Derby Contender #3- Alpha

Meet derby contestant #3 , Alpha. Alpha is another stunning athlete and he has been on my top 10 list for quite some time. He is the son of Bernandina which can be traced back to AP Indy, Seattle Slew, Secretariat and Spectacular Bid. His mother's side is not as spectacular, boasting names such as Northern Dancer, and Alydar. His current career earnings are $500,000, and he had a record of 6- 3-2-0. He has proven himself successful at distances of a mile, 7F, 1 mile 1/8, and 1 mile 1/16, with his only loss that was not in the money coming in the 2011 Breeders Cup Juvenile, which was won by Hansen. His sire , Bernandini competed in the 2006 triple crown and won the 2006 Preakness Stakes, which was dampered by the tragic breakdown of Barbaro .
Does he have a chance at claiming the elusive triple crown? Yes and heres why. I really like his breeding, with his sire's side boasting spectacular names and a few triple crown winners and triple crown race winners. What I really like about this horse is his sire, Bernandini. He has proven himself to be a classic sire by producing classic winners such as Stay Thirsty, Algorithms who is injured and off the derby trail and To Honor and Serve. I had Stay Thirsty in my exactas and trifectas in last year's derby and I think Alpha is going to follow in his half brother's footsteps by either winning or coming close to winning the derby, or winning the Belmont as Stay Thirsty did. His pedigree suggests he has the stamina to carry the distance, and in his most recent race he has shown the ability to close and close with speed. In his most recent start, he was boxed in, and he received a very bad trip but I was impressed by his ability to close for a very tough second place finish- he almost looked like a train coming by the other horses. I definitely will have this horse in my top 5 because of his closing ability he demonstrated in his last race, his sire and pedigree and his conformation. He looks and is built to be a classic distance horse. Come May 5, it will be seen whether or not he can handle a 20 horse field and the problems that can come from that, Aka having a ton of dirt kicked into his face.

Hansen- Derby horse number #2

Meet derby horse #2 , Hansen the gray, almost white horse Aint he stunning? I have a soft spot for the greys , I have to admit. Let me tell you a little about him. He is out of the sire, Tapit which can be traced back to AP Indy , and on his mother's side he is out of Stormy Sunday which can be traced back to Storm Cat. In all of his starts , he has placed 1st except one race and that was the Holy Bull Stakes. I first became familiar with him in the 2011 Breeders cup Juvenile, when he upset the favorite , Union Rags. I was impressed by that race because he was able to hold a narrow lead throughout the race and keep it until the end. However, it seemed though, towards the end of that race, he began to tire out. So the question that is brought up is, can he go the distance? Tapit, his sire won the Wood Memorial which is at a mile 1/8, and he won the a few races going a mile , and he won the Laural Futurity at age 2, going a mile 1/16. His mother won most of her races going at 6.2 F which is equivalent to just under a mile. So on his sire's side, he has the distance capability, but that lacks on his mother's side. His sire raced in the 2004 Kentucky Derby but finished 4th behind Smarty Jones, who would later go on to win the Preakness Stakes. Storm Cat, found on his mother's side proved he was a successful miler, and he won The Young American Stakes going at 1/16th. So that could be an indicator that Hansen may not have the capacity to go all three distances. All of Hansen's wins have been at 1 mile 1/16 and 5.2 furlongs, and a mile. I believe he can pull of a Kentucky Derby win but the Preakness and Belmont, according to his pedigree is not looking good.

I am impressed by Hansen though. I began to watch his races and I see that he likes to be in the front or up close to the pace setter, and he is a gutsy horse. He reminds me almost of a horse last year in the derby who showed he had guts, Shackleford. He is well ridden by his jockey, and he breaks well from the gate and his recent works have been wonderful. It is obvious he is loving KY, and he is taking to the track well, but his pedigree concerns me. I believe the only way he can pull off a derby win and perhaps a Preakness win is by staying close to the leader and for his jockey to conserve as much energy as possible. I say this horse is definitely top 3.... regardless. He is a beautiful and stunning horse but I do not see him as a likely Triple Crown winner, just based upon his pedigree , but if it were based upon his works and his recent wins and the amount he has won, I would put him in the probable list.

Kentucky Derby field- Union Rags

Meet Ky derby hopeful number 1... Union Rags

Triple Crown season is officially around the corner with a little more than 3 weeks until the first leg of the triple crown; the derby. With an extremely talented field in this year's derby, some may be at odds on who to bet on to win. I dont have a particular favorite but I do like a few and over the next fews days, I will give my analysis on them. Meet contestant number 1, Union Rags . Hes a charming fella aint he? Beautiful creature eh? I became familiar with him during the 2011 breeders cup juvenile, which I was unable to watch. I really like his pedigree, mainly because he is a relative to the 2001 Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos. He is out of the same grandsire- Dixieland band. Looking at his pedigree you see that he out of some pretty big name horses such as Dixie Union out of Dixieland band, Secrettame which out of Secretariat and Seattle Slew. So he has some endurance in his pedigree that could allow him to go the distances necessary, and he has some speed in his pedigree. Why do I like him? Well first, his trainer is the trainer of 2006 Ky derby winner Barbaro. Call me superstitious, but I believe this is a sign. Michael Matz loses his triple crown hopeful in the Preakness, and 6 years later, gains this beautiful colt that has a chance to follow in Barbaro's footsteps. Union Rags reminds me of Barbaro... hes huge, he has character and he has beautiful eyes. I was really looking forward to seeing him win the Florida Derby but I knew he was going to be challennged by Take Charge Indy. Why? Take Charge Indy's daddy was AP Indy.... which makes him a direct relative to Seattle Slew and Secretariat. Watching his Florida Derby, I believe he got a very bad trip. If you re-watch the race , you can clearly see he breaks slowly and gets squeezed and boxed in by other horses. I was very impressed by his speed at the end, being able to be almost dead last and still get third, very close to a second place finish. I gotta hand it to Take Charge Indy for leading the whole race and finishing first.

Do I think Union Rags is a dangerous factor in the derby? Yes.. My opinion from most of his races is, he is a very immature horse. He is maturing more each race, and it showed in the Florida Derby that he is still a little "green". Given time to mature, and rest... he will definitely be a serious derby threat. He has the breeding to go the distance, the breeding to be a champion, it all comes down to jockey decisions and his maturity by post time in the derby.

Last Day of Spring Break Trip- Three Chimneys

exchange rate point given

BIG BROWN!

I remember in 2008 , I fell in love with this brown race horse named Big Brown. I had never really been interested in horse racing, and I found I loved horses but I loved cats and dogs more. I had never really seen a horse race, nor have I been super close to these animals. Big Brown changed all of that, and I made it my goal to visit him while I was in Lexington. I had the honor of meeting him the year he was retired at Three Chimneys and I was eager to return. That year, they had Smarty Jones, and I was saddened to learn that he was no longer residing there. In 2008, Big Brown won the Kentucky Derby, which was dampered by the tragic breadown of Eight Belles, and I sadly watched that race . I was first introduced to him while watching the Florida Derby, and I had a feeling he was one special horse. He had the character , the conformation, the beauty and grace that all great champions have. Three Chimneys is approximately 10 mins away from Monarchos, and about 15 mins from Winstar Farm and 20 minutes from Coolmore Lexington. When one approaches Three Chimneys they are taken back by the lush blue grass fields with the brown fences lining them, and in the distance you can see the barns. I was blessed that day to have no rain, but in the distance, I could see an approaching storm. We went , one again, through the standard check-in procedure, and we were told to wait outside for our tour guide. As I was waiting with my family, the barn cat came up to me. I picked her up, cradled her in my arms and she purred. After a few minutes of waiting by the gate, we were taken to the stallion barn where Big Brown was. On the walk over to the stallion barn, one is greeted by the graves of past stallions. When I first went to visit , the great Rahy was still alive, so I made it a mission of mine before I left to visit his grave . Walking into the stallion barn , I could see his stall, I could see his reflection looking out his window, and my heart began to race. The staff brought him out, and I was in awe at his beauty. He stood as still as a statue, head held high, and yes his white spot was still present. Around me, the other tourists snapped photos, and I swear Big Brown began to pose for them. Seeing him again in person, brought me back to his derby win , and I was thankful that the staff at Three Chimneys takes care of him so well. After it was time for Big Brown to go back into his stall, the other tourists walked around the barn and viewed the other stallions. I went over to his stall, and he was looking out his window. I began to wonder, is he missing his racing days? Does he remember running in the derby?. I believe he does, and I believe at that moment, he was reliving it all. Besides seeing Big Brown, I also got to view Dynaformer and Point Given in their paddocks. As you can see in the picture of Point Given, there is a storm approaching. Thats one thing I love about Kentucky... You can go out in a field, full of horses and look in the distance and see a storm approaching, and the sun on the other side. Seeing Point Given in his field, with the storm approaching just seemed unreal to me. It seemed more like a painting than the real thing. Before I began to head home, I stopped at Rahy's grave and paid tribute to him . I did not know much about him, but I knew he was a magnificant animal, a wonderful athlete and a wonderful stallion at Three Chimneys. This spring break trip was amazing, I could not have asked for a better 3 days... I look forward to this Ky Derby, I think it will be an excellent race, with an excellent and very talented field....

Who will win??.....

Spring break day 2.. Meeting Monarchos

As you know, I went to visit Winstar Farm on my second day of my Ky spring break trip, and after that tour, I went to visit with the 2001 Kentucky Derby winner , Monarchos. Yes, both of these horses are the same horses, its amazing isnt it? The color change I mean. I didnt really take any pictures except the one above, it was raining and I did not want to get my new phone wet. I had visited with him shortly before my high school graduation, so me and him were already familiar as one could say. I wanted to visit with him again because I know that one of his relatives, Union Rags is currently set to run in the KY derby. How is he related one may ask? Union Rags and Monarchos both share the same grandfather- Dixieland Band. Any horse that has some relation to Monarchos is instantly one of my favorites.. Monarchos, the 2001 derby champ currently resides at Nuckols Farm, located in the little,quiet town of Midway Ky. His home is not like the other stud farms, it is not grand in appearance, there are no gated entrances, and there are no endless green pastures with the traditional white fences. Instead his home is a small, privately owned, family owned farm. The main office is a house, and his barn is a little run down, with paper taped up to the door telling who lives in what stall. Next to the main office, one sees a few horses in a small pasture, eating the blue grass and enjoying the horse lifestyle. Some may be shocked to learn a derby champ lives in such a non-luxurious home, but I like it. His new owner is a kind ,old man, who is married and together he and his wife run the farm.

I wasnt nervous or overly excited about seeing one of my favorite derby winners because I had seen him before. We went through the standard procedure of checking in and then headed to his barn. His barn is small, with only two stalls, and as I approached his barn, I heard my parents say " There he is". Monarchos had been brought out and was waiting for me outside on the sidewalk. I was so excited I almost jumped out of the moving car, and I ran to him. Meeting a derby champ is almost like meeting royalty to me. Mr Nuckols ( owner of the farm),greeted me and gave me some treats to give Monarchos. The treat ? Carrots of course, it seems as though Monarchos was put on a healthy diet , because last time I had seen him, I fed him peppermints. Monarchos gladly took the carrots though and I began to stroke his soft mane and pet his neck. After taking several pictures and just spending time rubbing him , Mr Nuckols said " Come over here, I have a trick to show you". Remember when I said Super Saver enjoyed having his handler's hand in his mouth , and how it soothed him? Well , Mr. Nuckols took MY hand and put it in Monarchos's mouth. His mouth was warm , and I could feel his carrot stained teeth rubbing against my palm ,and to my amazment, Monarchos started to fall asleep. I know Super Saver and Monarchos ARE related, so maybe its a family trait? who knows? At the conclusion of my tour, Mr. Nuckols passed me the "Monarchos Fan Book" to sign. The book was small, but flipping through the pages, you can see Monarchos is still well known and loved. Seeing Monarchos and the farm he lives at made me realize that money isnt everything. You go to Lexington and you see all these big stud farms, equipped with golden gates, wide green pastures, 6-7 barns, and even a security gate. The horses are well treated there but so is Monarchos. He doesn't live at the best stud farm, the biggest stud farm and the richest, but he is loved and I believe Mr. Nuckols treats Monarchos more as a pet,than a money making stud.

Anyone who happens to visit Lexington should swing my Midway, Monarchos loves company!

VIP tour at Winstar Farm- day 2 of Spring Break

TIZNOW getting bath

As you already know, I decided to spend my spring break in KY, touring stud farms and visiting with some of the great race horses of our day. On Friday, the second day of my 3 day trip, I visited Winstar Farm, home of big names such as Tiznow, Summer Bird and yes, Super Saver. I was a member of their "Winstar Stabemates" club and because of that fact, I was given the opportunity to go on a VIP tour of the farm. Before my tour, I was given the opportunity to pick a stallion to get my picture made with and pet . Given the choice among Summer Bird, Tiznow, Super Saver, Drosslyemeyer and the others , I chose Super Saver. I chose him because I was in attendance at his 2010 Kentucky Derby win and I fell in love with him. My tour was set for 1pm and the weather was semi cooperating. It was quite warm and it was raining but there was hope that the rain would cease . Approaching the farm, one is once again greeted by a huge grand gate with the Winstar star logo , and in the distance , one sees endless fields of KY blue grass with some horses grazing in the distance. Once I passed the gate, I had to check in at the main office, which was quite grand. It was also the building where they housed the stallions. Our tour guide was a sweet, college aged girl like me and the first thing we did before the tour kicked off was watch the 2010 Kentucky Derby..... ok I admit I did get a bit teary eyed because I love Super Saver. After the video ended, we were told that the stallions were let out into their paddocks and we would visit them at the end of our tour, and to follow her to the main office to view the trophies that Winstar has won. Heres a picture of the main office..

Some of the trophies I got to view was the 2010 derby trophy and Well Armed's Dubai Cup trophy. Lined up on the walls of the office , one will see picture of Super Saver with the derby roses, and other horses that I cannot name at the moment. After the office visit, it was time to visit the foaling barn. Although I was hoping to view some foals, none were in the stalls and they were in fact outside with their mothers, but I was able to view a few in the field. The foal pictured above in one of the few foals I was able to see.

After viewing and walking around the foaling barn and learning about the foaling procedure, our tour guide took us to the training barn. This is the barn where Winstar keeps 2 year olds in training and a few of their horses in. Outside the training barn, one can see a huge racetrack that I believe she said is a standard size track. Across the training barn is the yearling barn , and although we werent taken there, I could see a few horse heads popping out of the stalls in curiosity. We were told to watch out because 2pm is often a busy time at the training barn and we did so. We walked around the training barn ,and the majority of the horses were sleeping or eating. I even saw one that appeared to be in a deep snooze and he was snoring! I got to meet Rule, a horse that was a derby probable one year but was scratched. He was wide awake and extremely friendly. As I wandered around the training barn , I noticed all of the horses were extremely people friendly.

I was eager to leave the training barn because I knew my "date" with Super Saver was coming soon! Driving back to the stallion complex/main office, my heart was beating with excitement. Finally I made it , after a short 1 minute drive. Walking on the " Stallion Circle", the area where they usually bring out stallions for viewing, I anxiously looked around for Super Saver. The tour guide said he was being groomed and bathed and while I wait, I should go look at Tiznow and the other stallions there, and I did so. One horse that struck me as stunning was Tiznow. I was not familiar with Tiznow but did know he was one of the best milers to run and that he produced some great runners on the track, including 2012 derby hopeful Gemologist. Why was he stunning you may ask? I have never seen a horse which such persona as Tiznow. As I approached his stall, he was looking out the window, and he looked regal and grand. I whistled under my breath in hopes he would come over and greet me, because I wanted to see his face. To my amazemnt , he came over and he came over so fast I had to jump back. He was stunning, everything about him was stunning and his comformation was spectacular. He held his head high as if to say " I am the best ", and it was almost as if he knew I was taking his picture because he kept pausing and posing I suppose. His groom came and took him outside for his bath , so my visit with Tiznow was brief but I did get to observe his bath. Tiznow outside is stunning, the sun shone on him ike he was a patch of gold and the wind blew his hair around and the only words I can use to describe him in that moment was BEAUTIFUL and STUNNING. Heres a picture I snapped of him.

I was so taken at awe by his physical beauty, that I almost ignored when the tour guide came and told me Super Saver was waiting for me. I turned my head around and there he was, standing with the stallion manager , looking me straight in the eye. He was standing in the middle of the stallion circle and a bright light shone on his mane and body, which made him even more majestic. I slowly walked over to him and the stallion manager said " Go on and pet him ", I was to the point that I was weak to my knees because there standing in front of me was the 2010 Kentucky Derby winner! I slowly approached him , with some caution because at most farms I had visited, they told me that these horses are aggressive, and not friendly. He was beautiful up close, and he had one of the kindest eyes I have ever seen. He seemed relaxed and he was not acting up at all, in fact he just stood there while I began to pet him. His coat was soft, silky, shiny, and warm, and he was quite tall. He had the persona that a derby champion should have, and he was full of confidence. I noticed one funny thing I have yet to see with a thoroughbred , and that was that his handler's hand was in his mouth. He was sucking on his hand as a baby would with a pacifier and evidently this calms and soothes some horses. It just added to the cuteness that was already present. As I stroked him, I remembered seeing him at the 2010 derby , I remembered how he was covered with mud and its amazing how different horses can appear on tv and in person. Whenever my parents would snap a photo, he appeared to pose for them and I swore he even smiled in a few pictures. I loved meeting him, and when it was time for him to return back to his stall, I was sad but ever so grateful for the opportunity I had. I have never gotten that close to a derby champion, let alone a race horse and the experience was magical. Winstar is a wonderful place , and I thank them for the opportunity they gave me. I would highly suggest anyone who is a racing fan to take a trip and visit them. The horses there are well taken care of, and you can even say that they are spoiled.

Spring Break Trip- my meeting with uncle mo

UNCLE MO!!

LOOKING AT LUCKY!!

I have always been a huge horse racing fan, and it has always been my dream to move up to Kentucky and purchase a horse farm and be in the horse racing capital of the world- Lexington. But since I am only a poor college student, I have to accept my yearly trips to the derby , and Lexington. For my spring break trip, I decided to not go to the beach like the other college students but decided to go down to Lexington and visit Uncle Mo, Super Saver, Big Brown and Monarchos. So here is my experience!

I had made an appointment to visit Coolemore Lexington to visit Uncle Mo, yes the Uncle Mo who was the 2010 Juvenile Champion of the year. Arriving at Coolemore, one is at taken at awe at the sight of the farm. When entering the farm, you are greeted by a huge golden gate, and it opens slowly for you, and you become transfixed in an Irish wonderland. There are no words to describe the sight you would see. There are countless fields of green blue grass, beautiful trees line the dirt path that leads to the farm, brown fences line the road and in the distance you can see mares and their foals enjoying the sunshine. Here are some pictures of what you would see driving up to the stallion barn.

Before you go the stallion barn, you enter the main office which is a small cottage, and one may think it has nothing to offer. Inside the cottage, it is like a mansion, which hundreds of portraits of Ashford family members and former race horses. When we entered the office, we were given "Uncle Mo" hats and pens with names of horses like Dunkirk and Uncle Mo on them, as a welcoming gift. Once one leaves the main office, it is time to head to stallion barn.
Every person who you run into at Ashford has a strong Irish accent that just adds to the dreamy experience you are experiencing. We finally reached the stallion barn and met our tour guide, who had a strong Irish accent, and he was the groom for Scat Daddy. The stallion barn is not just one but three barns, each with a few horses in them. I was expecting all the stallions to be wide awake and eager to see my presence but they were all eating dinner or lunch. The first stallion I got to meet and see eating was Grand Slam. I felt honored to have met him, especially since he passed away a week after my trip. He had a very kind eye, he was tall and he was definitely grand. Then came Uncle Mo.... I was sooo excited. He was not taken out of his stall, because he was eating but I felt honored to have just been there in his presence. I called out to his name, and to my surprise , he came over. It was almost as if he knew I was there to see him. He had the attitude that his blogs often portrayed him to have. He was very tall, very sweet and kind eyed, and I felt like I had been introduced to Secretariat. I could go on and describe every stallion I saw but there were more than 10 of them, but I will talk about one more. I am sure most of you remember Munnings? I was familiar with him, and was excited to get to meet him. He was not eating his dinner yet and he was very hyper active. He threw his head as if to say " Wheres my food??", I even asked him " Are you hungry?" and he threw his head up and down as if he was agreeing, and then pawed the ground and swung his head in a circle over and over again. It was quite amusing. I also got the honor to meet Looking at Lucky, the horse that had an unfortunate trip in the derby. He was eating but looked up at me as I approached him, and I have to say, he had one of the sweetest faces I have ever seen. I enjoyed my visit to Ashford, and as I left I got teary eyed, because I felt like I was in a dream, it felt like an Irish wonderland.....