Steeplechase Time: Season begins to crank up
Snow in Virginia and parts of Maryland. Nothing but rain farther north. One point-to-point held. Another postponed.
Jay Trump’s jockey Tommy Smith dies
American conqueror of the English Grand National Crompton “Tommy” Smith died Tuesday at his home in Maryland at 74. Smith rode Thoroughbred Hall of Famer Jay Trump to three victories in the Maryland Hunt Cup and then became the first American jockey to win the famed English Grand National Steeplechase at Aintree in 1965.
Big man in town
Still tall, still long, still observant, Mucho Macho Man stood in the back of his new stall at Fair Hill Training Center and watched. The back wall isn’t really a wall, it’s an oversized metal screen (think equine picture window), so there’s plenty to see.
A bad trip to Gotham
As Mike Trombetta put it, “I could have started walking to the car and gone home before he’d gone an eighth of a mile.”
Worth Repeating for March 5
In this week’s installment of Here and There, Seen and Heard…
Gorder keeps pollsters on the lookout for General Election
A small stakes the first weekend of March at Turfway Park is usually not enough to stoke any burning thoughts of making it to the Kentucky Derby, but if Kellyn Gorder does wind up in Louisville he’ll at least be there with a little more experience than the other first-timers.
Sunday Night Archives: Prado, Lopresti, ‘Point’
Sunday afternoon/evening. Breakfast? Check. Morning run? Check. Dog walk? Check. Kids distracted? Yes. Pull up a chair and a laptop/iPad/gizmo and dive into the old stuff. Yes, it’s Archive Sunday. We don’t have everything we’ve ever written on here, but we’ve got a few. Enjoy the rewind.
Wise Dan heats things up as he preps for return
Five weeks from live racing and the Keeneland Race Course grandstand is empty. Nothing’s blowing around, there’s no coffee being sold, deals being made, tourists checking out the scene. Horses are on the track though, groups of 2-year-olds and hard-knocking veterans alike. Not a huge amount, compared to what it will be like in a few weeks. Not surprising either.
Ore Pass earns his shot in Gotham
Back in November, trainer Mike Trombetta called jockey Julian Pimentel and kept it simple. “This first-timer you’re on for me today, you’re going to like him,” Trombetta said. “I don’t know what else you’re going to think of him, but you’re going to like him.”
Livin’ Lively
Lee Lewis gives Mark Hennig a basic order to fill when the trainer goes to Keeneland September. Racehorses. Doesn’t matter if they’re fillies or colts, long or tall, chestnut or bay. Just find racehorses.
