Archive for 2011

By ROBERT KIECKHEFER UPI Racing Writer Robert J. Frankel Stakes (G2) will be run at Santa Anita this weekend.Gulfstream Park Photo The weekend rings in a new year and, with it, the start of a new “Road to the Roses” for 2012 Kentucky Derby hopefuls. First up is Sunday’s $100,000 Gulfstream Park Derby. This will […]

By ROBERT KIECKHEFER UPI Racing Writer It appears the sky is the limit for Orfevre, the Japanese Triple Crown winner who wrapped up his season Sunday with a convincing win over older foes.The 3-year-old Stay Gold colt rallied along the outside from well back, into a slow pace, to defeat a star-studded field in the […]

December 22, 2012 – “Progress isn’t made by early risers. It’s made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something.” Robert Heinlen

By ROBERT KIECKHEFER UPI Racing Writer Liaison raced his way into the Kentucky Derby picture with a picture-perfect win in Saturday’s $750,000 Cash Call Futurity at Hollywood Park. One of three starters for trainer Bob Baffert, Liaison sat off the pace until jockey Rafael Bejarano sent him three-wide to the leaders with an eighth of […]

By ROBERT KIECKHEFER UPI Racing Writer The days of 2011 dwindle down to a precious few and so do the major races remaining on the schedule. The sole graded stakes on this weekend’s slate is the $750,000, Grade I Cash Call Futurity at Hollywood Park, which attracted a promising field of 13 – three of […]

By ROBERT KIECKHEFER UPI Racing Writer The Hong Kong International Races, some big-money stakes for 2-year-olds and Louisiana Champions Day highlight weekend racing. Despite the defection of several international stars, including two recent Breeders’ Cup winners, the Hong Kong races retain quality and a measure of intrigue. Together, the four Group 1 events comprise what […]

By ROBERT KIECKHEFER UPI Racing Writer A sweep for the home team in the Japan Cup and impressive performances by some American 2-year-olds headlined the long weekend in racing. Buena Vista’s gritty, stretch-running victory in Sunday’s $6.7 million Japan Cup – which has become one of the world’s benchmark races – was a vindication for […]

By ROBERT KIECKHEFER UPI Racing Writer Trainer H. Graham Motion was named the “Big Sport of Turfdom,” partially because of his generosity with the press corps. Pimlico Photo Pencil in Sabercat for next year’s Kentucky Derby – if, as Tennesee Ernie Ford used to say, “The good Lord’s willing and the crick don’t rise.” The […]

November 14, 2011– “No man is rich enough to buy back his past.” Oscar Wilde

By ROBERT KIECKHEFER UPI Racing Writer Snow Fairy’s repeat win in Japan and a flurry of 2-year-old races in France and the United States sparked the weekend in Thoroughbred racing. Snow Fairy rallied between horses in the final 100 yards with a tremendous burst of speed, took the lead and held on to win by […]