In the summer of 2023, it was announced that Golden Gate Fields, the major remaining Thoroughbred track in Northern California, would be closing. The Bay Area track staged its final card this June.

With that closure pending, Thoroughbred breeder Dr. Dorothee Kieckhefer was keeping an eye on a filly she had co-bred in California, Big Fame. After being well-beaten in two outings on the Southern California circuit, the filly had scored both her career wins in claiming company at Golden Gate, as well as running on the fair circuit at Pleasanton, Sacramento, and Santa Rosa.

Brickyard Ride won his stakes debut in the California Cup Sprint at Santa Anita way back in January 2021. The race became an annual stop in his prolific career, which ended earlier this year with 13 wins in 31 starts.

Brickyard Ride won the 2022 California Cup Sprint and was second in the 2024 running.

Overall, Brickyard Ride won eight stakes and earned $925,477.

It is possible that in the final days of the year, a runner owned by Californian Nick Alexander will win or place in a race or two at Santa Anita and push the stable past $1.5 million in earnings for the fifth time in the last six years.

Through Dec. 16, Alexander-owned runners had earned $1,457,317 with a win by Shea Brennan in the $102,000 King Glorious Stakes for 2-year-old California-breds at Los Alamitos on Dec. 15 being the latest success.

In a race that looks like it is coming down to the wire, veteran California sire Grazen is looking to hold off Stay Thirsty and secure his second straight leading sire title.

The painful image is all too familiar to those who make their lives with horses – the empty stall, where until this week Uncle Mo resided at Ashford Stud, posted on social media by Coolmore’s Adrian Wallace.

But Uncle Mo, euthanized Thursday at a relatively young 16 following a leg injury, leaves a void bigger than a stall. The beloved Thoroughbred, a champion runner and an even better sire, left a sizeable mark on the sport.

Born Noble was an eye-catching debut winner at Gulfstream Park 51 weeks ago, but as quickly as his star rose, it faded. Narrowly defeated in his second start in February and away from the races ever since, Born Noble returns Sunday in a first-level/optional $25,000 claiming race that highlights the 10-race Gulfstream Park card.