I have no idea why people talk to me. During telephone conversations I am curt, ill-humored, and interrupt frequently, then hang up without saying thank you or goodbye. On those rare occasions I descend from this ivory tower (executive columnist – never forget that) I engage with racetrackers on the level of a highway patrolman who’s just pulled you over for a bad tail light.

I’ll Have Another. His owner, Paul Reddam, said the colt was named for the extra cookies he would request each night, a sugar rush perhaps not unlike the giddy feeling of seeing a horse on the cusp of attempting to sweep the Triple Crown.

I’ll Have Another. The likely request to the bartender of a dispirited patron, head in hand at the end of the bar, attempting to wash his sorrows, perhaps after learning there would be no Triple Crown attempt after all. There was no joy in Elmont. Mighty Casey at least got to strike out. I’ll Have Another never got to the plate.

See the questions HERE.

1. On May 9, 1959, Warfare, a grey son of 1954 Kentucky Derby winner Determine, finished fourth in his career debut at Hollywood Park.

Over the next 10 weeks, Warfare started six more times at Hollywood Park, breaking his maiden in his third start and winning the Charles S. Howard Stakes in his sixth start at odds of 20-1. In his next race, he came from far back to finish third in the Hollywood Juvenile Championship.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – So what if Eblouissante, the half-sister to Zenyatta, did not make her debut until Friday, well into November of her 3-year-old year?

It was worth the wait for owner-breeder Eric Kronfeld.

“It just validates John Shirreffs’s beliefs as a trainer,” Kronfeld said in the winner’s circle. “He wanted to do what it took to allow the filly to grow into herself.”

“What’s the point of racing in May? Let them develop.”

There is a very good chance some very memorable moments will emerge from the two days of Breeders’ Cup races at Santa Anita next Friday and Saturday. You can’t stuff so much money and talent into 15 races and expect otherwise. Having witnessed all but one Breeders’ Cup in person since its debut in 1984 (I passed on Monmouth in 2007 to deal with wildfire evacuation warnings back home), I can only hope that this year’s 29th running will add fresh tales to these vivid recollections:

There have been only a handful of training teams who have gone through what Henry Cecil’s crew are going through this week, as their stable star Frankel approaches the final race of his perfect career in the $2.1 million Qipco Champion Stakes on Saturday at England’s showcase Ascot Racecourse, an hour or so west of London.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Zenyatta is back at Santa Anita - or at least a life-size bronze statue of the 2010 Horse of the Year.

Saturday at Santa Anita, a statue of Zenyatta was unveiled before an enthusiastic crowd of her supporters in the track’s picturesque paddock garden.

Owners Jerry and Ann Moss were on hand to see the unveiling of the work of noted sculptress Nina Kaiser.

“It’s beautiful,” Jerry Moss said. “Nina did an outstanding job.”

Ann Moss described the statue as “such an honor. She looks fabulous. She deserves it.”

Former exercise rider has become a celebrated equine sculptress, her most notable work to date being a statue of John Henry at Santa Anita. Her bronze of Zenyatta, the wildly popular mare who was the 2010 Horse of the Year, will be unveiled at Santa Anita at noon Saturday.

ARCADIA, Calif. – A life-size bronze of the mighty Zenyatta will be unveiled Sept. 29 at Santa Anita, where its permanent home will be in the paddock gardens near statues of John Henry and Seabiscuit.

The statue of Zenyatta – all 17.2 hands and 1,200 pounds – was created by renowned sculptress Nina Kaiser, who also produced the John Henry statue. The Zenyatta bronze will be south of the Kingsbury Fountain, directly across from the John Henry bronze on the fountain’s north side. Kaiser spent two years creating the Zenyatta statue.

In 1937, FDR, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Hirohito, and Chamberlain were the world leaders. Jack Nicholson and Colin Powell were born. The blimp known as the Hindenberg had gone down, and the aviatrix Amelia Earhart was lost at sea. Mailing a letter cost three cents, filling the gas tank ran about a buck. And Bing Crosby? Well, he was 39, hadn’t sung “White Christmas” yet, and hadn’t made his first “Road” picture. But he was a star. On the side, he liked golf and horses and pumped his money in both directions.