Claiborne Farm

Old Friends

The February 4 Holy Bull Stakes marked the beginning of champion Classic Empire’s three-year-old campaign as he attempted to begin his run and qualifications to be in the Kentucky Derby starting gate.

Irish War Cry, a son of Curlin, was sent to the front early when the race began, with Classic Empire staying in third early on.

Irish War Cry began to draw away with a narrow margin over the Classic Empire and Talk Logistics just behind him, and looked like he was just waiting for the word to go. Classic Empire and Talk Logistics raced almost in perfect tandem at the half-mile pole and a bit beyond, but it became all Irish War Cry and Joel Rosario. Irish War Cry was full of power as he ran to the wire, finishing up with a lead of 3 ¾ lengths, and looking like he could have finished even further ahead.

Classic Empire briefly took second, before being overcome by Gunnevara to cross the wire in third place.

He was later found to have a foot abscess that was likely to have made him flatten out a bit and retreat from maintaining his second place position.

Irish War Cry certainly has put his name on the list of serious Derby contenders based on this victory, as the road to the first Saturday in May really gets underway. History shows, though, that with a narrow time frame until then that can be impacted by even minor training setbacks, injuries, or foot problems, it is too soon to say which top contenders at this juncture will still be top contenders in early May. This is not to knock Irish War Cry – he looked quite impressive to me in the Holy Bull. More to the point, especially considering the foot abscess, it is too soon to write off Classic Empire.

The Derby trail is always full of intrigue, twists and turns, horses vaulting into the picture or sliding down the ranks, and this year should be no different. I look forward to seeing where it all goes, as always. Hopefully Irish War Cry continues to progress well, and Classic Empire recovers well. It would be interesting to see those two meet again when both are completely in top form.

Royal Delta’s recent loss laid open a gamut of emotions among those who knew her in her racing days, worked with her in Coolmore where she was boarded upon retirement from racing, and fans who followed her avidly. That the loss was sudden and unexpected only compounded those feelings.

Foaling complications took her at the age of 9 – too young, especially for a horse of her caliber.

Coolmore, it’s well-known, is a key player in the world of Thoroughbred racing and breeding. Their farm in Ireland, where Royal Delta had lived since her breeding career began, and where she had been bred to Galileo three times, is one I visited in mid-2012.

You don’t have to visit to realize the standard of care given each horse residing on the property, from the stallions who have stalls in what appear to be their own individual barns, to the mares and foals. But having visited and seen the immaculate grounds, the meticulously kept barns, and the long paths lined with trees where the stallions are walked, it was evident how great the standard of care is, as one would expect at any top-notch farm.

I remember my visit there, the serenity of the property, and the reflection of the affinity for the horse that seems to permeate so much of Irish life, and I know without being told – though it was mentioned – that they did all they could for Royal Delta. They did it because she was Royal Delta, and because she was a horse in their care.

Her loss was just one of those inexplicable, unavoidable twists life throws out every now and then.

As reported by Coolmore, after Royal Delta’s three breedings to Galileo, the only one that resulted in a live foal occurred when she had a filly this year. The first time she didn’t conceive, and the second time she aborted.

Her filly is by all accounts healthy, the longed-for result in what should have been only the beginning of the next phase for Royal Delta. Instead, she is the sole direct genetic link to all Royal Delta was on the track and may be as a producer. With Galileo as a sire and a hard-trying, classy dam as a racehorse, with the well-bred Empire Maker as a maternal grandsire, a mix of great DNA is there to give this filly the chance to be a talented runner. What she becomes, this one tenuous link to Royal Delta’s legacy, remains to be seen. The best bloodlines don’t always shake out as hoped.

All the promise is there though: the promise that guides the planning of pedigree crosses, seeking potential nicks, and the dreams that can grow in morning training and hopefully transfer well to afternoon racing success.

But that is years away for Royal Delta’s filly, if it will be at all.

For today, we remember Delta in all her racing brilliance, for what she meant to us, and for the ride she took us on.

She had many shining moments while she raced, but the most special to me involves a day at Churchill Downs when my nephew and I saw her run. She didn’t win that day, but she stood out to him as a champion, and to me because I have a soft spot for top horses descended from Empire Maker. It was also my nephew’s first visit to a track, something I had wanted to introduce him to for a while. But if he ended up enjoying racing, I wanted him to enjoy it because that’s what he felt on his own and not because I overly swayed him.
My nephew was 7 when we saw Delta race on that night card at Churchill, about the same age I had been when being captivated by a horse and her story drew me in. He was drawn in naturally with no prompting from me, but with a strong boost from Royal Delta. I liked her a lot myself, but liked her more for drawing my nephew in and letting us both share a joy in racing.

When I heard of Royal Delta’s passing, I immediately thought of the moment my nephew discovered racing with her on the track before him even before what she meant to me came to mind.

We saw her soar on the track, and reveal all she was capable of there. Yet there’s still a sense that she was not given the opportunity to fulfill all the promise she could have achieved, and that’s what stings about her being gone.

Yet she gave us a lifetime of memories, and that can never be taken away. Rest in peace, Royal Delta. You are missed.

Kurt Becker, Keeneland’s renowned track announcer, recently took time out of his schedule to speak to my alma mater’s Horse Racing Club. Being immersed in a non-racing job since finishing my BloodHorse internship, it was good to be surrounded by people with similar interests again. It was even better to hear Becker speak of his life and career, though it seemed out of place at first to hear him speaking when a race wasn’t being called!

He told us about the beginning of becoming Keeneland’s first track announcer in 1997 and how they wanted a voice that wasn’t heard everywhere. Becker grew up with a father who was a track announcer, mainly for harness racing, and had called races himself starting in his teen years, so he was well-suited to take the role of track announcer for Keeneland, and to become the voice that is synonmous with it.

He told us how he prepares in the five minutes before the race to memorize silks and pair them up with horse names, and tough race calls he’s had, including one where he wasn’t able to identify a horse whose silks had become covered in dirt and rendered practially unidentifiable, meaning the only time her name was mentioned was right when she hit the wire. But “missteps” like those seem to be few and far between. Astounding to me is that a track announcer can memorize silks and names in such a short span of time and then routinely call them accurately, up to 10 times a day. Sure, it’s his career, but still seems astounding. Becker did admit he still feels pressure each race day but like any top professional, it doesn’t show outwardly, at least to my ears.

He also mentioned he announces at the Keeneland sales, broadcasts for Horse Racing Radio Network, and announces for NASCAR, as well as going back home to Illinois occasionally and calling the county fair races. I know Keeneland only races six weeks a year, roughly, and that does leave a lot of time to pursue other occupational endeavors, but I never knew he is involved in so many other roles. It is always interesting to hear the path someone has taken through the horse industry and the calling they have, especially when someone presents it in an entertaining and relevant way like Becker did.

All the while, his love of the sport and the horse shone through, like when he felt compelled to go to the horse whose name he had called only on the wire of her winning effort. She was up for auction at Keeneland, and he said he does believe animals understand us. I agree – while the words may not mean a lot to them, intent and tone can. He apologized to her for calling her name only once during the race, and wished her well going forward. Other people may have thought him crazy, as he was told that day, but regard for the horses who drive this sport can’t be underestimated.

He also spoke about getting bitten by the bug when he watched Karen’s Look win a race almost every year for six years at the local county fair, which he talked about in greater depth on the website This is Horse Racing, in a series they run called “The Horse Who Changed Everything.”

He also talked about calling Pharoah’s last race, the Breeders’ Cup Classic last fall, and how that was the only race he ever scripted. He did that knowing it was the horse’s swan song, and that by then people knew how great he was, making his victory a likely outcome. He wanted to honor all that Pharoah had been to the sport and incorporated “Grand Slam” and even a bit of Keeneland’s manifesto when they began racing as reminded by racing journalist Bill Mooney. He wrapped up the race call of Pharoah’s final victory by resoundingly describing him as an “everlasting credit to the sport.” Indeed, he was, and how lucky we all were to see him.

Becker also said seeing the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland and the throngs of people that were gathered around the rail four and five deep was like the old days as seen in photos. History and the new seem to always juxtapose at Keeneland like that, in a unique blend that always strikes me, one of timelessness and also innovation.

Becker also spoke of people who helped guide his career to what it is today, from his father to a speech teacher, and of his observations of people and horses in the sport. It was great to hear the stories of his life and career beyond the announcing of races. He absolutely is a great speaker both in and out of the announcer booth, and I do hope one day his schedule allows him to write a book about his life and career.

A perfect autumn Saturday, as Oct. 15 was, couldn’t have been spent in a better way than at Keeneland, I realized as I went outside during work on my lunch break that day and then later found it good for my soul to be out in the sun and near horses.

I was there for the feature, the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup on the turf. I came to see Catch a Glimpse, whose chestnut coat caught the sun and almost reflected it back. But after setting the pace early, the finish and the win belonged to Time and Motion.

As I drove away from the track once the card ended, I was thinking how Keeneland has gone on for generations of horsemen and patrons, fans and bettors, and will after I’m gone too. This was not a morbid thought, it was more along the lines of being grateful that I got to be part of it all as many before me were and many after me will be.

Later, I read that this was actually the anniversary of Keeneland’s first day of racing, on Oct. 15, 1936, and it made it seem even more fortuitous that I had taken part of the afternoon off work to be present, and even the feeling that came over me as I left of being grateful to be part of it all.

A horse named Time and Motion winning that day’s feature also seemed fitting – the blur of speed, the rhythm of the race day, and the time and history that encompasses it all through the decades.

Keeneland also tweeted a photo of two men presenting the trophy for the first race ever held there. They were dressed formally and didn’t smile, which was probably common for the era and the occasion.

Yet I still wondered if they, a century ago, were as glad to be there as I was today? Whoever they were, did they realize they were helping usher in the start of a truly grand stage for racing? Some part of me thinks they must have, there at the beginning for a track built out of the passion for the horse and the sport in a region where so many greats are bred and raced. All of this was going on in a country still trying to find its footing after the Great Depression, but that didn’t stop the people who envisioned Keeneland and “racing as it was meant to be,” a tradition that continues to this day.

I read recently in the Paulick Report about how tracks launched in the 1980s fared, especially finding it of interest that Canterbury Park had a formula that focused more on hopefully creating a lifelong interest in racing among attendees, rather than primarily or solely attracting bettors.

According to the article, the track was “one of the first to innovate now-common approaches to bringing young people and families to the races – petting zoos, pony rides, fireworks, concerts…”

I believe that can be key to drawing people in, particularly those who may never have thought that they were interested in racing. Get them in the door, and then let them see the sport and be drawn in by the beauty of the horses, their athleticism, the pageantry of a day at the races, and an all-around fun day that includes but is not strictly limited to racing.

I also read this article with interest because it reminded me of the day of racing the Curragh provided on day 2 of Irish Champions Weekend on Sept. 11 this year.

Admittedly, the Curragh has a greater history of racing than Canterbury Park. But its premise to Canterbury’s formula that day was similar.

As much as I attended for the racing, making sure my visit to Ireland coincided with that weekend of championship racing and the beach racing at Laytown a few days later, I also greatly enjoyed the Curragh’s partnership with Moyglare Stud.

Moyglare Stud provided free chocolates, ice cream, cotton candy, drinks – soda, water, espressos- and popcorn. They also set up kids’ activities – a carousel, ponies to pet, equicizers and jockey silks to dress in. All of this greatly enhanced the day’s experience and made the day feel extra special. It gave it a bit of a carnival feel and made it an even more memorable occasion. I especially appreciate when horse farms take time to reach out to the next generation or make visitors feel especially welcome. The reception received lingers in the mind, as Moyglare Stud’s generosity that day lingers in mine. And a favorable impression can not only bring people back to the track again and again, it just may mean that one child or young adult there that day remembers Moyglare Stud if they are ever drawn to work in the racing industry, and feel it would be a welcome and inviting place to launch a career.

In Ireland, racing is a much bigger entity and part of life than in the U.S.. Bookmakers’ shops are in most towns and racing is on the front pages of newspapers quite often. There are also several newspapers devoted just to horse racing. Yet even in a country where the racing is a bigger part of life than here, especially when you consider how many racetracks are in a country of its size, I would think Moyglare Stud being involved at Irish Champions Weekend as they were went a long way to making that day a must on the calendars of families whose kids will probably grow up to bring their own kids years down the line.

And speaking of hospitality, I began the second day of Irish Champions Weekend on the Thoroughbred Trail, visiting Dermot Weld on the Curragh as his horses trained, and then branching out around the Curragh to visit two steeplechase trainers’ yards as their horses trained. Every Thoroughbred Trail attendee was given a gift bag, coffee and pastries, but best of all was of course the access to the training hours and seeing some excellent horses and being as welcomed as we were. Training, even on the Curragh and especially not at trainers’ yards, is not open to the public like it is in the U.S. so it feels like a privilege each time to be present. But even beyond that was how gracious the trainers were about letting us walk through their barns, leading their horses out for photos, and letting us get acquainted with them. It’s a hospitality I have greatly grown to appreciate throughout the country, both times I have visited. It is a hospitality that I know will keep me coming back.

And naturally, the racing was top notch too. I got to see Harzand, Found, Minding, and Hawkbill run in the Irish Champions Stakes at Leopardstown on Sept. 10. I got to see the very unique beach racing, held one day a year, at Laytown.

This was also my first time traveling overseas by myself. Ireland has become a part of me, indelibly imprinted in my mind. I know I’ll be back.

Below are a few photos from the racing I attended.

The incredible-looking Harzand in the paddock at Leopardstown prior to the Irish Champions Stakes

Eventual Irish Champions Stakes winner Almanzor

Almanzor, jubilant jockey Christophe Soumillon, and other connections after the Champions Stakes victory

Frankie Dettori and Wicklow Brave upset Order of St. George in the Palmerstown House Estate Irish St. Leger at the Curragh Sept. 11. Order of St. George was described to me as the best miler in the world somewhere along the way, if I remember correctly.

Frankie Dettori after the Irish St. Leger victory

Nearing the wire, racing at Laytown

The racecourse and sea at Laytown

Horses and ocean after the race at Laytown

War Emblem

My video of Silver Charm (sorry for the shakiness at the beginning)

She’s a lovely mare, a chestnut with a coat that appeared even more radiant in the March sunshine. It was great to see warmth and signs of spring at last, as trees began to blossom and songbirds returned. Even if Kentucky may not stay consistently as warm as one may wish when the calendar reaches the first day of spring, it is so welcome to shake off winter and have the days of intense cold so rapidly become a distant memory.

The mid-March day was so warm and pleasant, perfect for visiting horses.

We turned to the chestnut mare’s paddock after seeing Joyful Victory and her newest foal, a Medalgia d’Oro filly who was about two weeks old at the time. Joyful Victory’s next foal, if all goes as planned, will be sired by American Pharoah, according to the information on her stall door. The part of me that revered Pharoah so much felt a little awed knowing that Joyful Victory is of the caliber to visit the Triple Crown winner. But then, I know she is.

My sister, nephews, and I get time with Joyful Victory

Joyful Victory’s 2016 filly

Joyful Victory’s Medalgia d’Oro filly

Before this visit, I last saw her when she was a new arrival at Taylor Made, a little darker and still race fit, and she had an incredible presence about her.

Now it’s time to see if that talent passes to the next generation, and if she and Pharoah can come up with a good runner. Time will tell.

After interacting with the three mares and their foals, we turned to the nearby paddock with Silken Cat, the lovely chestnut, and her companion. She was living the easy life then, having produced top runner and eventual top sire Speightstown as her first foal. That set the tone for a legacy of colts and fillies that commanded high prices at auction. She had earned her complete retirement.

We approached and waited for a chance to interact with Silken Cat. She took a few steps closer, away from her bay pasture mate, but stopped as though the distance was too far.

“That’s odd,” says the Taylor Made employee who took us to see her. “She usually comes right over.”

I lingered a bit longer to watch her. There’s just something about these top mares whose talent shone on the track that draws me in every time. I hadn’t been that familiar with Silken Cat’s achievements on the track, but I’d heard of Speightstown and could see how he alone was enough to make her revered at Taylor Made. She truly was.

I was also touched to read the inscription on the dry erase board Taylor Made has on each mare’s stall door. I don’t remember the exact words but they were something along the lines of “living the well-deserved easy life.” Those words and the way we were taken to see her was with a clear sense of pride in her, and respect for her.

When I originally wrote about the time we spent at Taylor Made and seeing Silken Cat, all the present tense descriptions of her had to be changed to past tense.

For I read a few days after our visit that Silken Cat, the champion and dam of promising progeny, died peacefully in her paddock on March 15. That was the same day we saw her.

Taylor Made shared the news in a fitting tribute to this lovely mare, saying how special she was and how she loved people, peppermints, and carrots.

In fact, I remember our guide saying we should have brought peppermints, and I recall wishing she would come over and let us get to know her. It still felt like a privilege to be in her presence, though.

I know very well from the brief time we were near her, she had a good life at Taylor Made. And a peaceful passing is always a blessing.

After seeing the mares, we saw the barn where American Pharoah was raised as a yearling and then saw a few of the stallions in their paddocks.

A photo in the barn where Pharoah was raised as a yearling

More photos in the barn where Pharoah was raised as a yearling

Graydar

We also were shown California Chrome’s stall with his nameplate, awaiting his retirement from racing. Of course, that’s the stall where I already saw him last year during a layoff, but now all the focus around him is for the intense hope that he prevails in the Dubai World Cup that is so rapidly approaching.

I started an internship at the Blood-Horse last week, and naturally the news has been flowing in constant waves from Dubai.

I liked California Chrome very much during his Triple Crown run. There was just something about him. I then guess I got a little disillusioned after his Belmont loss and some of the controversies that swirled around him. None of that was the horse’s fault, of course. And it’s wonderful to see a popular horse kept in training as long as Chrome has been. I welcome following their careers as long as their connections see fit to race their horses, but it’s especially good to see a career of true longevity. And after seeing Chrome at Taylor Made last year and getting a bit acquainted with him (and the way he poses and draws people in) and now seeing all the news flow in from Dubai, I am really thinking he is the real deal as a racehorse. He looks sharp and ready. Sure, it won’t be easy. It is the World Cup, after all, with a multitude of top horses. But it seemed so easy for him to win his prep in Dubai last month, and I like that he’s been in Dubai for a good while, having plenty of time to acclimate.

However he does and whatever the caliber of his competition, Chrome has firmly won me over once again. He’s been a real eye-catching specimen from the photos I’ve seen from Dubai, and seems poised for a big effort. I wish him and Victor Espinoza the best of luck and a good trip.