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A great rider, and by all accounts, a great man, Hall of Fame rider Randy Romero passed away due to serious health issues. He was the regular rider of Personal Ensign, one of the all-time greatest mares and one of the few undefeated champions in history. This was very final race.
Rest in peace, Randy.
The one-and-only Tim Conway passed away today at the age of 85. He was best known for his role in the Carol Burnett television show, but for those of us in the horse racing industry, he was also jockey Lyle Dorf. Here is his skit with Johnny Carson.
Here is a 1988 interview with track announcer Trevor Denman of Santa Anita. Denman sits down for a conversation with comedian Tim Conway, a big fan of horse racing. Conway gives a great tip for new fans at the 1:40 mark of the video. Denman also provides some great insight that is the worth the listen for every horseplayer.
This is the official head-on view of the 145th Kentucky Derby won by Maximum Security … and Country House. Maximum Security was disqualified and place out of the money for interference on the turn for home.
Trainer Bob Baffert has another beast in his barn with the flashy gray Coliseum. It’s extremely hard for a first time starter to win going 7 furlongs, but this was simply a walk in the park for this freakish two year old owned by Godolphin. Barely asked by jockey Joe Talamo, Coliseum exploded when nudged down the stretch run at Del Mar (Nov. 17, 2018) to demolish the competition. It reminded me of Curlin’s incredible debut win at Gulfstream Park.
Coliseum is the son of super stallion Tapit and is out of the stakes winning mare Game Face. She has produced three other winners but yet to have a stakes winner represented. That will soon change if this one stays healthy.
This is currently our #1 horse for the 2019 Kentucky Derby Watch:
Lee Pokoik’s Sippican Harbor is in good shape following her impressive last-to-first, two-length win in Saturday’s Grade 1 Spinaway at Saratoga, trainer Gary Contessa said Sunday morning.
The 2-year-old filly by Orb won her second straight start after breaking her maiden by 17 lengths on August 12 at Saratoga. The victory came after placing fifth in her debut on grass on July 22 at the Spa.
“She’s good. I’d say a little tired,” Contessa said. “We’re not going back to the turf anytime soon, but I do believe she’s just as good on the grass as she is on the dirt. So, the time may come where she does double duty.”
Sippican Harbor will head to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on November 4 at Churchill Downs and will train right up to the race.
“We’re just going to work, I’m not going to run her again [until Churchill],” said Contessa. “She deserves a break. I ran her 20 days apart to get her ready. Two months to get her to the Breeders’ Cup? Piece of cake.
“I’m definitely excited. I was crushed when she lost on the turf, I didn’t think she could possibly lose, that’s how much I loved her,” he added. “I thought she was phenomenal. Everything she’s ever done, she’s done like a super horse. There’s a little bit of a stigma attached to Orb that he’s throwing grass horses, so I just went with it, and thought ‘oh we got a turf horse here,’ but her dirt works and her turf works were sensational. It’s thrilling to be in this position. It makes getting up in the morning a lot easier.”
The performance by Sippican Harbor was exactly what Contessa said he was hoping to see from his young filly. Now, with two impressive victories from three starts, the questions about her talent have been answered.
“We went to the champagne room and it [race replay] just kept playing and playing and playing. I love the call where he [race-caller Larry Collmus] said ‘and she’s the real deal!’ I love that because that’s exactly what I was thinking at that point. She’s the real deal because going in, I wasn’t positive. You could take a really good boxer and he beats up a chump and he looks really good doing it, but when you throw him in with Mike Tyson and he’s knocked out in the first round. We had to see this to believe it.”
Kentucky Derby 144 was captured in smashing fashion by superstar Justify. Good Magic ran a big race to hold second, just over the rail-skimming, fast closing Audible. Here is the NBC Coverage of Justify’s win and jockey Mike Smith’s 2nd Kentucky Derby victory. Does trainer Bob Baffert have another Triple Crown winner in his barn?
You may have heard. Eclipse Award-winning filly Heavenly Prize has been elected to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. The lone contemporary selection from the 10 finalists chosen by the Hall of Fame’s Nominating Committee, Heavenly Prize will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Friday, Aug. 3 at 10:30 a.m. at the Fasig-Tipton sales pavilion. The Hall of Fame induction ceremony is open to the public and free to attend.
New inductees in categories selected by separate processes will also be announced soon. The Historic Review Committee choices for the Hall of Fame will be revealed on May 9 and the Pillars of the Turf Committee’s Hall of Fame selections will be announced on May 23.
Heavenly Prize was elected by a nationwide voting panel comprised of 166 racing writers, broadcasters, industry officials and historians. Finalists are required to receive majority approval (50.1 percent) from the voting panel to be elected to the Hall of Fame.
A bay filly bred in Kentucky by owner Ogden Phipps, Heavenly Prize (Seeking the Gold—Oh What a Dance, by Nijinsky II) won the Eclipse Award for Champion 3-Year-Old Filly in 1994. She was a Grade 1 winner at ages 2, 3 and 4. Trained by Hall of Famer Claude R. “Shug” McGaughey III, Heavenly Prize won the Grade 1 Frizette at age 2 and three consecutive Grade 1s as a 3-year-old: the Alabama, Gazelle and Beldame.
As a 4-year-old, she won four Grade 1s in a row: the Apple Blossom Handicap, Hempstead Handicap, Go for Wand Stakes and John A. Morris Handicap. Heavenly Prize also finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff in both 1994 and 1995. She raced once as a 5-year-old, finishing third in the Donn Handicap, which was won by Hall of Famer Cigar.
Heavenly Prize was retired with a career record of 9-6-3 from 18 starts and earnings of $1,825,940. Throughout her career, she defeated the likes of Hall of Famers Paseana and Sky Beauty, as well as multiple graded stakes winners Lakeway, Halo America and Classy Mirage, among others. Eight of Heavenly Prize’s nine career victories were in Grade 1 events. Heavenly Prize was ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith for her first eight starts and by Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day for her final nine races.
As a broodmare, Heavenly Prize produced seven winners from eight starters, including the multiple Grade 1-winning turf standout Good Reward. She is also the dam of Grade 2 winner and successful sire Pure Prize. Heavenly Prize also produced stakes winner Cosmic; stakes-placed Distinctively; and Just Reward, whose daughter Persistently upset Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign.
Heavenly Prize died in 2013 at the age of 22 at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky.
We’re sad to hear of the passing of legendary horseman and trainer Jack Van Berg. Jack’s accomplishments are too long and deep to list here, but the first major horse of his that was a favorite of mine was the exciting runner Gate Dancer. The Hall of Fame trainer would parlay that success on the national stage to Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Breeders’ Cup Classic wins with the great Alysheba.
Rest in peace, Jack.
https://youtu.be/P6RFGkD9yFU
A documentary film by Cam Miller is a fascinating early history on Old Latonia Race Track, which eventually became known as Turfway Park. This film is told through the eyes of former employee James Robertson as he takes us through the glory days and eventual demise of Old Lationa. It’s a must watch, especially for Mid-west horse racing fans.
Rich Nilsen is a 15-time qualifier to the National Handicapping Championship (NHC), an event he has cashed in four times. He was the first player to finish in the top 10 twice. A former executive with Brisnet.com & Churchill Downs, Rich is also a graduate of the University of Louisville Equine Business Program.
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