Turf

TURF Member McCalmont Honored As Sovereign Award Finalist

2012-02-01T14:36:00.002-05:00

TURF member Keith McCalmont (http://www.tripledeadheat.ca/) was recentlyannounced as a finalist for a prestigious Sovereign Award for OutstandingNewspaper Story for his story, Emma’sGreat Excaper, published on Woodbineentertainment.com on November 2, 2011.

“It is an honour to be nominated for this awardalongside a pair of talented, Sovereign Award winning, writers such as BeverleySmith and Allan Besson,” said McCalmont of the nomination.

Ostensibly a preview of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, thestory was a rare glimpse into the development of a potential champion and thebond between horse and rider. While finishing second in theJuvenile Turf, the 33-1 long shot ran a determined race, validating trainer IanBlack’s decision to retain Breeders’ Cup rookie Emma-Jayne Wilson, Excaper’sregular pilot, in the horse’s biggest race to date.

“I'm forever thankful to jockey Emma-Jayne Wilsonwho made telling this story a simple task,” McCalmontcontinued. “Emma generously shared the details of the months ofconditioning, engineered by trainer Ian Black that went into buildingup a Breeders' Cup calibre horse. My job, as a writer sharing heranecdotes, was simply to stay out of the way. I won't soon forget thesmile on Emma's face following their second-place finish in the Juvenile Turf,or the kiss that an exuberant Black planted on her cheek duringthe post-race interview. Little moments like that are what horse racingis all about.”

“This is the third straight year that Keith has beennominated for a Sovereign Award,” said Valerie Grash, founding member of theinternational bloggers’ group, “and we couldn’t be prouder of his achievements.His unique insider’s view of Woodbine racing, along with his deep love of thesport, permeates his writing and allows him to bring to light stories ofextraordinary depth and clarity.”

Sovereign Award winners will be announced at a ceremony onApril 5, 2012 at Woodbine Race Track in Toronto.

Auld Lang Syne

2011-12-30T11:46:00.000-05:00

As the final days of 2011 pass into history, it seems everyone’sin a reflective mood. For horse racing fans, 2011 was mostly a year of discontent.Still, it did have its share of remarkable racing moments, not the least ofwhich is the continuing saga of record-setting claimer Rapid Redux. Australian superstar Black Caviar remained undefeated, a perfect 16 for 16—and herconnections are preparing to conqueror the world in 2012. Fillies and maresdominated wherever they ran, including sweeping the top three positions in theprestigious Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe, as well as capturing a number of G1classic races worldwide—the Cox Plate, Japan Cup, Doncaster Mile, CanadianInternational, Caulfield Cup, and the Queen’s Plate. After battling Blind Luck in the G2 Delaware Handicap(a race Kevin Martin of Colin’s Ghost considers the best U.S.contest of 2011), Havre de Graceturned her attention to defeating males in the G1 Woodwood Stakes. Thelegendary Goldikova was unable to four-peatin the Breeders’ Cup Mile, but gave her fans quite a competitive year. Whatwill be your favorite memorable moment of 2011?

In case you missed it, here’s what our members have beenthinking and writing about, beginning with those reflections of 2011and what to look forward to in 2012:

Teresa Genaro (Brooklyn Backstretch) recaps hereventful 2011 with some memorable moments.
Jessica Chapel (Railbird) takes note of 2011’s bestracing stories.
Kate Hunter (Keiblog) salutes newly-retiredchampion mare Buena Vista and ponders the worldlyambitions of Smart Falcon.
Valerie Grash (Fillies First) highlights thebest performances of fillies and mares racing in open company graded stakesworldwide in 2011; at her Foolish Pleasure blog, she argues that 2011 should godown as the Yearof the Blue-Collar Horse.
Gene Kershner (EquiSpace) celebrates boththe “feats of strength” and “airing of grievances” in 2011, and makes 10bold predictions for 2012 racing.
Anthony Falbo (The Turk) reflects on the personalevents of 2011 that touched him, including the death of racing fan Tim “Tiznow”Reynolds.
Frank Vespe (That’s Amore) witnesses Rapid Redux’s record-settingeffort at Laurel.
Alastair Middleton (Horse Racing in Korea) wraps up theKorean racing year, noting championjockey and leadingsire honors. He’s also been following closely the incredible juvenilecampaign of SmartyMoonhak, a Smarty Jones son who did the unthinkable, taking on his elders inKorea’s top race, the Grand Prix—and finished third.
Enjoying an end-of-year trip to Hong Kong, Steve Zorn (TheBusiness of Racing) looks at the financialaspects of Hong Kong racing vs. American racing, as well as the racetrack experience and the horses’health and retirement issues.
Bill Pressey (ThoroEdge) offers a freecopy of his forthcoming eBook on FIT (Feedback Induced Training) andcontinues his exploration into properconditioning and training techniques.
Frank Mitchell (Bloodstock in the Bluegrass) considersthe breeding possibilities for three sons of Giant’s Causeway—Eskendereya,Hold Me Back and Neko Bay—as well as theresurgence of former claimer Twelve Twenty Two.
At Sid Fernando’s blog, guest blogger Thomas J. Thornburyreports on the upcomingCape Premier Sale in South Africa.
Inspired by the new “War Horse” movie, Fran Jurga (HoofBlog) takes a closer look at the experience of battle-wornWorld War I horses and theirhoof care. She also treated us to videos of terrific horse-relatedholiday commercials. Over at The Jurga Report, her holiday post included awonderful collection of horsescelebrating the season in lights.
Ted Grevelis (Owning Racehorses) reviews the new HBO series “Luck” and looks forward to his mare Tabby Lane's next race.
Alan Mann (Left at the Gate) continues his unparalleledobservations of New York racing in the aftermath of casinos, particularly notingthe briskactivity at the claiming box as well as (unfortunately) how littlehas changed at Aqueduct for the racing fan. He’s also on top of the NYRAtakeout fiasco.
Chris Hernandez (Giving My Ten Cents) provides the best SouthernCalifornia race analysis including the conclusionof Hollywood and the beginningof Santa Anita’s winter meet with its fourstakes on opening day.
Gina Rarick (Gallop France) closes out the year with Deep Oceanmaking a Friday run at Deauville (he finished third); in case you missedit, it’s well worth the effort to click through the fabulous photosher friend Jacqueline Ashton de Floris posted of this quaint racecourse, anddon’t miss her humorous post on the battleof ever-growing manure pile.

And, last but not least, Keith McCalmont (Triple Dead Heat) revealsa poignantstory about serendipitously finding one’s place in the world. Hopefully,your 2012 will be likewise filled with magic and wonderment, not to mentionplenty of winners. Happy New Year!

Breeders’ Cup Saturday Previews and More

2011-11-05T11:51:00.000-04:00

What an exciting (albeit rather chalky) day Friday was at theBreeders’ Cup! Beginning with a dynamic late run from the sole filly entrantShumoos nearly catching heavily-favored Secret Circle in the Juvenile Sprintand ending with trainer Bill Mott repeating last year’s victory in the Ladies’Classic, this time with Royal Delta…the Breeders’ Cup races provided just theright balance of winning favorites and heart-winning upsets. Here’s what ourmember blogs are talking about in advance of today’s races:

Valerie Grash (FoolishPleasure), Ted Grevelis (OwningRacehorses) and Chris Hernandez (GivingMy Ten Cents) make some bold predictions for Breeders’ Cup Saturday.
Gene Kershner (EquiSpace) wraps up hisBreeders’ Cup experience on Friday in photos.
European-based trainer Gina Rarick (Gallop France) casts a rathercriticaleye on the events of Breeders’ Cup Friday, including the post-paradescratching of Announce in the F&M Turf and Shotgun Gulch in the F&MSprint.
She also wrote an interesting post over at the NewYork Times’ blog The Rail—both Arc winner Danedream and Melbourne Cupwinner Dunaden were bargain yearling purchases. Don’t discount “cheap” horsesin big-time races like the Breeders’ Cup! Case in point: Breeders’Cup F&M Sprint winner Musical Romance who was purchased for a mere $22k.
Frank Mitchell (Bloodstock in the Bluegrass) talks about StreetSense’s first stakes winner, Motor City.
Alastair Middleton (Horse Racing in Korea) reports on asmart juvenile Trophy Cup winner tackling older horses going nine furlongs—and winningby 11 lengths! His sire: SmartyJones.

[After this blitzkrieg that is the Breeders’ Cup, we’re all goingto need that extra hour of sleep tonight.]

Final Countdown to Breeders' Cup Friday

2011-11-04T13:01:00.001-04:00

Need even more last-minute Breeders’ Cup information on yourway to mental overload? While Churchill’s racing begins at 2:00 p.m. Eastern,the first Breeders’ Cup race—the Juvenile Sprint (race 5)—is scheduled to go topost at 4:10 p.m. Eastern, leaving plenty of time to check in on:

Teresa Genaro (Brooklyn Backstretch) who has the backstory on Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint runner Trinniberg.
Kevin Martin (Colin’s Ghost) who reflects back on that firstBreeders’ Cup in 1984, and howthings have changed in terms of wagering opportunities.
Alan Mann (Left at the Gate) who ponders UncleMo’s chances in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Sue Dalebroux (Post Parade) and herMagic Beer Bottle who spin their Breeders’ Cup selections for your readingpleasure.
Chris Hernandez (Giving My Ten Cents) who handicapsFriday’s Breeders’ Cup races, as well as the undercard contests.
Valerie Grash (Foolish Pleasure) who makes her Breeders’Cup Friday predictions.
Ted Grevelis (Owning Racehorses) with hisselections for Breeders’ Cup Friday.

Good luck to all!

Previewing Breeders’ Cup 2011

2011-11-03T13:46:00.000-04:00

It’s nearly upon us—Breeders’ Cup 2011.Whether on-site in Louisville or in front of computers across the nation andaround the world, horse racing bloggers are chiming in with analysis,handicapping and backstories about this year’s event. Here’s a review (withlinks) to what our members are talking about right now:

KeithMcCalmont (Triple Dead Heat) discusses Woodbine-based trainer Mark Casse’stwo Breeders’ Cup entrants, Northern Passion (Juvenile Fillies) and Prospective(Juvenile), while Jessica Chapel (Railbird) has posted some great on-site photosof early morning workouts this week at Churchill. Gene Kershner (EquiSpace) hasalso arrivedin Louisville in anticipationof the big day!

In honor of Goldikova’s attempt at fourconsecutive Breeders’ Cup wins, atFilliesFirst, Valerie Grash looked back at the first BC Mile winner, gutsy(and lucky) Royal Heroine, while Alastair Middleton (Horse Racing in Korea)explained why so many Korean racing fans are on board with Gameon Dude in the BC Classic, as well as updated us on BC Classic winner Volponi,now at stud in Korea. Frank Vespe (That’s Amore) laments talented Ben’s Catmissing the BC Turf Sprint.

Some serious handicapping by The Turk,who has been doing his homework studying past performances and replays over thepast few weeks. He’s covered the BCMile, BCTurf, and BCClassic not once but twice—withfinal thoughts here.Alan Mann also penned his thoughts on the BCF&M Turf and Ladies’ Classic, as well as the dirt sprintsand DirtMile. Bill Pressey (ThoroEdge)loves So You Think and Flat Out in the BC Classic, while Chris Hernandez (GivingMy Ten Cents) has some interesting random thoughts about the post draw andthe morning line odds.

Surely, there’s more to come, so “like” ourFacebook page and follow us on Twitterfor the latest postings—as well as follow our individualmembers who love to tweet!

One Week at a Time

2011-10-12T00:22:00.000-04:00

Special thanks to Tom Lamarra at Bloodhorseand Seth Merrow at Equidaily for soprominently highlighting our launch last week, as did sources as diverse as ThoroughbredDaily News, Horsebackmagazine, and Canterbury Park’s blog Straightfrom the Horse’s Mouth. Oh, and Twitter—the go-to place these days to quicklyspread information about any new project! Thank you one and all.

In case you missed it, this past week our members weretalking about the Breeders’ Cup—former and future champions, as well as issuesswirling around the event, including:

King Leatherbury and his Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint prospectBen’s Cat (That’s Amore)
former claimer and Breeders’ Cup champion FurthestLand—fulfilling every claiming horse owner’s dream (OwningRacehorses)
tough, talented Royal Heroine, first BC Mile winner, who surviveda fatal 3-horse spill before her big win (FilliesFirst)
why Belmont Park isn’t ready for the Breeders’ Cup...yet (TheBusiness of Racing)
an interesting comparative look at 2010 BC winners and sameday Aqueduct winners (BrooklynBackstretch)
why do West Coast horses breeze further than those on theEast Coast, and how that might impact them on Breeders’ Cup day (ThoroEdge)
the betting menu and handicapping approach for the BCClassic (TheTurk)
impressions on which Breeders’ Cup races contenders likeUncle Mo, The Factor and others should be aimed (GivingMy Ten Cents) and why any where Uncle Mo goes is a good thing (EquiSpace)
underwhelmed by a possible BC matchup between Uncle Mo andHavre de Grace, longing for the days of Curlin and Zenyatta (PostParade)
Tu Endie Wei’s attempt at the Alcibiades (TripleDead Heat) and My Miss Aurelia, winner of the G1 Frizette (BrooklynBackstretch)
why the Breeders’ Cup has done more to damage horse racingthan good in recent years (FoolishPleasure)

Opening week at Keeneland also inspired analysisand post-raceanalysis by TheTurk while the “last-outat Presque Isle” handicapping angle got put to test. Long-gone tracks at Havrede Grace and Jamaicagot some love as well. Colin’s Ghost provided a pictorial wrap-up of JockeyClub Gold Cup Day while Frank Vespe summarized the recent Fasig Tipton EasternYearlings sale at Timonium.

Frank Mitchell (Bloodstockin the Bluegrass) recognized dual G1-producing mare Mining My Own, FranJurga looked at newresearch on foal weaning and feedissues emerging as the result of New England flooding, and Bill Presseyquite literally dissectedthoroughbred performance—fascinating stuff!

On the international front:

a fond farewell to Japanese Triple Crown champion SymboliRudolf (Keiblog)
a milestone for female jockey and trainer duo winning inKorea (HorseRacing in Korea)
a phenomenal day at the track in India for sireRazeen and in England for Teofilowith his first G1 winner

Finally, Alan Mann (Left at the Gate) regaled us all weekabout his European adventures—the Arcexperience, NHLin Sweden, geothermicpools in Iceland, and finalimpressions from his better half on Arc fashions and food.

Wow, can't wait to see what this next week brings! Hope it's a good one for you.

The Beginning

2011-10-03T19:30:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the website of a new collaborative endeavor,TURF. What you will find here is essentially a hub, or portal to the individualwebsites of an international group of horse racing bloggers who write on allaspects of the sport—breeding/bloodstock analysts, racehorse owners andtrainers, performance and medical experts, photographers, handicappers, fansand historians. Our common bond: a profound love for the sport of horse racing,the individuals involved and—most importantly—the horse.