After writing the Hangin' With Haskin column for 12 years and the Derby Dozen, numerous features and columns, and providing lead coverage of all the major stakes for 22 years, I no longer will be writing for the Blood Horse and Bloodhorse.com due to my contract coming to an end. So this is my final column. As most of you know, I resigned from my regular job at BloodHorse in 2015 and have been working...
Read More
Let's look at this year's Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) realistically. After the top three it is a study in futility trying to rank the rest of the horses. There simply isn't enough to go by, as these horses keep beating each other and the vast majority of performances have been fairly ordinary....
Read More
The 133rd Kentucky Derby was about a king, a queen, and a bunch of country boys....
Read More
Here we are heading to Saratoga with its two important Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) preps and only days away from the Haskell Invitational (G1). And we still have the Ellis Park Derby, which is likely to attract several Derby hopefuls based in Kentucky....
Read More
With the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) being run on Sept 5 this year you would think we would have a firm grasp on who the leading contenders are, but for various reasons-one, of course, being the pandemic-we really don't know who these 3-year-olds are?...
Read More
We've all heard or used the expression, "No one would have beaten him today." Throughout history, there have been numerous horses who, for one or two races, turned in performances so extraordinary, you can't imagine anyone beating them. Often, these horses were meant for great things, but were hampered by a variety of problems, such as unsoundness, breathing problems, mental issues etc. When everything came together perfectly, however, that potential greatness surfaced, and pity anyone who happened to cross paths with them on that day....
Read More
This reprint from six years ago is to commemorate the 45th anniversary of one of racing's darkest days, the death of the legendary Ruffian. But it is not just about the Ruffian--Foolish Pleasure match race. It is about Ruffian's life and career....
Read More
The word 'remarkable' is defined as: "notably or conspicuously unusual; extraordinary." The first horse that comes to mind that fits that description is Forego. ...
Read More
One thing you have to say for racing today, there is plenty of TV coverage, from TVG and MSG to several of the major networks. And the on-air talent comes not only from the broadcasting industry, but from all walks of the sport....
Read More
Whether it be in the Travers and/or Kentucky Derby, we could be treated to a classic East vs. West showdown, and what makes it even more appealing is that Honor A. P. and Tiz the Law both have the same running style. ...
Read More
It was the summer of '69, I was in Saratoga, and my future could wait. What better place to put your life on hold than glorious Saratoga, where the rest of the world seemed so distant and removed?...
Read More
There is no doubt people are going take different views of this year’s makeshift Belmont Stakes (G1) when assessing just how impressive Tiz the Law was dominating his field to capture the mile and an eighth event by nearly four lengths....
Read More
The field has been drawn for this year's version of the Belmont Stakes (G1), and whether you feel it belongs in the classification of classic race or just another mile and an eighth prep for the Kentucky Derby (G1), there is a great deal intrigue to the race, highlighted by the presence of the top-ranked 3-year-old in the country Tiz the Law. There are several factors regarding the post position draw...
Read More
So, where exactly does that leave this year's Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown? Is there a "Test of the Champion" this year? Is there a Triple Crown this year?...
Read More
So, why in the world would Turcotte, still on cloud nine and basking in the blinding limelight of his history making victory, ride in the race following the Belmont Stakes?...
Read More
I had the privilege to visit Arrogate twice at Juddmonte, and there was a magnificence about him that is difficult to put into words. You didn't just see Arrogate, you felt him. Arrogate is gone way too soon. In some ways he will remain an enigma. But most of all he will be remembered as a phenom, unlike anything we have ever seen before....
Read More
We should get an indication of how horsemen look at the Belmont Stakes when Godolphin and trainer Brendan Walsh announce their plans for Matt Winn (G3) winner Maxfield....
Read More
Although the Belmont Stakes (G1) is not the Belmont as we know it, far from it, by being run around one turn at a mile and an eighth with a testing pace likely down that long straightaway, this version of the Belmont may actually be more attractive to breeders than the traditional Belmont Stakes, as it should resemble the Met Mile (G1) more than it resembles your typical two-turn classic race going longer....
Read More
Let us first acknowledge the fact that from strictly a historical standpoint, this year Belmont Stakes (G1) is closer to a one-turn Wood Memorial Presented by NYRA Bets (G2) with a three-hour NBC telecast than it is to the Belmont Stakes....
Read More
There are times when a horse deserves to have his accomplishments recognized even if no one has heard of him or even cares to read about him. So, although most people will pass right over this, I still feel compelled to write about True Knight and at least have his name in the archives. ...
Read More
With NBC continuing its trip down memory lane by showing American Pharoah's 2015 Preakness Stakes (G1) May 16, I thought we'd also take a trip down memory lane by going behind the scenes of all three Triple Crown races and showcasing some of the more memorable moments....
Read More
In continuing with my Triple Crown memories, I am reprinting one of my favorite columns written after California Chrome's Kentucky Derby, as I feel it sums up the Cinderella story behind the horse as well as the dreams of all those who own horses....
Read More
Looking back at my Triple Crown memories, one of the special ones was in 1997 when
I flew to Louisville from New York about a week before the Belmont Stakes (G1) after making arrangements to fly back to New York with Silver Charm on his quest to become the first Triple Crown winner in 19 years....
Read More
I would like to prepare all Zenyatta fans for the possibility that a son of Blame could win the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) this year. Not only that, he (Nadal) could defeat a horse trained by John Shirreffs (Honor A.P.)....
Read More
The scroll on ESPN's Sportscenter May 3 morning had its priorities straight. The No. 1 horse racing story read: "Secretariat wins Virtual Kentucky Derby." Oh, yes, that was followed by story No. 2, which read: "Charlatan, Nadal Win Split Arkansas Derby."...
Read More
