In 48 hours, Nick Ben-Meir experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows with Poker Handicap (gr. IIIT) winner Sailor's Cap.

In almost every publication pertaining to our industry, the number-one concern is what to do with the dying fan base at our racetracks. My suggestion is not a new one, just another look at the problem. It certainly won't fix all of the internal problems, but it might help the industry have a better chance at survival.

Calvin Borel emerged as the poster boy for the wonderful triad of races. After the Belmont Stakes (gr. I), however, I fear he is in some danger of being the goat, and I don't want him to be.

Penned anonymously as told by Ronald "Tex" Cauthen, who died June 1.

Perhaps the most important influx of new blood for the future of the long and illustrious Whitney bloodlines came in 1958, and her name was Marylou Whitney. Marylou has carried on the remarkable Whitney breeding traditions just as her late husband, C.V., and his father before him.

Why is it that "great" racehorses, with a great female connection, seem to come along just when America's body politic is shaking so hard, when we the people think the shaking will never end?

The Thoroughbred community, like the country, is enduring a string of bad years. I often wonder what it will take for our sport to survive.

Calvin Borel, Bennie "Chip" Woolley Jr., and Mine That Bird stole the show in the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby. The upset victory was a Cinderella story if there ever was one.

Some of the elements in selling the great sport of Thoroughbred racing revolve around nostalgia, social networking, the allure of the track, and new initiatives and technologies.

One of Louisville's favorite sons, the legendary (and late) Hunter S. Thompson, added his own flair to the art of news reporting and journalism in the 1970s with his "Gonzo" brand of writing.

Shortly after my 18th birthday I sat down with my dad for one of those father-son conversations. I had approached him for his advice on what to do with my life.

Not too many years ago racing had one less fan. She was a "sometimer," one of the many who watch the Derby, the Preakness, maybe the Belmont Stakes (all gr. I) if it appears a horse might duplicate the feat of Secretariat, Seattle Slew, and Affirmed. This casual observer loved the beauty and grace of the horse but knew nothing of stakes, furlongs, stud farms, or Bluegrass.

If it wasn't for a bum knee, April 2 wouldn't have been retirement day for 48-year-old Billy Troilo.

Even though the Kentucky Derby is a month away, the spotlight is shining brightly on safety issues relating to Thoroughbred racing. Recent media accounts provide ample evidence that over the next two months, and perhaps for a much longer period, we are going to be under the microscope like in no other time as we near the one-year anniversary of Eight Belles' tragic accident.

Let me tell you a story: I was out of town over the President's Day holiday, and when I returned home, I was curious about who had won the Southwest Stakes (gr. III) at Oaklawn Park. I like the looks of this horse Old Fashioned and wanted to see if he'd taken a step toward the Derby.