Chocolate Ride highlights big weekend for Cox
Brad Cox didn’t hold any overly optimistic opinions or visions of grandeur when he claimed the then 4-year-old Candy Ride colt Chocolate Ride for $40,000 in late November 2014 at Churchill Downs.
Tom Law
Weekend Interview: Ralph Theroux
Ralph Theroux is ready for the next adventure. He certainly deserves one or two, or even 20, after a more than five-decade career in racing. Theroux retired Monday from positions in the racing office and as a placing judge with the New York Racing Association, which followed lengthy stints working on the backstretch for the late Hall of Fame trainer Allen Jerkens and then as a jockey’s agent.
Saturday Special – February 20
A relatively light weekend comes on the heels of last week’s deep freeze in much of the Eastern part of the U.S., although the action at Fair Grounds figures to heat up post-Mardi Gras with a stakes-packed card. Saturday Special presented by Pin Oak Stud sets the stage for the big card in New Orleans plus other action from overseas, down in Florida and for the debut of Zenyatta’s second foal in California.
Saratoga Yearling Diary No. 1: Nomination time
Editor’s Note: This is the first in a multi-part series that tracks the progress of a group of yearlings at Hurstland Farm in Midway, Ky., to the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale of selected yearlings in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The series will continue through the winter, spring and summer at thisishorseracing.com and in print in The Saratoga Special in the days leading up to the Saratoga sale.
Afternoons in late January and early February are busy for people like Alfred Nuckols Jr. Not so much for a small group of yearlings Nuckols recently nominated for one of the world’s boutique auctions.
Here & There – February 16
Another three-day holiday weekend (for some) has come and gone, this time a doubled up version with Valentine’s Day and President’s Day falling back-to-back. It’s been fairly busy at ST Publishing’s Eastern outposts and we’ll roll out a new feature or two later this week. In the meantime we’ve dug through notes and emptied voice recorders for the weekly mishmash from the world of racing.
Weekend Interview: Ramon Dominguez
Three years removed from officially retiring from the saddle, three-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Ramon Dominguez got some good news this week. The news came from Saratoga Springs, where Dominguez once tied the Saratoga Race Course record with six winners on a single card and where he won the riding title in 2009 and 2010. He is now eligible for Hall of Fame consideration starting this year.
Saturday Special – February 13
Anyone need the cure for those wintertime blues? Look no further than the Saturday Special presented by Pin Oak Stud as we preview the best races from racetracks across the country that are getting in the spirit of the season this President’s Day holiday weekend.
Here & There – February 11
Full on winter is finally gripping essentially the entire Northeast, with biting temperatures, snow and strong winds whipping down city streets and across the farm fields and paddocks. The Super Bowl is over and winter festivals are in full swing. We’re a day late again posting our (mostly) weekly hodge podge from the world of racing and hopefully not a dollar short.
Saturday Special – February 6
Super Bowl weekend typically features a pretty strong slate of racing and 2016 is no exception with cards worth noting at Gulfstream Park, Santa Anita Park and several venues overseas. Saturday Special presented by Pin Oak Stud, home of Alternation, Broken Vow and Cowboy Cal, gets you ready for the day before the big football game.
Horse Who Changed Everything: Brandon Valvo & Storm Cat
When I was a kid, I grew up near Saratoga Springs, New York. Although I lived about 15 minutes from Saratoga Race Course, it would be years until I made my first visit. Much closer to our house, just a minute down the road, was the Saratoga County Airport.
