Holy Bull was that rare horse who could win one-turn races like the Hutcheson Stakes and the Grade 1 Metropolitan Mile as though sprinting were his life’s calling, and also capture a testing 1 ¼-mile race like the prestigious Travers Stakes, holding off no less than the eventual winner of that year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic.
He was owned and trained by top New Jersey-based horseman Warren A. “Jimmy” Croll. And how he came to own Holy Bull is a story in itself.
Every year on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, old wounds open as the country remembers a horrific day in U.S. history when a coordinated attack by al-Qaeda killed 2,977 people.
Terrorists flew planes into both towers of the World Trade Center in New York City as well as the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., while another hijacked plane, Flight 93, crashed in Shanksville, Pa., after it is believed the crew and passengers attempted to regain control of the airplane.
Buckpasser was a real personality – that’s a nice way of putting it. It’s a testament to his talent, if not his tenacity, that the blue-blood colt compiled a Hall of Fame career despite his nonchalant and often frustrating attitude toward racing.
Last weekend was highlighted by an incredible day of racing “where the turf meets the surf” at Del Mar along with one of the oldest races in North America at Saratoga.
