Archive for the ‘Featured Articles’ Category

By Jude T. Feld The chair behind the typewriter is empty. The teletype is silenced forever. Joe Hirsh is dead. I first met Joe when he came to Santa Anita to cover the Strub Series victories of Spectacular Bid. I was making the charts for the Daily Racing Form and was part of a great […]

By Jude T. Feld “Indeed, in the last three months the business has become incredibly unstable. Witness: The devastating results of the Keeneland November sale; reluctance of mare owners to commit to bookings; steep cuts in stud fees; plummeting handle and purses; cash-flow challenges at farms large and small; and a dearth of new Thoroughbred […]

By Jude T. Feld Rush Rush at the 2004 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. One night, in 1955, my dad is sitting in a bar in Glendale, California, having a post-softball game beer with his teammate, Ed Deter. The subject turned to horseracing, as it most often does when a Feld is present. Deter said, “Jack, […]

By Jude T. Feld It was spectacular. The 25th anniversary Breeders’ Cup was everything John Gaines envisioned when he dreamt up the concept years ago. Who didn’t enjoy Friday, Ladies’ Day? The bald face of Ventura flying around the turn under Garrett Gomez in the Sentient Flight Group Filly and Mare Sprint, set the tone […]

By Jude Feld 2007 Horse of the Year Curlin breezes at Santa Anita on Monday, October 13. His next scheduled start is the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) on Saturday, October 25.Bob Feld Photo Here is a list of horses I am keeping up with on the road to the Breeders’ Cup. SENTIENT BC FILLY AND […]

By Jude T. Feld “When your luck is battin’ zero Get your chin up off the floor Mister you can be a hero You can open any door, there’s nothin’ to it but to do it You’ve gotta have heart Miles ‘n miles n’ miles of heart…” Van Buren in Damn Yankees I don’t want […]

By Robert Kieckhefer and Jude T. Feld Fatal Bullet breaks the track record at Turfway Park in the Kentucky Cup Sprint (G3) and steps into the spotlight for the Sentient Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1)PAT LANG PHOTO Curlin surged past pace-setting Wanderin Boy to win Saturday’s $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) at Belmont Park, passing […]

By Gene Williams Trainer Ron EllisTOC Photo “Desperate times call for desperate measures,” as the saying goes. It may be a bit extreme to think that trainer Ron Ellis is facing desperate times, but he is facing a time calling for some measures he didn’t think he’d need to call on quite so soon. And […]

By Jude T. Feld Incitatus, the Latin word for “speedy,” was the name of Roman Emperor Caligula’s favorite horse. Legend indicates that the horse was attended to by eighteen servants and was fed oats mixed with gold flake. Suetonius wrote in the Lives of the Twelve Caesars that “Incitatus had a stable of marble, with […]

By Gene Williams Fear of flying is not an option for jockeys these days when the call comes to ride a good horse in a big race. They go — and if things work out right they fly home on Cloud 9. Cross-country flying and even intercontinental flight has become routine for the sport’s leading […]