Colonial Cup: Taking a first look
Thirteen entries. Twelve runners. Eleven stakes winners. Six Grade 1 winners. A first look at Saturday’s Colonial Cup draws one reaction – wow.
Joe Clancy
Colonial Cup: Divine Fortune sharpens game
Schoolchildren of Delaware, you almost made Jonathan Sheppard’s horses miss the break at Fair Hill Training Center. No, really.
Bottom line always important to Thoroughbred retirement decisions
Wish all you want, racing fans, but owners are always going to make economic decisions when it comes to their horses’ racing careers. Racing is a business, even if it’s often played by people who don’t really need it to be.
And whether your name is Phipps, Janney, Ramsey, Whitney or Smith, Clancy or Muckenfuss, money matters. Roughly, an in-training racehorse costs $100 a day. That’s $36,500 and doesn’t cover everything. Granted, Orb had a chance to earn considerably more in 2014, but his earnings as a stallion should approach $3 million next year. Without setting foot on a racetrack, where it would take an exceptional campaign to get close to that number. A revenue line of $3 million will pay a lot of training bills for a racing stable.
Weekend Preview: Free State Boost
The desk is a mess. The scribbled and jotted notes have scribbled and jotted notes. The calendar is at the printer. The magazine is almost there. It’s an off week in jump racing. And Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away.
On Orb: McGaughey, Janney reflect on retirement
Shug McGaughey and Raymond Floyd hit their tee shots at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on Long Island and walked up the first fairway. Floyd, winner of the Masters, U.S. Open and PGA Championship and a World Golf Hall of Famer, wanted to know what winning the Kentucky Derby felt like. Did it live up to the billing? The hype? The pressure?
So long, champ: Dance To Bristol retires
Ollie Figgins isn’t sure if he’ll climb in the van or not, but nobody would blame him if he did.
Steeplechase: Young forces tie with double at Charleston
We have a jockeys’ race. Sunday’s steeplechase card at Charleston produced a tie atop the National Steeplechase Association leaderboard with Darren Nagle and Paddy Young at 15 wins each.
Winding Down: Jumpers head to Charleston
Two to go. The steeplechase season is reaching its final stages with just two race meets left on the 2013 calendar. Sunday, the troops head to Charleston, S.C. for a five-race card at the Charleston Cup.
Jumping Around: Foyle, ‘Daddy’, ‘Beef’ star
In the shadow of two days of championship racing at Santa Anita for the Breeders’ Cup, steeplechasing went to three venues over the weekend. There were plenty of stories.
Steeplechase: Busy weekend on a busy weekend
Busy weekend for racing fans, especially if the dual-purpose variety with three steeplechase meets on top of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships out at Santa Anita.
