ROLLING THE DICE IN CALIFORNIA

  • Posted: March 15, 2013  by Alan Porter   -  
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This post first appeared on BloodHorse.com: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/76382/rolling-the-dice-in-northern-california#ixzz2NRYxMzyo The Northern Californian route to the Triple Crown events tends to be “the road less traveled by” these days, at least for major contenders. In fact, the last time the winner of Bay Meadows’ El Camino Real Derby (gr. III), Northern California’s top event

FAREWELL TO CLAIBORNE’S BREED SHAPER

October 6 brought the news that Pulpit, a leading commercial sire for almost a decade and a half, had died in his paddock. The 18-year-old stallion was bred by Claiborne Farm, raced in the Claiborne colors, and stood his entire stud career at the Paris, Ky., nursery. A member of

KAUAI KATIE: REPEATING THE PATTERN

  • Posted: August 16, 2012  by Alan Porter   -  
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It’s still very early in the season for serious juvenile competition, but there is no doubt that one of the most impressive 2-year-old fillies seen to date is Kauai Katie. Successful by 12 lengths on her debut, the Stonestreet Stable color-bearer returned to action at Saratoga in the Adirondack Stakes

E DUBAI – A NORTH EAST STANDOUT

A couple of recent observations drew our attention to E Dubai, who we’ve noted before as a very good value-for-money sire. One was the upset victory last weekend of the progressive 3-year-old filly My Gi Gi in the Honeymoon Handicap (gr. II). The other was a look at the leading

UNION OF INFLUENCES

  • Posted: June 15, 2012  by Alan Porter   -  
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Although Union Rags went into winter quarters widely regarded as the leading prospect for the Triple Crown events, a superficial reading of his pedigree could have been interpreted to indicate than he’d struggle with the ten furlongs of the Derby, let alone the 1½  miles of the classic he did

GHOSTZAPPER’S EXCELLENT WEEKEND

The most recent weekend’s racing in the U.S. was highlighted by an epic Metropolitan Handicap (gr. I) duel between Shackleford and Caleb’s Posse. However, it also featured a notable achievement by a former Metropolitan Handicap victor – Ghostzapper – who was represented by graded winners on all-weather, turf and dirt. On

GEMOLOGIST, I’LL HAVE ANOTHER WIN THER WAY INTO DERBY PICTURE

  • Posted: April 14, 2012  by Alan Porter   -  
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The most recent weekend saw another pair of grade one Kentucky Derby (gr. I) trials, with the Wood Memorial Stakes (gr. I) at Aqueduct, and the Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) on the West Coast. In New York,Gemologist and Alpha, two of the leading Derby hopefuls had to finish in the first