Happily Unbridled

It came down to the last race of the year at Santa Anita, but Garrett Gomez notched his fourth straight national purse earnings title on Dec. 31.

Apprentice jockey Ben Creed, 26, became the first graduate of the North American Racing Academy to win a riding title when he finished the Turfway Park holiday meet with 25 wins.

Chinook Pass, believed to be the oldest living Eclipse Award winner, turns 31 on Jan. 1.

Grade I winner Quality Road will finally return to action in the $100,000 Hal’s Hope Stakes (gr. III) on opening day at Gulfstream Park.

In the tightest race in years, Darley’s freshman stallion Offlee Wild honors as the nation’s top first-crop sire over Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm’s Roman Ruler.

It’s not the race they are aiming at with Tuscan Evening, but for Team Hollendorfer, the $100,000 Monrovia Handicap (gr. IIIT) Jan. 3 at Santa Anita appears to be the best way to get there.

Cash Asmussen, a former Eclipse Award winning jockey in the U.S. and leading rider in Europe, has reportedly been sued by a bank for failure to make payments due in October on a loan of more than $2.99 million.

Gulfstream Park’s 2010 schedule is again laden with graded stakes, and one safe bet is that most of the 80 racing days will be warm and sunny. Otherwise, there are changes and questions in abundance.

No story in the past decade transcended the Sport of Kings more than Barbaro’s eight-month struggle to survive. To everyone, he became a symbol of courage and determination.

The American Horse Publications (AHP) is conducting an Equine Industry Survey to gauge participation trends in the U.S. equine industry. In addition, the survey seeks to gather information regarding the most important issues facing the industry.