Making the Grade, which will run through the 2021 Triple Crown races, focuses on the winners or top performers of the key races, usually from the previous weekend, who could make an impact on the Triple Crown. We’ll be taking a close look at impressive winners and evaluating their chances to win classic races based upon ability, running style, connections (owner, trainer, jockey), and pedigree.
Tag: The Sport
The Incomparable Cigar
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. The son of Palace Music went unraced at 2 before winning two of nine starts the following season for his first trainer, Alex Hassinger Jr. He finished his 3-year-old campaign with earnings of $89,175 but was unable to win in stakes competition.
Northern Dancer: The Patriarch Stallion
Back in the day when a truck stacked with hay rumbled into Windfields Farm, Northern Dancer never paid it a lick of attention from his stall across the lane from the breeding shed. But if he laid eyes on an approaching van with a mare aboard, all hell broke loose.
Keepmeinmind Earns Breakthrough Win in Kentucky Jockey Club
The 2019 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita Park surprisingly became a negative key race, one generating few follow-up winners, but already the 2020 TVG Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance from Keeneland is productive.
