On the Sunday morning of Oct. 26, 1986, Larry Bramlage was minding his own business in a Chicago hotel as he prepared for a lecture to the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. Bramlage was a Kansas native who received his DVM credentials at Kansas State University and his master’s degree from Ohio State University, where he was on the teaching faculty, as well as an equine veterinary surgeon of growing repute.

Tom Pedulla presents five takeaways from a major weekend of racing that included two Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series Races at Kentucky Downs while a Grade 1 race for 2-year-old fillies and another for juvenile colts helped close Del Mar’s successful summer meet.