At the recently concluded Keeneland sale of yearlings, 3,034 colts and fillies sold for a total of more than half a billion dollars.
This weekend across the nation, 120 2-year-olds have been entered in 15 graded stakes to be presented Oct. 2-4 at Keeneland, Santa Anita Park, and Belmont Park.
And in less than a month—on Oct. 30 to be exact—a grand total of $7 million awaits an international cohort of juveniles in the five races on Day 1 of the 43rd Breeders' Cup presentation.
Hope, against all odds, is springing eternal.
The emphasis on youth at this time each year is relentless. Points are already available for starting berths in next year's Kentucky Derby (G1). Trainers and their patrons have begun working backward from May 1, 2027, which is—if I've counted my fingers correctly—just seven months away.
Before the generational torch passes, however, let the congregation pause for a moment to give thanks for those tireless campaigners who have taken their people on long and glorious rides.
At the top of the roster is Romantic Warrior, the world's richest racehorse, whose family called it quits for its Hong Kong hero in early September after the son of Acclamation had won 24 of 31 starts, including all four appearances this year.
No one dared to say "he's done enough" with a straight face, since no Thoroughbred has ever done more than win $35 million in prize money while taking his hometown reputation on the road to Australia, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The Hong Kong Jockey Club is planning a retirement party blowout for the 8-year-old Irish gelding later this fall at Sha Tin Racecourse.
The farewell for Next, America's Great White, has not been as elaborate, but just as deserving. Now 8, the proud member of Not This Time 's first crop was preparing for a late season comeback after missing all of 2025 recovering from the wear and tear of a rousing 24-month run, during which he won nine of 10 stakes at distances from a mile and three-eighths to a mile and three-quarters at seven different tracks. Thanks for the memories.
Now let's hear it for the ancient mariners still making waves. The 8-year-old Gold Phoenix and 7-year-old Cabo Spirit continue to take on younger rivals and win major turf races out West. Tawny Port, also 7, has been rejuvenated this season to capture the Belmont Gold Cup Stakes (G2T) at Saratoga Race Course in June, and just last month the son of Pioneerof the Nile won a $750,000 jackpot at Kentucky Downs. Who knows how long these guys will last?
Pistol Power, a tough old soldier found a little further down the pecking order, is a Washington-bred son of the Pulpit stallion War Power. He made his 69th start Sept. 20 at Grants Pass Downs in Oregon finishing fifth in a starter allowance event at 6 1/2 furlongs. More to the point, in his previous start Sept. 5, Pistol Power won for the 16th time at Emerald Downs. He is owned by Lisa Baze and trained by her husband, Rigoberto "Jesse" Velasquez.
Pistol Power was foaled on April 18, 2014, which makes him a ripe old 12 years of age. (We will pause for a moment to reflect upon how the world has changed in these past dozen years, while Pistol Power was doing his thing.)
He first came to Baze's attention on the evening of Aug. 13, 2020, in a 1-mile race at Emerald Downs, just south of Seattle, for claimers priced at $3,500 against Eddie and the King. Velasquez had briefly—and successfully—trained Eddie and the King in a handful of Oregon races.
"Jesse never bets, but he put a hundred on Eddie and the King, we liked him that much," Baze recalled. "He was on the lead from the start and looked like he had the race won, then here comes this horse after him like the shark in Jaws—da-dum da-dum. It was Pistol."
Eddie and the King hung on to win by a nose. Three weeks later, Baze claimed Pistol Power for $3,500. In gratitude, he won his first two races for the new barn.
"Best money I've ever spent," Baze declared.
Over the ensuing six seasons, Pistol Power became a Northwest institution with a fanbase that rivals the following of such local blue-collar heroes as Mike Man's Gold, the winner of 26 races at Emerald Downs, and West Seattle Boy, a Baze-Velasquez production who won 21 races at Emerald.
"When we got Pistol, he'd been racing a lot in the bushes," Baze said, referring to the sprawling Oregon summer circuit of fairs. "He didn't know a lot about bubble baths and blankets and being tied in the stall. He was kind of a handful."
Baze lost Pistol Power to a claim in 2021 and took him right back. In June of 2023, he was bounced into the rail in a fierce Emerald Downs race and lost time with an injured a sesamoid. Through it all, his form has held up admirably. In 44 starts for Baze and Velasquez, Pistol Power has won 14 races and finished second or third another 15 times.
"He's very kind, but he's also very high energy," Baze said. "He still comes off the racetrack snorting and prancing, his tail in the air. A real wild man. The backstretch loves him. They'll see him coming back to the barn and say, 'There's the old man!'"
Now, the old man is being aged out of competition, at least in the Northwest, where 12 is the age limit at recognized tracks. Pistol Power could have another start at Grants Pass later this month. Then, when he turns 13, he'll still be able to race at Turf Paradise in Arizona, where he ran well in 2023. After that, it's a wrap.
As for Next, according to his people, is a career in the show horse arena as part of the Thoroughbred Makeover program of the Retired Racehorse Project. His exercise rider Amber Hodyka will be working with his transition.
And, after his Hong Kong farewell tribute, Romantic Warrior will be "gifted" to his jockey James McDonald, who lives in Sydney, Australia. McDonald has assured Romantic Warrior's fans that he will have a generous paddock and regular visits from his two young children. "I might just float around riding him from time to time and see what happens," McDonald added.
As for Pistol Power, Lisa Baze is not certain. The old man has become a family pet, but he's not all that domesticated.
"He loves attention, and peppermints," Baze said. "But he's not a kid's horse. He's not going to be a pony, but he's going to want a job. I mean, I guess you could put him in a paddock and convince him he's a lawn mower. It's pretty clear, though, he's just one of those Thoroughbreds born to be a racehorse."
