From Chadds Ford to Louisville

Union Rags w/ Julien Leparoux up
Photo courtesy of Frances J. Karon

There are a few topics that can rouse the blood in my family, one of them is whether or not something is art. It can become a kind of "hide the cutlery" kerfuffle at times. These discussions typically include eye rolling, head shaking, and dismissive hand gestures. In the end, it's all in good fun, and there are even many artists whom we can agree on as being masters of their medium. Three generations of the Wyeth family fall into that category.

I'm not sure which N.C. Wyeth illustration was the first one that I saw, but it would likely have been in the company of something by Wyeth's mentor, Howard Pyle, two of my father's favorite artists when he was young. He grew up with illustrated classics like Robin Hood, Kidnapped, Robinson Crusoe and Treasure Island--early volumes that contained the visually captivating illustrations of N.C. Wyeth. Needless to say, the name Wyeth--be it N.C., Andrew, or Jamie--has been part of my personal mental art catalog for most of my life. As a youngster with a camera, looking for a 4-H photography project, I had one of Andrew Wyeth's stark and melancholy Pennsylvania barns in the back of my head as inspiration. I have no doubt that part of my love of landscape photography and painting is because of the early influence of seeing those Wyeth paintings. The dearth of color, the composition, and certainly the rural subject matter all resonate strongly with me to this day. The cool realism of Andrew Wyeth, in particular, belies a stoicism and stubbornness that I find appealing.

So what about the horse, I can hear you asking. Well, on the best days, I think, the things we love intersect, connect, and collide. And it is one of these happy synchronicities that brings me to the stunningly handsome colt in the above photograph, Union Rags. I am absolutely whiz-bang, heart-poundingly in love with this horse, though I should think that after looking at him that would go without saying. Every couple of years a horse comes along that I just fall for, head-over-heels (witness Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta, Black Caviar.) Oh, and his owner? Phyllis Wyeth, wife of Jamie Wyeth of that aforementioned artistic clan. His trainer? Olympic silver-medal winning equestrian and phenomenal all-around horseman Michael Matz.

Honestly, I think Union Rags is pretty easy to love, regardless of his connections. He's as handsome a horse as I've ever seen. My friends who have been fortunate enough to see him in person all confirm that his presence is one that makes you a little weak in the knees. Some horses just have that charisma, they don't require any theatrics or devices, they are genuine athletes who can render mere mortals breathless and speechless by their speed, grace, and strength.

Obviously, I'd love Union Rags to win the Kentucky Derby, easily the most talked about race of the year in the United States, but win or lose, I'm a fan. I have no doubt that he'll be as ready as he can be, but in the 20 horse stampede that is the chaotic start of the Derby, it's rather unlikely that any one horse gets the right trip to match his racing style. True, the great ones usually find a way to win, but it still requires more than a little bit of luck. More importantly, as a racing fan, I want to see him run to his ability and come out of the race well. I want to see him race more, especially a little farther north...at Belmont Park, maybe, or, better yet, Saratoga. Union Rags at Saratoga where he ran so magnificently on the sloppiest of days last summer...that's a wonderful thought. I hope Union Rags is a star that we get to see run a strong and competitive 3-year-old campaign.

If you have yet to fully fall for this stunning colt, spend a few minutes watching this video on his story... http://www.trackpackpa.com/union-rags/

If you're in the northeast, visit Connecticut's Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford where there are two Wyeth-related exhibits up at present. Andrew Wyeth: Looking Beyond and James Welling: Wyeth are both up until late July. http://www.thewadsworth.org/exhibitions/

Special thanks to Frances J. Karon (her blog, with many more wonderful photographs is http://runroughshod.blogspot.com/) for generously allowing me to use the beautiful photo of Union Rags at the top of this post.

Road to the Roses

It's a kind of interesting day out, weather-wise. There's an almost candlelight warmth filling the sky and mixing with steely grey clouds. If I weren't on my deathbed (okay, not literally, but I do feel pretty *gross*) this is a day that I'd want to be out with a camera trying--often in vain--to capture the glorious light.

But since I'm not feeling up to snuff, it is the perfect day to assemble a Road To The Roses stable--a virtual fantasy stable not unlike something you'd set up for football or baseball, but instead of human athletes you choose from their equine counterparts. And yes, this can be done perfectly well from the privacy of your own home, underneath your favorite quilt, on your comfy sofa and in your flannel pyjamas. In my head it's a little like the treasure box of paper horses that Velvet Brown kept next to her bed.

In the past I've always kept a list, usually scribbled on a scrap of paper when I saw a horse I liked and wanted to follow or even a pile of sticky notes scattered around my desk. But this year I decided to participate and make my picks--such as they are--official.

Unlike the old days where I helped my father pick the fantasy football teams for his office pool--and by the way, I was pretty good at it--horses are often a very sentimental attachment for me. Therefore, my stable is comprised of 5 horses that I think actually have a chance at doing quite well in Derby prep races and the Kentucky Derby and 5 other horses chosen because I liked their name or their sire or dam. Nothing remotely scientific about this process for me, some horses I like, some horses I don't. Horses like First Dude (he's a four year old so he's not eligible anyway) or The Factor will never factor in my stable because they remind me of people I find mostly unpleasant. On the other hand, a horse named Robie the Cat reminds me of Cary Grant and there's nothing unpleasant about that connection.

A few horses like Black N Beauty and Printing Press didn't make the cut, but I'll be watching them anyway in addition to Brethren, Jakesam, Premier Pegasus, Wine Police (genius name) and Vengeful Wildcat. Here's to a safe and interesting Derby trail for all the contenders and their connections! If you'd like to make your own RTTR stable, you can begin here...http://www.roadtotheroses.com/ .

Without further ado...here is The Paper Tyger virtual stable (10 horses, 5 of which have to be designated as Power Horses) --

Archarcharch, Jack London, Master of Hounds, Queen'sPlateKitten, Robie the Cat. Most of these have a name or connection that I just couldn't pass over. I love cat and tiger related horse names so Queen'sPlateKitten and Robie the Cat were impossible not to choose. And Jack London is not only a wonderful writer but his equine namesake is out of Tale Of The Cat so another easy choice. And how could I pass up Master of Hounds? Archarcharch is the odd horse out in this grouping. I just like him, like the look of him and hope he's got a nice future ahead of him.

Power Horses (I feel like I should inform the horses they are my designated "active power horses" so that we're all clear about who has to do what here.) Elite Alex, Mucho Macho Man, Sway Away, To Honor and Serve and finally, Uncle Mo. I have had an affinity for Afleet Alex ever since we watched him win the Belmont Stakes in 2005, so his progeny will always get my attention, thus the choice of Elite Alex and Sway Away. I've always liked Macho Uno (as well as his daddy, Holy Bull) so Mucho Macho Man was an easy choice as well. And finally, Uncle Mo and To Honor and Serve are both classy colts with wins under their collective belts and they appear to be serious contenders.

There we are then...I hope there are a couple of sensible picks mixed in with all the sentimental ones. I know there are many contenders who aren't in my stable and that's fine...I've perused the lists and options and these are horses I'm happy with and will look forward to watching as they mature over the next few weeks. With any luck we'll get to watch many of them well beyond the first Saturday in May.

GLORY and Regret

Every now and then I'll flick through the channels and happen upon some sort of little cinematic gem, most often on Turner Classic Movies. This morning while having my initial cup of coffee (yeah, it takes a whole coffee village some mornings to make things happen) I made the fortuitous decision to check TCM's schedule for the day. To my great surprise TCM was showing a horse related movie that I not only had never seen, I'd never even heard of it. That doesn't happen too often, so I refilled my cup and sat down to watch Glory, from 1956.

Let me say straight off that this is not great cinema we're talking about here...it was a comeback vehicle for then grown up nineteen-year-old Margaret O'Brien. Also in the cast were two great character actors, Charlotte Greenwood and Walter Brennan.

You know the basic story...there's a talented horse who is owned by a small breeder and at some point during the story said small breeder will have to sell (or run in a claiming race) the freakishly talented yearling or two year old before the horse has a chance to change all their lives by winning the Derby. There's also the requisite romance between the charming Margaret O'Brien and the son of a wealthy breeder down the road. Class differences ensue and boy and girl travel the rocky road to love and equine happiness. In the end, it is a rag-tag syndicate made up of farriers, grooms, and hot walkers who come up with the $1200 entry fee that enables Glory's, well, run to glory. (A small musical interlude to showcase Ms. O'Brien's vocal abilities is also included as is a wonderful scene with a mean girl who Ms. O'Brien dismisses with a riding crop!)

So many things were fun about this film, though. First, it's about a filly (named Glory, obviously) and the long and winding road to winning the 1955 Kentucky Derby. There are references to the amazing Regret as well as other historic horses and the filming was done on location at Keeneland, Churchill Downs, and Calumet Farms so there were bucolic long shots of horses running in the fields. Walter Brennan reprises the role he played so often with Gary Cooper in films...a little shady, a little down and out, but with odd wisdom that emanates from his big and generous heart. And then there's Charlotte Greenwood, who is a riot. In addition to being the owner/breeder of Glory, she's a dyed-in-the-wool Brooklyn Dodgers fan who listens to the games, reads their box scores in the papers and calls them "dem lovely bums." She dreams of leaving horses and Kentucky bluegrass behind for her beloved Brooklyn and a place near Ebbets Field. (Ya gotta love Hollywood.) Finally, there's the actual 1955 Kentucky Derby film. The filmmakers used footage of Swaps (with Willie Shoemaker up) vs Nashua (Eddie Arcaro up) as the race between Glory and a rival colt.

Needless to say, I enjoyed every hokey minute and I'd likely even buy the DVD or VHS tape of it to add to my equine film library, but it doesn't seem to be available on home video. So here's a little taste of the film...
Original 1956 trailer for Glory.

And because it's just too much fun to look back at great fillies...here's a nice little look back at the amazing Regret.

The Forward March of March Ennui

After a spring-fever inducing stretch of ridiculously glorious weather, the clouds and rain have descended for a day that I've decided is best spent lying low and staying in. I'm actively engaged in a death/grudge match against my unruly sinuses and that has lead to a minor episode of March ennui. (see also, Spring Sklunklishness...)

I usually save my most robust and lingering bouts of ennui for August...August's august ennui, I like to call it. But this March I find myself feeling a bit like August, where you're trapped between the two seasons and just can't wait to be fully moved into the next one. We're all totally over winter but spring is just teasing us, tempting us with sunshine and unseasonably warm, balmy days.

Right. That's me done whingeing.

So now on to the subject of my March equine ennui. What I can't shake these days is utter lack of excitement over the way the KY Derby field seems to be shaping up. Either/both of you who read regularly know that I'd expressed some interest earlier this year in Jackson Bend as a Derby contender--and he is still on my radar--but no other horses are, at the moment, really piquing my interest.

Typically by now I'd have four or five horses that I'd be watching, (ogling maybe a more apropos term) and they'd move up and down in the little Derby stable I keep in my head. (Don't try to tell me you don't do the same...I know you do.)

This year is different though. And I'll admit I come at this from a slightly screwy angle. (Shocked, aren't you?) I look at many, er, unusual and unquantifiable things when I'm picking a Derby candidate. Pedigree of course, wins and distances of course. But more arcane things like how I feel about the horse's connections or trainer...what their name is (and does it resonate with me?) color he or she is and whether I'd want to ride them. Ok, ok...stop your laughing right now. I'm surely not suggesting that I have any interest in being a jockey, but would I like to take them over a fence or five...or have a good hack on them across hill and vale?

Don't think it hasn't crossed my mind that I (or anyone) would be ridiculously fortunate to ever put a leg over on any of these thoroughbreds. And while I fully appreciate that, it's not the point. Just like with lovely shoes, you don't want just any trite old designer label, you want the one that suits you and makes you feel pretty, empowered. The same holds true for me with the horses.

For example...Smarty Jones and Funny Cide. Loved their stories, did of course cheer them on, but am not really very partial to chestnut colts/geldings. Therefore, I'd not be very interested in hacking about on them. Whereas, say, Empire Maker, Macho Uno (or Macho Again!) or Medaglio d'Oro or *be still my beating  heart* Zenyatta or Rachel Alexandra, I'd practically pawn an appendage to stand within arm's length of them, let alone ride them.

Sometimes it is the horse's name that resonates with me. I'm a fan of the Storm Cat progeny often and other lines who use cat or kitten. El Gato Malo is a horse I'll always have a little thing for, as is true with names like Hold That Tiger or Wishful Tomcat. (And yes, I'd love to have a good long ride through the countryside on any and all of these!)

In really examining the last couple of years of the Triple Crown races, I've been a bit of a contrarian, quelle surprise. While I like Calvin Borel immensely, Mine That Bird (along with all his Bird horse ancestors) never caught on strongly for me and I didn't think the little gelding was all that. I'll also admit to not being overly enthralled by Curlin (though the Snow Monkey LOVED him) or Big Brown. None of them caught my fancy. I was much more intrigued by Desert Party or Pioneer of the Nile and the like. I know it's courtesy and tradition to keep the Derby winner as your horse throughout the weeks of the TC, but that doesn't always work for me. A friend long ago chastised me severely for this "lack of loyalty," but to me it seemed more like bandwagon jumping than anything if I hadn't been with the horse before the Derby.

And I guess that's the long and short of it...none of the present Derby field has even remotely captured my imagination (save, to a smallish extent, Jackson Bend) and so I'm left  to drift in a sea of uncompelling--though very nice--horses, but none is my "glass slipper horse"--no horse is yet, just the right fit. Thus my March equine ennui marches ever forward...

If you want to make a case for "your" horse...I'd love to hear it! Enlightenment and impassioned persuasion are most welcome.

A Double Eagle Double?

I'll fully admit that Mine That Bird never really captured my imagination, despite his being ridden in the Derby by one of my favorite jockeys, Calvin Borel. Nothing against the little guy, he's clearly got a huge heart and lots of gumption, but he just never caught my eye. None of the "Bird" horses have, and if I'm totally honest it probably has to do with Birdstone's upset of Smarty Jones in the 2004 Belmont Stakes. Nothing like having some sort of weird sire-grudge, is there?

At any rate, I am intrigued by the possibility of MTB's connections (Mark Allen's Double Eagle Ranch) winning both the Kentucky Derby (with Mine That Bird) and the All-American Futurity at Ruidoso Downs with their quarter horse, Winners Cartel. It's a very cool thought, winning the big thoroughbred title with a long shot AND taking the quarter horse title with another real contender.

And perhaps the best part of the races at the All-American today is that Mine That Bird will be leading the post-parade, so he'll get to bask in the well earned glow of love from his home crowd. It's a very nice thing that Mark Allen and Chip Woolley are doing to let the hometown fans get a glimpse of the brown gelding who has brought them so much joy. All horses need that victory lap where they can be appreciated and cheered for. And getting him to Ruidoso was no small task...the trip from Saratoga Springs started off with a van ride to Newark, then "hopping" a flight from Newark to El Paso, and a further van trip to Ruidoso.

Good luck to Winners Cartel and all the Mine That Bird connections on winning a pretty major DOUBLE!

Rachel settles in at The Spa

(ABOVE: A couple more photos from Belmont on Saturday. Calvin Borel up on one of his other mounts, Z Fortune, a lovely gray, as they head from the paddock to the track. Other photo is of Sam the bugler as he heads out to sound the call to the post for Rachel's big race.)

So a little to catch up on from the weekend. Like people who head upstate for cooler climes, Rachel Alexandra has decided to summer at The Spa. According to the article on Bloodhorse.com, she's in Curlin's old stall and is happily ensconced among Steve Asmussen's other horses at Saratoga. She deserves nice cool morning workouts after all she's done this season so up North is the place for her to be. If you didn't see her triumph in The Mother Goose Stakes (G1)...watch this.

While there's a lot of speculation on what her next race will be, it seems her connections are really focused on making sure she's a happy and healthy horse. Cheers to Mr. Jackson and all the co-owners for their genuine care about her welfare. We've seen that this is not always the case in horse racing, sadly, making it more impressive when the connections do things right.

As a small aside, if you've never been to Belmont or any of the NY tracks to hear Tom Durkin call the races live, he alone is worth the trip. You've no doubt heard him do the Kentucky Derby or any of the Triple Crown races, but even on a regular stakes day he is great to listen to. The guy loves horses, loves bettors and really gets into the races. He also has a great sense of humor. He was equally as excited as the other nearly 14,000 in attendance at Belmont on Saturday when Rachel romped to victory. He's a classic and I love hearing his voice come over the Tannoy at the racetrack.

Now all the way on the other side of the country, Zenyatta had her own big day, winning The Vanity Handicap (G1) for the second year in a row. Again, if you haven't seen her win...watch here.

And because it was all about the girls on Saturday, this post wouldn't be complete without some footage of the great Ruffian, from the Mother Goose Stakes in 1975. Interestingly, it was then held at Aqueduct not Belmont. Notice how Ann's Commander, the 7 horse, shakes her jockey almost immediately after exiting the gate. So scary...but the outrider does a courageous job of steering the horse away from the rest of the field. The move that Ruffian makes as she rounds the turn into the homestretch is gorgeous. She's pretty well with the pack for a good portion of the race, but once she hits that straightaway, she's gone. A great victory for one of the great racehorses--male or female.

One other small update from the weekend, Mine That Bird had a nice half-mile breeze at Churchill Downs this morning. With Calvin Borel up for the breeze it seems that MTB is pointed toward the West Virginia Derby (G2) on August 1. I was never really on the MTB bandwagon, but I think Calvin Borel deserves much success, so I'm happy to see he and the little gelding getting on so well together.

Big racing across the pond, too. The Irish Derby (sponsored somewhat oddly, I thought, by Dubai Duty Free) was one by Fame and Glory, and in style, too. His main rival, winner of the English Derby, Sea the Stars scratched from the race thus giving F&G a slightly easier go. He did face some competition from Golden Sword, but Fame and Glory garnered more of both, fame and glory. There seems to be a much more festive atmosphere at the meetings in the UK and Ireland than at US tracks. I'm not sure what that means attendance wise, but it looks like these race meetings are really festivals and fetes as much as horse races. Something here for US racing to learn from?

Saving the Kentucky Horse Industry

There's a rally today in Kentucky at the Keeneland Sales Pavilion to show support for keeping a strong and vital horse industry alive in the state. I'm there in spirit, which is the best I can do today, but I'm hoping they have a great turn out. Imagining Kentucky without horses and racing is like imagining Paris without baguettes and brie--it's just not right. So many people (and horses!!) are dependent on the jobs and ancillary dollars that are critical to the horse industry.

This shouldn't be a partisan issue, though from the reporting I've read it seems to be something that the Republican controlled KY Senate is thoroughly against.

I 'm not a huge fan of slots, but I can see how they could be very beneficial for racetracks all over the country, including at places like Suffolk Downs, in Boston, and surely in KY. It just seems such a common sense solution.

Ohio seems to be having slightly better fortunes when it comes to getting their slots bill enacted--it would allow the machines at both racing and harness racing tracks throughout the state. Maybe the effort was more well-planned in Ohio or the people there are just generally more interested. In any event, this is a crucial time for horse racing and all the people who not only love it, but the people who work so hard in it every day.