by Bob Heyden

Thumbing through periodicals — magazines, journals and newspapers — can be fun, certainly interesting and definitely enlightening, whether they be from 15 years ago or 60.

Here’s a dozen recent observations:

1. It’s been 25 years since Linda Toscano’s Jet Laag dominated in 1:49 flat in Delaware, OH in 1999. Toscano won both the Jug and Jugette last year.

2. Twice now, Andy and Julie Miller have been edged out of a win in the Kentucky Futurity in the past eight years: Devious Man lost to Marion Marauder in 2016 and last year French Wine was headed by Tactical Approach.

3. Until Jimmy Takter, usually the higher priced purchases were busts. Takter paid $350,000 for world-record setting Cabrini Hanover, $425,000 for Hambletonian winner Muscle Massive, and the $800,000 paid for Tactical Landing sure looked like a bargain once he took over. Not to mention a couple of after-they-started buys named Moni Maker and Kadabra.

4. The “21” club, for career starts that is, contains Secretariat, Muscle Hill and Somebeachsomewhere. Had Confederate not gone to the FanDuel Championship, he too would have had 21.

5. Fifty-four years ago, the racing world lost Martin Tananbaum, president of Yonkers Raceway, at the age of 54. He was also the owner of White Devon Farm. Their first stallions were Egyptian Candor and Greentree Adios. He and his brothers, Alfred and Stanley, were influential in getting Yonkers to be “the place” in the 1960s for international stars. In 1969, Yonkers became the first track to handle $300 million in a year.

6. The 2002 Experimental ratings put out by Stan Bergstein had a unique twist with half siblings Andover Hall and Cameron Hall being 1-2.

7. Not only was Jade Prince the last freshman to hold the all-age world mark of 1:54.1 set in October 1976, but he did so in the second heat of the International Stallion Stakes. It’s safe to say neither will be replicated anytime soon.

8. An owner’s statement that actually was right on it, talking in 1959 about 3-year-old Tie Silk: “Here is a ‘right size ‘ Rodney stud out of a half-sister to Sandalwood (3, 2:00.1) and ready to take his place among the free for all stars of the future.”

9. Tyler Smith, now 31, had a brief stint calling races at 13 at the Ohio Fairs. He was No. 22 in earnings in North America last year.

10. It’s been 15 years since we lost Wayne Nickells at 72 on 2/18/09, but his brother Bruce is still going strong.  He’s the oldest living Hall of Famer and will be 96 on July 5.

11. It’s been 55 years since Woodstock and since Phil Tully formed Woodstock Stud in the very same town of Bethel, NY.

12. If any photo had not gone Marion Marauder’s way in 2016, we’d be looking at 18 years since Glidemaster won the last Triple Crown. It’s now 21 years since No Pan Intended did it on the pacing side. Are we looking at an irrelevant title in 2024 and moving forward? From 1963 to 1969 we had seven Triple Crown winners; one each year except 1967 with two in 1968.