cookiesinheaven

Sunday, November 07, 2010

17.2 hands

Originally uploaded by bridgetcorcoran.

of equine splendor....Zenyatta!

Labels: Horse Racing, Zenyatta

12:27 PM | Permalink |

Zenyatta didn't win her race

Jockey Mike Smith lost it for her though.

Labels: Horse, Horse Racing, YouTube, Zenyatta

12:21 AM | Permalink |

Sunday, August 08, 2010

ZENYATTA!

18 and 0. She's a SUPERSTAR!

Labels: Del Mar, History, Horse Racing, horses, YouTube, Zenyatta

12:26 AM | Permalink |

Saturday, May 01, 2010

The Sun Finally Did Shine in Kentucky For Todd

Congrats to Todd Pletcher and his winning team Super Saver and Calvin (kiss the rail) Borel for winning the Kentucky (Roller)Derby

Labels: Horse Racing, horses, Kentucky Derby

4:28 PM | Permalink |

Sunday, February 14, 2010

R.I.P. - Dick Francis

A truly remarkable and talented man, both on the back of a horse and writing about the horse racing world, has reached the final finish line.

Dick Francis, the prolific bestselling author and former professional jockey, has died aged 89, his family announced today.

Best known for his thrillers set in the racing world – he was the author of 42 novels – francis was also one of the most successful postwar national hunt jockeys.

The winner of more than 350 races, he was champion jockey in 1953/54 and rode for the Queen and the Queen Mother.

On the racetrack Francis was best known for riding the Queen Mother's horse, Devon Loch when it fell just short of the winning line in the 1956 Grand National. To "do a Devon Loch" is still synonymous with losing a race from an unassailable position. - the Times

God speed, Richard. Thanks for the spills and chills of your life and livelihood. There will not be another quite like you, of that I am "Dead Cert."

Labels: Horse Racing, horses, Passings, writers

12:04 PM | Permalink |

Monday, January 18, 2010

Congrats to the Horse of the Year

Meet the Princess: Rachel Alexandra
Originally uploaded by creepy_coyote.

Rachel Alexandra!

We'll have to toast her victory with a glass of Rachel Alexandra wine. (It helps that she has very intimate connections with Kendall Jackson winery.)

Labels: awards, Flickr, Horse Racing, horses, Wine

7:26 PM | Permalink |

Saturday, November 07, 2009

She's "Z" one!

Zenyatta1
Originally uploaded by crystaldiamondk2.

Horse of the Year!

Zenyatta, the unbeaten 5-year-old mare, put together a performance for the ages Saturday before 58,845 at Santa Anita. She rallied from last place in a field of 12, went to the inside around the final turn, went to the outside in the stretch and mowed down her male rivals to win the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic, her 14th consecutive victory.
She becomes the first female horse to win the Breeders' Cup Classic in the 26-year history, and there were thousands of screaming fans rooting her home as the 5-2 favorite. - LA Times

Labels: Horse Racing, horses, Santa Anita, sports

4:51 PM | Permalink |

It's Breeder's Cup Day

The Horse Barns at Santa Anita Race Track, Arcadia, CA
Originally uploaded by claimsmantoo.

at the Great Race Place.

Go Zenyatta!

Labels: Horse Racing, horses, sports, YouTube

8:59 AM | Permalink |

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Days of Wine and Horses

Like My Silly Face?
Originally uploaded by wendyu.

Rachel Alexandra (whose co-owners own Kendall-Jackson winery) gets her own line of wine.

Labels: Flickr, Horse Racing, horses, Wine

12:16 PM | Permalink |

Saturday, June 06, 2009

It was a great Belmont Stakes win

by a good looking chestnut colt...but no Belmont Stakes can really compare to the Belmont of 1973 won by the "Big Red"....Secretariat.

Labels: Horse Racing, horses, sports, YouTube

6:19 PM | Permalink |

Saturday, May 16, 2009

The New Must Have "Rachel" Hair-do

Like My Silly Face?
Originally uploaded by wendyu.

Rachel Alexandra's.

The Filly rocked Old Hilltop today. No wonder some tried to keep her out of the race and the ol' boys club...they knew she would womp'm.

You GO girl. Now...to try to explain the new haircut I want to my hairdresser.

Labels: Horse Racing, horses

3:43 PM | Permalink |

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Top Chef Las Vegas

Looks like the rumours that have been floating around are correct....Top Chef Season 6 is going to Sin City...Viva Las Vegas!

But first, the Top Chef "tour" will be seen dishing and dishing up food at the Kentucky Derby. I'm wondering who the chefs will be putting some "dough" on....Des(s)ert Party? Mr. Hot Stuff? Chocolate Candy? Or will the losers put all their "clams" on I Want Revenge. I just hope they remember to "spiff" up their toques. It IS the Derby, you know.

Labels: Horse Racing, Kentucky Derby, Top Chef

5:31 PM | Permalink |

Saturday, April 04, 2009

Another gallop down memory lane.....

Freehouse vs. Silver Charm in the Santa Anita Derby of 1997.

Labels: California, Horse Racing, Santa Anita

11:05 AM | Permalink |

Friday, April 03, 2009

The Santa Anita Derby is tomorrow

one of my favorite runnings of this stepping stone to the Kentucky Derby was the 1988 version...where the FILLY ruled the day! I was there that day..and did I lose my voice cheering on the filly!

Labels: Horse Racing, Santa Anita, YouTube

8:06 AM | Permalink |

Friday, December 26, 2008

The Best Present Opening

is the day AFTER Christmas. Santa Anita!

Labels: California, Horse Racing, Santa Anita

8:00 AM | Permalink |

Sunday, May 04, 2008

Tragedy

on the first Saturday in May.

We don't know what Eight Belles means on a horse farm, but in nautical terms "eight bells" marks the end of one's watch shift. - USAToday

Such a heartbreaking end to what should have been a glorious day.

Labels: Horse Racing, Kentucky Derby, Passings

8:06 AM | Permalink |

Saturday, October 27, 2007

It's Breeder's Cup today

Thoroughbred Midnight Lute ~ Trained by Bob Baffert

Midnight Lute apparently had jet ski shoes on today. What a race!

Labels: Horse Racing

11:59 AM | Permalink |

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

What a little racehorse taught me about life

I read the news today, oh my. And, for a follower of the "ponies", it is a sad day indeed. The legendary racehorse, John Henry has passed. Gone to the big race in the sky to battle down the homestretch with the other greats of the sport.

And, I am heartbroken, indeed. For John Henry, although giving me great thrills at his exploits at the track, also taught me a great deal about life.

No..really.

John wasn't from the true "blue" blooded side of the track. His sire, Ole Bob Bowers was once sold for $900. John himself wasn't purchased for millions at the well-heeled sales at Saratoga. He barely brought in $1,100 at the Keeneland sales, after bashing himself in the head in the stall and arriving into the sales ring bloody.

He "suffered" the indignity of being gelded because he had his own mind...and mean temper. He also was undersized. Underweight. Underbred with unremarkable conformation.

He raced early on. He was a "workhorse" and managed to bring in some money and some attention. He was finally purchased by Dotsam Stable, the stable of Dorothy (Dot) and Sam Rubin. They shipped him out to California to the stable of Ron McAnally.

And...in the California sun and the glare of the racing public....John Henry blossomed. He started winning. Big. And the racing "elite" took notice. The fans turned up in droves to see "the little horse" that could. He captured the nation's imagination.

He certainly captured mine.

I would ride the Greyhound bus from Santa Barbara down to the tracks in the Los Angeles area, camera in tow and Racing Form in hand. And watching John in action truly was breath taking. Coming from the "nose bleed" section of the pack to win by a whisker he would give us thrills and excitement, and, yes, disappointment. He didn't win them all, but you knew he gave it his all. And we all loved him for it.

He was a ham. He truly loved the fans..almost as much as we loved him. I would squeeze up to the paddock rail to see the little guy. He would look around the ring, and, I kid you not, spot the cameras. As he was being walked around the ring, he would stop infront of someone who had a camera and "pose" until he heard that shutter click. I have a couple of great photos of him "smiling" at me.

So, what did he "teach" me, you ask...well...

John showed everyone that one can truly go from "rags to riches." It didn't matter if you weren't from the good side of the tracks or bloodlines, you could still have the talent to prove yourself an individual.

John showed that you could turn your anger and "meanness" to do good, and be productive. He was cantakerous, often ill-tempered, even after being gelded. That was just who he was...and he turned that "meanness" into a productive end result. Dogged determination.

John showed that winning wasn't the only thing....it was HOW YOU RAN YOUR RACE. It was the effort that mattered. Sure, winning was a great thing, but it wasn't the ONLY thing. Showing heart. Giving the task at hand your best effort. THAT was the important thing.

John showed that intelligence was part of any game, too. Chris McCarron often said that John knew when to move in the race, all by himself. He (Chris) was just along for the ride.

John also showed that knowing yourself was a key component to a "winning" life. He would walk carefully to morning workouts, making sure he didn't stumble on rocks or collide with other horses more "high strung." He knew that taking his time to the track was his "modus operendi". His "peeps" understood that too. John trained them well.

John was the "working man's" horse. He earned his place of greatness in the sport, and in our hearts, through toughness, tenacity and hard work rather than sheer brilliance. He taught us that life involved hard work, and having to work was nothing to be embarassed about. It was to be celebrated.

His final race record stood at 83 starts, 39 wins, 15 seconds, and 9 thirds with $6,497,947 in earnings.

Voted 7 Eclipse Awards
Voted Horse of the Year 1981 and 1984
Won Horse of the Year more than once, but not in consecutive years
Voted Eclipse Award for Outstanding Older Male Horse 1981
Oldest horse to win Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year - at age 9
Oldest horse to win a Grade 1 race - at age 9 (tied)
Voted Eclipse Award for Outstanding Male Turf Horse - 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984
Won 30 stakes races
Only horse to win the Arlington Million (G1) twice - 1981 & 1984
One of only two horses to win the Santa Anita Handicap (G1) twice - 1981 & 1982
Won more grade stakes than any other Thoroughbred - 25
Voted racehorse of the decade for the 1980's
Retired as the world's richest thoroughbred - July 28, 1985
Inducted into National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1990
Ranked #23 in the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th Century

It wasn't the awards and the acclaim that were bestowed upon him that made him so legendary, it was his dogged tirelessness and his "never give up" despite the odds attitude. It was the lessons that he taught this little railbird girl, and his millions of other fans around the world, that will never be forgotten. It was the hope that he gave us, all of us "non-blue bloods", that someday, we, too, could show class and greatness.

And, one of the most controversial, but most exciting of John Henry's racing days....the Santa Anita Handicap of 1982. I was there. Screaming my throat and lungs raw...cheering him on...jumping up and down along the rail along with the thousands of others....rooting on the "little horse that could."

John Henry, the "Steel Driving" horse with a "cinderella" story.

God speed, John. God speed.

Labels: Horse Racing, Passings

9:02 PM | Permalink |

Monday, October 08, 2007

God Speed, John Henry

“The mighty heart of the great John Henry has, at long last, yielded to time," expressed John Nicholson, executive director of the Horse Park. "The racing industry has lost a legend, but more significantly, many people have lost a personal hero. John Henry’s true legacy was written in people’s hearts far more indelibly than his superlative racing career could ever reflect. - The Bloodhorse

I remember seeing him at Santa Anita and Hollywood Park. He loved the crowds. He posed for the cameras. He was a ham. Chris McCarron, one of the legendary jockeys who "rode" him, once confessed that John knew what he was doing during a race and that he (Chris) was just along for the ride.

And, my....what a ride it was.

Labels: Horse Racing, Passings

7:05 PM | Permalink |

Saturday, June 09, 2007

It's Not Fillet Powder....

It's FILLY POWER!

Rags to Riches went from her knees at the start to her nose at the wire.

"One small stumble for filly...one giant payback for fillykind."

What a Belmont! I'm sure to check in with Left at the Gate for follow up coverage.

Labels: Filly, Horse Racing

7:17 PM | Permalink |