Chelsea Hackbarth

If first impressions are anything to go by, 30-year-old Liz Crow is off to an auspicious start in the Thoroughbred industry. Authorized to purchase yearlings on her own for the first time in 2016, Crow went searching for bargain buys at the Keeneland September sale with a maximum budget of $100,000. As it turns out, […]

Puerto Rican jockeys have been making a big impact on North American racing ever since Angel Cordero first threw his leg over a Thoroughbred. Following him were names like John Velazquez, Irad and Jose Ortiz, and Manny Franco, among others. This generation of jockeys had one thing in common: they all attended the state-sponsored jockey […]

Leonard Green is a man of numbers. The top-level accountant spends his days pouring over dollars and cents, but his 30-plus years in the Thoroughbred industry have taught him that it’s not all about the dollars; it takes sense. “Unlike other owners, I’m not in it to drink champagne; it’s a business,” Green said. “It’s […]

For a young boy growing up in Guatemala City, the “American Dream” probably felt like just that, a faraway dream. On Saturday, however, Darwin Aguilar watched his charge Monomoy Girl run into the history books in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff and found himself in awe at the path his life had taken. “I never imagined […]

Our quest for Breeders’ Cup longshots started out pretty well on Future Stars Friday. In the five races, two winners popped from 10-1 morning lines to win (Bulletin and Line of Duty), and in the Juvenile Fillies, Vibrance was ignored at the windows, climbing from 10-1 to 35-1 to ignite a $387 trifecta by hitting […]

Like most handicappers with a pulse, I look forward to the two-day Breeders’ Cup World Championships for one reason — the opportunity to bet on horses whose odds in no way reflect their actual chances of winning. In other words, bombs away! With that in mind, here are a few that strike my fancy on […]

Fans have fond memories of many legendary performances in the Breeders’ Cup, but how many have wondered what those races looked like to trainers of the winners? Bob Baffert, Shug McGaughey, and Mark Casse gathered to share their Breeders’ Cup memories earlier this week at Equestricon, and they revealed a few things fans may not […]

If you skimmed the pre-entries for the Breeders’ Cup Classic and thought, ‘Toast of New York? I thought he retired years ago,’ don’t worry. You’re not losing your mind. (Or if you are, this is not your sign.) Indeed, the winner of the 2014 Grade 2 UAE Derby did retire to stud in 2015, but […]

On first glance, what strikes me most are the relative differences between the two women. Physically, one is a head taller and a bit younger, while the other carries herself with a quieter, more unassuming presence. The first has a Swedish accent; the second is American, probably midwestern, if I had to guess. After our […]

Chasing Yesterday, the 2-year-old half-sister to Triple Crown Champion American Pharoah, is certainly special to her legion of fans. After watching the homebred Tapit filly earn her first stakes victory at Santa Anita on Sunday, owner Jane Lyon explained the Bob Baffert trainee has a special place in her own heart. “When we started this, […]