I like to dream, yes, yes, Right between the sound machine On a cloud of sound I drift in the night Any place it goes is right Goes far, flies near To the stars away from here. “Magic Carpet Ride - Steppenwolf, 1968 Sportswriters of the day looked at young jockey Richard Grubb and thought him “angelic” but in reality a teen prodigy who … [Read more...] about Richard Grubb: Magic Carpet Ride
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Perfect Result: Canadians win the Canadian Stakes
It hasn’t rained nearly enough in Toronto. Although the grass was lush and deep, the turf course at Woodbine Racetrack was a firm, rattling thing. And it worried trainer Roger Attfield when he had to race Ready For Shirl on it in the Canadian Stakes on July 20. Imagine, putting a 4-year-old filly on it, who had in the past had a difficult time maintaining weight. Was it wise … [Read more...] about Perfect Result: Canadians win the Canadian Stakes
Take A Flying Leap. Please.
When Canada finally allowed international travelers back into the country, picking its way through the COVID mess, some horse racing floodgates opened and in washed Frankie Dettori. For the past two days, the Italian-born jockey, based in the UK, has livened up the place. The timing couldn’t have been better for the 50-year-old rider to re-acquaint himself with … [Read more...] about Take A Flying Leap. Please.
Eurico Rosa da Silva: Early Retirement
Woodbine’s leading rider, Eurico Rosa da Silva hadn’t pictured anything developing this way during his retirement ceremony at the track on Dec. 7: He found himself ass-over-tea-kettle in a bank of snow. You get a group of jockeys together, shivering in the cold like winter flies, and all sorts of naughtiness can happen. It all happened in the … [Read more...] about Eurico Rosa da Silva: Early Retirement
Gary Boulanger: Good Vibes
Every day is a gift for jockey Gary Boulanger. The sun rises. (But he’s up before it does.) His blue eyes take in everything, with a twinkle. He rides into the sunset. When he’s not in a saddle, he’s on a golf course, chipping away. He has spent the past winter in Ocala, Fla., working horses for Mark Casse, and with that comes plenty of hope, when he returns to Woodbine … [Read more...] about Gary Boulanger: Good Vibes