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Tom Law 
A three-pack of Kentucky Derby preps, the return of champion sprinter Roy H and tops the docket this week and potential tune-up for either the Big ‘Cap or Dubai World Cup on the West Coast highlight this week’s loaded edition of The Saturday Special presented by Pin Oak Stud.
Afternoon showers and driving evening rains left the crimson-colored racing surface at Pocono Downs a sea of slop for the 2013 Breeders’ Crown. Under the glow of the track lights, the surface shined like a marble in the sun and around it, a few thousand racing fans braved the cold and wind for a chance to see the fastest trotters and pacers in the world make their final bids for divisional titles.
The tale of how the late veteran upstate New York turf writer Matt Graves came by his nickname is well told by now and like the man himself it never fell short of being entertaining.
Gulfstream Park’s publicity staff rolls out quality work, especially during the Championship Meet and leading up to the track’s marquee events like Saturday’s $16 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational. We’re pleased to present some of it for the fourth straight year in what we’ll call the Pegasus Preview Bucket, in a nod to the Preakness Preview Bucket we post every spring. Here’s a piece from Friday on Gun Runner’s jockey Florent Geroux.
All eyes on South Florida with newly crowned Horse of the Year Gun Runner set to make his final Saturday in the $16 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park, just one of several races previewed in this week’s edition of The Saturday Special presented by Pin Oak Stud.
The competition couldn’t touch Gun Runner on the racetrack for almost all of 2017 and they couldn’t come close at the ballot box in voting for Horse of the Year.
The Sunshine Millions in Florida and a Derby in California highlight another busy day of racing action across the country and previewed here in The Saturday Special presented by Pin Oak Stud.
Catherine “Toots” Murphy found joy in many activities and pastimes, from spending time with dogs to playing tennis, watching and feeding birds to taking in the games of her favorite sports teams – either those in Chicago or the University of Kentucky men’s basketball squad. Murphy also loved horses, so much so she spent a lifetime with them.
The unrelenting winter of 2018 continued this week but the show goes on in warmer climes – and maybe some cold ones, too – with another busy day of racing previewed in The Saturday Special presented by Pin Oak Stud.
Few surprises are expected at the 47th Eclipse Awards ceremony later this month and even less came out of the announcement of the finalists for the honors that go to the best of 2017.
