all in Breeders' Cup

Colt Cunningham has a perfect name and a perfect smile. And he is smiling a lot this weekend. He has the kind of smile where his eyes slowly close and stay shut while his face brightens into a great big open grin. It’s as if he is capturing the images in front of him to look at them later. He had a pretty rough start in life. He was born with a congenital heart disease called pulmonary stenosis that causes abnormal development of the fetal heart. Basically, what it means is that his heart has issues with the blood flow from his heart to the pulmonary artery.

The California sun warmed the flanks of the ponies as the children flocked to look at them. Happy children with flurries of butterflies painted on their faces pointed and chattered to their parents about which pony they wanted to ride. There were Fancy, Cali, Maverick and Chocolate wearing Circle Y western saddles bedecked with colorful horse racing saddle cloths and western headstalls. A smiling man stood next to the line and took in all the details. Every pony was immaculately groomed and their manes were freshly combed.

John R. Gaines built one of Thoroughbred racing’s most successful breeding operations.

His Gainesway Farm was home to top sires such as Lyphard, Riverman, Blushing Groom, Vaguely Noble, Youth, Bold Bidder, Cozzene, Broad Brush, Irish River, and Sharpen Up.

In the United States and Europe, six of Gainesway’s sires were honored as the year’s champion sire.

Yet if Gaines is to be best remembered, it will be for something he accomplished for his sport rather than his farm.

Welcome to ABR’s Pigskins and Ponies column, where winners play!

Horse racing is my means to an end, and I love the sport like no other, but I admit it, like most of you on a Sunday afternoon in the fall, it’s hard to pull me away from my couch ... and NFL RedZone.

I have a wanted sign in Vegas and am feared by fantasy football mavens nationwide, but when it comes to the college game, I choose to punt.

That’s where Bob Nastanovich comes in. He craves action and loves a good underdog as well as a cheap claiming horse with a big heart.

Agatha Christie once penned, “You agree – I’m sure you agree, that beauty is the only thing worth living for.” One person who might have echoed her sentiments was Dr. Charles H. Strub, the mastermind behind the founding of Santa Anita Park.

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