To vote on the NTRA website, go to: https://www.ntra.com/eclipse-awards/2021-moment-of-the-year/

Votes for the poll must be submitted by February 2 at 11:59 p.m. (ET).

The FanDuel Racing-NTRA Moment of the Year will be revealed during the 51st Annual Eclipse Awards Presented by Fan Duel Racing and Santa Anita Park on February 10, 2022 hosted at Santa Anita Park and streamed on multiple platforms and televised on TVG.

The eligible 2021 moments were selected to illustrate the wide range of human emotions and achievements, as well as outstanding displays of athleticism. Events that fans can choose from are listed chronologically as follows, along with the designated hashtag that can be used to vote:

#FlavienSix – Jockey Flavien Prat wins six consecutive races on the March 12 Santa Anita Park card. Prat, a leading California rider who was born in Melun, France, becomes the first jockey to win six consecutive races at Santa Anita since five-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Laffit Pincay, Jr. did the same on March 14, 1987. (March 12)

#LetruskaBlossom – Letruska battles back in the final strides to upset two-time Eclipse Award winner Monomoy Girl in the Grade 1 Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park. Facing Eclipse Award winners Monomoy Girl and Swiss Skydiver in Oaklawn's premier race for older fillies and mares, St. George Stable's Letruska sets the early pace, loses the lead to Monomoy Girl and then rallies to best that foe by a nose. (April 17)

#EssentialBelmont – Essential Quality holds off Hot Rod Charlie in a battle to the wire in the Belmont Stakes. A winner of five of six lifetime starts and coming off an upset loss as the favorite in the Kentucky Derby, Eclipse Award champion Essential Quality regains his winning form by prevailing in a stretch-long battle with Hot Rod Charlie. (June 5)

#AllTimeSteve – Steve Asmussen becomes the all-time winningest trainer. The Hall of Fame trainer adds to his career accomplishments in style on Whitney Day at Saratoga by winning his record-setting 9,446th race, topping the late Dale Baird. (August 7)

#Savage – Firenze Fire savages Yaupon in the Forego Stakes. Unable to get past eventual winner Yaupon in the stretch, Firenze Fire resorts to savaging his foe in front of the large Runhappy Travers Day crowd. (Aug. 28)

#DiversityStepForward – George Leonard becomes the first African American trainer to compete in the Breeders' Cup World Championships. That moment came about when California Angel won the JPMorgan Chase Jessamine WAYI at Keeneland to earn an automatic berth into the Juvenile Fillies Turf. (Nov 5)

#GodolphinApplebyTriple – Yibir wins the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf giving Godolphin and conditioner Charlie Appleby their third winner at the World Championships. In addition to Yibir, Godolphin and Appleby teamed to win Saturday's FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile with Space Blues and Friday's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf with Modern Games. (Nov. 5-6)

#JapaneseDuo – Japanese runners Marche Lorraine and Loves Only You win two races on Breeders' Cup Saturday. Breeders' Cup success had eluded Japanese runners as evidenced by an 0-13 record heading into the 2021 Breeders' Cup World Championships. That changes dramatically on November 6 when Marche Lorraine (45-1/Distaff) and Loves Only You (4-1/Filly & Mare Turf) each win for trainer Yoshito Yahagi. (Nov. 6)

#ClassicKnicks – Knicks Go caps a brilliant campaign by winning the Breeders' Cup Classic. Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go scores impressively over ill-fated Medina Spirit to finish the year on a four-race winning streak for trainer Brad Cox. The 5-year-old son of Paynter amasses three Grade 1 wins in 2021 and earns more than $7.3 million in purse money. (Nov. 6)

#PinkLloydFinale – Seven-time Canadian Champion Pink Lloyd caps a brilliant career with a victory in the Kennedy Road Stakes at Woodbine. Nine-year-old Pink Lloyd, a fan favorite and 2017 Canadian Horse of the Year, wins the Kennedy Road Stakes for the third time and finishes his career with 29 wins from 38 starts. (Nov. 27)

#TakingFlight – Flightline posts a jaw-dropping performance in the Malibu Stakes to cap a brief but brilliant 3-year-old campaign. Undefeated. Unchallenged. Flightline canters home by 11 ½ lengths in the Malibu, his first Grade 1 attempt. The son of Tapit has won his three career starts by a combined 37 ½ lengths for trainer John Sadler. (Dec. 26)

Fans are permitted to vote for multiple moments but there is a limit of one vote per moment for each Twitter account. Subsequent votes from an account will be disqualified. Votes for the poll must be submitted by February 2 at 11:59 p.m. (ET).

Past Moments of the Year
The first-ever “NTRA Moment of the Year” was the touching scene between Charismatic and jockey Chris Antley following the 1999 Belmont Stakes. The next year's winner was the stretch run of the 2000 Breeders' Cup Classic, which saw Tiznow hold on for a dramatic victory against Giant's Causeway. Tiznow won again the following year as fans selected his stirring repeat victory in the Classic over Sakhee. In 2002, fans cited the passing of the last living Triple Crown winner, Seattle Slew. In 2003, the popular Kentucky Derby win by Funny Cide was selected. Birdstone's upset win in the Belmont Stakes over Smarty Jones took down top honors for 2004. In 2005, fans selected Afleet Alex's spectacular victory in the 2005 Preakness Stakes.

Voters in 2006 chose Barbaro's gallant struggle to recover from his Preakness injury while at the New Bolton Center. The 2007 Moment of the Year was a historic victory by the filly Rags to Riches over Curlin in the Belmont Stakes. In 2008, it was Zenyatta's win in the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic. Zenyatta “repeated” in 2009 as fans selected her triumph in the Breeders' Cup Classic.

In 2010, fans selected Blame's narrow Breeders' Cup Classic victory over Zenyatta. Drosselmeyer's hard-fought win over Game on Dude in the Breeders' Cup Classic was the public's choice for 2011. For 2012, the recovery of Paynter from near-deadly battles with laminitis and colitis captured the hearts of voters like no other story. In 2013, fans recognized Mucho Macho Man's nose victory in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic for his popular connections. The 2014 award went to California Chrome's dominant win in Kentucky Derby 140. In 2015 there was a landslide vote in favor of American Pharoah's historic Triple Crown-clinching Belmont Stakes win. In 2016, California Chrome was again part of the winning moment – a dramatic Dubai World Cup victory that came as Victor Espinoza's saddle slipped out from underneath him.

In 2017, the tragic fire at San Luis Rey and the industry's response led the way among the votes cast while Justify's sweep of the Classics to become just the 13th Triple Crown winner was the clear pick the following year. In 2019, Maximum Security's historic disqualification in the 145th Kentucky Derby – the first winner in Derby history to be demoted for a racing infraction— earned the distinction.

In 2020, Authentic's historic win in the 146th Kentucky Derby, run in September and without fans due to the coronavirus pandemic, was voted as the FanDuel Racing-NTRA Moment of the Year.

The post 2021 FanDuel Racing-NTRA Moment Of The Year Voting Open appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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In this New Year's Eve look-back at the year in horse racing, we show you our most-liked Facebook posts of 2021.

These social media posts run the gamut from tragedy to hope: the list includes the death of Kentucky Derby first-place finisher Medina Spirit, a one-handed teenager overcoming the odds as an exercise rider, and small-town horseman George Leonard's trip to the World Championships with a daughter of California Chrome.

We at the Paulick Report could not do the work we do without our readers and our advertisers. Thank you this holiday season (and always) for your support, and may 2022 be your best year yet!

The post What Did You Like? The Paulick Report’s Top Facebook Posts From 2021 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Dismissed at odds of 26-1 on Nov. 27, the 2-year-old daughter of Uncle Mo was an unhurried tenth of 12 in the early stages of her debut. Nearing the turn of the seven furlong contest, she made a bold move while still in hand and was hung six-wide before engulfing her foes in the stretch and drawing off to win by 9 ¼ lengths, leaving the betting public stunned.

“They (the public) never bet me first time out, it's ok,” McPeek said. “I typically allow a horse to take some dirt in the face. In a way the debut is kind of a schooling race for me. I've had a list of horses in my career that we sent first time out and it blew their mind, so I just don't like doing that, gunning them away from there. For what, my ego? My win percentage?”

“Some of them win,” McPeek continued. “We've had a nice list of first timers this year that won from a little bit off the pace. That helps in their development. It's worth getting beat on occasion for their long-term development. That's always been my approach.”

Installed as the 3-1 morning line favorite, she'll join forces with jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr. for her first route try from post 5 of 8 on Sunday.

“I think she'll handle the route without any trouble,” McPeek said. “She's still got some learning to do. She acts like she's got the turn of foot where if she gets in a nice rhythm and kicks on, that should be fine. Eric Heitzmann, my former assistant, is going to saddle him for me. She had a nice maintenance breeze at Fair Grounds on Wednesday. Four weeks after her maiden win, it's perfect timing for us to be there.”

The unquestioned class of the field is Chris Walsh's California Angel. Purchased for just $5,500 as an Ocala OPN 2-year-old in training, this daughter of California Chrome has already far exceeded expectations, upsetting the Jessamine (G3) on the Keeneland turf on Oct. 13 at odds of nearly 18-1. She would follow-up finishing 11th of 14 in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) at Del Mar, but she was only beaten four lengths by the winner. In her lone dirt start in career start number two of four, California Angel finished a late closing third of 11.

“I'm not worried about the dirt,” trainer Leonard said. “She'll handle the dirt just fine. I just put her on the grass and it happened she liked the grass but we're confident she will run well on the dirt.”

Having worn blinkers in all of her previous starts, California Angel will not wear the hood on Sunday. With Marcelino Pedroza, Jr. piloting her for the first time, the 4-1 second choice will leave from post position two.

“She didn't need them,” Leonard explained. “I think with the blinkers, she was looking around and couldn't see enough. She's ready for that. Hopefully she'll lay closer not as far behind with the blinkers off. She's maturing and growing a little bit. Nothing I haven't seen before. She's still the same. Doing very well. I think she will run really well.”

With a post time of 4:35 p.m. CT, the Untapable is scheduled as race 10 on the 13-race card. The remainder of the field with post position, jockey/trainer and morning line odds is as follows: Columbine Stables' Fannie and Freddie (post 1, Colby Hernandez/Al Stall, Jr., 9-2 ML), a dominant local maiden winner in her first try last out; Mike Dini's (owned & trained) Alittleloveandluck (post 3, Jereth Loveberry/Dini, 12-1 ML), a last out maiden winner against Florida-bred company on the Gulfstream Park Tapeta; Elements Racing's Implosion (post 4, Mitchell Murrill/Steve Margolis, 10-1 ML), the winner of a sales restricted maiden special weight event two starts back at Churchill Downs; Miacomet Farm's Feeling Happy (post 5, James Graham/James Baker, 8-1 ML), who is 3 for 3 in the money with her lone win coming in a sales restricted maiden special weight sprint at first asking at Churchill Downs in late September; Jeff Ganje and Omar Aldabbagh's Shotgun Hottie (post 7, Florent Geroux/Tom Amoss, 6-1 ML), a maiden of a sales restricted race in her first try around two turns last out at Churchill Downs; and Rebecca Hillen, Stonecrest Farms and Bruno De Julio's North County (post 8, Adam Beschizza/Brendan Walsh, 9-2 ML, who is perfect from two starts, both routes, over turf and Indiana and then slop at Keeneland. — Kristufek

The post Oaks Prep: Promising Cocktail Moments Faces Turf Filly California Angel In Inaugural Untapable Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Thursday morning was a study in contrasts for the George Leonard barn when compared to the quiet atmosphere of the day before. Leonard and his wife of nine years, Isabel, chatted with rider Chester Bonnet Wednesday while they awaited the opening of the track for training, trading their impressions of various contenders in the Classic and Distaff. Leonard has been popular with the press all week as he prepares California Angel for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, so now and then he'd entertain questions from one reporter after another.

By Thursday, he had a small crowd gathered outside his part of the barn, many of them snapping cameras or taking cell phone photos of the chestnut filly who has captured the imaginations of so many racing fans. Owner Chris Walsh is on hand of course, but 'Angel' has attracted a following of California Chrome fans – including Chrome trainer Art Sherman.

As Angel and Bonnet made their way to the chute, waiting to step onto the track, Sherman came around the corner and stopped to observe the filly.

“She's a pretty filly; I really like her,” said Sherman. “I told him they're always a lot better when they become 3-year-olds. Chrome really turned the page when he got to be a 3-year-old.

“I see the flash. I see that look in her eye, and he had the same look, wanting to do something. She's kind of aggressive, a little bit. And that was him, too.”

He stopped by the barn as the filly cooled out for a photo opportunity with Leonard and Walsh. Leonard mused that there were so many images being captured of his filly this week that he'd probably never be able to see them all.

Joining the fan club this week was Victoria Leonard, George's sister, who flew in from Louisiana on Wednesday. Victoria worked for George for a time, but is no longer in the racing industry. Still, growing up in the Leonard family gave her a thorough education in horses – and like George, she knows a good one when she sees it.

“That's the crazy thing, she's still got a lot of growing to do and learning to do,” said Victoria.

Victoria grew up the only girl amongst four brothers, pitching in with the family horses before and after school and on the weekends. Their father trained from the early 1970s until just before his death in an auto accident 13 years ago. When he wasn't training, he worked on a gas pipeline. His days were long and the work was hard. Victoria says George shares their father's work ethic.

“Daddy was strict; kind of like George,” she said. “Good person, gentle, but they run a tight ship. That's how we grew up.”

It's an emotional week for Victoria, seeing her brother get the chance so many small trainers dream of but never catch. All the more touching for her is that he has done it with a daughter of California Chrome. Victoria considers herself a “Chromie” as the Kentucky Derby winner's fans are called.

“I've always wanted to have [a California Chrome] and for us to have one and her to be so special … I have no words,” she said, noting that Chrome's humble beginnings were part of what brought his story to life for her. “The passion of his connections, it reminded me a lot of our family. We grew up in horse racing. My dad was the one hollering at the races. As a matter of fact, when our horses would run, my brothers would tell me, 'Get away from me' because I'd be the one screaming and hollering, and they said it was embarrassing.”

Isabel Leonard shared her thoughts on California Angel's journey with reporters on Thursday also:

Angel did not disappoint her audience. She went cantering down the chute to the veterinary station, where horses are observed under saddle at a jog before their workouts as part of the Breeders' Cup's enhanced regulatory procedures. Bonnet took her around for her usual gallop and she did her trademark skipping lead changes in an attempt to get away from him. Towards the end of the gallop, he said she was making him work hard to keep her from taking off. She is ready.

With this new attention has come offers. Leonard hasn't said how many or how much, but told reporter Jennie Rees Thursday morning that Walsh has turned down quite a few, and for that he's grateful. Both owner and trainer feel as Sherman does, that with a 2-year-old showing promise could turn into anything by the time she turns three. They want to be there when she realizes her full potential.

The post Breeders’ Cup Diaries: California Angel’s Fan Club Is Growing appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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It may be the first time George Leonard has brought a horse to Del Mar, but he managed to find a familiar face on the West Coast. Leonard left his regular exercise riders back home with his Indiana Grand string, and picked up the services of jockey Chester Bonnet to help him work California Angel ahead of her run in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Bonnet and Leonard go way back, to the days when both were still in their home states of Louisiana. Leonard transferred to Indiana and Kentucky, and Bonnet came to California to be nearer to his son.

“I like the weather better [in California],” Bonnet said. “And the view, the beaches. But there's nothing like home.”

Neither Bonnet or Leonard could remember whether they won a race together in those days, but in a way it doesn't much matter.

Bonnet has had a light year in the starting gates, working back from one injury when he ended up with a back spasm and had to take more time off. He has been back in the tack for about two weeks after a four-month layoff and is still pressing on to resume race riding. California Angel is giving him a workout – the farther she goes, the tougher she gets, wanting to pull forward.

Like Leonard, Bonnet said his experience aboard the California Chrome daughter suggested a mentally mature 2-year-old filly who is professional and eager to go to work. Keen observers of the pair's Tuesday gallop may have noticed her propensity for swapping leads, not just at the usual place in the stretch, but here and there throughout her canter around the Del Mar oval. That's totally normal for her, Leonard said. If anything, it's a sign of how well she's feeling.

“In trying to get away, she'll start switching leads,” he said. “She throws her head and switches leads, then tries to put her head down so [the rider] will turn her loose. Throw the head up, then try to take off in stride. She's a little different. And that's ok.”

California Angel and Bonnet on their gallop Nov. 3

California Angel will get even more to look at when she schools in the paddock in the coming weeks. Leonard knows that with the fan base California Chrome has, he'll need to have her ready to deal with a crowd of people jockeying for a look at the bright chestnut with the flashy white markings.

California Angel is situated in one of Del Mar's long, low barns reserved mostly for the out of state shippers. Bill Mott's runners are down the way, and Chad Brown's horses cool out in the row throughout morning training. Of all the horsemen, riders, and reporters gathered outside the open aisle-ways, Leonard's trademark cowboy hat makes him easy to pick out. Where he came from, that was part of the uniform.

Leonard was born near Chicago but his parents hailed from Louisiana and returned there with him when he was young. Most of his Thoroughbred education comes from tracks you may have heard of – Delta Downs, Evangeline, etc. – but some of his earliest afternoons at the races were at the bush tracks you probably haven't heard of, little spots known only to the locals that used to be common in rural Louisiana.

“There'd be a grove of trees, horses tied to trees,” he said. “There were no barns. People had horses tied to trucks and trailers.

“Half the people were poor. They had no shoes on, pants rolled up, cowboy hats folded in half. The whole family's out with the horse. It was just a lot of fun.”

A bush track was very often not a track but a straight chute, sometimes emptying into a corn field. Leonard said he was a child when his father, who was a trainer, used to take the family to the bush tracks on the weekend. It was a social event as much as it was a friendly competition, with parents, children, and extended families gathering, sharing food, standing around talking horses.

Many of the country's top jockeys, including Calvin Borel, Shane Sellers, Eddie Delahoussaye, and others got their start on bush tracks, often riding as children before they could be licensed at a parimutuel facility.

When there wasn't a foolhardy kid interested in hopping on a horse for a quick jaunt down the chute (or when the trainer had other ideas), they sent the horses with no riders. Leonard said it was called “catch weight racing,” where the horse carried whatever weight it carried, and they weren't supposed to all be equal.

Sometimes that meant the horses carried chickens on their backs instead of people, the idea being that the chicken could be secured onto the horse with its wings could be held still until the start of the race when it would be released and it would flap its feathers, chasing the horse forward down the shoot. (In case you also wondered, there does not seem to have evolved a chicken ranking system whereby particular poultry became sought-after pilots. Previous experience was not required for chicken jockeys.) Leonard said he never met a horse who acclimated to being ridden by a chicken, so previous experience was also immaterial to the outcome for the horse.

In other cases, Leonard recalled that horsemen would tie beer cans with little bits of gravel in them onto horses' stirrups, so the rattling would prompt them to run forward. A pony rider would sit at the end of the chute, ready to free the chicken or secure the stirrups and pull up the horse. The ponies, predictably, were absolutely dead broke to any of the shenanigans you could throw at them.

“You had to see it to believe it,” he said. “I'd seen some things. They'd get to drinking a little bit and it'd be man against man, foot racing. They'd get in the gates and off they'd go. It was hilarious. I've got pictures – these guys would stand up to take a picture like a horse after the foot race. The family would stand all around and the guy would get down on one knee.”

Though the bush tracks were a very different kind of scene from the sanctioned racing where Leonard has made his career, they were, in a way, a return to racing's origins. Louisianans told the New York Daily News in 2009 that the most famous of the bush tracks dated back before the Great Depression.

“People would get together and say, 'My horse can beat your horse,' and run at two or three o'clock,” he said. “It wasn't about the money. They'd run for $5 or $20 was big money for them.”

Leonard said those horses were not Thoroughbreds. Most were Quarter Horses, but some were of less clear-cut origin. A few backyard riding horses may have snuck in from time to time. But it wasn't about where they came from – it was about which man thought his horse was fastest, and was willing to prove it. Leonard said he didn't glean many of his lessons in horsemanship from the bush tracks, but he does believe he has come to Del Mar with the best horse, and he's eager for Friday to come so he can show her off.

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Trainer George Leonard can finally rest easy – his princess has arrived at Del Mar.

After numerous plane delays for a flight that included not just California Angel but a number of Kentucky-based shippers, including the Brad Cox barn, the 2-year-old chestnut finally stepped onto the Del Mar backstretch around 10:30 last night. Stable staff can't travel with horses flying on FedEx, which is the default air carrier for horses since Tex Sutton closed up shop, so California Angel arrived without an entourage. Leonard said he probably couldn't have spared the help back at Indiana Grand anyway, where his remaining staff is looking after his other 19 horses. That means as long as she's here, Leonard is his filly's groom and hotwalker, which is no small feat.

Horse people know the old warning about chestnut fillies – they have strong opinions, and plenty of them. Those opinions can sometimes turn on a dime.

Sure, Leonard said, she has a streak of that stereotypical chestnut in her. She's always smart, nearly always easy and very mentally mature. She doesn't mind being handled until she does mind, and will make an impressive series of sour faces at Leonard. She's more bark than bite (most of the time); Leonard thinks sometimes she's just not in the mood to be social.

“She can be sweet and sour,” he said. “When she gets irritated with you she'll nip at you like, 'Get away from me.' But most of the time she's pretty sweet. She's all lady.”

When she gives him the stink eye, Leonard takes note. He moves quietly, does what he needs to do, and gets out of her way.

She's also quick on her feet. On Tuesday morning, Leonard's big hurdle was giving her a chance to see the track. He debated whether to walk her in her busy barn or let her stretch her muscles on the racetrack, so he brought her out for a relaxed walk in the yard to get a feel for her. The 2-year-old took in the scenery, looking relaxed in a way that smart fillies can when they're plotting something. In no time, her hind heels were above her head with an impressive series of bucks. Leonard, in a way only really experienced horsemen can, stood still, spoke to her in a low voice, and kept his hands quiet, waiting for the episode to pass. When she moved on, he moved on – no fuss, no yanking on her shank.

After that, he decided she probably wanted to go to the track.

Filly power! California Chrome daughter California Angel is looking to make a splash where the turf meets the surf in the #BC21 Juvenile Fillies Turf on #FutureStarsFriday. pic.twitter.com/hPDOHLGQZO

— Breeders' Cup (@BreedersCup) November 2, 2021

“I went on and let her gallop,” he said. “She was too hyper. She did real well. I didn't know how she was going to handle it but she was really ready.”

The beauty of having a really great 2-year-old is that they evolve. While a successful juvenile campaign is very often about finding a horse who's at their peak early on, Leonard said he can look at California Angel and see more to come. She's an impressive scaffolding, but she'll be even better when she has filled in the gaps.

“She's still growing. She's grown since I bought her [in June],” said Leonard. “I'm looking for her to develop. She's just starting to develop now. She's not half the horse she's going to be. She's mature mentally but physically she's still growing and she'll be a lot more horse here in a little while. More muscle and body tone. She has shown very good talent already and you know there's a lot more to come.”

California Angel being the perfect angel during bath time! pic.twitter.com/F344sG8lWz

— Breeders' Cup (@BreedersCup) November 2, 2021

For now though, Leonard said he's focused on this weekend. He has seen many of the fillies the California Chrome daughter will face in the Juvenile Fillies Turf. Several were with them in the Jessamine, and he got a glimpse of the others Tuesday morning. They're impressive, and the field is full at 14 total. It'll be her toughest challenge yet, but that doesn't mean Leonard is planning to be content with hitting the board.

“She ran against 13 horses in the Jessamine too,” he said. “I like to be optimistic. I'm here to win. I don't aim for second or third, I want to win. I think if everything goes right, we have a good chance to win if everything works for her.”

The post Breeders’ Cup Diaries: When Leonard Looks At California Angel, He Sees A Bright Future appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Before this week, George Leonard had only seen Del Mar in photos and video. Like many of us who go racing in California for the first time, he said it's more beautiful in person. The palm trees are taller, the surf bluer, and the stage somehow bigger than you imagine until you see it.

Leonard has been on quite the media tour in the past two weeks since California Angel was the surprise winner of the Grade 2 “Win And You're In” Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland with a come-from-the clouds effort. Reporters from nearly every major trade publication sought out the soft-spoken man in the cowboy hat at the post position draw Monday afternoon, leaning close to hear his polite, patient answers to every question.

In a sport dominated by super stables, Leonard is a breath of fresh air for fans and turfwriters. He took out his trainer's license in 1991 but has stayed mostly off the radar to those of us who focus our attention on graded stakes company. He followed in the footsteps of his father, who was a horse trainer mostly as a side job. The whole family raced on weekends in Louisiana, first at the bush tracks and later at Delta Downs. It has to be jarring, suddenly finding cameras and recorders in your face like this. If it is, Leonard hides it well.

“It's an honor,” he said. “I don't look at it as nothing but I'm blessed to get the attention that I'm getting. I'm blessed people are looking at my story. For me, it's a great thing.

“It's a dream come true to get the horse of a lifetime. That's what she's been for me — the horse of a lifetime. I'm just hoping we get bigger and better things from here.”

Leonard said he's not worried about drawing the outside post position in the field of 14. California Angel's win in the Jessamine brought her eight wide with a just-in-time late flight. Staying outside of all the traffic she won't be chasing gives her more options, he figures.

“She'll go outside and she'll control her own fate from there,” he said. “She's got speed. That'll suit her just fine. It's all up to her.

“She shouldn't get squeezed and she'll have dead aim from the outside. I'll take that with a smile on my face.”

The only thing he is worried about at the moment is finding out when his horse will make it to Del Mar. The flight scheduled to take her from her Indiana base to California was delayed several times on Monday, which was supposed to be her arrival day. At the time of the draw, she was supposed to be in the barn already, but still hadn't departed yet. Leonard knew he may be staring down a long night hanging around the barn, waiting for his prized chestnut to make her appearance. It's impossible to know which horses will find long distance flights or travel delays stressful until they actually try it, and California Angel hasn't had to contend with a long haul yet in her career.

As far as he can make out from the FedEx staff on the ground though, Leonard is pretty sure the logistical snafus are making him more anxious than his horse.

“When she gets here and gets in the stall, then I can relax,” he said. “Then we can start looking forward to the race. I'll be a lot easier when she's here.

“She's a big fan of her hay. As long as she's got a big hay bag in front of her, and right now, I talked to the owner earlier, she's eating her hay and is pretty content. As long as you keep hay in front of her, she's golden.”

The post Breeders’ Cup Diaries: Leonard Awaiting The Arrival Of His Golden Girl appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The show will run from Friday, Oct. 29 through Thursday, Nov. 4 and air from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET daily. It will feature contenders working as well as the latest news and exclusive behind the scenes coverage. Todd Schrupp, Simon Bray, Christina Blacker, Caton Bredar, Michelle Yu, Mike Joyce, Scott Hazelton and Joaquin Jaime will be live on-site at Del Mar, Santa Anita, Keeneland and Churchill Downs.

TVG will also be premiering several new features showcasing Distaff contender Letruska as well as George Leonard and Kirk and Judy Robison, the owners of Jackie's Warrior who will compete in the Sprint. There will also be a feature on Tiznow commemorating the 20th anniversary of his triumph in the 2001 Breeders' Cup Classic.

The post position draw will be held on Monday, Nov. 1 and will air from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET. Todd Schrupp, Simon Bray, Caleb Keller and Joaquin Jaime will be on site with pre-coverage of the Breeders' Cup post position draw which will be hosted by Nick Luck and Britney Eurton.

The Players' Show, a live, wagering-focused telecast, will return on Nov. 5 and 6 and will be available to stream on the WatchTVG app. The Players' Show will also be simulcast at tracks, simulcast centers and off-track betting venues around the world.

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“She (California Angel) worked really well,” said the soft-spoken Leonard. “Everything went as planned. She will ship out Monday to California.”

California Angel, the daughter of California Chrome, will be sent via Fed Ex Monday, Nov. 1 to her destination in California. Leonard will leave ahead of the filly on Sunday while owners Chris and Alan Walsh of Columbus, Ind. are slated to leave Wednesday. Several friends and family members from Indiana as well as Leonard's home state of Louisiana are also making the journey out to support California Angel for the event.

Purchased for $5,500 at the Ocala Breeders' June Sale, Leonard immediately knew he had a nice addition to his barn.

“I've trained a lot of horses, but I knew right away she was something special,” said Leonard. “I've only had her four months, but she does everything so easy.

“I have the best horse I've ever touched.”

California Angel has had three starts so far, winning two, including the Grade 2, $200,000 Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland Oct. 13 which was a “Win and You're In” race for the Breeders' Cup. This will mark the first start for the Walsh's and Leonard in the prestigious event.

Leonard is not concerned about the filly's come-from-behind style, nor the sixteenth-of-a-mile decrease in distance she'll have to traverse the Breeders' Cup. In fact, the trainer said he was surprised to see California Angel behind horses since she shows so much speed and desire to run during morning training.

“California Angel has not shown her full potential, with the speed she shows in the morning time,” Leonard said on the NTRA media teleconference on Wednesday. “I know she has so much more potential… I'm hoping with a good draw and a little maturity, she'll be able to be a little closer (early on).”

California Angel breezes at Indiana Grand on Oct. 27

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Standing railside at Keeneland on a balmy fall afternoon, Leonard could hardly believe his luck when 2-year-old trainee California Angel edged her competition by a head in the final strides of the Grade 2 Jessamine Stakes. The hard-fought victory was the first graded stakes and a long-awaited moment for the lifelong horseman, coming a full 30 years after he took out his training license.

“The race was awesome,” said Leonard. “It was the race of a lifetime. I played that race over 1,000 times in my mind and it came out just the way I wrote it up. I was leaning and leaning and leaning yelling, 'Hurry, hurry, hurry!' while she was running, but it was so exciting. The last part was just unbelievable to see her get there in time. It was a lot of relief. I was extremely happy, and things just turned out great. I couldn't ask for any better.”

With the Jessamine win, Leonard will have to reconsider any fall travel plans on his calendar. The final domestic race for the Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” Challenge Series, the Jessamine provides California Angel with an automatic berth in the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf Nov. 5 at Del Mar.

A trip to the World Championships has, until now, seemed more of a pipe dream than a realistic prospect for Leonard, who began his career under his father, trainer George Leonard, Jr., in his home state of Louisiana.

“I've been in horses my whole life, my father was also a trainer, but he had a job, so we just had weekends,” said Leonard. “I went to school and before and after I would help with horses. We would race on the weekend at Delta Downs and in area tracks in Louisiana.”

For a large portion of his solo career, Leonard has been based out of Indiana, where he now keeps a 19-horse stable. While he has won several minor stakes races, he tends to keep his horses close to home, running primarily in Indiana and at Keeneland, Kentucky Downs, Churchill Downs, and other local venues.

But with her hard-running style and overall class, California Angel is a different beast from the other horses in Leonard's barn.

A striking chestnut — like her sire and Horse of the Year, California Chrome — California Angel first appeared on Leonard's radar in June when he attended the Ocala Breeders' Sales June 2-Year-Olds in Training and Horses of Racing Age Sale. On this particular trip to Central Florida, Leonard was looking to buy a horse for owner and friend Chris Walsh and was immediately taken with California Angel's demeanor and workman-like attitude.

California Angel (California Chrome) wins the Jessamine Stakes (G2) at Keeneland on 10.13.21. Rafael Bejarano up, George Leonard III trainer, Chris Walsh owner.

“I liked her athleticism and the way she walked and how she was made,” said Leonard. “She looked like she had a lot of potential. She's a sleek, muscular filly, not overweight but with really strong muscle and a good way of moving. I just really liked her. I also liked her eye. She had a very smart eye and she just impressed me. I was glad to get her, I just had no idea that she would be as good as she turned out to be.”

Bred in Kentucky by Irish National Stud out of the winning Tiz Wonderful mare Sea Mona, Leonard purchased the filly at OBS for $5,500 from the Little Farm Equine consignment.

Sent out for her debut Sept. 8 at Kentucky Downs, California Angel broke her maiden by 2 3/4 lengths going one mile on the turf. And it was that performance that planted the Jessamine Stakes seed in Leonard's brain that maybe this new filly had a bit more in the tank than his previous trainees.

“After she broke her maiden at Kentucky Downs, I knew she had done it with problems — a bad start. But for her to circle that field and do what she did I thought she was special,” said Leonard. “Looking forward I saw the Jessamine so I decided that we would aim for that. I gave her a race at Churchill Downs [a Sept. 30 allowance optional claiming race where she finished third] to give her a little experience and get some good work. From that I wanted to come back and put her in the Jessamine if everything went according to plan. We got lucky that it all worked out.

“Before the race even comes up there are so many factors that can happen that will get you beat. Everything has to go right for you to win. Then to win the Jessamine, it was a surreal feeling. But that's been the thing with her from the time we bought her. Everything has gone according to plan. We haven't had any bumps in the road which is why it has been so special. It's so unusual for that to happen. Two-year-olds usually come down with a cold or other issues, but she's just been a dream.”

With less than a month to go before the World Championships, a trip to the West Coast for California Angel, Leonard, and Walsh looms ahead. But while Leonard may have butterflies at the very idea of running Nov. 5, he's more than confident that his filly can handle the trip across the country and around the California track.

“We talked about it before thinking, 'Well, if we go to California …' and now it's here,” said Leonard. “It's really happening. It's all come to fruition. It's all in front of us so we have to make a lot of things happen. But [California Angel] is all business. I've never had a 2-year-old as professional as she is. I can haul her anywhere. She very seldom does anything strange. She has a very good personality. What you look for in a horse, she has it. You would think she's five or six. I have older horses that when I haul them, they're so nervous, but once you put in her the trailer she's as comfortable as she would be in her own stall.”

After more than three decades watching the Breeders' Cup from the sidelines, Leonard is more than ready to fly West with California Angel— grateful for the filly who has blessed her connections with new opportunities and the chance to compete on the world stage.

“It's hard to believe that I have a horse in the Breeders' Cup,” said Leonard. “I watch the Breeders' Cup every year, but I don't have that caliber of horse. I don't have four or five babies aimed at the Breeders' Cup like others do. It's unreal for me, but it's such a good place to be in.”

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