Weekend Update: Animal Kingdom to Alajmal
Happy Easter. Whether you’ve been hunting eggs and chasing bunnies, you no doubt paid attention to the racing hoopla this weekend. It was frenetic, fantastic, a little frantic.
Jumping In: Handicappers eye Carolina Cup
We’re back. Thisishorseracing.com handicaps the steeplechase races all year and we’re in the second inning of a long baseball game. Saturday’s action turns to Camden, S.C. for the Carolina Cup’s six race program. Last week at Aiken, Sean and Joe snuck in two winners apiece (Alajmal and stakes victor Sunshine Numbers), while Tom countered with one (Alajmal). Everybody liked Meeting, but not enough to use him on top. Never miss a meeting. On to Camden.
Alajmal makes season debut in Carolina Cup
Trainers, flat or jump, have to let go. After all the preps, all the worries, all the directions, they eventually stand back and let the horse decide the outcomes. Saturday, Shug McGaughey will hand Orb to the Florida Derby (or hand the Florida Derby to Orb?). Janet Elliot will do the same in Camden, S.C., when Alajmal makes his seasonal debut in the Carolina Cup Novice Stakes.
Shug…Continued
Here’s the rest of the 15-minute conversation with Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey, who saddles Orb in Saturday’s Besilu Stable’s Florida Derby.
Final Steps: Motion likes what he sees from Animal Kingdom
As Wichita State steamrolled La Salle en route ot the Elight Eight Thursday night, Graham Motion was not checking his NCAA bracket and wondering how to spell Cleanthony Early.
The Orb: McGaughey circles into Fla. Derby
Shug McGaughey knew he liked what he saw. Knew, he really liked it. On a quiet January morning at Payson Park in Florida, the Hall of Fame trainer watched a big, bay colt breeze 3 furlongs in 37 seconds, drove back to his barn and waited for work rider Jen Patterson to return. Waited for confirmation.
Besilu Stables front and center this weekend
Besilu Stables is all over the news this week. From the sands of the United Arab Emirates to the beaches of South Florida, Besilu is there.
Sunshine still bright for Kingsley
At the end of a 22-minute interview about Sunshine Numbers, Arch Kingsley tried to put his horse into some perspective. “He’s a Grenade type of horse,” the trainer said. “Remember Grenade?”
Twilight Eclipse proves a rare one indeed
John Langemeier always knew Twilight Eclipse would be a good one. The Kentucky-based horseman, who owns and operates Spooky Hollow Farm in Georgetown with his wife Dr. Clara Fenger, also knew the Purim colt needed a bit more ground to show his true abilities.
Ready, Animal Kingdom aims for more history
Can Animal Kingdom win the Dubai World Cup? Nobody knows and the answer won’t come until Saturday in the desert. But trainer Graham Motion knows his horse has the right combination of ability, preparation and attitude to be competitive.
