HRN: Memory Lane: Well Armed and Bill Casner

Each time I post a new article on my Horse Racing Nation blog, I post a notice on this blog. These notices include an excerpt from the beginning of that article and a link to the piece. My latest Horse Racing Nation article is. . .

Memory Lane: Well Armed and Bill Casner

"It was November 2012, just days before Thanksgiving. The Texas sun was shining bright, glinting off of the bay gelding whose lead rope I held in my hand. Here we stood, in Flower Mound, Texas – thousands upon thousands of miles away from his greatest triumph. It had been nearly four years since he had trounced his rivals in the world’s richest race, the Dubai World Cup, but, gazing into his kind eye, I could see the dynamic, odds-denying champion within. I raised my hand to his face, gently touching the Thoroughbred I so greatly admired and adored. Looking back at me wasWell Armed.

The 2009 Dubai World Cup was the final edition to be held at Nad Al Sheba, the breathtaking racecourse that held the first fourteen runnings of the World Cup. Well Armed, third to two-time Horse of the Year Curlin the previous year, was seeking redemption. Many doubted the gelding’s ability to win, believing he didn’t stand a chance. But Well Armed had a tendency to prove doubters wrong and overcome adversity, as did his loving owner,Bill Casner, the co-founder of WinStar Farm.  . ."

Click here to read the rest of my newest Horse Racing Nation article.

HRN: Racing's Future: Grace Clark

Each time I post a new article on my Horse Racing Nation blog, I post a notice on this blog. These notices include an excerpt from the beginning of that article and a link to the piece. My latest Horse Racing Nation article is. . .

Racing's Future: Grace Clark

"“Racing’s Future” is a new Q&A series in which I aspire to help everyone in the industry. In addition to shining a spotlight on youth who plan to have a career in horse racing, I hope that the opinions expressed in their responses will offer industry leaders insight into what a younger audience believes the sport should improve upon.

Meet Grace Clark

Grace Clark, 14, is a racing fan from Franklin, Kentucky has loved horses for most of her life. This love blossomed into a love of horse racing, a sport for which she has big dreams. Be sure to follow Grace on Instagram, @graceeewell_, and like her Facebook page for her art, Canine and Equine Art.  . ."

Click here to read the rest of my newest Horse Racing Nation article.

HRN: Racing's Future: Carly Kaiser

Each time I post a new article on my Horse Racing Nation blog, I post a notice on this blog. These notices include an excerpt from the beginning of that article and a link to the piece. My latest Horse Racing Nation article is. . .

Racing's Future: Carly Kaiser

"“Racing’s Future” is a new Q&A series in which I aspire to help everyone in the industry. In addition to shining a spotlight on youth who plan to have a career in horse racing, I hope that the opinions expressed in their responses will offer industry leaders insight into what a younger audience believes the sport should improve upon.

Meet Carly Kaiser

Carly Kaiser, 22, is a racing fan from Washington who will soon graduate from the University of Louisville. A racing enthusiast for ten years now, she has worked as a tour guide at the Kentucky Derby Museum while attending college. She plans to move to Lexington after graduating.  . ."

Click here to read the rest of my newest Horse Racing Nation article.

HRN: Racing's Future: Terra Turrin

Each time I post a new article on my Horse Racing Nation blog, I post a notice on this blog. These notices include an excerpt from the beginning of that article and a link to the piece. My latest Horse Racing Nation article is. . .

Racing's Future: Terra Turrin

"“Racing’s Future” is a new Q&A series in which I aspire to help everyone in the industry. In addition to shining a spotlight on youth who plan to have a career in horse racing, I hope that the opinions expressed in their responses will offer industry leaders insight into what a younger audience believes the sport should improve upon.

Meet Terra Turrin

Terra Turrin, 19, is a racing fan from California who has loved the sport since her dad took her to Santa Anita when she was six years old. She currently runs horse racing photography accounts on Instagram – @terrat_photography – and Twitter –@TerraT_Photography. . ."

Click here to read the rest of my newest Horse Racing Nation article.

HRN: Racing's Future: Samantha Bussanich

Each time I post a new article on my Horse Racing Nation blog, I post a notice on this blog. These notices include an excerpt from the beginning of that article and a link to the piece. My latest Horse Racing Nation article is. . .

Racing's Future: Samantha Bussanich

"“Racing’s Future” is a new Q&A series in which I aspire to help everyone in the industry. In addition to shining a spotlight on youth who plan to have a career in horse racing, I hope that the opinions expressed in their responses will offer industry leaders insight into what a younger audience believes the sport should improve upon.

Meet Samantha Bussanich

Sixteen-year-old Samantha Bussanich is a racing fan from New Jersey who has loved the sport since she was seven. A lifelong horse lover, Samantha enjoys attending the races and taking pictures at the track. . ."

Click here to read the rest of my newest Horse Racing Nation article.

HRN: How Will History Affect Rebel Runners?

Each time I post a new article on my Horse Racing Nation blog, I post a notice on this blog. These notices include an excerpt from the beginning of that article and a link to the piece. My latest Horse Racing Nation article is. . .

How Will History Affect Rebel Runners?

"Oaklawn is often nicknamed “the Saratoga of the South.” A trip to the Hot Springs, Arkansas track is enough reason to understand this moniker. Throughout the town, paintings and photographs of racehorses are to be found on various signs and advertisements. Many businesses hold racing-related names, such as the Best Western Winners Circle Inn across the street from Oaklawn’s grandstand, and just by driving down Central Avenue, you can catch a glimpse of Thoroughbreds galloping around the turn and into the stretch.

Home to one of the most popular series of Kentucky Derby (gr. I) prep races, Oaklawn boasts its own graded stakes-triple: the Southwest Stakes (gr. III) in February, the Rebel Stakes (gr. II) in March, and the Arkansas Derby (gr. I) in April. In recent years, this three-race sequence has produced some of the most talented horses in the nation. The Rebel Stakes alone has produced six Eclipse Award winners, including one Horse of the Year and four Champion Three-Year-Olds, in the past ten years. . ."

Click here to read the rest of my newest Horse Racing Nation article.

HRN: Tapiture is the one to beat in the Rebel

Each time I post a new article on my Horse Racing Nation blog, I post a notice on this blog. These notices include an excerpt from the beginning of that article and a link to the piece. My latest Horse Racing Nation article is. . .

Tapiture is the one to beat in the Rebel

"On a crisp March morning at Oaklawn Park in 2007, trainer Steve Asmussen kept his watchful eyes focused on a chestnut colt under his care. Later that afternoon, the colt would continue down the road to Louisville in hopes of Asmussen's dreams of Kentucky Derby glory. The colt, named Curlin, would win that day's Rebel Stakes by 5 1/4 lengths. That victory was only the very beginning. While Curlin never won the Run for the Roses, he won some of the most important races in the world - including the Preakness Stakes (gr. I), Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I), and Dubai World Cup (UAE-I) - en route to becoming the richest North American racehorse in history.

Now, seven years later, Asmussen and Curlin stand on the verge of being immortalized, having recently been announced as finalists for the National Museum of Racing's 2014 Hall of Fame ballot. While Curlin has long since settled into his new life as a stallion at Lane's End Farm in Kentucky, even siring a 2014 Rebel Stakes starter in Ride On Curlin, Asmussen remains a staple at Oaklawn and continues to make a mark on the track's Derby trail.

Just like he did seven years ago, Asmussen will saddle a strong chestnut colt in today's Rebel. This colt, Tapiture, has much more racing experience than Curlin did when he charged into the fray in the 2007 Rebel, having raced five times already. Two of those wins are graded stakes victories, including a romp in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (gr. II) at Churchill Downs as a two-year-old. A dominant winner of Oaklawn's Southwest Stakes (gr. III) last out, Tapiture is the 9/5 morning line favorite for today's Rebel. . ."

Click here to read the rest of my newest Horse Racing Nation article.

HRN: Racing's Future: Tylah Robins

Each time I post a new article on my Horse Racing Nation blog, I post a notice on this blog. These notices include an excerpt from the beginning of that article and a link to the piece. My latest Horse Racing Nation article is. . .

Racing's Future: Tylah Robins

"“Racing’s Future” is a new Q&A series in which I aspire to help everyone in the industry. In addition to shining a spotlight on youth who plan to have a career in horse racing, I hope that the opinions expressed in their responses will offer industry leaders insight into what a younger audience believes the sport should improve upon.

Meet Tylah Robins

Tylah Robins, a 20-year-old from the United Kingdom, currently studies Equine Science at Oxford Brookes. When she leaves university, she plans on working in research, investigating racing injuries and looking at ways to prevent them. She has grown up watching horse races, but has only been very actively interested since 2007.  . ."

Click here to read the rest of my newest Horse Racing Nation article.

HRN: Racing's Future: Emily White

Each time I post a new article on my Horse Racing Nation blog, I post a notice on this blog. These notices include an excerpt from the beginning of that article and a link to the piece. My latest Horse Racing Nation article is. . .

Racing's Future: Emily White

"“Racing’s Future” is a new Q&A series in which I aspire to help everyone in the industry. In addition to shining a spotlight on youth who plan to have a career in horse racing, I hope that the opinions expressed in their responses will offer industry leaders insight into what a younger audience believes the sport should improve upon.

Meet Emily White

Emily White, 19, currently attends university in Omaha, Nebraska. For nearly ten years, Emily has been a racing fan and this passion has led her to many racing-related writing endeavors. She is currently employed with a small agency based out of Newmarket called Patience Bloodstock, for which she runs social media and writes pedigree analyses. In addition, Emily writes on her own two WordPress blogs, Horse Sense and Road to the Derby. . ."

Click here to read the rest of my newest Horse Racing Nation article.

HRN: 2014 Kentucky Derby Hopeful: Tapiture

Each time I post a new article on my Horse Racing Nation blog, I post a notice on this blog. These notices include an excerpt from the beginning of that article and a link to the piece. My latest Horse Racing Nation article is. . .

2014 Kentucky Derby Hopeful: Tapiture

For the first time, my Derby Hopefuls will be reaching the pages of Horse Racing Nation rather than the original Past the Grandstand. Derby Hopefuls feature the horses I view as the best contenders leading up to the Kentucky Derby. Each horse spotlighted in a Derby Hopeful will join the 2014 PTG Derby Hopeful roster, found on the right side of this blog (the original Past the Grandstand). Horses will be listed in an order that corresponds to how highly I think of them, with the horse I think most highly of ranking at the top. A horse featured in a Derby Hopeful may be taken off the roster if its performances after its article are published are not up to par or if that horse is taken off the Triple Crown trail, though those articles will remain on my blog.

"Few stallions on the market are more successful than Tapit is now. His progeny have been winning graded stakes races left and right, and breeders have sent some of the most accomplished mares in recent years to the gray stallion in hopes of adding to Tapit’s plethora of stakes-winning offspring. But Tapit’s success story is not over yet.

While siring a Kentucky Derby (gr. I) winner does not define a stallion’s career, it is certainly a main goal. Winning the Kentucky Derby was a task Tapit attempted to accomplish himself, but a ninth-place finish on the first Saturday of May in 2004 left Tapit’s only chance at Derby glory to be as a sire.

The best a son of Tapit has managed in the Run for the Roses was Normandy Invasion’s fourth-place effort last year. Could Tapiture become Tapit’s first Derby winner?. . ."

Click here to read the rest of my newest Horse Racing Nation article.

HRN: Racing's Future: Andrew Champagne

Each time I post a new article on my Horse Racing Nation blog, I post a notice on this blog. These notices include an excerpt from the beginning of that article and a link to the piece. My latest Horse Racing Nation article is. . .

Racing's Future: Andrew Champagne

"“Racing’s Future” is a new Q&A series in which I aspire to help everyone in the industry. In addition to shining a spotlight on youth who plan to have a career in horse racing, I hope that the opinions expressed in their responses will offer industry leaders insight into what a younger audience believes the sport should improve upon.

Meet Andrew Champagne. . ."

Click here to read the rest of my newest Horse Racing Nation article.

HRN: Racing's Future: Ciara Bowen

Each time I post a new article on my Horse Racing Nation blog, I post a notice on this blog. These notices include an excerpt from the beginning of that article and a link to the piece. My latest Horse Racing Nation article is. . .

Racing's Future: Ciara Bowen

"“Racing’s Future” is a new Q&A series in which I aspire to help everyone in the industry. In addition to shining a spotlight on youth who plan to have a career in horse racing, I hope that the opinions expressed in their responses will offer industry leaders insight into what a younger audience believes the sport should improve upon.

Meet Ciara Bowen. . ."

Click here to read the rest of my newest Horse Racing Nation article.