Weekend Surprise

I've never understood this business of Dry January--the one month when those of us who take a glass of cheer are most grateful for a little respite from the dark and cold. Okay, maybe not a problem in California, but those of you battling all that snow and ice will surely see the merit of Dry February instead. It's shorter, for a start; and ends with the days lengthening and spring tangibly in the air. It's perfectly natural, however, for stallions to have a dry January. Certainly nobody will be...

While it is neither the habit nor the place of this column to cite scripture, words that some of you may have heard last Sunday should resonate with everyone in this game: "Endurance produces character, and character produces hope." Certainly we wouldn't have much of a business if the reverses we endure could not be parlayed into those attributes. We often refer to the Turf as "character-forming," which always feels rather ambivalent. After all, we might easily find ourselves turning into quite unpleasant characters! But a persevering nature tends to...

5th-ELP, $70k, Msw, 2, f, 5 1/2fT, 2:45p.m. ET Unveiled on a Tuesday, CANDY LANDY (Candy Ride {Arg}) will go to post for conditioner George Arnold not only carrying Martin Garcia but also the hopes that come with a $500,000 FTSAUG price tag. The bay has been seen religiously on Churchill Downs's work tab and has been given 6-1 odds on the morning line. The half-sister to MGSW & GISP Messier (Empire Maker), who was last seen finishing fourth in the GII San Pasqual S., will take on a field...

The 2022 Secretariat's Legacy calendar, which features the Triple Crown winner's legendary daughter Weekend Surprise and her descendants, is now available at SecretariatsLegacy.com for $25. Proceeds from the sale of the calendars goes to Bright Futures Farm, an equine rescue and sanctuary accredited by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance; Old Friends, another TAA-accredited organization; and Victory Alliance Ranch, an equine rescue and sanctuary supporting veterans and special needs children. The calendar series was launched in 2018 and has raised more than $22,000 for charities. "Racing fans, especially Secretariat fans, have loved...

You have to shake out a lot of grit from the riverbed before you glimpse that glint of gold. John Ropes started panning just about 40 years ago. He had a girl working for him at the time whose father, Andy Smithers, trained in Canada. When Ropes told her that he'd decided to buy a racehorse, she tried to save him. "No," she implored. "I'm telling you, don't do it." Ropes was adamant. He had always loved horses. His parents took him racing as a kid in Miami and, though...