Only in Thoroughbred racing can one of the greatest champions in the history of the sport share the same stage with a former $5,000 claimer from Penn National....

Steve gives you his longshots for the Breeders' Cup races on Friday....

Yes, 'tiz the season to be jolly. Saratoga is here again, and it seems to be getting earlier and earlier. The first half of the year has been a series of emotional ups and downs with issues so hot they burned up the pages of newspapers and network air waves, much to the detriment of the sport....

Steve discusses his visit with the queens of racing....

Fillies are beating colts regularly all over the world....

Let's be honest, this year's Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) needs a boost, especially with Zenyattamania and even a double dose of Curlin still fresh in everyone's mind....

Our vehicle, driven by David Ingordo, passed through the security gate and headed down a long tree-lined road. You could feel the anticipation. The image that came to mind was Dorothy and company heading down that long corridor to see the Wizard of Oz. Only this time there would be no shooting flames and deceptive illusions. There would be only Zenyatta, in the flesh, a million miles from the world she inhabited for the past three years....

With all the talk surrounding the Zenyatta -- Blame Horse of the Year battle, the brilliant, but sometimes strange career of Quality Road has quickly faded from public consciousness, due in good part to the colt's uncharacteristic last-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Classic. Quality Road will be remembered for his brilliance and personality....

The following essay by retired Quebec English teacher Abigail Anderson was written in response to my last blog on Zenyatta. Although it is quite long, it is so brilliantly written and researched I felt it should be shared it with everyone....

I stated in my last blog that it would be the last one on Zenyatta. Well, now that her farewell appearances at Hollywood and Keeneland have come and gone, I have discovered the Zenyatta reservoir is a lot deeper than I thought. ...

Yes, there is room for one final Zenyatta column. Farewells have a way of inspiring them....

It is finally time to say goodbye. Mighty Mare Zenyatta has been retired; and this time it is official, as she departs for Lane's End Farm in Versailles, Ky. in early December....

Zenyatta has inspired people like none before her....

With darkening skies creating an almost surreal atmosphere, Blame and Zenyatta put on a show for the ages in the Nov. 6 Breeders' Cup Classic. ...

Now that the preps for the Nov. 5 and 6 Breeders’ Cup have been completed, it is time to go over all the races and see who will be and might be showing up....

Steve Haskin says to let California racing fans have their day....

Many racing fans are prepared to state emphatically that Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra are two of the best, if not THE best, fillies of the past half-century. The list from which to chose, however, is longer than most think....

It's Zenyatta vs. Rachel at Saratoga and you are there....

Steve takes one final look at Zenyatta....

Thoroughbred racing in 2010 consists of three universes, all moving in parallel lines. One is the Triple Crown trail, which possesses an aura all to itself and is oblivious to any other existing worlds....

The truth of the matter is that the Apple Blossom showdown turned into one big mess....

Steve Haskin's Apple Blossom Diary: March 10 - March 12....

Steve Haskin's Apple Blossom Diary: March 1 - March 9....

Oaklawn Park made all the right moves with their big Apple Blossom announcement. They put up the money, the changed the distance, and in short they dangled one heckuva carrot in front of Jess Jackson and Jerry and Ann Moss....

A preview of what will appear in this space over the next couple of weeks....