Jeff Lowe with America’s Best Racing recounts Arthur Hancock’s 1982 Kentucky Derby win with longshot Gato Del Sol, and the price of a promise to the colt’s groom long-time Stone Farm employee Sam Ransom.
Category Archives: Archive
And The Last Shall Be First
May 10, 1982
After trailing early in the Kentucky Derby, Gato del Sol shifted into high and thundered to the line ahead of 18 competitors
Sunday Silence Captures Derby
Charlie Whittingham was right.
Sunday Silence and rider Pat Valenzuela made the 76-year-old trainer look like a prophet as he captured the 115th running of the Kentucky Derby by 2 1/2 lengths over the odds-on favorite Easy Goer with Awe Inspiring, Easy Goer’s stablemate, a head farther back in third.
Nose To Nose
In a jewel of a dual at the Preakness, Sunday Silence beat Easy Goer by a snout.
Silence Roars Once More
November 13, 1989
In the race for Horse of the Year, Sunday Silence outran Easy Goer in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
2014 Leading Sire: Menifee Dominates Leading Sire Ranks Again
For the third consecutive year, Menifee was Leading Sire in Korea in 2014. This time it was by a record margin as his son Gyeongbudaero completed a late season President’s Cup and Grand Prix Stakes to take his sire’s earnings to nearly double that of next best, Forest Camp.
Blame Game Wins on Debut At Gulfstream TDN
BLAME GAME (c, 2, Blame–La Pascua {Swi} {SW-Fr}, by Caerleon), a 3-1 chance, rated just off the early pace in third down the backstretch, but kicked into gear on the turn. The bay cruised up to bid from the three path at the top of the lane, shook free from Ready Get Set (More Than Ready) in the stretch and finished 3 1/4 lengths the best.
Expression Takes the Garland of Roses Stakes in the Slop at Aqueduct
Expression, bred by Stone Farm and Joseph Sutton, won the $100,000 Garland of Roses Stakes on December 6, 2014 at Aueduct Racetrack. Coming from off the lead on a sloppy inner-dirt track, Expression made a bold four-wide move in the stretch to pass a game Winning Image to win. This was Expression’s first stakes victory and first win on an off track.
Mandola Wins First Time Over Hurtles
Mandola stalked the front runner until after the second last jump, collared the leader half way through the final turn, dueled with that rival over the last jump and to the wire and helf on for the win.
Menifee: South Korea’s Sunday Silence?
Though many American racing fans may remember him mostly as the big bay who finished second to Charismatic in the 1999 Kentucky Derby and Preakness, Menifee is making a serious impact in the racing industry—in South Korea. Menifee shipped overseas in 2006 and seems poised to follow a similar path to that of Sunday Silence in Japan.