to the newest Derby winner!

An expected thunderstorm burst forth shortly before the designated training time for the Derby and Oaks horses the morning of May 3, but fortuitously it ended a few moments before the horses were due on track. The anticipation waiting for the horses to appear before me was tremendous, and wonderful. I watched the horses gather at the gap on the large screen, only recognizing White Abarrio for his light gray coat and distinctive blue and yellow tack, and Ethereal Road because D. Wayne Lukas was beside him on a pony. Trainer John Ortiz adjusted the tack on Barber Road, as he also was alongside his charge on a pony. The adjustment seemed to reveal the point of pride having this Derby contender, his first, represented. Barber Road (his name quite reminiscent of Barbaro’s to me, though no doubt not intentional) stood calmly but with complete focus on the track.

Mo Donegal was the first of the Derby contenders to run by that day, then as always the action was fast and furious, so much that as I tried to get photos of some horses running by, others just making their way near the grandstand photobombed them!

I was glad to see Messier, Taiba, and Classic Causeway. While I don’t have a Derby pick – this year I want to see how it unfolds – those three intrigued me due to their sires, with the last named being interesting due to being one of the last small crop for Giant’s Causeway and carrying the torch for his sire one more time. This also is the only time I will see the Derby horses in the flesh Derby week, so it made it even better to see them and also that it was with a small crowd present.

Before the Derby and Oaks designated training period ended, Barber Road loaded into the starting gate for schooling. That is the first time I’ve seen gate schooling during Derby week.

As the analysts mentioned during their running commentary that morning, now all is maintenance and keeping the horses happy until the big day. The stage is set, indeed, with luxury merchandise tents and fencing in place outside the track, and the contenders on site. Wishing a safe trip to all!

As April wound down, it was lovely to experience time with horses at Old Friends and Kenny McPeek’s Magdalena Farm, as well as take in a few more races at Keeneland.

It is always wonderful to see Silver Charm enjoying time among his lush paddock – in fact the grass must have been quite tempting as he didn’t leave it immediately to come over to the fence for carrots. Now the oldest living Derby winner, his looks belie his age.

Nearby, Swain stood in a pasture. A fairly new arrival to Old Friends, I had not seen him in about a decade when he gazed out of a window from his stall. In fact, he was focused so intently on the scene that I recall joking with my companion he must see something we couldn’t, like his own personal circus, and that is why I still think of the phrase “Swain’s Circus” when I see him. Of course, he was also a top-notch racehorse and I have heard that one definition of the “look of eagles” is when a horse seems to look right through people around them and off into the distance, presenting a noble demeanor. Either way, he left an impression on me that day long ago and while the tour group I was with did not walk down to see him, I took the opportunity while they explored the equine cemetery. I was glad to get the chance to see Swain again, and while a slight dip in his back (to be expected) revealed years that have passed since he was foaled, he looked great too for his age. I don’t know his demeanor and therefore didn’t try to interact – plus he seemed content to stand in peace – but his face looked sweet.

When we arrived at Old Friends, I had noted Medina Spirit’s gravestone, newly arrived. It was poignant to see, and someone had placed a wreath of roses at its base.

Then it was on to Magdalena to see a few mares and foals.

Keeneland wrapped the spring meet two days after I went on that farm tour, and I snapped a photo of its serene beauty.