Davant Latham

Operation Cashmere Club's assault on the White Turf of St. Moritz under the leadership of Generals Bromagen, Restrepo and Scherer began with a two-pronged attack, the primary force descending from Zurich in the North and a secondary force coming up from Milano in the South. The combined force of 70 plus Americans, Canadians, Irish, English and French converged upon the Hotel Kempinski Bar at 18:30 hours Thursday. In the face of such overwhelming odds the Kempinski Bar offered no resistance. The pattern continued Friday with a daytime assault on The...

A total of 265 head changed hands for gross receipts of $6,278,400 Saturday during the first of two Book 4 sessions of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. The average price was $23,692 and median was $15,000. The RNA rate was a notably low 16.4%. While year-to-year comparisons are perhaps slightly inexact due to a smaller KEENOV catalog this year, during last year's corresponding sixth session the average was $29,426 and median was $20,000 with a 24.7% buyback rate. Topping the day's trade Saturday was hip 1913, a colt from...

Until horses live in a laboratory environment, environmental contamination will occur...hich means zero tolerance is impossible. "Zero Tolerance" is a great soundbite, but unrealistic. The recent final disqualifications of Charlatan and Gamine from their Oaklawn victories for minute levels of lidocaine are ridiculous. A lidocaine backpatch could easily be the source of such a tiny amount, as could a simple caslick procedure on a filly or a "no itch" topical ointment. Let's also consider the amount of the banned substance in their systems. Charlatan tested positive with 46 picograms of...

Favorite Horse: As a kid from a non-racing family in Memphis, I became infatuated with Thoroughbreds while at UVA. In 1982 the Champion 2-Year-Old was Roving Boy (Olden Times), who dominated the stakes on the West Coast. Being a direct male line descendant of Man O'War, Roving Boy was not only brilliant but also romantic as the horse that would continue the Man O'War sire line. Roving Boy fractured a cannon and missed all of the 3-year-old classics, but came back in October to run second in an allowance and...