Dec. 18, 2006
PHOTO GALLERY
The Santa Clara men's basketball team had a busy Monday in Kentucky that included a film session, practice and a guided tour of one of horse racing most famous sites, Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky. Claiborne Farm has bred six of the 11 Triple Crown winners, including horse racing's most recognized athlete, Secretariat. The farm also housed or bred Seabiscuit, Bold Ruler, Nasrullah (Secretariat's grandfather), Danzig, Unbridled and Monarchos. The farm recently hosted visits by movie stars Bo Derek and Joe Pesci.
Terre Crider of Scott Goodlett Events gave the team a history of racing on the bus ride over to the farm to prepare them for the tour. She travels down from Ohio a few times a week to take groups on tours of the farm. Upon arrival at the farm, Tony, one of the four trainers at the farm, joined Terre to lead the team on a tour of the grounds. The Broncos saw the breeding barn, the paddocks for the current stallions as well as the stalls for Secretariat, Unbridled, Nasrullah and Prince Quillo, among others.
On the tour, Tony presented head coach Dick Davey with one of War Front's shoes, which he recently had changed. War Front is a highly sought after stud and the offspring of the legendary Danzig. Tony gave coach Davey the horseshoe as a good luck charm for the game against the Kentucky Wildcats on Tuesday night.
Midway through the tour, the team also got to pose for a photo with Monarchos, who won the 2001 Kentucky Derby in the second fastest time in history. Secretariat owns the fastest time ever of 1:59 2/5, while Monarchos won in 1:59.97.
To conclude the tour, the team saw the graves of Secretariat, Mr. Prospector and numerous other famous horses that are buried on the grounds.
The tour was organized by assistant coach Sam Scuilli as an educational experience for the players. Calvin Johnson enjoyed the visit and also provided some good insight on the tour since his uncle owns a number of horses back in his hometown of Morton, Texas. Johnson even reached out and gave a pet on the nose to Seeking the Gold who is renowned for biting unsuspecting visitors. Seeking the Gold commands a $125,000 breeding fee.
For more information about Claiborne Farm, click here.
The Broncos take on the Kentucky Wildcats on Tuesday, Dec. 19 at 4:00 p.m. PT at Rupp Arena in Lexington. The game can be followed live right here at SantaClaraBroncos.com or fans can listen to the action on 1220 KNTS.
