Mike Smith stands alone atop the jockey rankings by winners for the Breeders’ Cup, which held its first edition of the World Championships in 1984, and for many years he had no peer.
Few sports fans ever have the privilege of watching a world-class trainer cultivate a champion athlete—and even fewer fans have the opportunity to witness the development of an elite animal athlete. The transformation of Cigar from a horse that showed modest turf ability to one that developed into a legend on dirt illustrates how critical a trainer’s role can be in our sport.
The transformation of Cigar from a horse that showed modest turf ability to one that developed into a legend on dirt illustrates how critical a trainer’s role can be.
Chad Brown tacked on two more graded stakes victories this past weekend at Belmont at the Big A, and with those wins he has edged past Steve Asmussen to lead the Equibase trainer standings by earnings.
Guy Torsilieri, the chairman of the Far Hills race meet in New Jersey, remembers the first time he saw McDynamo in person. The then-4-year-old gelding had just picked up his first steeplechase victory, taking a maiden special weight race by 4 ½ lengths at Far Hills on Oct. 20, 2001. Torsilieri was impressed.
The fields for the 14 races that comprise the Breeders’ Cup World Championships really begin to come into focus in summer and fall. This regular feature will offer a snapshot profile of one of the previous weekend’s standout stars, usually a Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” Challenge Series winner, and whether I’m buying or selling their chances to win Nov. 1-2 at Del Mar.
