Welcome back to Veterans of the Turf!

First off, allow me to express my apologies for the lack of posts during the last several months. It's been a very busy summer and fall! But I feel ready to give this blog another shot and see how it goes.

One of the reasons I am posting this is because of some fabulous news from Gulfstream Park. Presious Passion, one of our oldest veterans of the turf at age eight, and certainly one of my favorites, is expected to breeze this week in preperation for a possible return to the races. A three-time grade I winner, he turned in one of the most remarkable performances I have ever seen when finishing second to Conduit in the 2009 Breeders' Cup Turf (gr. I). Although he has not raced since January and will turn nine next year, Presious Passion is gearing up for another season and, hopefully, he will still have some of that old spark left that has carried him through so many races over so many years.

Here's an article about his return from DRF.com:

http://www.drf.com/news/gulfstream-presious-passion-back-track

In addition, let me quickly update the status of all our Veterans of the Turf members:

Awesome Gem: Ran second to Game On Dude in the Goodwood Stakes (gr. I) at Santa Anita before a hind end problem ended his season. He is expected to return as a nine-year-old sometime next year.

California Flag: Got back on track with a victory in the Morvich Stakes (gr. III) before running twelfth in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (gr. II), a race that he won in 2009. He has breezed three times since then and will probably return sometime during the Santa Anita meet.

Chamberlain Bridge: Finished eighth while attempting to defend his title in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (gr. II), then ran a deceptively good fourth in an allowance optional claiming race. It appears as though he may be rounding back into form.

Cost of Freedom: Unfortunately, he appears to be approaching the end of his long, successful career, and his last three starts have come for a claiming price. Sadder yet, he has not won a race all year. But he still tries hard every time and will hopefully end his career on a high note.

Dubious Miss: He has not won a race since the April 2010 Ben Ali Stakes (gr. III) at Keeneland, but he has turned in some good efforts since then and has most recently been competing in allowance optional claiming company.

Garden Dancer: Won a claiming race on the final day of July, but hasn't raced since September. But considering he has made fifteen starts this year, it's not surprising that he is being given a break. I expect him to be back next year as a ten-year-old.

Interpatation: Like Cost of Freedom, he appears to be nearing the end of his career as well. Winless since taking the 2009 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational (gr. I), he has been available for claiming in his last seven starts, and has not cracked the exacta in any of them. But at least he is still sound and still keeps on trying!

Quick Enough: Won his last race, a $20,000 claiming event, by a length in sharp fashion. Seven years of age, he was actually second to eventual Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I) winner Amazombie in the Tizway Stakes earlier this year, so I think he still has the talent to be a force in lower-level sprint stakes events.

Silver Timber: Following three disappointing losses in stakes races, he has turned to allowance optional claiming races with some success, most recently finishing a strong third while racing for a $50,000 tag. He actually breezed a half-mile in :48.29 at Palm Meadows Training Center just this morning.

Brass Hat, Fabulous Strike, and Rahy's Attorney have all been retired, the latter after suffering a fairly minor leg injury while running second in the grade I Sword Dancer Invitational Handicap.

-Keelerman