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Sean Clancy 
Last weekend in April. Spring classics right around the corner, here in the U.S. and overseas. Churchill Downs swings doors open for its spring-summer stand, while Santa Anita continues its re-opening, filling void left by Hollywood Park’s closure.
Road trip. Keeneland Friday. Maryland Hunt Cup Saturday. Middleburg Point-to-Point Sunday. Who’s in? Full tank. Iced coffee, on ice. Pistachios. Clif Bars. Audio books. Suits hanging on the driver side. Extra coats in trunk. Binoculars. Money. Round trip: 1,152.57 miles. Estimated 18 hours, 42 minutes of travel. What a game, the Elkhorn at Keeneland will … Read more
A little from Middleburg, Monkton, Atlanta, Charles Town, Saratoga, the road to the Kentucky Derby…
Racing around the world yet again. Hawthorne and Pimlico host big 3-year-old stakes while Keeneland comes through with another stellar card and Charles Town tops it off. Game On Dude, Game on, dude.
My Flag, Grade 1 winner and dam of champion Storm Flag Flying, died April 12, after producing a healthy Bernardini colt. My Flag was 21. The Saratoga Special talked to trainer Shug McGaughey about My Flag and 31 of his best horses in 2004, the year he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. The … Read more
Middleburg, Atlanta, Grand National. It’s time to book an extra van, hire more help, split the stable. Sheppard, Fisher, Elliot, Wyatt, Fout, Morris…Swope.
Taxes done? Put away your snow shovel? Got a Derby banker? Here’s your Here & There for April 15.
Guess, I’m supposed to write something now. This started out as a feature on the front of the website, then it became a blog, then I gave up and started scrolling Facebook (snow in Kentucky, orange moon last night, Shirley stubbed her toe…) and now it’s back as a blog. Here’s the deal, I won … Read more
Disappointing weekend on the racing front. Just one runner, Valdez, at Ayr. Five of us huddled around Racing UK, ready for splendor. Instead, it was sputter. Well, Valdez finished second, but beaten a long way and never providing the spark he showed earlier in the season. A month after Cheltenham, perhaps, that effort still lingering. … Read more
Has it been a week already? Time flies. Keeneland and Oaklawn Park offer two last two big stones across the Triple Crown river. Strong cards at both places, as well as quality racing around the world. Here is your Saturday Special for April 12.
