Welcome back to the Twelve Days of Curlin Babies, where we celebrate the twelve most memorable races from Curlin’s progeny throughout 2018. Through all the hundreds of races in which they ran this year, these are the ones to which my mind keeps wandering back. #12: Timeless Curls Marks Herself a Rising Star#11: Secret Passage Comes... Continue Reading →
building Catholic Boy’s foundation
When I think of Catholic Boy, I think of the unheralded hard work that goes into building a great horse's foundation. I think of running in circles, measured circles, incessant circles. In the week and a half leading up to the Breeders' Cup last year, I spent the mornings trackside, radio clipped to my side,... Continue Reading →
Big Race Showdown: Bing Crosby, Haskell, and Clement Hirsch
Season Two of this year's Big Race Showdown at America’s Best Racing continues this weekend: where I clash heads with six awesome handicappers (Emily Gullikson, Candice Hare, Dan Tordjman, Brian Zipse, Eric Bialek, and Mark DiLorenzo) to see who can stay the hottest through Derby prep season. We tackle a trio of Win and You're In races this week: the Bing Crosby... Continue Reading →
Picks and Ponderings: 2017 Breeders’ Cup Saturday Preview
Welcome to Day Two of the 2017 Breeders' Cup! Picks and Ponderings previewed Friday's four Breeders' Cup races in a separate piece. Here, we look at Saturday's nine Breeders' Cup races, headlined by Arrogate's attempt to join Tiznow among two-time winners of the Breeders' Cup Classic. The day features several links to the local circuit -- many of which,... Continue Reading →
Picks and Ponderings: 2017 Breeders’ Cup Friday Preview
It's that time of the year once more: the best horses in the world have descended on one place to settle their scores in the Breeders' Cup. For the first time, it takes place at beautiful Del Mar. Also for the first time, Picks and Ponderings is there, so make sure to follow us on Twitter for photos, video,... Continue Reading →
Tejana and Texas Ryano prove they belong in graded company
A strong summer for the Curlin babies continued today, as two more achieved their first graded stakes placings of their career. One was trying stakes company for the first time. Another, already a stakes winner last year, had tried graded company several times before, but not quite risen to the occasion yet. Neither won, but... Continue Reading →
a battle of champions
The ones who billed it as a battle between champions were technically correct. To many, those words were just bluster, a weak attempt to inject drama where there was none. Both Beholder and Stellar Wind were Eclipse Award winners, sure. But Beholder had three such honours under her girth, and was a strong choice every... Continue Reading →
good days, bad days, and the San Diego
I have never had such a hard time watching a race as I did Sunday's showdown in the San Diego Handicap (GII) between Dortmund and California Chrome. It had nothing to do with what happened during the race itself. Though Dortmund could not get the best of California Chrome (this time around!), he tried his... Continue Reading →
Annie’s Curls, wire to wire!
I hoped I would see Annie's Curls (Keiko, by First Samurai) race at Arlington this summer. The juvenile daughter of Curlin was on the worktab there, after all. However, this summer's Arlington meet did not end up being the best for followers of Curlin's progeny. Annie's Curls never entered...and though two other Curlin babies entered... Continue Reading →
dispatches from Team Princess
I am team Princess of Sylmar. Two years ago, I was just starting to gravitate closer to horse racing. Through no real deliberation of my own, I landed on The Princess as my three-year-old filly of 2013. Maybe her long odds in the Kentucky Oaks explained it. Maybe her being Palace Malice's stablemate explained it. ... Continue Reading →
Picks and Ponderings: Pacific Classic Day
This Saturday, there are three Breeders' Cup Win and You're In races on the Del Mar card. The Pacific Classic (GI) attracts the handicap division (and one popular distaffer!), the turf routers convene for the Del Mar Handicap (GII), and the middle-distance types take their shot in the Pat O'Brien (GII). Head on over to... Continue Reading →
Curlin’s monster weekend
Sires rarely have better weekends than Curlin just had. Curlin had nine runners hit the board, six of whom won their races. He had a pair of graded stakes winners: his first fourth-crop stakes winners, as well as his second multiple Grade I winner. From the claiming ranks to the highest level, and everywhere in... Continue Reading →
Picks and Ponderings: Cigar Mile Preview and More!
The biggest day of the Aqueduct fall meet is upon us tomorrow: Cigar Mile Day. At Picks and Ponderings, I took a dive into that Grade I race, as well as the three other graded stakes on that card: the Remsen (GII) and the Demoiselle (GII) for the two-year-old set, as well as the Comely... Continue Reading →
Picks and Ponderings: Friday’s stakes highlights
As a continuation of Picks and Ponderings's Thanksgiving Handicapping Feast, Paul and I delved into three more races for Friday. Continuing the theme, he went west and I went east: be took on the Seabiscuit Handicap (GII) at Del Mar, and I looked at both the Clark Handicap (GI) at Churchill Downs as well as... Continue Reading →
Picks and Ponderings: a grab bag of stakes action
This week at Picks and Ponderings, I previewed a grab bag of three stakes that could hardly be more dissimilar: the Red Smith (GIII) for long-winded grassy types at Aqueduct, the DeFrancis Dash for the dirt sprinters at Laurel, and the Bob Hope (GIII) for the emerging two-year-old polytrack runners at Del Mar. All three... Continue Reading →
