iHorseracing

As the page title suggests, this will be me telling you about horseracing. At least, the nine years worth of information that I have.

Funny Cide wins the 2003 Kentucky Derby
with Jose Santos aboard

Yes, I have been into horseracing for nine years. Ever since Funny Cide's triple crown bid was defeated by Empire Maker in 2003.

He was a chestnut, New York bred gelding owned by a bunch of high school buddies from a small town. No one thought this chestnut gelding trained by Barclay Tagg and ridden by a once-has jockey could ever become the next Kentucky Derby winner, much less go on to win the Preakness Stakes, as well. But boy did he prove them wrong.

Though Funny Cide did not win the Triple Crown, he still remains a racing legend.
He is living out the remainder of his days at the racehorse retirement home, Old Friends.

Smarty Jones wins the
2004 Kentucky Derby

The next horse to capture America's heart was a small, barely fifteen hh colt by Elusive Quality. In 2004, Smarty Jones not only won the Rebel Stakes, Southwest Stakes, and Arkansas Derby, but he also managed to capture the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes.

Like Funny Cide, though, Smarty Jones did not win the Triple Crown. His plans were thwarted by the Grindstone colt, Birdstone. A longshot.

But even though Smarty Jones was defeated in the Belmont Stakes, he still remains a champion. His foals have raced in the Triple Crown races. Most recently, Concealed Identity raced in the 2011 Preakness Stakes.

Afleet Alex wins the
 2005 Preakness Stakes

In 2005, a horse by the name of Afleet Alex came into the racing world as a 3-year-old bay colt by Northern Afleet. He won several stakes races as a two-year-old before going on to win the Southwest Stakes and the Arkansas Derby.

Afleet Alex placed third in the Kentucky Derby behind longshots Closing Argument and Giacomo. But he redeemed himself with the most jaw dropping win I have ever seen.

The colt by Northern Afleet was nearly brought to his knees when longshot Scrappy T accidently swerved into him in the stretch. But even this incident didn't stop the gutsy colt from picking himself back up and winning the race by several lengths.

At Belmont Park, Afleet Alex proved to the racing world that his Preakness win was not a fluke when he pulled away with the win.

Though Afleet Alex never raced after his Belmont Stakes victory, his foals have gone on to win several graded stakes. Including the Travers Stakes (gr1), won by Afleet Express in 2009. There have also been a few of his foals in the Triple Crown races.

Barbaro wins the
 2006 Kentucky Derby

2006 was a year of tears for the racing world. It started when much loved Barbaro won the Kentucky Derby in the largest winning margin of 6 lengths. Tears of joy.

Two weeks later, though, those tears turned to tears sadness when the three-year-old colt by Dynaformer broke down in the running of the Preakness Stakes. He was diagnosed with a broken leg.

After contracting lamanites, Barbaro was euthanized in January of the next year.

But despite it all, Barbaro touched the nation with his courage and beauty. His illness encouraged vets and scientists to look further and work harder to come up with a cure for lamanites, so that horses in the future will have a fighting chance against the disease.

Zenyatta

Those four colts have been America's horses throughout the last nine years. No other colts have come close to being as famous as them. But even though the colts have not been as famous over the years, that doesn't mean the fillies haven't.

Over the years, the fillies have reigned supreme over the racetracks. To name a few: Zenyatta, Rachel Alexandra, Blind Luck, Havre de Grace.

The most famous of all the fillies in the past nine years has been Zenyatta,
undefeated in nineteen of her twenty starts. She not only won top older female several years in a row, but she also won the honors of Horse of the Year in 2010.

Though Zenyatta is retired now, and pregnant to Bernardini, the 2006 Preakness winner, her glamour and supremacy will never be forgotten.

Rachel Alexandra wins
the '09 Kentucky Oaks

Rachel Alexandra is another example of greatness. I first began watching the filly when she was a two-year-old, purely because I loved her name. She wasn't a champion at the time, so it was a surprise to me when I realized what an amazing filly I decided to watch.

In the Kentucky Oaks, Rachel Alexandra flew by her rivals and won the prestige race by twenty lengths. It has been a one-horse race from the start. What as once known as the Kentucky Derby for fillies turned into a mere walk in the park for Rachel Alexandra.

Rachel Alexandra went on to win the Preakness Stakes two weeks later against the colts. Then she raced and won the Woodward, something no filly had ever succeeded in doing.

The 2009 Horse of the Year winner was Rachel Alexandra.

Blind Luck & Havre de Grace
 in the 2011 Azeri

The next two fillies, Blind Luck and Havre de Grace, are still currently racing.
 They are among the best racers in 2011.
 Not only did Blind Luck win the 2010 Kentucky Oaks, but she has never placed out of the money in all her 20 starts.
 Havre de Grace and Blind Luck have the most known rivalry in racing since Affirmed and Alydar in 1978. They will be meeting in the $750,000 Delaware Handicap (gr. II) on July 16. I will be going for Blind Luck in the race :)

Now I will tell you a little about the horses that I just like for no particular reason :)

Winter Memories wins the 2011 Appalachian

Winter Memories, a gray or roan filly by El Prado (IRE). She is 3-years-old with several stakes wins to back up her reputation. She ran second in the 2010 Juvenile Fillies Turf behind More Than Real, and recently she won the Sands Point (gr. IIT) against a field of five and the $100,000 Appalachian Stakes against a field of nine fillies.

She is a turf horse, as you can tell by the picture. I do hope she continues racing as a four year old. It would be great since the racing world doesn't have very many good turf horses since Paddy O' Prado retired.

Paddy O' Prado works for the 2010 BC Classic

Oh, that's another horse that I like. Paddy O' Prado. He was my pick for the 2010 Kentucky Derby. He placed third, behind winner Super Saver and second place finisher Ice Box. The track for the 2010 Kentucky Derby was sloppy, which is why Paddy got such a good placing. Sloppy tracks resembles the turf, so horses that like the turf tend to do well on sloppy tracks.
After the Derby, Paddy O' Prado was switched to the turf, where he won the $500,000 Colonial Turf Cup S. (gr. 2), the $600,000 Virginia Derby (gr. 2), the $400,000 Secretariat Stakes (gr. 1), the Palm Beach (gr. 3), placed second in the $750,000 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (gr. 1), placed second in the $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational (gr. 1) against older males, placed fifth in the 2010 Breeders' Cup Classic (dirt race), then came back and won the $200,000 Dixie Stakes (gr. 2) before being retired due to foot bruising.

So yeah. As you can tell, Paddy O' Prado was an exceptional racer. One of the best turf runners in America. It was a great shame when he retired. Now we'll have to find another great turf horse.

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