Making his 9^th consecutive annual appearance at the Thoroughbred Club’s Derby season kickoff meeting, Asher’s presentation was engaging, educational and fun. Everyone left the presentation smiling and full of hope and spirit. In addition to offering insight on the Derby contenders John, shared many classic tales of colorful thoroughbred personalities down through the years. He also shared his favorite moment on Derby Day as being the walk over from the backside to the paddock. It’s a moment like no other when the proud connections of each Derby contender take "the walk in the sunshine" accompanied by the brilliant and powerful Derby contenders. At that moment everyone is filled with hope, anticipation, and spirit, everyone is a winner. Thoroughbred Club members say that’s the way they feel each time they hear John Asher speak about the Derby.

We call our annual Derby/Oaks Handicapping Preview a party, because in addition to some of the nation’s top racing analyst’s sharing insight about the major contenders for the Oaks and Derby, games, prizes, a little entertainment, and a lot of fun and spirit are packed into the evening. Damon’s Sports Bar & Grille on Hurstbourne Lane in Louisville with its great food, giant screens for watching prep races, and festive and friendly atmosphere provides a perfect setting for this great celebration of racing. Scheduled to appear on this year’s elite panel of racing analysts are TVG’s Caton Bredar, Steve Haskin of the Bloodhorse, and Steve Fugitte, Commissioner of the Road To The Roses Fantasy Challenge who will lead the panel discussion. Other racing celebrities will also make guest appearances. All racing fans are invited to this free event but seating is limited. The Thoroughbred Club has a section of reserved seating for about 150 so call 394-0198 soon if you would like a reserved seat.

A highlight of Derby Week is going to the backside to enjoy the morning workouts and mix and mingle with other spirited fans, media and racing celebrities. Wednesday of Derby Week is the traditional day when Thoroughbred Club members officially join the backside festivities. If you’d like to join us we’ll be glad to shuttle you into the backside between 6:15 and 7:00 am. We’ll meet at Gate 12. Look for a Thoroughbred Club sign, jump in the car and we’ll take you in. Of course if you have a parking pass you can go right on in. Look for us near "press row", that’s where we’ll be mixing and mingling. There is a sizable reward posted for the first person to spot Bo Derek. We’ve been looking forward to meeting Bo for years but somehow she continues to elude us. We’re hopeful that this is the year our "unwavering determination" is rewarded.

For thoroughbred racing fans the name Stravinsky, conjures up images of the dynamic European grass champion sprinting away from the best horses in the world, leaving onlookers awestruck by his sudden burst of power, speed and brilliance. But for me, the name also rekindles memories of another Stravinsky, this one, Susan Stravinsky, was not a thoroughbred champion, but she was a champion in her own right.

Susan Stravinsky was the one person in elementary school that I feared most when it came time to compete in flash cards. In the class that I was part of, two students would stand next to each other and compete to answer the flash card question the teacher held up. The winner would proceed throughout the class and the last one standing was the winner. I recall looking forward to the game, I was good at it and wanted to win. Getting past Susan Stravinsky was the key to winning. Susan was a very intelligent young lady with a fierce competitive spirit. I find it interesting that today more than 30 years later I still recall battling it out with her and occasionally prevailing. I still have a sense of the excitement, spirit, and exhilaration, of the healthy competition.

It demonstrates to me what a powerful driving force and emotion that competition is. I believe everyone enjoys competing. It may not seem like competition on the surface, but it’s a common thread when you look at the heart of many given activities. Getting good grades, cheering for your favorite basketball team, having the nicest landscaping, acquiring nice collectibles, playing a sport or participating in a hobby, cheering for your kids or grandkids, all are activities rooted in healthy competition. I don’t believe we can ever really stop competing.

I love the feeling of competing and I’ll bet you do to. That’s one of the reasons we love owning and racing thoroughbred horses. Thoroughbred racing is about intrigue, passion, commitment, perseverance, and a triumph of competitive spirit. It brings fire, enthusiasm, fulfillment and a sense of purpose to life.

My challenge to you is to share the thoroughbred spirit with others. Introduce to them to the world of thoroughbred racing, not just the racetrack but thoroughbred horses. Help them to look into the eyes of a thoroughbred to see the inner beauty, courage, and spirit of these great animals. Show them how to experience the joy of breeding, raising, and racing a thoroughbred. Help them to feel the exhilaration of the competitive spirit that underlies thoroughbred racing.

Sharing your passion for thoroughbred horses is a great feeling and it’s a good thing to do. The world will be a better place if everyone owns a thoroughbred horse, and you can make it happen!

We’re particularly pleased about the latest addition to our Louisville Thoroughbred Club Library. It’s a brilliant book that was recently featured on NBC News and has risen to number one on the New York Times Best Seller List. NBC titled their feature, "Two Unlikely Heroes", "a woman facing incredible odds and a horse no one thought could win." The book "Seabiscuit, An American Legend" is written by Laura Hillenbrand. Hillenbrand has been a contributing writer/editor to EQUUS magazine since 1989. Her work has also appeared in American Heritage, Talk magazine, ABC Sports Online, The Blood-Horse, Thoroughbred Times, The Backstretch, Turf and Sports Digest and many other publications. Seabiscuit is a breathtaking saga of one horse’s journey from also-ran to national luminary. It’s an inspiring and true tale of unlikely heroes, a classic story of three embattled individuals overcoming the odds in the Great Depression.

Hillenbrand who suffers from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is herself a hero. Battling this debilitating disease daily, Hillenbrand has had to call on the same courage, inner strength, and spirit that she writes about so eloquently in Seabiscuit.

Here are a just a few quotes pulled from reviews of the book. "This is more than a fine piece of writing about the sport of racing; it is also about our history. I wish all sportswriters could write this way" – Stephen Ambrose, "Laura Hillenbrand has written one of the best sports biographies in the history of the genre" – William Nack, "This ranks with the best books ever written about Thoroughbred racing" – Andrew Beyer, "This is a thrilling American story, a book that succeeds as dramatic history and remarkable sportswriting" – Ron Rosenbaum. Send us an email or give us a call to check out any library item.

We’ve received a slew of Derby Draw 2001 contest entries but there still a lot of Club members who have yet to send in their entry. The contest is free and if you’ve picked the Derby winner you could win the equivalent of a $10 win ticket on your horse. If the favorite gets beat, that could be a tidy little sum. If you get your entry in before May 2^nd, you can enter two names. If you misplaced your entry form, you can call in or email your selections.

We’re offering a $100 Churchill Downs Gift Shop certificate to the Thoroughbred Club member who finishes highest in the Road to the Roses Fantasy Challenge. After the final numbers are counted, let us know where you finished. If you have the highest score among Club members, you win. This is definitely a contest anyone can win.

Our Derby Bourbon/Wine Challenge Contest has been updated this year. It’s easier to participate and the proceeds of the contest go to a great cause. Here’s how it works, everyone who selects the Derby winner is entered in a drawing to win a collectors edition bottle of Woodford Reserve Bourbon or Derby Wine. Two winners are drawn, one for the bourbon and one for the wine. Each entry is $1, and proceeds from the contest are donated to the Don MacBeth Memorial Jockey Fund. The number of entries you can purchase is limitless. We even have a special "All" entry available for $5. It includes all the Derby starters so you’re sure to have the winner and be eligible for the drawings.

Congratulations to, Tom Amoss on his third consecutive Fair Grounds training title, and his eighth in the last eleven years. This year’s title was shared with Steve Asmussen as each trainer reeled off 54 wins during the meet. Tom’s 33% winning percentage topped all trainers by far as his 54 wins came from nearly 100 fewer starters than Asmussen. Thoroughbred Racing Nation plans to have at least one horse with Tom this spring and we hope he/she will be in the stall right next to the great mare Heritage of Gold.

It’s a mystery how Farma’s Best will run in his first race off a long layoff, but it’s no mystery that there will be a large contingent of anxious owners in attendance to cheer him on. Trainer Bob Pincin’s hopes to find a suitable spot for Farma’s return during Derby week. Managing Co-Owner Dave McClellan summed it up best when he said, "it really doesn’t matter how he runs, it will be a big enough rush to stand in the paddock Derby week to watch him be saddled."

Play Approval has grown over the winter, but he still looks like a sleek and slim running machine. Co-owner Terri Haverfield said he looks like one of the runway models you’d see on the e-channel. However you describe the look, it’s a good one. He still has a smooth, fluid, almost effortless gliding motion to his gate. Back in training, he’s expected to make his 3-year-old debut in early June.

After several close votes, the owners of our Yearling settled on Raging River Cat as the name for our filly by Tomorrow’s Cat out of River Rogue. A highly spirited little thing, the name suits her well. The name has been approved by and registered with the Jockey Club. As of now, the filly’s co-owners are leaning to racing her. However, if she does go to sale, having "Cat" in her name will probably add a few thousand dollars to her sale price.

Own as few as 1 or as many 20 ownership units in a single or multiple horses. You decide which horses you own and the level of ownership interest you have in each horse. In other words you build your own racing stable.

Whether you’re just getting started and learning about owning thoroughbred ownership or you’re an experienced horseman/horsewoman, Thoroughbred Racing Nation can help you experience all the passion, intrigue, and joy of owning thoroughbreds. It’s the sport of kings, but with our unique approach to shared ownership it doesn’t require a royal sum to join in the dance.

The Labrot & Graham Distillery is nestled among some of the finest horse farms in Woodford County, Kentucky. It’s close to Ashford Stud, the farm we’ll be visiting on our annual Lexington Farm Tour. With the Labrot Distillery on our agenda we’ll get to see three of the four things that the State of Kentucky is best known for, fast horses, beautiful women, and fine Bourbon. We already have the beautiful women in our Club, and if we can get coach Pitino to join our group we’ll have all the bases covered. The Labrot tour adds a new dimension to one of our most popular events. You may want to start making your plans to stroll through the storybook setting of one the most famous horse farms in the world and a National Historic Landmark, and to treat your senses to the rich history of Kentucky’s native spirit. Watch for more information in the next issue of FasTrack.