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Kennedy scores first riding win
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Kennedy scores first riding win
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Full field for Group 1 Oakleigh Plate at Sandown
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Worth his weight in gold!
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Schillaci’s ‘greyt’ Warragul debut
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Barber draws perfectly for Blue Diamond Stakes
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Might be worth a separate thread to notify these. I'd never have seen the Betcha one either though will use it just in the course of my normal betting. -
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By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Romantic Warrior's assault on the desert riches starts on the Fashion Friday program Jan. 24 at Meydan Racecourse.View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
She is not the oldest living Eclipse Award winner–that honor is believed to belong to 1994 Champion Turf Female Hatoof (Irish River {Fr}), who is still going strong at Darley's Gainsborough Farm at age 36–but she's close. As the hours tick down before the newest class of champions are honored Thursday evening, it's a thrill to remember 1995 Champion 3-Year-Old Filly Serena's Song (Rahy–Imagining, by Northfields), who just turned 33 at the Bandoroff family's Denali Stud near Paris, Kentucky. This year the sport celebrates the 30-year anniversary of her spectacular Eclipse campaign, an enduring testament to the talent, durability, and remarkable capacity of a truly good horse. Conrad and Claire Bandoroff of Denali were each born the same year as Serena's Song–Claire just five days before the Hall of Famer–and were both toddlers during her racing years, but the champion is so intertwined with their lives and the identity of Denali it's nearly impossible to think of one without the other. Conrad, who was born about two years after his parents, Craig and Holly Bandoroff, started Denali, literally grew up with 'Serena,' but Claire married into the family in 2021. Leaving no doubt about how important the great mare is to the family, Serena's Song even participated in the proposal, wearing a halter with “Marry Me” inscribed on the brass plate. Why does a mare who raced before they were of an age where they could truly remember or grasp her relevance play such a part in their lives three decades later? “We call her the 'Queen of Denali,' just because she is really our foundational mare and the fact that she's still with us,” said Claire Bandoroff. “She put us on the map. I don't think anyone on the farm remembers a day without her here.” Bred in Kentucky by Dr. Howard Baker, Serena's Song was a $150,000 purchase at the now-defunct Keeneland July yearling sale for the congenial Bob and Beverly Lewis, who also won the GI Kentucky Derby twice in the late 90s with Silver Charm in 1997 and Charismatic in 1999. Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas orchestrated a masterful campaign for Serena, who thrived with the work. The 1995 Haskell, one of 11 Grade I wins for Serena's Song | Equi-Photo “From what I've been told,” said Bandoroff, “they tried to give her a layoff one time and she got so angry. She got pretty aggressive toward people that were working with her, so they decided to start her again and she was totally happy. She just wasn't happy if she wasn't at the track.” When it is said 'they don't make 'em like they used to,' Serena's Song is the modern-day poster child of a throwback racehorse. Overall, she won more graded stakes–17 in all–than many horses today see in a full career, with another 14 graded placings. This spectacular mare took home the hardware in 11 Grade I races and placed in another nine Grade Is. We simply don't see race records like hers anymore, especially at the top level. After making 10 starts at two, which included two Grade I wins and an unforgettable, epic showdown with stablemate Flanders (Seeking the Gold) in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies where neither deserved to lose, Serena's Song made 13 starts in nine months at three to get that Eclipse Award which had eluded her by that head in the Breeders' Cup at two. Along the way, she beat the boys twice in the GI Haskell Invitational Stakes and GII Jim Beam Stakes (now the Jeff Ruby Steaks), ran in the GI Kentucky Derby, beat older mares in the GI Beldame Stakes, and beat her own gender and age group another six times, including in the GI Mother Goose Stakes and GI Santa Anita Oaks. She wasn't done. Serena's Song came back at four to win three more Grade I events against mares, while hitting the board against males in the GI Whitney Handicap and GI Philip H. Iselin Handicap. She retired after her 4-year-old season as the richest mare in North American racing history (at the time). The late Bob Lewis told the Los Angeles Times in 1995, “I tell people we've been fortunate to have two sons and a daughter, but I almost feel as though we have two daughters when you count Serena's Song. We realize how fortunate we are to have her. She's the epitome of a racehorse. She just flows.” Lukas spoke at her Hall of Fame induction in 2002, saying, “She had the elegance of a Grace Kelly, she had the moves of a Ginger Rogers, and she had the charisma of a Marilyn Monroe.” Denali came into the picture when Serena's Song retired. “She was the first high-profile mare we ever had,” said Bandoroff. “Obviously, I know that meant a lot to Craig and Holly because the Lewises trusted us with her. I believe Mr. Lewis sent her here essentially because he had been talking about getting into the breeding business and Craig said, 'You know, you could make a lot of money on her if you sell her off the track to be a broodmare, but I don't think you really need the money. She would be the perfect one to start your breeding program with.' That would have been in 1996 when he called Craig and asked if he could send Serena here to retire, so I know Craig was thrilled. It worked out great, obviously. She became an excellent broodmare.” Did she ever. Serena's Song produced six stakes winners and five seven-figure Keeneland yearlings, while her descendants through her daughters include 2015 champion and now sire Honor Code, as well as another 10 black-type winners. She was pensioned in 2014. Serena's Song at Denali, now 30 years removed from her phenomenal Eclipse campaign | Sarah Andrew Although the original Bandoroffs who founded Denali have stepped back and the next generation has taken the helm, one thing that hasn't changed is the reverence for the illustrious mare on the farm. “She's the stalwart,” said Bandoroff. “She's seen a lot of horses come and go, seen a lot of people come and go. She's been here for all of it. She's special.” Brendan Eldridge, broodmare manager at Denali, agrees. “She's everything. She's the foundation of Denali. She pretty much started Denali. I love working with her. I have special pictures of her framed in my house. My whole staff is so fond of her. Anytime they're not working down in their area and they're anywhere near her, they're giving her attention. She's well cared for and has a lot of people looking after her.” Eldridge said Serena's Song stands out from other mares. “For me, the difference in her is just when you look at her, she's different than other mares. She's regal. That class. That eye. She's kind, smart. And to know what she did athletically on the track is just so impressive. “She was very protective of her foals. As soon as that foal dropped, you couldn't just walk in her stall. But to see her now, it's night and day. Polar opposite, she's so sweet. She knows where she stands now with her being up in age.” The grand Hall of Famer and Eclipse Champion with Brad Herrington in the fall | Sarah Andrew Both Bandoroff and Eldridge said the remarkable mare is doing well for her advanced years. “We still had her in a field last year, but it's a little too big now, too much roaming for her, so we put her in a smaller paddock,” said Eldridge. “Her eye looks good. I always judge how she's doing by looking at her eye. Her eye is bright and she's happy. We had her with young mares for a long time and I think it served her well, kept her young. But no one ever picked with her, they knew to leave her alone.” With a laugh, Eldridge put words in Serena's mouth: “'I'm in a different class than you guys. You sense it. Leave me alone. I've produced numerous stallions, you haven't done anything yet.'” Bandoroff added, “She was so sound and healthy on the racetrack and that carried over into her broodmare career and into retirement. She's still very healthy. She just amazes us all the time. Occasionally she'll even still give us a little run when she gets turned out if she's excited.” While both of the Lewises have passed away, their son, Jeff, still owns Serena's Song. Bandoroff said he comes out to see the mare from time to time. In addition, two of Serena's daughters remain at Denali, although Bandoroff said they're owned by St. Elias now. Eldridge said the mare gets fed three times a day now in an effort to keep weight on. Age has weakened her hind end. Not even Serena can outrun Father Time forever. “She gets a sweet feed with 14% protein. We'd like to get her more fat content, more calories, but we've tried different things at times and she doesn't like it. She doesn't like oil either and we always have to go back to sweet feed. We just want to keep her happy and don't want to rock the boat too much. “She does well, she doesn't drop her feed. She's doing good. She still has all her teeth. Her teeth get done every year, just like everybody else. She's getting a little loosey-goosey around the hips at times, but she's [33]! I think her being a little bit on the light side has helped her a lot.” Bandoroff said Serena's Song's favorite treat, bar none, is peppermints. She said even in the days when Serena was protective of her foals, the promise of a peppermint was such a weak spot for the champion that peppermints were the prerequisite bribe Serena required if any human needed to handle her foals. That Serena still has all her teeth at age 33 means she can be spoiled with peppermints. “She can still do crunchy peppermints and she can still graze,” said Bandoroff. “That helps her condition a lot, especially in the spring when we have that lush spring grass. She eats that and it helps. She puts on good condition, her coat just blossoms, and she looks brand new.” Serena's “Gucci shoes” | Sarah Andrew Another concession to Serena's age is special shoes with pads and cushions to protect her feet. Because they're designer shoes, Bandoroff said with a laugh, “We call them her Gucci shoes.” Veneration for the Hall of Famer and Eclipse champion shines through at Denali, with both Bandoroff and Eldridge lighting up when talking about the living legend. Bandoroff and her husband are expecting their first child, a girl, in mid-February. Any chance the name Serena is being considered? “At the moment,” said Bandoroff this week, “we don't have Serena as part of her name, although it did certainly come up when we were initially trying to narrow down our list of potential names!” With Serena's Song aged 33 now, there's a good chance the newest Bandoroff won't get the chance to grow up with the magnificent mare as her father did, nor as her parents' marriage has. Bandoroff said it hurts to think of Denali without Serena's Song. “We know the day she passes away is inevitable,” said Bandoroff. “We always say we'll have a farm full of horses, but it will feel empty.” The post On the 30-Year Anniversary of her Eclipse Campaign, Serena’s Song Remains ‘Queen of Denali’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article -
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