So I'm wondering what the season will bring this year. It's been a wet, cool year from spring to autumn... does that translate to a snowy, cold winter? I like to think of the first nine months of 2009 as "mild" in hopes that the winter before us is mild, too. ...
Read More
Several five-cross pedigree examples will help illustrate this overview of inbreeding in Thoroughbred bloodlines. By the time you're through, I hope you can spot an error on one of the reports....
Read More
Nothing is more fun than watching a new foal's first few struggles to stand, nurse, and walk. But what happens when the delivery doesn't go according to plan?...
Read More
Hiding beneath that wooly beast is a real live Thoroughbred!...
Read More
Barren mares are usually second-class offerings at Thoroughbred bloodstock sales. Add to that the current economic downturn, and these mares are a tough sell. Here's why I believe they might be the best value you can find, though....
Read More
Secretariat wasn't the first choice of names for the Triple Crown champ. In fact, it wasn't one of the first FIVE names submitted to The Jockey Club. From Secretariat to Smarty Jones, let's look at how racehorses have been given names over the years....
Read More
A few thoughts on the state of the Thoroughbred yearling sales market....
Read More
Thoroughbred pedigree analysis is an exciting study. Even when the horse you're reviewing isn't a big star....
Read More
Part of the energized atmosphere at Thoroughbred sales is the urgent dispersal of catalog page update notices that are handed out to all potential buyers....
Read More
The sales repository offers potential bidders some health information about Thoroughbreds being sold at auction. It's part of the sales-prep process to have a foal scoped and x-rayed -- and good results make for happy sellers....
Read More
The Keeneland September yearling sales catalogs are now online. 5,555 hips -- a lot to look through. My colt is progressing through his sales prep and should be looking good by mid-September....
Read More
Does temper have anything to do with racing class?...
Read More
Fasig-Tipton July numbers are worrisome for breeders with yearling offerings later in the season. Also, a look at the progeny sales results of my colt's sire and broodmare sire....
Read More
Finding the right stallion for my mare was a big step....
Read More
Breeding decisions made in 2006... foals born in 2007... yearling sales in 2008. I've got a colt headed to Keeneland September... follow along with his sales prep and all the joys (and pains) of sending a yearling through the ring....
Read More
Registering Thoroughbreds with The Jockey Club is mostly straightforward -- but not all of the terminology is. ...
Read More
It's been a rough year for a lot of horse owners, with hay prices reaching record levels -- and that's if you can find any available. In addition to bemoaning the situation, I'm trying to figure out a way to avoid the same problem next year....
Read More
Northern Dancer, Mr. Prospector, and a select few other sires have dominated American pedigrees to the point that other sire lines are in danger of being lost forever. The future of the Domino sire line sees hope in sons of Broad Brush; the author also looks at another, less-known Domino-line sire as a potential match for one of his mares....
Read More
Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike winter. I grew up in the Northeast and Lexington is mild in comparison. And the horses like the cold much better than the sweaty mess of July or August in the Bluegrass. But this time of year brings other annoyances and frustrations, as well. My horses tell me when I've gone a little shy on the hay or beet pulp. They do so by chewing... everything. It's bad enough when they gnaw on the fence boards, but it's dire when they whittle the posts down to toothpicks or when they go after the lap boards on the barn. Of course, hay isn't cheap -- this year, it's not even easy to find -- and there's only so much beet pulp a horse is going to want to eat.
...
Read More
