Stan Hough

What is it, beyond our obvious bond in the Thoroughbred, that most vitally comprises the fabric of the Turf? It's a question answerable in too many ways, requiring definition of too many intangibles, to be easily condensed. But I think we'll get somewhere close if we ponder the retirement this week of Stan Hough, an old-school horseman of a type largely overwhelmed in the era of the super-trainer. And especially because his departure from the stage coincides with the removal of two key features of the scenery: Calder Race Course,...

'TDN Rising Star' Global Campaign (Curlin--Globe Trot, by A.P. Indy), an excellent third when last seen in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, will not resume training and has been retired from racing. He will enter stud for the 2021 breeding season at WinStar Farm. "We considered bringing him back for a final start in the [GI] Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. because he ran so well in the Breeders' Cup," said Elliott Walden, WinStar's president, CEO, and racing manager. "He shed his frog in that race and the timing of...

The present crisis will perhaps find horsemen a little more stoical than most. When it comes to biding their time, after all, the Thoroughbred gives them plenty of practice. Nonetheless it must test the patience more than anything to have a racehorse just back to fitness this spring after a long lay-off, only to find most of the racing program immersed by the pandemic. What a relief for his connections then that Global Campaign (Curlin) was able to find a landing strip for his touchdown, after a nine-month absence, at...