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Sean Clancy Bret Calhoun looked back at his notes for Hip 1336 at Keeneland September 2012. “Fine-boned, small. OK.” Clients Larry Hirsch and Wayne Sanders took Calhoun’s stamp of approval and bought the Elusive Quality filly for $62,000. Out of a stakes-winning daughter of Glitterman, she looked fast in September and stayed fast, at least through July. … Read more
Betsy Houghton stood in the winner’s circle, in disbelief yet again. Princess of Sylmar, born on Betsy and her husband Ronnie’s Sylmar Farm in southeastern Pennsylvania, had just secured her sixth career victory, second consecutive Grade 1 stakes and put herself squarely at the top of the 3-year-old filly division.
One rider adjusted his girth and stopped. Another swung into his saddle and stood. A third buckled his chinstrap and walked. The set of three made a turn under the trees and headed to the main track Friday morning.
Dear Ramon, I wanted to write to you several months ago, after you fell and while you were waiting, wrestling, wondering about your career, your life. I know it’s been agonizing. How are you? I wanted to tell you to be careful with your head, wait for it, don’t make any decisions while it heals. … Read more
Steve Asmussen thought he lost, “They were opposite on the nods. It was no-yes, no-yes, no-yes. I did think she got beat on the wire.”
Bret Calhoun thought he lost, “I didn’t think I got the bob. Man, that would have been such a tough beat, to run that well and to get beat in a head bob.”
Here we are again. A year has come and gone. A year of highs and lows, wins and losses, hellos and goodbyes. That great passage of time, marked yet again by Opening Day of Saratoga. For 150 years, it’s provided the fulcrum…life before Saratoga, life after Saratoga.
One from the archives, written on Opening Day last year. I guess, we’ll know if we get that feeling in a few days…
My friend Richard Valentine asked the question, innocuously, innocently, matter-of-factly, “Do you still get that same feeling when you drive into Saratoga?”
As far as trainers go, there is no bigger star than Todd Pletcher. Nationwide and certainly at Saratoga. He’s won the Saratoga title the past three seasons and has secured nine titles overall. The trainers’ race stops and starts at the TAP sign at the end of his barn.
Albert died. The gold fish. He came from the Clarke County Fair, a year ago. Two of them. We named them Charles and Albert, after the two guys who worked on the farm. One was lean, one was big. I would have called them George and Lenny. Now, Albert’s dead. Miles, 4, is away. What am I going to tell him? He’s 4, he doesn’t really understand death. Nor, do I want him to understand death. I want to protect him. Forever.
David Letterman’s been doing it for years, here is TIHR’s Top 10 Stories from last weekend. As always, the sport offered the good, the bad, the sad and the comical.
