Glamour (def.): a) from 18th c. Scotland, deriving from the word grammar, and meaning knowledge of the occult, as in casting a magic spell, “the girl was under a glamour;” b) in modern-day usage, enchantment or magic; an attractive and romantic quality that makes certain people and things seem appealing; beauty or charm designed to attract or appeal, e.g. ” in the evening, pin long hair up for more glamour.” At the races in Paris, circa 1919/1920. Women subjects featured in the earliest days of photography, and they almost as quickly found themselves paired up with horses, whether at horse eve ..read more

In the annals of history, who or what gets either remembered or forgotten is always a messy business. And thoroughbred horse racing is no different.   The image that starts it all: RUNSTAR, in 1924, after a win on an unidentified track. Photo N.E.A.   Photo back. There’s nothing sweeter than a mystery and it was the depiction in this photo that grabbed our attention. The delighted crowd around the winner, who dips his handsome head as if in response to the warm smile and the touch of the woman just approaching him, caught on film somewhere in North America in March or April of 19 ..read more

March 28, 2020 To be honest, I feel as though I’m living in a movie these days. When I turn on the TV and see car commercials with families piling up their things in their SUV to go on holiday, or MacDonald’s and Burger King ads with friends standing close together to sample a Big Mac or a fish burger, I think, “What world is this?” Montreal, my city, has over 1,000 cases of this miserable virus and, like your community, our streets are empty. I’m well but going into my third week of self-imposed isolation and each day can be a challenge in terms of trying to forget that I can’t go out and li ..read more

Like so many, I was an unapologetic A.P. Indy “groupie” and this is my recount of meeting him in June of 2015. This post is dedicated to the Farish family, Asa Haley and to the staff of Lane’s End, who knew and loved him.   It was early summer and my very first visit to Kentucky. Liz Read and I were privileged to be welcomed at Lane’s End (LE) and given a private tour by Louise Hatfield, the Executive Assistant to Farm Manager, Mike Cline. When asked if we wanted to see the stallions, our response was an enthusiastic “Yes, please!” And when Louise asked who I most wanted to see, I said so ..read more

When the death of Empire Maker was announced, the response on social media was immediate. It was partly shock. But as the hours passed, shock turned to grief. This post is dedicated to the connections of Empire Maker at Juddmonte, the Japan Bloodhorse Breeders Association, Gainesway Farm and Don Alberto. EMPIRE MAKER at Gainesway Farm in Kentucky,. Copyright Gainesway Farm. Used with permission. Writing on Twitter, photographer Courtney Snow wrote, “Oh Empire Maker.” Simple as were her words, they captured perfectly what I was feeling: dismay that this could happen, loss, an unbearable sadne ..read more

This is a female family with one incredible knockout punch. They descend from The Byerly Turk sire line — and the influence of their strain on important sire lines and female families can be traced right up to today. Pictured in the background, THE BYERLY TURK. In the foreground, an aristocratic, possibility The Sultan, of the Ottoman Empire. Female families traditionally receive less credit than sire lines in terms of their contribution to the makeup of an individual. This bias initially stemmed from the fact that a mare has only a limited breeding life, compared to a stallion, and therefor ..read more

What a decade it has been! All over the horse racing world, champions emerged to dazzle us and lift our spirits.  There were so many great thoroughbreds in the second decade of the twenty-first century, from Australia to Japan to the UK, Europe and North America, that I gave up on the idea of attempting to acknowledge each one here. Or to make a list of the “Top Ten” horses or moments of the decade. When I look back, I’ll remember many, but the individuals that punctuate the passing decade for me are the ones who were more than figures on a screen. They touched me deeply in one way or ot ..read more

  December 18, 2019   I’m sending out warm holiday greetings to all of my VAULT readership and wishing each one of you the blessings of the season. Thanks to you, THE VAULT will begin its 8th year in 2020 and it is your enthusiasm and support that has made it all possible. I appreciate each and every comment that you write to me, but whether you write or not, I always know you’re “out there.” Sharing our love for the sport and the horses will always be special to me. So, as you go your “merry” way over the holidays, please take my best wishes along with you! Fond regards to one and a ..read more

At this writing, many voices have already sounded out about the recent sale of California Chrome to Japanese interests. As the champion is due to leave prior to Christmas, I wanted to add my own voice to the choir.   I have to admit that I’m still in shock. California Chrome stands large among that small, elite group of American thoroughbreds that over the centuries gave the breed and the sport wings. So the very idea that the consortium that owns Chrome would sell him to another country still floors me, and the message it sends in so doing is dark. Very dark. Because it has the effect o ..read more

As the world awaits Enable’s attempt to win the Arc for an unprecedented third time, it’s worth noting that she already belongs to a very select group. Since the first Arc (1920) only seven other individuals have won it twice.   In 1920, the British-bred COMRADE (Bachelor’s Double X Sourabaya) became the first Arc winner. The colt was trained by Peter Purcell Gilpin of Clarehaven Stables, who also famously trained the champion, PRETTY POLLY.   1) KSAR (1921, 1922) KSAR became the first dual Arc winner. The Arc was designed to complement the prestigious Grand Prix de Paris, as wel ..read more