The age of the Thoroughbred dawns
On the day he was spotted in a cross-country warm-up ring, I Just Want to Fly looked about as far from his past as a failed racehorse could. Dappled gray, and brimming with power and a showy presence, he moved flawlessly, capturing the eye of world-class equestrian Nathalie Pollard. As Michael Pollard, her husband and Pan American Team Gold Medalist recalls, “She saw him across the ring and said, ‘That’s a really, really nice horse’. He just had a beautiful look and was already a good mover.” During a phone interview this week, as he drove to the legendary four-star […]
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Ann Banks: A good steward, racing dynamo
Walking “hots” for Hall of Fame trainer Elliott Burch back in the 70s, Ann Banks learned the right way to treat racehorses. Nobody yelled at them; they weren’t shanked around; and never did the blare of loud music disrupt the sanctity of the stabling area. “It was peaceful and quiet,” she recalls. “I learned to be respectful, and to speak softly to the superstar racehorses.” Stars she knew personally, by their quirks and charms, included Horse of the Year Arts and Letters and Key to the Mint, Eclipse Award American Champion Three-Year-Old Male. On her summers off from the University […]
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Clubhouse: Gatto pens book on Belair Stud
Kim Gatto is on a roll! A year after penning a book on the Saratoga Race Course, she has released a new work capturing the excitement of America’s once preeminent stud farm, Belair. In this week’s Reader’s Clubhouse, Gatto talks about her new book, Belair Stud: The Cradle of Maryland Horse Racing, the famous horses contained within its pages, and hints at future projects. Q: Belair Stud follows closely on the heels of Saratoga Race Course: The August Place to Be. Both books are thoroughly researched histories that sparkle with excitement. Kim, have you found a new niche for yourself? […]
