What does a horse have to do to get a little respect these days? Looking at the careers of Derby hopefuls Pioneerof the Nile and General Quarters....
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Over the last 25 years, Kentucky Derby winners have finished their last prep race with an average placing of 1.96. Here's a look at where they came from....
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Courtesy of Becky Johnston I'm a glass half-full kind of girl when it comes to horse racing. You would be hard pressed to find a more enthusiastic supporter. I admire that we are doing things to try and make horse racing safer for both horse and rider. I realize they are the stars of the show. I know that good research is being done at some of our leading universities. I admire the people that are...
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Horse owner Paula Drake shares her story, which led to a feature chapter in a new book Second-Chance Horses....
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The right horse can make a jockey look like a genius. Sometimes the key is simply to stay out of their way....
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The 72nd Santa Anita Handicap will be run Saturday. There are four South American and three European bred runners in the field of fourteen. ...
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You can't swing a cat without hitting a relative of Unbridled in this year's Derby picture, but I am not advocating you try either swinging a cat or avoiding this group of three-year-olds. ...
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A look back at some of the most memorable Derby prep races over the last twenty years....
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There has been some pointed discussion about Stardom Bound's time in her Las Virgenes win on Saturday. She ran the race in 1:36 2/5 and received speed ratings in the area of 84-87. To take the time and the rating as the gospel for this race would be the equivalent of reading Cliffs Notes for the Bible, it just doesn't tell the whole story....
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The California and Florida Thoroughbred Industry will put their beloved wares on display Saturday when they face off on both coasts. Since Florida is my home state, I thought we might take a look back at some of the people and horses that begot the second largest producer of Thoroughbreds in the country....
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With today's sad news of the passing of Go Between after a workout and Indyanne's death after a courageous battle for survival from a breakdown earlier this meet at Santa Anita. I couldn't help but be a little melancholy. ...
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Each year when the Breeders' Cup comes around I start thinking about the winners of the past. So I thought I would take a look at my top three races or winners in the seven core Breeders' Cup races....
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Okay it's time to stop. No really, just stop. I was one of those people that swore that Easy Goer was the best horse in America in 1989 and that Sunday Silence was just lucky. I look back on that now and wonder if I had lost my marbles. How I ever made that argument, even to myself, is a mystery now. ...
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Do you ever wish you had a glossy program for the Keeneland Sales? Sometimes the youngsters go through the ring so fast I don't always catch who they are and who their relatives are....
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With the running of the Pat O'Brien Stakes this weekend, I set out to find just who was Pat O'Brien. We all know who Bing Crosby was and what his contributions to the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club were, but it seems that a whole generation has no recollection of the second largest investor in the building of the track by the sea. ...
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The 1987 Travers' field was one of the best ever assembled. The only horse without a legitimate shot was Gulch’s rabbit, Gorky. That's right, the 1988 Sprint Champion needed a rabbit in a mile and a quarter race....
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Monmouth Park's crown jewel, the one million dollar Haskell Invitational Stakes will hold it's renewal Sunday. Big Brown hopes to regain his Derby winning form, but this field will be hard-pressed to put on a show like the one we saw in 1987....
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California steward Tom Ward thinks the racing public is too sensitive right now, because of Jeremy Rose's "accidental" striking of a horse across the face with his whip repeatedly....
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Saratoga will run the 81st edition of the Whitney Handicap on Saturday, a race named for a family that has meant much to the sport of Thoroughbred horseracing. ...
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A rare look at the great Man o' War. Enjoy this special look back at one of the greatest Thoroughbreds of all-time. ...
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With the Grade I Princess Rooney Stakes to be run this weekend at Calder Race Course, we are taking a look back at one of the race's most beloved winners. ...
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The Racing Post reported today that plans were underway by Racing UK in connection with their consultants, to implant a ten-race championship series call the Sovereign Series. Beginning in 2010, the races which will culminate in a £2 million prize payoff to be split between the top three point finishers at the end of the year. The organizers are looking for an overall sponsor, much like Sprint does for the NASCAR championship....
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With the mid-week lull upon us and all the disqualification controversy following Proud Spell's demotion from second in the Grade 1 Mother Goose Stakes on Saturday, I can't help but think about the overshadowed winner. She seems to have gotten lost with the rough riding that took place behind her, but Music Note, by A.P. Indy, looks like she could be special. She is a winner of her last three starts and three of four overall....
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In days gone by, the Breeders' Cup Classic would be so laden with talented horses that I would anticipate the running over and over in my mind, days or even weeks before the gates ever opened. Looking at what we might see this year, I may find myself watching the Alabama-Tennessee game instead. Forgettable....
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Disappointing news this week when Aidan O'Brien announced that last year's spectacular winner of this race and the Irish Oaks, Magnier/Smith/Tabor owned Peeping Fawn, was not ready for her first race of the year. ...
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