Could Derby Museum be Barbaro's Final Resting Place?

Barbaro's final resting place could be just a few hundred yards from the scene of his greatest triumph in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).
Officials at the Kentucky Derby Museum, located on the grounds of Churchill Downs, said Tuesday they'd be "honored" if Barbaro were buried in a garden along with four other Derby winners.
"We've expressed to them how honored we'd be to have Barbaro here," Lynn Ashton, executive director of the museum, said. "We feel like we're bringing horses back to be honored."
The grave sites of Derby winners Sunny's Halo (1983), Carry Back (1961), Swaps (1955) and Broker's Tip (1933) are located outside on the museum grounds.
Owners Gretchen and Roy Jackson said Monday a final decision on where Barbaro would be buried had not been made. Another possibility could be the Jacksons' Lael Farm, just a few miles away from the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center.
The Jacksons did not immediately return phone calls Tuesday morning.
Barbaro was euthanized Monday after complications from his gruesome breakdown at last year's Preakness Stakes (gr. I), ending an eight-month ordeal that made him even more of a hero than he was as an undefeated Derby winner.
Source: news.bloodhorse.com

Derby Winner Barbaro Euthanized

Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) winner Barbaro was euthanized Monday after complications from his breakdown at the Preakness last May. "We just reached a point where it was going to be difficult for him to go on without pain," co-owner Roy Jackson said. "It was the right decision, it was the right thing to do. We said all along if there was a situation where it would become more difficult for him then it would be time."

Owners Roy and Gretchen Jackson were with Barbaro on Monday morning, with the owners making the decision in consultation with chief surgeon Dean Richardson. It was a series of complications, including laminitis in the left rear hoof and a recent abscess in the right rear hoof, that proved to be too much for the gallant colt, whose breakdown brought an outpouring of support across the country.

"I would say thank you for everything, and all your thoughts and prayers over the last eight months or so," Jackson said to Barbaro's fans.

On May 20, Barbaro was rushed to the New Bolton Center, about 30 miles southwest of Philadelphia in Kennett Square, hours after shattering his right hind leg just a few strides into the Preakness Stakes (gr. I). The bay colt underwent a five-hour operation that fused two joints, recovering from an injury most horses never survive. Barbaro lived for eight more months, though he never again walked with a normal gait. The classic winner suffered a significant setback over the weekend, and surgery was required to insert two steel pins in a bone - one of three shattered eight months ago in the Preakness but now healthy - to eliminate all weight bearing on the ailing right rear foot.

The procedure on Saturday was a risky one, because it transfered more weight to the leg while the foot rests on the ground bearing no weight. The leg was on the mend until the abscess began causing discomfort last week. Until then, the major concern was Barbaro's left rear leg, which developed laminitis in July, and 80 percent of the hoof was removed.
Richardson said Monday morning that Barbaro did not have a good night.
Source news.bloodhorse.com

Twilight 'Double' Scheduled For Saratoga

The New York Racing Association will offer two twilight Friday racing cards at Saratoga Race Course during the Spa’s 36-day, 2007 season that begins on Wednesday, July 25.
p>Last year, in an effort to add more excitement to closing weekend at Saratoga, NYRA moved the Woodward from Belmont Park to Saratoga for the final weekend. It then announced a twilight card on September 1, the last Friday of the meet, with a post time of 3 p.m. The move proved to be a huge success, as the 17,993 fans in attendance represented a 29-percent increase over the final Friday Saratoga attendances of 2005 (13,960) and 2004 (13,794).

In 2007, there will be a twilight race card on the final Friday of the meet, August 31, and an additional twilight card on Friday, July 27. The change was approved by the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce at a meeting earlier this month.

First-race post on both Friday twilight days at Saratoga will be 2:45 p.m.
“Our fans really supported the idea of a Friday twilight card at Saratoga,” said Bill Nader, NYRA senior vice-president and Chief Operating Officer. “It gave them a chance to enjoy the town of Saratoga in the morning and revel in its favorite sport in the afternoon. Plus, it served as a terrific start to a big weekend of racing.”
The twilight cards at Saratoga in 2007 will likewise be preludes to exciting race days.
Following the Opening Weekend Friday twilight card, Saratoga will host a blockbuster day of racing on Saturday, July 28th.
That day, ABC-TV will televise the Grade 1, $750,000 Whitney Handicap for three-year-olds and up at nine furlongs; the Grade 1, $250,000 Go for Wand for fillies and mares at nine furlongs; the Grade 1, $500,000 Diana Handicap for fillies and mares at nine furlongs on the turf and the Grade 2, $200,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt for three-year-olds and up at six furlongs during its two-hour live telecast that will begin at 4 p.m. Eastern.
The winners of those races will automatically qualify, respectively, for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Breeders’ Cup Distaff; Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf and Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Monmouth Park later in the year.
On Saturday, September 1, the Grade 1 Woodward and the Grade 1 Forego Handicaps will be featured at Saratoga as the meet winds down to Closing Day, which is Labor Day, Monday, September 3rd.
“Based on traditional experience, restaurants that serve lunch may see an increase in business on a twilight day and a slight decrease in dinner business” said Joe Dalton of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce. “But this will be a new experience. We believe that whatever decrease in dinner business will be offset by a tremendous amount of people in town for great racing. The quality of the racing cards on these weekends figure to attract a lot more people from our target areas like New York, Connecticut and Boston. Plus, the entire City of Saratoga Springs gets exposure from ABC that opening weekend, not just the racetrack, but the Victorian homes, the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, all of Saratoga get exposure. That can only help business throughout the rest of the racing season.”
Source www.nyra.com

New Kentucky Derby book commemorates Barbaro’s victory

Kentucky Derby 132 Review, a book commemorating Barbaro’s win in the 2006 .Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1), is now available. Licensed by Churchill Downs and Barbaro’s owners Roy and Gretchen Jackson, the 80-page coffee table book is the first in a series and is limited to 5,000 copies available online at www.Secretariat.com. Published by Louisville-based Moonlight Press, the book will soon be available through the official Kentucky Derby online store www.thederbystore.com and other retailers.

“If a picture is worth a thousand words, then Kentucky Derby 132 Review speaks volumes about America’s premier horse race and the horse and connections fortunate enough to find their way into the Derby winner’s circle on the first Saturday in May,” said John Asher, vice president of racing communications for Churchill Downs. “The colorful narrative for the book and its many photo captions was penned by Churchill Downs’s longtime director of publicity, Tony Terry, and will certainly have special meaning to race fans who followed Barbaro’s journey to Louisville, Kentucky, and who were dazzled by his heroic performance under the Twin Spires.”

A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Laminitis Fund at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine’s New Bolton Center in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, where Barbaro continues his battle against life-threatening laminitis.Source www.thoroughbredtimes.com

Kentucky Derby Twin Spires

Throughout the world, the Twin Spires are a recognized landmark that has become symbolic to Churchill Downs and "the greatest two minutes in sports", the Kentucky Derby.

Constructed in 1895, the Spires were the creation of a twenty-four-year-old draftsman, Joseph Dominic Baldez, who was asked to draw the plans for Churchill Downs' new Grandstand. Originally the plans did not include the Spires, but as the young Baldez continued work on his design, he felt the structure needed something to give it a striking appearance.
Described as towers in the original drawing, the hexagonal spires exemplify late nineteenth century architecture, in which symmetry and balance took precedence over function. Although Baldez designed many other structures in Louisville, the Twin Spires remain as an everlasting monument to the architect.

Former Churchill Downs President Matt J. Winn is reported to have told Baldez, "Joe when you die there's one monument that will never be taken down, the Twin Spires."
Baldez died in 1957, but a century after they were built, his Twin Spires continue to greet the winner of the Kentucky Derby and stand as a familiar beacon to horse racing enthusiasts everywhere.
Source www.kentuckyderby.info

Invasor Rated Top Racehorse in World

Shadwell Stables’ Invasor has topped the Northern Hemisphere section of the World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings for 2006, details of which were revealed Tuesday, Jan. 16, in London, England.

The Kiaran McLaughlin-trained 5-year-old earned a career-high rating of 129 pounds in defeating Preakness Stakes (gr. I) winner Bernardini by a length at Churchill Downs on November 4. Invasor’s triumph in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Powered by Dodge (gr. I) capped a championship season in which the Argentinian-bred son of Candy Stripes also secured the Pimlico Special (gr. I), Suburban Handicap (gr. I) and Whitney Handicap (gr. I).

The rankings, for horses trained or campaigned in countries whose season runs from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, resulted in U.S.-trained horses filling the top three places in the handicap while accounting for five of the top 10. A panel of official international handicappers rated Invasor a pound superior to Darley Stables’ Tom Albertrani-trained Bernardini (128), and Godolphin’s Hill ‘n’ Dale Cigar Mile (gr. I) winner Discreet Cat (128), who are the equal top-rated 3-year-olds of last year. Bernardini landed six straight wins in 2006 including the Preakness, Travers Stakes (gr. I) and Jockey Club Gold Cup (gr. I) before winding up his career with a runner-up finish behind the late-closing Invasor at Churchill Downs.

The Saeed bin Suroor-trained Discreet Cat was seven lengths superior to Invasor when the pair met in the UAE Derby (gr. II) at Nad Al Sheba, Dubai, in March. Invasor subsequently recorded a four-race unbeaten streak stateside, while Discreet Cat went undefeated in three U.S. outings.

Lava Man, a star of the California circuit for trainer Doug O’Neill, won six of seven starts in 2006 including the Santa Anita Handicap (gr. I), Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap (gr. I), Hollywood Gold Cup (gr. I) and Pacific Classic (gr. I) Lava Man is ranked equal fourth in the weights at 127, alongside Japanese superstar Deep Impact, the impressive winner of the Japan Cup (Jpn-I) and third in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Fr-I), Arc winner Rail Link, and top Irish miler George Washington, winner of the Two Thousand Guineas (Eng-I) and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Eng-I).

Barbaro, the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) winner who is still recovering from serious injuries sustained in the Preakness, achieved a rating of 126 in the "Run for the Roses" and is joined on that mark by 2005 world champion Hurricane Run and the Aidan O’Brien-trained Dylan Thomas, successful in the Irish Derby (Ire-I) and Irish Champion Stakes (Ire-I). Godolphin’s Electrocutionist, the Dubai World Cup (UAE-I) hero who died later in the year, and European group I winner Shirocco were judged as 125 pound horses. Alain de Royer-Dupre trained Pride, a close second in the Arc, collected a trio of group I successes in Hong Kong, England and her native France.

She rounded off a glittering career when securing the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup (HK-I) at Sha Tin in December, and is the champion female of 2006 with a rating of 123.

Just behind her was Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf heroine Ouija Board, who achieved a mark of 122, while Belmont Stakes winner Jazil, owned like Invasor by Shadwell Stables, ends 2006 at 119. The Neil Drysdale-trained Aragorn, winner of the Shoemaker Breeders’ Cup Mile (gr. I) and Eddie Read Handicap (gr. I), is the leading U.S.-based turf performer with a rating of 122.

Runner-up to Miesque’s Approval (120) in the NetJets Breeders’ Cup Mile at Churchill Downs, Aragorn is rated one pound superior to English Channel (121) who was third in the John Deere Breeders’ Cup Turf. The prestige of leading sprinter in the WTRR is split three ways. Thor’s Echo’s wins in the TVG Breeders’ Cup Sprint (gr. I) and Frank J. de Francis Memorial Dash earned the Doug O’Neill-trained 5-year-old a rating of 120, a mark equaled by Vosburgh Stakes (gr. I) winner Henny Hughes (120) and crack Australian speedster Takeover Target (120), who was successful at the highest level in Australia, England and Japan last year. Sir Percy, triumphant in the Vodafone Derby (Eng-I) for trainer Marcus Tregoning, is judged to have achieved a mark of 121 for that English classic-winning performance in June.Source: racing.bloodhorse.com

Kentucky Derby Documentary Nears Completion

Two brothers working on a documentary about the Kentucky Derby are nearing completion of the project. John and Brad Hennegan putting the finishing touches on "The First Saturday in May," a film they conceived after seeing stories surrounding popular Derby wins by Funny Cide and Smarty Jones. "Along the way, we happened to come across the most famous horse arguably in the last 60 years," John Hennegan said of 2006 Derby champ Barbaro.
"Our whole thing was we want to make horse racing cool. ... and we've been following it the last couple years to see if it could sustain a documentary."
Beginning in July 2005, the Hennegans started following 2006 Derby contenders and the humans around them. They settled on six horses for the film, five of which ran in the Derby, including Barbaro.

The Hennegans shot about 500 hours of footage in locations on both coasts, in Kentucky and everywhere from Dubai to Hot Springs, Ark.
The movie includes how Louisville native Dale Romans reached a career goal of having a horse in the race, told considerably through his relationships with his son, Jacob, and his cousin Paul Parrish. It also tells the stories of Dan Hendricks, a paralyzed trainer who conditioned Brother Derek; Bob Holthus, Lawyer Ron's trainer and groom; and Michael Matz, the Olympic equestrian medalist who turned to Thoroughbred training.

The brothers said their family members were supportive of the venture from the outset. John's wife had just had a baby, and Brad left a job with a college television network.
"I don't think they ever know what we're doing but they support us," John said. "It's very foreign to them."
Brad estimated the film has cost less than $100,000.
In June, the Hennegans started editing the footage down to a 90-minute film, which ends at the Derby. An epilogue mentions Barbaro's injury and efforts to save him. Barbaro suffered a career-ending leg injury in the Preakness.

Some people featured in the film have seen advance prints.
"I thought they did a brilliant job," said Kiaran McLaughlin, a horse trainer and Lexington native who is battling multiple sclerosis. "I can promise you any racing person will really enjoy it."
Information from: The Courier-Journal

Street Sense to race twice before Kentucky Derby

Street Sense, the Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) winner and a finalist for champion two-year-old male, will probably race twice before the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1), trainer Carl Nafzger said on Wednesday.
The Street Cry (Ire) colt has resumed a regular training schedule at Palm Meadows Training Center in South Florida.
“He had about 45 days of light training, and then we’ve picked it up the last two weeks or so,” Nafzger said. “He’s probably about two weeks away from his first breeze.”
Nafzger and owner-breeder James Tafel will work backward in devising a prep schedule for Street Sense, with the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G1) on April 14 at Keeneland Race Course already earmarked as his final start before the Derby on May 5 at Churchill Downs.
Nafzger and Tafel have not picked out a race for Street Sense’s three-year-old debut.
“We’ll see how the first one comes up,” Nafzger said. “It will be the last of February or the first of March. I don’t have any idea where to go yet—we’ll let him tell us, and then we’ll start looking [for a race]. There are a lot of preps to look at. We’d like to do it here in Florida because we’re here, and then we’d go right to Kentucky. We need some time before the Blue Grass.”
Calvin Borel, Street Sense’s regular jockey, began exercising horses again this week at Oaklawn Park in his recovery from a broken wrist.
Borel suffered multiple fractures in a spill at Churchill on Thanksgiving Day and underwent surgery a day later. He expects to be ready for opening day of the Oaklawn meet on January 19.
“The good thing, if there is one, out of the whole thing is that he did not shatter his wrist,” said Jerry Hissam, Borel’s agent. “All his breaks were clean breaks in the wrist and that made it where it healed faster, even though they had to put in plates and pins.”
Borel finished in a tie with Shaun Bridgmohan for the Churchill fall meet jockey title with 23 wins.
Source www.thoroughbredtimes.com

Kentucky Derby Racing Silks

Between the program, the television monitors, the highly-visible number of a horse's saddlecloth and the track announcer's call, it is pretty easy for the average fan to follow the progress of a particular horse throughout a race.

But when horse racing first began in the early 18th century, there were no such things as program numbers, public address systems or closed circuit television. So when King Charles II (he's the one with the long, curly wig) first assembled race meets on the plains of Hempstead, the dukes and the barons had trouble figuring out which horse was which. So, they adopted racing silks - or colors - to distinguish their jockeys for easier viewing.

During the time of King Charles II, the silks were simple -- red for one duke, black for another duke, orange for one earl, white for another earl, and so on.

The tradition of the silks remains today as jockeys wear the colors of the horse owners, but since there are so many owners, they have become even more colorful. Some of the most famous silks are the devil's red and blue of Calumet Farm, worn by the jockeys of Kentucky Derby winners Citation and Ponder and Allen Paulson's star-spangled red-white-and-blue colors, carried by the champion racehorse Cigar.

The jockeys' room at Churchill Downs houses hundreds of silks which are hung on pegs in the order of each jockey's races for that day.
Source kentuckyderby.info

Women in the Kentucky Derby

Yes, we think Jessica looks great in a pink hat at the Kentucky Derby. But besides her, women have played an active role in Kentucky Derby history since the turn of the century.

In 1904, Mrs. Laska Durnell nominated Elwood to the Kentucky Derby, unbeknownst to her husband, trainer Charles Durnell. The decision was a shrewd one and Elwood won as the longest price in the field of five. Elwood was the first starter and winner owned by a woman, and also the first winner bred by a woman, Mrs. J.B. Prather.

By the 1940s, women owners in the Derby were almost commonplace. In 1942, seven of the first eight finishers in the Kentucky Derby were owned by women. The exception was Valdina Orphan, who finished third.

Besides the role of owner, a total of 12 women trainers have sent 13 starters postward in the Kentucky Derby, most recently Kristin Mulhall and Jennifer Pedersen in 2004. To date, five women have ridden in the famed "Run for the Roses": Diane Crump, Patti Cooksey, Andrea Seefeldt, Julie Krone, and Rosemary Homeister.
Source: www.kentuckyderby.info

Kentucky Derby Traditions

In addition to the race itself, a number of traditions have played a large role in the Derby atmosphere. The Mint Julep, an iced drink consisting of bourbon, mint and sugar, is the traditional beverage of the race. Burgoo, typically a thick stew of lamb and vegetables is served from iron pots sometimes 10 feet in diameter. Legal gambling on the race is done through parimutuel betting at the track.

The Infield, a spectator area inside the track, offers low general admission prices but little chance of seeing much of the race. Instead, revelers show up in the infield to party. By contrast, "Millionaire's Row" refers to the expensive box seats that attract the rich and famous.

Elegant women appear in long dresses, big hats, and carrying fancy umbrellas. As the horses are paraded before the grandstands, "My Old Kentucky Home" is played by the University of Louisville marching band while the crowd stands and sings along.

The Derby is frequently referred to as "The Run for the Roses," because a garland of red roses is awarded to the Kentucky Derby winner each year. The tradition is as a result of New York socialite E. Berry Wall presenting roses to ladies at a post-Derby party in 1883 that was attended by Churchill Downs president, Col. M. Lewis Clark. This gesture is believed to have eventually led Clark to the idea of making the rose the race's official flower. However, it was not until 1896 that any recorded account referred to roses being draped on the Derby winner. The governor of Kentucky awards the garland and the trophy.
Source: www.kentuckyderby.info

Kentucky Derby Breeder Stats, 1916-2002

Nine Winners: Calumet Farm - Whirlaway (1941), Pensive (1944), Citation (1948), Ponder (1949), Hill Gail (1952), Iron Liege (1957), Tim Tam (1958), Forward Pass (1968), Strike the Gold (1991). Eight of the Calumet-bred Derby winners were foaled in the same barn at the farm near Lexington, Kentucky; the exception, Strike the Gold.
Five Winners: John E. Madden - Old Rosebud (1914), Sir Barton (1919), Paul Jones (1920), Zev (1923), Flying Ebony (1925). Madden bred Sir Barton in partnership with Vivian Gooch of England. All five Madden-bred Derby winners were foaled in the same barn at Hamburg Place near Lexington, Kentucky. Madden is the only person to breed, own, and train Kentucky Derby winners. John Madden's grandson Preston bred Alysheba (1987) at Hamburg Place, in a barn adjacent to the former foaling barn that now is the stud barn.
Four Winners: A. J. Alexander - Baden-Baden (1877), Fonso (1880), Joe Cotton (1885), Chant (1894). E. R. Bradley - Behave Yourself (1921), Bubbling Over (1926), Burgoo King (1932), Brokers Tip (1933). Bradley owned Idle Hour Stock Farm in Fayette County, Kentucky, and bred Burgoo King in partnership with H. N. Davis.
Three Winners: Bashford Manor Stable (George J.Long) - Azra (1892), Manuel (1899), Sir Huon (1906). Daniel Swigert - Hindoo (1881), Apollo (1882), Ben Ali (1886).
Two Winners: Belair Stud - Gallant Fox (1930), Omaha (1935). Claiborne Farm - Johnstown (1939), Swale (1984). R.A. Fairbairn - Gallahadion (1940), Hoop Jr. (1945). John W. Galbreath - Chateaugay (1963), Proud Clarion (1967). Greentree Stable - Twenty Grand (1931), Shut Out (1942). A.B. Hancock III - Gato Del Sol (1982), Fusaichi Pegasus (2000). Idle Hour Stock Farm - Bubbling Over (1926), Brokers Tip (1933). King Ranch - Assault (1946), Middleground (1950). Meadow Stud, Inc. - Riva Ridge (1972), Secretariat (1973). Harry Payne Whitney - Regret (1915), Whiskery (1927). Milton Young - Montrose (1887), Donau (1910).
Source: www.kentuckyderby.com