HorseRacing

Fifty Years of Equestrian Champions from the Stables of His Highness the Aga Khan

A new lavishly illustrated volume by Philip Jodidio from Prestel highlights fifty years of the prestigious horse racing and breeding enterprises of His Highness the Aga Khan, the immensely wealthy Muslim spiritual leader. The urbane Aga Khan, a philanthropist, Harvard graduate and stepson of Hollywood bombshell Rita Hayworth, built his world class thoroughbred empire on a legacy handed down through generations and now oversees one of the largest and most successful racing and breeding operations in Europe. The luxe book traces the history of the Aga Khan Studs including many famous champions through remarkable photographs, engravings and paintings taken from the Aga Khan's archives. Also included is a lengthy interview with His Highness and informative essays on what makes a great racehorse. Check out the gallery for a preview.

Gallery: The Horses of the Aga Khan

A group of mares and foals bred at St Crespin, France

Dalakhani, winner of four Group I races, including the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe

Zarkava, unbeaten winner of five Group I races, descends from Mumtaz Mahal, purchased in 1921 by the Aga Khan III

His Highness the Aga Khan inspecting yearlings at St Crespin in Normandy

A group of mares and foals grazing in a field in Ireland

Tags: Aga Khan, books, coffee table books, equestrian, Harvard, horse racing, horseracing, horses, Islam, Muslim, racehorse, racehorses, Rita Hayworth, royalty, sports, stables, the+aga+khan, theagakhan, thoroughbreds, wealth

An Exclusive Window on Siena's Speedy Horse Race

by Alison Wellner (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Sports

If you blink during The Palio de Siena in Italy, it's not like you'll miss the entire horse race. But you'll miss a lot of it, since the whole thing typically takes 90 seconds.

The Palio was developed in the 16th century as an alternative to bullfighting. For nearly two action-packed minutes, horses and bareback jockeys tear around the Piazza del Campo, pictured above, albeit not on race day. During the race, the streets are lined dirt. The turns are sharp, jockeys are often thrown, but since the race is scored by the horse and not the jockey, a horse can still win even if its jockey is crumpled on the ground somewhere.

Crowds will throng to watch the action on August 16th, but you can rise above them if you book a package offered by Castel Monastero, called "Your Private Window on Siena's Palio". The three-night package includes, among other things, a VIP seat on the palazzo overlooking the San Martino curve. (Champagne and snacks included, natch.) Pricing starts at 1,000 Euro per night for a superior room.

Tags: horseracing, hotel deals, italy, luxury travel, palio, Siena

The Classicist: America's Finest Equestrian Architecture

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Estates, Sports, The Classicist, Wealth

Kathryn Masson, author of the book on Hunt Country Style which we wrote about back in 2008, has returned with another brilliant exposition on equestrian style for our enjoyment. Stables: Beautiful Paddocks, Horse Barns, and Tack Rooms takes us on an alluring journey through America's horse country. Collaborating once again with Hunt Country photographer Paul Rocheleau, Masson visits some of the most notable stables and equestrian centers from coast to coast. Ranging from private to historic to state-of-the-art, from homes for retired racehorses to lodgings for polo ponies, thoroughbreds and world champions, 25 distinctive examples of equestrian architecture and interiors are profiled, showcasing their design, construction, and landscaping.

Each of the featured buildings evokes its distinctive regional heritage, from an enormous 1830s English-style barn near the Saratoga Springs Racetrack, to the Mediterranean aesthetic of one of the world's leading Arabian breeding farms, Om El Arab International in California's Santa Ynez Valley. Also highlighted are the world-famous racing stable Newstead Farm in Upperville, Virginia, home of Kentucky Derby winner Genuine Risk, and the quintessential Western working ranch Centennial Ranch in Ridgeway, Colorado. Three historic Vanderbilt family stables are featured: The Breakers in Newport, Sandy Point Stables in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, and the newly restored project of Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank, Sagamore Farm in Glyndon, Maryland.

Avid equestrienne and professor Dr. Perky Beisel explores the history of the American stable and the long tradition of horsemanship in this United States in an informative preface. "For some Americans, horse ownership and participation in horse sports became a lifestyle and, for others, a way to join the upper class," She notes. "Families who reaped the benefits of 19th-century expansion in industries such as railroads and manufacturing had seemingly unlimited wealth with which to satisfy their desires. While some became notable art collectors, yachtsmen, or horticulturalists, others became active participants in horse sports. In so doing, not only did they create a new upper class, but they also transformed the physical landscape of equestrian recreation and leisure."

Gallery: Great American Stables

U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation Center, Gladstone, NJ

Tags: architecture, book, California, coffee table book, coffee table books, Colorado, equestrian, foxhunting, horseracing, horses, hunt country, Kathryn Masson, Kentucky Derby, luxury book, Maryland, polo, Rhode Island, Saratoga Springs, stables, The Breakers, upper class, Vanderbilt, Virginia

Continue reading “The Classicist: America's Finest Equestrian Architecture”

Win a VIP Trip to the Kentucky Derby with Woodford Reserve

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, Art

Woodford Reserve, the Official Bourbon of the Kentucky Derby, has unveiled its limited-edition commemorative bottle for this year's event. The 2010 bottle features the work of nationally-acclaimed, Louisville-based artist Jeaneen Barnhart, and also includes a chance to win a trip to the Derby.

Barnhart's image depicts the vibrancy and intensity of Kentucky Derby racehorses as the jockeys charge toward the finish line. The artist's signature adorns the neck of the bottle, and an attached neck tag bears information about the artist and product.

The limited edition liter-size bottle will be available later this month in 42 U.S. states at a suggested retail price of $42.99. In addition to purchasing a true collector's item, consumers can enter Woodford Reserve's Kentucky Derby Sweepstakes with a chance to win a VIP trip to the 2011 Kentucky Derby.

Though no purchase is necessary, buyers can enter by registering their bottle's unique number, printed on the neck label, at www.WellCraftedDerby.com. Upon registering they will be given a randomly-generated post position, from 1-20, for the 2010 Derby. If the horse that starts from their assigned post position wins, he/she will be entered in the grand prize trip drawing.

For the twelfth year in a row Woodford Reserve Bourbon has been selected the "Official Bourbon of Kentucky Derby." It also sponsors a Grade I race, the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic, which is run on Derby Day, May 1, 2010, and has become one of thoroughbred racing's premier turf events.

Tags: bourbon, equestrian, horseracing, Kentucky, Kentucky Derby, Louisville, Woodford Reserve

Custom Derby Hats to Benefit Retired Racehorses

by Deb West (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Charity, Sports

For some the first Saturday in May is all about the horses, and for others, the Kentucky Derby is all about the hats. There are very few occasions left in today's society where woman can wear incredible millinery creations that really bring back another era. For those who love both the hats and the horses, or are just in a philanthropic mood, it is not too late to support retired racehorses and be a recipient of a fantastic custom made hat to wear to the big day.

Maggie Mae Designs™ has teamed up with Old Friends to create a series of one-of-a-kind Derby hats inspired by specific retired racehorses. Old Friends is an equine farm that specializes in the rescue and retirement of pensioned Thoroughbreds. Many in the horse world were devastated by the death of Kentucky Derby winner Ferdinand in a Japanese slaughterhouse in 2002. In an effort to ensure that this never happens again the organization focuses on bringing at-risk racehorses, whose active careers are over to experience the dignified retirement they deserve. The only retirement farm to accept stallions, Old Friends is committed to providing a great retirement for these amazing athletes. The farm is open to the public and hosts tours daily.

Gallery: Derby Hats

Tags: hats, horse, horseracing, kentucky derby, KentuckyDerby, Maggie Mae Designs, MaggieMaeDesigns, millinery, Old Friends, OldFriends, thoroughbreds

Continue reading “Custom Derby Hats to Benefit Retired Racehorses”

The $10 Million Race to be Held at The New $2 Billion Meydan Track

by Deb West (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Sports

The $10 million Dubai World Cup, the world's richest horse race, is slated to be held on March 27, 2010 at the new Meydan Racetrack in Dubai. The complex however is open and the first races of the season took place the last week in January at the start of the Dubai International Racing Carnival.

The new complex cost $2 billion to build and is quite unlike anything else in the horse racing world. In part this is due to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum the ruler of Dubai and the driving force behind the racing region. In something out of another era, he had a special route built to the venue just so he can avoid traffic and arrive by boat. The complex and the Dubai creek are now linked by a 4 kilometer canal so the ruler can travel with ease and avoid any log jams that build up in the falcon shaped parking lot which has a capacity for 10,000 cars.

Tags: dubai, horseracing, Meydan, racetrack, world cup, WorldCup

Continue reading “The $10 Million Race to be Held at The New $2 Billion Meydan Track”

Conan O'Brien Didn't Buy Mine That Bird, The Real January Thoroughbred Sales Results

by Deb West (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Celebrity Shopping

For those of you who thought the sale of Mine That Bird to Conan O'Brien was the big news in thoroughbred racing, it was just a skit. The "real" Mine That Bird, winner of last year's Kentucky Derby and pictured above, has been on vacation in New Mexico since the Breeder's Cup Classic. In fact his trainer Chip Woolley reports that he does not intend to return the winning horse to racing until later in the season and possibly only running four races in preparation for the Breeder's Cup Classic to be held a Churchill Downs. Just as a note, there is discussion that no one would pay $4.8 million for him as he is gelding and can not be used for breeding which compromises his value compared to other Derby winners.

There were however the first legitimate thoroughbred sales of 2010 taking place recently at Keeneland in Kentucky. The January Horses of All Ages Sale was held at the facility from January 11-15th. For those who have never seen a thoroughbred auction in progress, below there is a short video clip to give you a feel of how it all works at Keeneland.

Like all luxury markets horse sales have been adversely effected by the economy and those in the thoroughbred sales business have been concerned about how their business will change. The sale took in $23,895,100 in five days which is down over 27% from last year's six day sale. There were fewer horses sold and in general everybody noticed the market's effect of the sales. That being said, there were some bright spots, most notably Bon Jovi Girl a multiple stakes winner went for $950,000. The highest price paid for a yearling was brought in by Medaglia d'Oro a colt going for $280,000.

Tags: auction, conan obrien, ConanObrien, horse sales, horseracing, horses, HorseSales, Keeneland, thoroughbreds

Winningest Jockey in 2009 Pulls in $18,571,171 Million by a Nose!

by Deb West (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Sports

Garrett Gomez took the title for top earning jockey in 2009 with $18,571.171 in winnings beating out Julien Leparoux who finished up with a total of $18,560,565 in earnings. Gomez who won the national earnings title now for the fourth consecutive year in a row won "by a nose" so to speak.

The feat was accomplished in his last race of the year as Gomez had left the title hanging in his competitor's hands until the last day of 2009. Leparoux, who had returned to his native France to be with his family, started off the day $26,994 ahead of Gomez, who only had two mounts scheduled in the eight race program. Gomez finished the second race last earning only $400 and his win on Fund Raiser in the fourth race still left him trailing by $194 dollars with no more horses left to ride.

Fellow jockey Martin Pedroza "conveniently" felt ill and Gomez took over his mount for the eighth and final race of the day. As all starters in California are guaranteed $400 dollars just for running the race Gomez did not have to win to pull ahead of Leparoux and finish with the coveted national earnings title. That did not stop him from piloting Cenzio to a win and picking up the $10,800 purse giving him at total earnings of $18,571,171, which was $10,606 more than Leparoux.

The record for the most consecutive national earnings title is held by Bill Shoemaker who won it seven successive years from 1958 through 1964. For those who are curious how the Kentucky Derby winning Calvin Borel fared, he finished in 14th place on the final list with a total of 853 starts and $9,244,647 in earnings.

Tags: Garrett Gomez, GarrettGomez, horse racing, HorseRacing, jockey, winning

Australians Celebrate Horse Racing At The Melbourne Cup

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Events

Down Under horse racing season gets into full swing at the upcoming Melbourne Cup. The Melbourne Cup Carnival 2009 runs from October 31 – November 7 in Victoria, Australia. The event takes over the city as as Melbournians and visitors get in on the festivities attending parties, watching the races, putting on big race day hats and sipping Chambord Kir Royales. The events includes the AAMI Victoria Derby Day, Emirates Melbourne Cup Day, Crown Oaks Day and Emirates Stakes Day. Various ticket packages are available for individual events or several race days.

Springboard Vacations is offering a Melbourne Deluxe: Food, Wine & Spa package that starts at $1,046 per person based on double occupancy which includes three nights at the Crown Towers, a tour of the city sights, dinner onboard the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant and two 30-minute massage treatments at the Crown Spa.

Source

Tags: australia, horse racing, HorseRacing, melbourne cup, MelbourneCup

$15 Million Membership at World's Most Expensive Club

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wealth

A Hong Kong-based company is offering memberships in what is billed as the world's most expensive private club for $15.2 million apiece. Only 100 Charter Corporate Platinum Memberships in the Richman's IMC (International Millionaire's Club) will be available worldwide, good for 30 years. The whopping fee is justified by its being an an "all-access, first-class VIP pass" to megayachts, yacht clubs, jockey clubs, country clubs, golf courses, ski resorts, gentlemans clubs, supper clubs, luxury hotels and restaurants around the globe, eliminating the need for multiple memberships.

You also get the right to own and race horses at China's Royal Nanjing Jockey Club, where prizes run to the millions; confidential concierge and problem resolution services including 24-hour international emergency medical assistance; global executive travel assistance; personal bodyguards, travel guides and elite escorts worldwide; and the ability to charge expenses to an exclusive global biometrics-protected club card with a $1 million credit line. It all sounds incredibly ambitious considering there's an international recession on.

[via JustLuxe]

Tags: China, club, Hong Kong, HongKong, horseracing, horses, worlds most expensive, WorldsMostExpensive

Celebrate Derby Day With Esquire and Maker's Mark

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars, Dining, Spirits, Events, Charity, Sports

On Kentucky Derby day - Saturday, May 2nd - Esquire magazine will celebrate the "Greatest Two Minutes in Sports" at NYC's Eleven Madison Park with Maker's Mark bourbon. Esquire Editor-in-Chief David Granger and Union Square Hospitality Group CEO Danny Meyer will co-host the event at the award-winning restaurant. The fete will feature live coverage of the race at Churchill Downs, chef Daniel Humm's take on Southern cuisine, Maker's Mark mint juleps, a cigar lounge by Nat Sherman, live music, and a silent auction benefiting New York Horse Rescue. Maker's Mark Master Distiller Kevin Smith will also be holding bourbon tastings in the upstairs lounge.

Four special Maker's Mark Bourbon bars will be stationed throughout the restaurant, serving Maker's mint juleps in traditional ice-frosted silver cups. Legendary tobacconist Nat Sherman will transform Eleven Madison Park's patio into a sleek cigar lounge, complete a Maker's Mark bourbon bar and live Kentucky Bluegrass music. A portion of the proceeds from a silent auction of luxury, epicurean and travel packages will benefit New York Horse Rescue, New York's not-for-profit charity whose goal is to place unwanted thoroughbred racehorses in new homes. The price per person is $250, plus tax. To purchase tickets visit www.elevenmadisonpark.ticketleap.com. You can also email derby@elevenmadisonpark.com for more info.

Tags: bourbon, Danny Meyer, DannyMeyer, equestrian, Esquire, horseracing, horses, Kentucky Derby, KentuckyDerby, Makers Mark, MakersMark, Nat Sherman, NatSherman, New York Horse Rescue, NewYorkHorseRescue

Woodford to Serve Up $1,000 Mint Juleps on Derby Day

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, Events, Charity, Sports

The other day we told you about Woodford Reserve's limited edition bottle for the Kentucky Derby. Now Woodford, the official bourbon of the famed race, which takes place on May 2, is offering the world's most exclusive mint julep for $1,000. It's made with sugar cane cut and crushed by hand from Sainte Marie in the Reunion Island of France; Turkish mint grown near the Euphrates River; ice made of water from an aquifer in the wilderness of Central Norway; and a small batch of the Master Distiller's personal selection of Woodford Reserve super-premium bourbon. Of course for $1,000 you get to the keep the cup. Made of sterling silver plated in 24-karat gold, it's adorned with jockey silks representing the Woodford Reserve Stables. The cups are made by New England Sterling, the official trophy maker of the Kentucky Derby.

Each comes with a sterling silver straw and an oak box crafted from the same wood as Woodford Reserve bourbon barrels, lined in black satin. There are 96 of the cups available for purchase from April 13 - 29 via their website; you have to pick them up (along with the julep) in person at Churchill Downs on Derby Day. Additionally, there are three extra-special Legends Cups which also feature three diamonds – one for each leg of the Triple Crown – and each one is in honor of a different living Triple Crown-winning jockey. You can bid on your favorite jockey from those offered in the Legends Cups, and the cup has his signature engraved on it. Bidding for the Legends Cups starts at $1,000. Proceeds from the cups will benefit The Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund and The Robby Albarado Foundation.

[via JustLuxe]

Tags: bourbon, cocktails, diamonds, gold, horseracing, Kentucky, Kentucky Derby, KentuckyDerby, mint julep, MintJulep, Triple Crown, TripleCrown, Woodford Reserve, WoodfordReserve

Woodford Reserve Ltd. Ed. 2009 Kentucky Derby Bottle

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, Events, Art, Sports

Woodford Reserve, the "Official Bourbon of the Kentucky Derby", crafted at the historic Woodford Reserve Distillery in Versailles, Kentucky in the heart of thoroughbred country, has released its limited edition 2009 Kentucky Derby liter-sized bottle (right) featuring artwork by retired jockey Tom Chapman.

Chapman's eye-catching image captures the excitement and intensity of the Kentucky Derby as two jockeys in brightly-colored silks concentrate on the race with the historic Twin Spires of Churchill Downs in the background. The artist's signature adorns the neck band of the bottle, and an attached tag bears information about the artist and product.

Woodford Reserve, an award-winning small-batch bourbon, has served as the Derby's official bourbon for the past 11 years. It also sponsors a Grade I race, the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic, which is run on Derby Day, May 2, 2009, and has become one of thoroughbred racing's premier events.

"Much as we try, it's impossible to express in words the intensity of racing from a jockey's perspective," Chapman says. "My goal is to capture it with a paint brush and canvas, often using unique angles and vibrant colors to set the tone. But no painting can truly capture the vibrancy and intensity of the Kentucky Derby."

Tags: bourbon, equestrian, horseracing, horses, Kentucky, Kentucky Derby, KentuckyDerby, Tom Chapman, TomChapman, Woodford Reserve, WoodfordReserve

Celebrating Derby Day With Jim Beam

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, Events, Sports

With the Kentucky Derby coming up on May 2 we start thinking seriously about bourbon. As Fred Noe, Jim Beam's seventh-generation distiller, puts it, "It ain't a Derby without bourbon, and it ain't bourbon if it's not from Kentucky." Noe knows whereof he speaks, given that Jim Beam, which dates back to 1795 and is now he world's No. 1-selling bourbon, is located in Louisville not far from Churchill Downs where the Derby has been held since 1875. In addition to the classic Jim Beam Bourbon we're all familiar with however, there are some other variations which are well worth trying on an important bourbon-drinking occasion like the Derby: Jim Beam 7-Year, Jim Beam Black, and Jim Beam Choice (above, left to right).

Jim Beam Black is the oldest of the trio. Eight years of aging make for a complex, sophisticated taste, with aromas of toffee and tobacco and flavorful notes of oak and toasted grains. Jim Beam Choice, aged five years, is rounded and mature with added complexity and depth from charcoal filtering. The strong aroma of oak and sweet nuttiness is balanced by a rich, creamy flavor. Jim Beam 7-Year is ideal for drinking straight up or on the rocks, and it makes a mean mint julep, with notes of caramel and vanilla. In 2008, Derby-goers consumed nearly 10,000 bottles of bourbon, mixed into 120,000 mint juleps, the Derby's official drink.

To help celebrate on Derby Day, here's a new variation on the mint julep which you can make with your favorite variety of Jim Beam. Bottoms up:

Jim Beam Jule-Up
4 parts Jim Beam Bourbon
3 parts Simple Syrup
3 parts Fresh Lime Juice
6 each Fresh Mint leaves (Medium size)
*note: 1 part = ½ oz.

Tags: bourbon, horseracing, Horses, Jim Beam, JimBeam, Kentucky, Kentucky Derby, KentuckyDerby, whiskey, whisky

The Classicist: On Equestrian Style

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Sports, Books, The Classicist

Followers of my sporadic style posts here have probably noticed certain threads running throughout; anglophilia, certainly, but also an affinity for all things equestrian-related: the polo matches staged by the likes of Veuve Clicquot and Mercedes-Benz; the Royal Ascot Races; riding boots by John Lobb of London; leathergoods by Swaine Adeney Brigg; and even classic sporting art. All these elements and more come together beautifully in Vicky Moon's new book Equestrian Style: Home Design, Couture, and Collections from the Eclectic to the Elegant, due out this week from Clarkson Potter.

It's a magnificent, much-needed extension of the horsey lifestyle portrayed in Hunt Country Style, the book I wrote about back in April. Moon divides her volume into different facts of the equestrian experience: In the Field, On the Farm, At the Track, In the Ring, On the Move, and Down the Road, focusing on all facets of horsiness and everything that goes along with it. The emphasis is on authenticity, not affectation; she barely mentions Ralph Lauren for instance except in the context of the actual polo team he fields.

Gallery: Equestrian Style