Bold Ruler was the horse most responsible for my becoming interested (infatuated?) with thoroughbred racing in 1958.

When his early foals were so successful as runners ... I began keeping track of their every start.

At first ... this was relatively easy to do ... since Bold Ruler was a private stallion ... and almost all of his foals were owned by the Phipps family and their friends ... and thus did most of their racing at New York tracks.

But as Ogden Phipps wisely began making deals for Bold Ruler to be bred to the best outside mares ... in consultation with Claiborne Farm's legendary Bull Hancoc-k ... ownership of his foals became more dispersed ... and Bold Ruler's children began popping up at racetracks across the country ... and even in Europe.

The fact that my favorite race horse had become the world's greatest sire of runners ... only made the tracking endeavor that much more exciting.

I persisted diligently in keeping tabs on every one of his foals ... even to the point of avidly seeking out and buying American newspapers while I was travelling throughout Europe. As this was the 1960's and early 1970's ... I did all this tracking with good old-fashioned pencil and paper.

I still have all my copious, now-yellowed, handwritten notes ... and some typewritten ones ... from 1962 through 1977 ... when his last foals raced ... which track nearly all of Bold Ruler's offspring with their year-by-year earnings ... their stakes wins and placings ... and of course ... the names of their dams.

Even today ... with massive computerization ... my records are more accurate and complete than those of Pedigree Online, for instance.

I've been an expert on Bold Ruler and his children for over 40 years ... except ... I didn't know Bold Ruler's own breeding until just now ... when that kind gentleman pointed it out to me.

Thank you, sir ... what would I have done without you?