Surgeglobal -- a mare from a hard-knocking family -- hits the track today after a two-year hiatus from racing.

The third-crop season can be a make-or-break year for stallions, who have to prove that they can get consistently good progeny even when mare quality and quantity tend to drop off. Six of the entering sires of 2003 deserve some attention for not only holding steady, but actually improving over their 2007 progeny results.

I name a few 2009 new sires that I'm watching closely -- and offer links to some must-read info on stallions entering stud next year.

The Eclipse-line stallion Bend Or branched off with sons Ormonde and Bona Vista in the 1880's. While at one point multiple lines existed through the great Teddy, the line appears to be dwindling. The 2009 Stallion Register lists just seven Teddy-line studs, all through 1960's phenom Damascus.

"What is good for the horse is good for racing," AAEP vet Scott Palmer discusses why "we have to put the horse first."

If Thoroughbred pedigree evaluation had been taught in elementary school, the "three foundation sires" would be as well-known to every student as "I before E except after C" and George Washington's cherry tree episode. The Godolphin Barb, Byerley Turk, and Darley Arabian male lines still exist -- but the distribution isn't equitable. A quick review.

A dramatic shift in Breeders' Cup involvement in stakes racing is a disappointment for breeders -- and a bad signal for the health of the Thoroughbred racing industry.

Why would I predict a Triple Crown champion within the next 4 to 6 years? And how does that relate to the current downturn of the Thoroughbred bloodstock market?