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HEADS UP! IT’S TIME FOR ROYAL ASCOT 2012 (PART ONE)
We all know our own racing venues pretty well, but keeping track of international racing to the same degree can really be a challenge. This year at Royal Ascot 2012, the stars of thoroughbred racing...
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HEADS UP! ROYAL ASCOT 2012, PART TWO
At this writing, FRANKEL has kicked off Royal Ascot 2012 with a scintillating 11-length victory in the Queen Anne Stakes on the first day of the meeting. As both he and BLACK CAVIAR are the big draws...
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THE NAMESAKE: FRANKEL
In November 2009, shortly after Robert J. Frankel succumbed to lymphoma, one of the trainer’s patrons, Prince Khalid Abdullah (Juddmonte Farms), articulated his deep sense of respect for the Hall of...
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SARATOGA: HEARTS, HISTORY & HOOFBEATS
For all she has been in the past and all that she promises in the future, Saratoga is a symbol to those who love the thoroughbred that is far greater than any one event, regardless of its cachet. As...
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HORSES ARE POSSIBILITIES: for Shari Voltz and the children she inspires
Summer time and the reading is easy….. As some of you know, before I started THE VAULT, my career was in education, as a teacher, teacher educator and a curriculum developer. A few years before my...
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BATTLESHIP: THE PONY WHO CONQUERED AINTREE
When I write I try to get under the surface of mere facts to weave a story. But as I delved into the extant articles about him, I discovered that there is very little out there about Battleship, even...
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DANEDREAM: “WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR…”
This article is dedicated to the mystery and magic of a thoroughbred champion. As well, it is dedicated to the racing spirit of Ann-Maree Matthews, at whose request I wrote it. This is Germany’s...
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FRANKEL: IT TAKES A TEAM TO RAISE A CHAMPION
On October 20, 2012, a star of British thoroughbred racing retired. So, too, did his pace-setter and half-brother, Bullet Train, as well as the valiant Nathaniel, the only horse to have gotten as close...
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COOLMORE: THREE “LADS” WITH A VISION
As thoroughbred racing — like everything else — enters a period of globalization, owners and breeders worldwide must confront the implications of an increasingly international and streamlined industry....
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SEASON’S GREETINGS!
The renowned C.C. Cook aka “Cookie’” sent this Christmas card of Citation and Eddie Arcaro in 1948. THE VAULT wishes its many readers all the very best of the holiday season. It has been a year of...
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BELOVED: DANCE SMARTLY
“I don’t think about her without believing she was one of those magical, lightning strike things.” (the late Tammy Samuel-Balaz, daughter of SamSon Farm founder, Ernest “Ernie” Samuel.) “… I really...
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VIEWPOINT: BREEDING THE NEXT “DECADE OF CHAMPIONS”
The last great renaissance of the thoroughbred on a global stage was in the decade of the 1970′s. As we kick off a new year, it’s time to ask: Is another waiting in the wings? Frankel spent the...
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“HE’S BETTER THAN FRANKEL” : SPRINTER SACRE
On January 27, 2013, J.A. McGrath of Britain’s The Daily Telegraph proclaimed: “Without running the slightest risk of getting carried away, Sprinter Sacre, the winner of his seventh consecutive race...
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WHERE THE STARS COME OUT : A GUIDE TO CHELTENHAM 2013
The Cheltenham Festival kicks off this coming week, beginning on Tuesday, March 12. It’s a 4-day celebration of the very best of the season, and the horses arrive carrying the hopes and dreams of...
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GALLANT FOX: THE SPIRIT OF AMERICA’S TRIPLE CROWN
My grandfather, Carl Leroi Boynton Wheeler, was born at the end of the nineteenth century with what my family called “the horse gene” deep in his blood. As a little girl, I sometimes bugged him to tell...
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KENTUCKY OAKS & DERBY 2013: IN PRAISE OF LONG SHOTS AND UNDERDOGS!
Here at THE VAULT, we’re thinking about the fillies and colts who tend to fly “under the radar” as Oaks and Derby day draw near. After all, our sport would be awfully dull if the favourites always won....
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DARK MIRAGE: THE FIRST WINNER OF THE AMERICAN TRIPLE CROWN FOR FILLIES
In 1968 a filly named Dark Mirage captured the hearts and minds of the racing public when she became the first winner of what is now called the “Triple Tiara.” Yet, unlike Sir Barton, Dark Mirage’s...
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ROYAL ASCOT 2013 (Part I)
As Royal Ascot kicks off (June 18-22) there will be an understandable nostalgia in the air. After all, last year saw Frankel and Black Caviar grace the Ascot turf and it’s hard to imagine any...
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ROYAL ASCOT 2013 (PART II)
SPECIAL NOTE: Part III of THE VAULT’S Royal Ascot coverage will be posted Friday, June 21st and cover the closing day. (The fields are still unconfirmed for several races on the Saturday, making the...
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ROYAL ASCOT 2013, CLOSING DAY (PART III)
Royal Ascot 2013 closes today (Saturday, June 22) and on today’s card is the prestigious DIAMOND JUBILEE. As well, the HARDWICKE promises to be a corker with some really good older horses in the...
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