Stopping by the farm
Mostly, I had time to kill. What I got was a great morning and a reminder of a few things. One, horses are cool creatures. Two, horse people work hard. And three, I need to get out of the office more often.
Joe Clancy
It’s Your Nickel scores for breeder Wigmore
Hockey and horse racing. Start a conversation about one or the other and you’re liable to get somewhere. I called Steve Wigmore about both two weeks ago. He owns a horse named after a hockey player I follow (the horse, Gostisbehere, is with Charlie LoPresti; the player, defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, is in his second season with the Philadelphia Flyers) and we published a story last week about them that shed some light on both.
Irish War Cry ready for next step in Fountain of Youth
Fate or circumstance? That’s how trainer Graham Motion put it when explaining the development of Irish War Cry from unraced maiden to Kentucky Derby hopeful in less than four months.
Parker barn rolls to quick start in 2017
Joe Parker thought he would be Pele. Or at least Chinaglia. Beckenbauer maybe? But it wasn’t meant to be. Instead of joining the New York Cosmos and soccer’s elite, Parker wound up becoming a hotwalker, a groom, an assistant, a trainer and – suddenly – one of Thoroughbred racing’s leaders of 2017 with 10 wins from 26 starts.
Gostisbehere the horse looks to score
Charlie LoPresti knows nothing about hockey and when the horse with the long, strange-looking name arrived, the trainer went with what sounded right.
Remembering Jim Stevenson
If Jim Stevenson read this, he’d probably say I overwrote it. Something like that, anyway. But, here goes.
Bodhisattva drives to stakes win
Bodhisattva is like some streets – one way. And there’s no sense changing direction.
Imperial Hint stands tall in General George
Luis Carvajal Jr. tightened the girth on Imperial Hint before Saturday’s General George Stakes at Laurel Park and headed toward the grandstand to watch. The trainer felt some nerves, but also believed his horse – coming in off back-to-back wins – belonged in the Grade 3. Then Carvajal heard some railbirds talking.
Iroquois, Cheltenham renew $500,000 challenge
When Rawnaq won the $200,000 Calvin Houghland Iroquois Steeplechase last May, he not only notched his first Grade 1 success by edging out Irish invaders Shaneshill and Nichols Canyon, but he also catapulted himself into the 2016 Eclipse Award as champion steeplechaser by qualifying to run for the $500,000 Brown Advisory Iroquois Cheltenham Challenge.
Page McKenney leans toward Campbell
Last year, February was February in Maryland. This year, it’s more like May. Or it will be Saturday, and that’s why Page McKenney most likely won’t defend his crown in the Grade 3 General George Stakes at Laurel Park.
