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MESSAGE FROM ABIGAIL
Friday, October 20 Dear Reader: It seems that I have a case of acute bursitis in the shoulder of my typing/keyboard hand and I really can’t spend more than 10 minutes at a time on my computer. So it is...
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CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR’S GREETINGS TO EACH OF YOU!
SEASON’S GREETINGS TO EACH AND EVERYONE! I am sending you my warmest wishes for a holiday season filled with light, laughter, love and the company of friends. Thank you for your ongoing support and...
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ENABLE AND THE TEAM THAT TAUGHT HER TO FLY
This article is dedicated to the team who bred and race the outstanding Juddmonte filly, Enable. A very special thank you to the gifted Laura Battles, Michael Harris and Toby Connors for the privilege...
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SECRETARIAT’S HEART: THE STORY OF ISTABRAQ
As CHELTENHAM 2018 approaches, we re-visit one of the most popular posts THE VAULT has ever done. This is the story of the incomparable ISTABRAQ, the medoicre flat runner with royal blood who would...
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WINX : 7 CLICKS
What more can we say about this wonderful mare? Well, let’s have a look in “7 clicks” — just for fun. CLICK #1: “…I think I remember saying to Chris (Waller), ‘Do you really like her?’ ” (one of the...
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24 “PIECES OF PROPERTY”
There were some great races (San Felipe, the fabulous Tough Sunday, Justify, etc.) the weekend of March 10, 2018 in the USA. But for me, THE story of that weekend had nothing to do with horse races....
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EAGLE FEATHERS FOR BEAR WITNESS
On the occasion of Dayton Hyde’s 93rd birthday, THE VAULT revisits an article first posted two years ago. Mr. Hyde is the founder of BLACK HILLS WILD HORSE SANCTUARY, where 500 wild horses run free...
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IMPRINTS: MATA HARI
Named after an infamous spy for the Germans in WW1, this mighty filly leaves her imprint on the 2018 Kentucky Derby, as well as on international thoroughbred racing. MATA HARI was a brilliant...
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IMPRINTS: SEA-BIRD II
If — which is the longest word in any language — Mendelssohn pulls off a win in the 2018 Kentucky Derby, be sure that his maternal ancestor, Sea-Bird II, will have blessed his effort with the gift of...
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THE PALIO: WALKING IN GAUDENZIA’S FOOTSTEPS
Dating back to well before the 16th century, it’s one of the oldest horse races in the world. Steeped in medieval tradition and filled with colour, controversy and drama, The Palio lies at the very...
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ABOUT A GIRL AND A GREY: CHANTICLEER
The images that mean the most to us hold memories in place, keeping them vivid and alive. New Bond Street, Mayfair, London England. THE GIRL The year was 1975. It was a little before lunch when the...
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THE MARE WHO ANSWERED BACK: URBAN SEA
The first eight to cross the finish line in the 2018 Arc carried Urban Sea in their second and third generations. It was just another day in the legacy of the arguably most important matriarch in...
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THE PRINCE’S GIFT: ENABLE AT BREEDERS CUP 2018
ENABLE as a foal. A Juddmonte homebred, she is the product of 30 years of careful and skillful breeding decisions made by Prince Khalid Abdullah and his advisors. She was not the first Arc winner to...
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DAN PATCH: WADING INTO THE ENIGMA
He was the undisputed King of harness racing’s Golden Era. But his real life was a far cry from the tall tales that framed it. DAN PATCH in Chicago, 1905. The issue that always confronts a researcher...
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MORE ABOUT MAN O’ WAR : RECOLLECTIONS & RESERVATIONS
In recognition of Man O’ War’s birth over a century ago, it’s been a time of celebration in the USA and Canada. So many fabulous articles, exhibits and online postings about America’s “favourite son”...
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HORSE RACING & THE ELIXIR OF LOSS
As the incomparable WINX marches on, in a campaign that has us all witnessing history-in-the-making, what is it that keeps us coming back to watch her race again? The psychology of sport is arguably as...
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GREEK MONEY & THE RACE THAT STARTED IT ALL
I owe Steve Haskin for this article because his story, “For The Love of a Horse,” got me thinking about the horse that first grabbed my heart. (Link to Steve Haskin’s narrative:...
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A FRAME FOR THE BRAVE: ROMAN SOLDIER
Images hold a memory in place and this image, of a champion colt who has been long-forgotten, is about to find its frame. ROMAN SOLDIER pictured in 1935 at Hialeah Park, Florida. An NEA photograph....
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ENABLE: THE MOUNTAINTOP
The racing public loves them all, from the superstars to those that run their hearts out each and every time without ever mounting the steps to glory. And then there are those very few who break...
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TWO TIMING IT: DUAL ARC WINNERS
As the world awaits Enable’s attempt to win the Arc for an unprecedented third time, it’s worth noting that she already belongs to a very select group. Since the first Arc (1920) only seven other...
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