thoroughbreds

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

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

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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

Jenny Craig's Dreams Ride on Chocolate Candy

by Meredith Rodkey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Sports, Wealth

Jenny Craig might taste victory at the Kentucky Derby this weekend -- but if she does, it's likely to be bittersweet.

That's because -- while the average person associates Jenny Craig with a weight-loss program -- horse racing fans know Jenny and her late husband, Sid, as long-time sports enthusiasts. They first got involved with racing by buying up successful horses from Argentina, and eventually began home-breeding their biggest winners in California. Like most owners and trainers, their dream was to win the Kentucky Derby.

The couple made their biggest splash in 1992, when Jenny gave Sid a $2.5 million present for his 60th birthday, a Kentucky Derby hopeful named Dr. Devious. (He ultimately finished 7th, but went on to win $1.4 million for them.) The forgotten part of that story -- until recently -- is that Jenny bought Sid a filly named Crownette as a part of that same gift, for a paltry $190,000. She wasn't nearly as successful as Dr. Devious at the track, earning only $184,488 in 19 total starts before the Craigs sent her to be a broodmare.

Fast forward 17 years, though, and Crownette is suddenly the best gift Jenny could've given Sid -- because the Craigs bred her to their biggest champion, Candy Ride (who went undefeated in all six of his careers starts, earning $749,149). That pairing gave them a chestnut colt they named Chocolate Candy. (Maybe CNBC will relax their cries to rename Chocolate Candy something more diet-friendly now that they understand the origins?)

When Chocolate Candy loads into gate 11 to run in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, he'll be the third horse to do it wearing the white and blue silks of the Craig Family Trust, but he'll be the first Craig homebred to wear them.

He'll also be the first hopeful Sid won't be there to see.

He lost a long battle with cancer at age 76 in July 2008, with Jenny by his bedside and his Derby dreams unfulfilled.

Tags: chocolate candy, ChocolateCandy, horses, jenny craig, JennyCraig, kentucky derby, KentuckyDerby, sid craig, SidCraig, thoroughbreds

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Woodford Reserve's Big Brown Triple Crown Tribute

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, Sports

In celebration of Big Brown's seemingly inevitable Triple Crown victory at tomorrow's Belmont Stakes, our favorite small batch bourbon Woodford Reserve has created a special cocktail. The "Big Brown Triple Crown" recipe is as follows:

1 1/2 ounces Woodford Reserve
3 ounces Sweet and Sour Mix
3 dashes Chambord (1/4 ounce)

Shake vigorously and strain into a tall glass with ice. Garnish with 3 blackberries (one for each crown, natch).

The Woodford Reserve Distillery in Versailles, Kentucky, founded in 1812, is a National Historic Landmark with strong ties to horseracing. It was selected as the Official Bourbon of the Kentucky Derby, and as we can personally attest, it also makes a mean mint julep. Check out the BBTC cocktail and more in the gallery.

Gallery: Woodford Reserve Bourbon

Tags: Belmont Stakes, BelmontStakes, Big Brown, BigBrown, Bourbon, Horseracing, Kentucky, Kentucky Derby, KentuckyDerby, Mint Julep, MintJulep, Racehorses, Thoroughbreds, Triple Crown, TripleCrown, Woodford Reserve, WoodfordReserve

The Cost to Run for the Roses

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Pets

Derby contender A.P. Warrior How much does it cost to buy a horse who can "run for the roses" in the Kentucky Derby? The short answer is quite a bit because the training and board, along with travel, vet, equipment and entry fees can be extremely expensive, especially if you want to put your horse with a top trainer. All that aside, there is still the initial cost of the horse.

There are three types of horses running, those sold privately, those sold at auction and homebreds, raised and raced by the same owners. Both private sales and home-raised horses can be difficult to assign a value to, but the results of auctions are made public, which can give us a general idea of what it takes to race.

Source

Tags: auction, derby, horse, horse racing, horses, kentucky derby, race, thoroughbred, thoroughbreds

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