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Tom Law 
Several hours before Tom Brady and the New England Patriots staged a furious fourth-quarter comeback of the seriously gassed Atlanta Falcons’ defense to win the Super Bowl another star on the West Coast added to her growing reputation with a thoroughly professional victory at Santa Anita Park.
In the midst of a late morning in late September at Mark Casse’s barn at Saratoga Race Course, the small string left behind in upstate New York with upcoming engagements at various venues relaxed while the barn staff went through their final chores for the day.
Regardless of what Punxsutawney Phil did this week – for the record he saw his shadow, forecasting six more weeks of winter – spring is not too far down the road. The dawn of February a few days ago means it’s really time to get serious on the road to the Triple Crown and to Cheltenham and this week’s Saturday Special presented by Pin Oak Stud sets the stage for a big start to February.
The inaugural extravaganza that was the Pegasus World Cup is in the books and it delivered what its founders and organizers wanted – pitting the best older horses in training against each other for a big purse in front of a big on- and off-track crowd. Arrogate made the race look pretty good – and easy for that matter – running off to another dominating victory for his sixth straight win.
The late-morning sunshine peeked through the windows as Bill Mooney gathered file folders, a jacket, sack of medicine and some other belongings from his room at a hospice facility in north Lexington last October. He was about ready to walk out into the quiet carpeted hallway when he stopped, spun around and grabbed a book from a desk near his comfortable looking lounge chair in the center of the room.
Rare is the day when you get a rematch of the first two finishers from the previous year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic. Even more infrequent is the chance it occurs within just a few months’ time. Racing fans enter a whole new world Saturday with the chance to see such a rematch, between Arrogate and California Chrome, in the inaugural $12 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational.
(Editor’s note: The days are ticking away until the inaugural $12 million Pegasus World Cup, which packs a powerful purse and plenty of star power. The publicity staff at Gulfstream Park is churning out plenty of preview copy about the world’s riches race and we’re pleased to provide a venue for it to be read. The following is a piece written by Mike Kane about Bob Baffert, who will saddle Arrogate in Saturday’s Pegasus World Cup.)
Center stage this week belongs not to Washington, D.C., no, no, that whole deal is done and it’s all over but the crying. No, this week belongs to South Florida and New Orleans, which both host signature events at this early point of the New Year. One gives a glimpse at the future, another celebrates a state’s breeding program and the third closes the book on 2016.
(Editor’s note: The following is an edited press release.) U.S. challenger Rawnaq features among 47 entries, the third-highest level in the last 11 runnings, for the £300,000 Grade 1 Sun Bets Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham on the third day of The Festival, St. Patrick’s Thursday, March 16.
Glenn DiSanto walked into the office at ReRun Thoroughbred Adoption just off Waters Road in East Greenbush, ever-present smile on his face, light in his eyes and not a hair out of place on a sunny but windy afternoon in upstate New York. DiSanto greeted Lisa Molloy, ReRun’s executive director sitting behind her desk, and me, leaning against the wall between the door and sunlit windows.
