In horse racing's year of resiliency in 2020 as its network of advance-deposit wagering outlets allowed customers to wager on the sport from home while horsemen and tracks found a way to continue to offer racing, a long-standing effort by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association proved an unsung hero. One of the NTRA's key legislative efforts in recent years has been to educate financial institutions...
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In terms of today's methods of preparing Thoroughbreds for the spring classics, Essential Quality has gained about as much experience in his five starts before this year's Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) as any horse could expect. With horses no longer building toward the Derby through a long series of races at 2 and 3, it's entirely possible to see a horse enter the 1 1/4-mile test...
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Starting with a full allotment of Road to the Kentucky Derby points for its signature race, things are looking up for the $250,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) and its host track, Turfway Park racing and gaming. The track, at this point, is only a track. The razed grandstand is being replaced by a new facility that Turfway broke ground on a week ago. Still, even without that grandstand or fans, the Jeff Ruby...
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If one of the horses with early speed entered in the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) March 13 at Oaklawn Park is able to emerge with a victory in the 1 1/16-mile race, they figure to be a good fit for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1). I'm basing that "good fit for the Derby" statement on the fact that on paper an easy lead doesn't seem likely Saturday as a number of runners with early...
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Considering a percentage of sports fans discovered the joys of betting horse races from home last year as racing continued when some other sports halted activity during the COVID-19, I'm looking forward to seeing if racing can build on that opportunity during the excitement of the Road to the Kentucky Derby season. As racing tries to retain those new fans and add more this spring, I like that so many...
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Because of the pandemic my usual visits to Old Friends have been curtailed and I haven’t even had a work-related reason to visit the original Georgetown, Ky, farm in some time....
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I believe a stewards’ ruling on a recent race at Kentucky Downs failed to follow the state policies in place on disqualifications when an entry is involved, although chief steward Barbara Borden believes the rule gives them latitude on such matters. As it turns out, even when given that latitude—which I don’t think is there—I still think they got it wrong. To the stewards’ credit, they also released...
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Looking at the number of starts in the past performances for horses entered in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), one half expects to see Real Quiet or Thunder Gulch listed among the runners. In terms of starts ahead of the Derby for this year's 3-year-olds, pushing the race back four months seemingly has pushed the classic back a few decades. With those added months to get some...
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This is my Frankly Speaking column from today's (March 12) issue of BloodHorse Daily. If you haven't already downloaded the app or subscribed to the free BloodHorse Daily , you should. I didn't get far into the California Horse Racing Board's assessment of the spike in Thoroughbred fatalities last year at Santa Anita Park before I came across a recommendation that I most assuredly agreed with. It also...
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The initial equine fatality numbers for Southern California since March 29, when the tracks and racing regulator put sweeping reforms in place, are encouraging. While more numbers are needed before declaring any statistical significance, to date the rate of catastrophic injury during racing at Del Mar, Los Alamitos Race Course, and Santa Anita Park is below the national average of 2018 (the most recent...
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All eyes figure to be on the outside posts when the gates open for the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) June 8 at Belmont Park as they briefly will house Preakness Stakes (G1) winner War of Will in post 9 and morning-line favorite Tacitus in post 10. I'm in agreement with the morning line as this year's Belmont has some separation between the top two choices, War of Will at 2...
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Just breaking from the gate as planned in the June 8 Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) at Belmont Park will separate War of Will from this year's other 3-year-olds as the Preakness Stakes (G1) winner is expected to be the lone horse to start in all three legs of this year's Triple Crown. Starting in the first two classics has proven a successful route in recent years, thanks to Triple Crown...
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In just over two weeks, War of Will will try to join racing's most exclusive club: horses to start but fall short in the Kentucky Derby (G1) only to bounce back and win the final two classics. OK, there's much more interest and prestige in sweeping all three classics, but a whopping 13 horses have done that. Only 11 horses have lost the Derby, then won the other two Triple Crown races. Statistical...
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In some ways, the debate over the Kentucky stewards' decision to disqualify Maximum Security from victory in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) now falls into the laps of horseplayers across the country. That's because a key question in handicapping the Preakness Stakes (G1) is: "How much was War of Will, and possibly other horses, bothered by Maximum Security coming out several...
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After documenting the twists and turns of this year's Road to the Kentucky Derby, we'll take a break from writing about those events to answer the question on everyone's mind: Who do you like Saturday? The Derby of recent years reminds me more of the initial editions of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1), where top horses with a few starts in different regions of the country--with few previous matchups...
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One angle I didn't hear discussed when Kentucky lawmakers considered, and ultimately failed to approve, legislation this year that would have allowed sports wagering was the foothold the state could have enjoyed in offering Kentucky Derby future wagers....
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When Omaha Beach held off Improbable to win the Arkansas Derby (G1) April 13 at Oaklawn Park, it wrapped up an especially exciting Road to the Kentucky Derby prep season. Before turning our focus to the actual race, I thought we could take a final look back at this year's prep season in a "by the numbers" format. 150 Points earned by Road to the Kentucky Derby points leader Tacitus. 2 Years in which...
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When Churchill Downs changed its qualifying standards for the Kentucky Derby (G1) ahead of the 2013 edition of the race from graded stakes earnings to points earned in its designated Road to the Kentucky Derby series races, this is the type of season those racing executives surely imagined. While before the points system there were years where good horses would just get into the field or just get squeezed...
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Some of the top international runners under consideration for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) should sort themselves out March 30 in the UAE Derby Sponsored by Saeed & Mohammed Al Naboodah Group (G2) at Meydan. Three runners of interest are based in Dubai with trainer Ahmed bin Harmash for owner Phoenix Ladies Syndicate. The connections said March 27 that should Walking Thunder...
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Between the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico, plenty of visitors have wandered into New Orleans throughout its long history, but make no mistake, the equine star to date of the current Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots meet is in the Crescent City by plan. Last year trainer Mark Casse liked how the track with the long stretch, forgiving surface, and logical prep race series for 3-year-olds...
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In a change that never should have occurred in the first place, Kentucky lawmakers eliminated the ability of gamblers to claim losses up to the amount of their winnings for tax year 2018 as part of a major tax reform that aimed to simplify the code by eliminating many deductions. While one certainly can question why Kentucky lawmakers would have stopped allowing gambling losses to be claimed against...
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At this week's National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association convention in Clearwater Beach, Fla., Arkansas HBPA president Bill Walmsley explained his thought process when Oaklawn Park management outlined a possible plan this month to split the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) into two divisions. The track's plan was to offer a pair of $750,000 divisions of the Rebel. It required an additional...
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So you're an owner with a 3-year-old who isn't quite ready to try two turns in a graded stakes, but you would like to pick up some qualifying points toward the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1)--just in case stretching out to a classic distance could still be in the future. Or you're a trainer with a sophomore who has shown talent on turf or synthetic surfaces, and you'd like to see...
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After a bit of a slow start to the Road to the Kentucky Derby in terms of field size, horsemen's interest has been picking up as they try to qualify their 3-year-olds for the season's opening classic. The past seven races--counting the 11 starters in the March 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park--have featured field sizes larger or as large as last year. The 11 starters in the Fountain...
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With no points races scheduled this weekend on the Road to the Kentucky Derby series, it is a good time to reflect and scrutinize some of the more impressive victories seen so far....
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