The Road to Kentucky Week 1 Recap
The first week of the Road to Kentucky contest is complete. The contest track was Tampa Bay Downs, which featured a main track that started out “good” and transitioned to “fast”. There were twelve contest races at Tampa, including the featured Sam F. Davis Stakes which was worth double points. Unfortunately, three of the originally […]
All Aboard on the Road to Kentucky
Ah yes, the fever. Derby Fever strikes earlier for some than others, but for the horseplayer at Canterbury the official first stop arrives on Saturday compliments of Tampa Bay Downs and their Sam F. Davis Stakes. This traditional prep for the Tampa Bay Derby has not exactly been a Kentucky Derby Contender factory, but the […]
2013 Derby Day Nears
Occasionally she’ll think about the race and the biggest win of her career, the stuff of warm feelings and pleasant thoughts, except for that interminable wait. “It was intense, wasn’t it though,” says Lori Keith. The subject at hand, of course, is the inaugural Mystic Lake Derby first held in 2012 and Keith’s controversial win […]
It’s a Family Tradition
Despite an unceremonious unseating in the pasture at age 12, Mark Anderson was probably destined to wind up in some end of the horse business at some time in his life. Family history would seem to dictate as much. His brother, Chad, Mark’s senior by four years, was a jockey. Their father, Wayne, rode horses […]
The 4th of July
No one in the public eye of American Racing captured the hearts of the thoroughbred world more convincingly than a 92-year-old woman from Minnesota in 1990. Frances Genter, the grand dame of American racing, is still recalled for her Kentucky Derby win with Unbridled and the emotional race call of trainer Carl Nafzger that year […]
15,168 Enjoy July 3rd
Alex Canchari was searching for ice in the jockeys room after the second half of the co-feature Wednesday night. “What’s up?” someone asked. “I’m trying to cool off,” said Canchari. “Oh, wait a minute…” he added. Yes, indeed, wait a minute. Canchari had just won three races in a row, including the Princess Elaine and […]
Race of the Week – Belmont Stakes
The rite of spring for three year old thoroughbreds meets its conclusion this Saturday in the Belmont Stakes. With two strong Triple Crown victories in the books, one would think the winners would scare more runners off – not the case. A nearly capacity gate of fourteen is lined up for the final leg of […]
A Career Determined by Destiny
The next time someone tells you there is no such thing as destiny, that anyone who says “it was written in the stars” is one brick short of a full load or that a person’s bloodline has nothing to do with personal choices, talk to Dan McFarlane. The affable trainer from Phoenix, Ariz., who is […]
Race of the Week – $500,000 Penn Mile
Penn National’s introducing a new stakes race this year. It may look familiar to those of us at Canterbury due to the conditions – A rich purse attached to a middle-distance turf race for three year olds. Hmmmmm… The Penn Mile is a similar oasis to the Mystic Lake Derby – An alternative to the […]
The Boys from Chicago
There are a few guys stepping out from their last races in Chicago to new surroundings, some garnering more attention than others. Since all three last started at Hawthorne… why wouldn’t it get my interest? On a national scale, with the Preakness just over a week away there are two exiting the Illinois Derby with different profiles […]
