About Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance

TBA Mission Statement: The Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance portrays horse racing as a sport first. A standings system based on the Graded Stakes will grab the attention of the casual sports fan. Giving back to thoroughbred retirement is fair if you get enjoyment out of the sport of racing.


Blogger Bios:

Bob Ike Picks, by Bob Ike - Bob Ike has covered the Southern California racing circuit for over 20 years, where he has been the leading public handicapper at countless meets. Ike's graded handicap selections appear in the Los Angeles Newspaper Group and the San Diego Union-Tribune, as well as at his own website. Ike also co-hosts the Thoroughbred Los Angeles radio show (Saturdays at 9:00 a.m. Pacific at KLAA 830 AM) and serves as a handicapping host for the Del Mar satellite television show.

Brooklyn Backstretch, by Teresa - My family owned harness horses when I was a kid, and that interest brought us to Saratoga when I was a teenager. My first memory of being at the flat track was the 1979 Travers, at which my brother and I watched from the infield General Assembly's win, and I cashed my first ticket, a whopping $2.10 show ticket. My interest in Thoroughbred racing waxed and waned through the years, and began its current spike in 2000, following an epic summer break-up after which I joined my brother in the 4 am line to get a Travers Day table in the backyard. I support my racing/writing habit by working at a high school as an English teacher and dean of students.

The Busintess of Racing by Steve Zorn - Steve Zorn is the managing partner of Castle Village farm, a thoroughbred racing partnership group based in New York. He's been going to the track since Tim Tam's Derby year, and has been invovled full-time in managing Castly Village Farm since 1999. Steve is also a member of the Board of Directors of the New York Thoroughbred Horseman's Association. Priot to his involvement w/ Castle Village Farm, he's been a journalist, labor union organizer, grovernmnet advisor in Papua New Guinea, United Nations technical advisor, Wall Street tax lawyer, and law school professor. In 2008 he was a regular contributor to the New York Times' racing blog, The Rail.

EquineProject by Barry Roos - Has been involved in horse racing since 1975. He has been involved in the industry as a trainer, bloodstock agent, owner, and more recently as the racing manager for the G-Biscuit Stable LLC partnership racing in Maryland, New Jersey, Illinois, Florida, and Massachusetts. In addition, his company RooSites Web Development builds and manages websites for companies mainly in the horse world.

EquiSpace by Geno – Residing in Buffalo , New York , my journey into the horse racing world started in 2004 in Saratoga where I was introduced to the sport first hand and fell in love with it. I have some friends in the industry and am the CPA for a stable based out of Western New York that brought me even closer to the game. I’ve since been to the Kentucky Derby, the Belmont Stakes, the Breeders Cup, the Travers, the Haskell (love the hats) and have made trips to Woodbine, Pimlico and Gulfstream Park. I “summer” in Saratoga , my favorite track, and am an annual attendee for Opening Day and Alabama weekend. My blog features a certain stable, the NYRA tracks and issues thereon, my annual track visits, weak attempts at handicapping the “races of the week” and a little pop culture sprinkled in here and there for good measure.

Foolish Pleasure by Valerie - Growing up, I was a typical tomboy, horse-crazy to the extreme. Addicted to books, I daydreamed of being Alec Ramsey, racing The Black against Cyclone and Sun Raider, or Velvet Brown riding The Pie in the Grand National. Eventually, I grew up, the daydreaming stopped, and reality set in. Now I am in academia, a university professor teaching art history—a job that I love. Horseracing, however, remains a passion. As you can probably tell, my first “dream” horse was 1975 Kentucky Derby winner Foolish Pleasure, most infamously associated with that doomed match race with Ruffian. Studying pedigrees and connections interests me, but I admit at times to playing horses based solely on “gut” reactions and silly names. Writing this blog is my mid-life crisis!

Gathering the Wind by Winston -The first horse race I remember watching was Spectacular Bid's Kentucky Derby, a minor miracle, since I have never seen my father watch another horse race. I spent the next years dragging my parents around to farms and any place that offered horse back rides for which my father received several well placed kicks from disgruntled equines. I followed the major races as an adult but played and cashed my first ticket on Book the Devil in an AlwN1x at Hawthorne in 2003. Finding the game absurdly easy I was hooked ever since and can count on one hand the subsequent tickets I have cashed; I did have Giacomo in the Derby. I proposed to my wife in the swamp that saw Lionheart beat sixteen horses in the 2004 renewal of the Classic. I formed Blackwatch Stables LLC in attempt at world domination; my blog will chronicle that journey.

Graded Stakes by Ryan - I am a student at the University of Cincinnati. I began writing Graded Stakes my sophomore year in high school after being bitten by the horse racing bug. I grew up hearing names like Skip Away and Cigar, but I never really knew who they were. As fate would have it, I would perform a Google search on Skip Away and would gradually became interested in the sport. Now 18, I spend many hours working on my blog, which tends mostly to handicapping, news, and information articles. I am hoping to find a career in the horse racing industry upon my completion of college.

Handride by Patrick P - I live in New Jersey and I'm a fixture at every Haskell, my father first took me to the track when I was 7. I'm proud to be an original member of the TBA as I think the sport is starting to change, and I'm glad I get to see that and be a part of it. My background is mostly Finance (yawn) and I started really enjoying horse racing in 2001 as a stress reliever for my job. Best horse I've ever seen from a physical standpoint was Sky Mesa, but the best performance I saw live might have been 2006 Invasor's BC win.

Hoof Blog by Hoofcare - My blog starts and ends where the horse meets the track: on its feet. I cover the world of the hoof, from shoes to lameness problems to diseases to networking for and with the great people who help horses with hoof problems. I publish Hoofcare & Lameness Journal (www.hoofcare.com) but my blog is a friendlier and faster way to get news out and interact with the horse world. I'm also a racing fan and freelance writer so I head to Saratoga each August, where I host Tuesday night lectures and get-togethers at The
Parting Glass. See you there!

Into The Bit By Ron – A misspent youth in the infield at Aksarben Race Track in Omaha and an aptitude for figuring the show price from the pool, led to a career in statistical process control. It’s as exciting as it sounds, as were my dad’s lessons on grinding out a profit betting show parlays. That’s probably why my gambling style is fairly aggressive. Years later a dozen donuts would buy admission to the clocker’s stand for morning workouts. There I learned to identify horses by sight and pick-up a work with my very own stop watch when nobody else caught a horse breaking off. I generally handicap the West Coast tracks so I don’t have to get up early. I get to every track I can, my favorites of the over thirty. I’ve visited are Keeneland, Santa Anita., Canterbury , and the 1996 Derby at Churchill Downs.

Monmouth Park Blog by Terry - Terry has followed thoroughbred racing in New Jersey and elsewhere for more than 20 years. Terry served as a stringer racing columnist for the Asbury Park Press in 2004 and 2005. In spot APP appearances making daily Monmouth Park race selections in the summer 0f 2005, his published win picks generated a 46% return on investment (ROI) over 60 races. In 2006, the inaugural season of MonmouthParkBlog, Terry's wagering suggestions generated an positive ROI of about 22%.
For his real job, Terry hold the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and works in financial services in New York City.

Owning Racehorses by Ted Grevelis - I reside in Woodbury, MN with my wife Theri and 3 sons. During college, I frequented the harness races at the Lewiston Raceway and enjoyed it, but it was a trip to the 1986 Preakness Stakes that ignited my passion for racing. After graduating from Colby College in 1987, I paid my way through a year of grad school writing tickets at Pimlico and Freestate Raceway. Several years ago, I was able to buy a small share in a California based partnership. After a promotion and transfer to Minnesota, I bought a larger share in the Star of the North Racing Partnership led by friend, mentor and fellow TBA blogger David Miller. With David's encouragement, I'm now managing my own partnership for colleagues under the Grevelis Racing Stable banner. My efforts at getting this business off the ground is chronicled for all to read in my blog "Owning Racehorses".

Pick-4 Central by Pick-4 - I have been a horse racing fan ever since my friend Ed took me to Monmouth Park when I was 20. One of my best friends is Handride and we're constantly talking horse racing and I've had the pleasure of meeting some of you over the last couple of years. I've been to 7 horse racing tracks throughout the country and attended the Breeders Cup at Belmont Park back in 2005, number 2 will be at Monmouth this Fall. I'm very much into the Pick 4 bet and I thought that I would put together a blog that would follow exactly that. What you see is what you get and I take the picks I put up there very seriously and bet all of them. I appreciate any constructive criticism and I thank you again for your induction into this prestigious organization.

Power Cap by Greg C- Stricken with a terminal racing passion, with relative ease I digest massive amounts of racing information. To help release some of the pressure Power Cap will be an outlet where digested information is released for the world to enjoy and profit from. Introduced to Aqueduct at 12 years of age I never had a chance to be a mainstream sports fan. Wouldn't want it any other way.

Superfectablog by Superfecta - Despite frequent childhood trips to Fairmount Park to watch low-level claimers slog it out under the lights, Superfecta remained a life-long fan of horse racing. She braved wind, rain, sleet, hail, snow and the odd bit of sunshine at the 1989 Kentucky Derby only to watch her pick, Easy Goer, get run down by some California horse named Sunday Silence. Clearly miffed by her oversight, Sunday Silence cursed Superfecta and she didn't pick another Derby winner successfully until Smarty Jones, but the spell was only partially lifted as she had the superfecta and didn't bother betting it. She chose her blog's title to remind her of her folly. Superfecta is a massive geek (with the useless degrees to prove it) and keeps a photo of herself with Danzig on her desk at work. In addition to her interest in horse racing, she's an expert on Iron Age trade patterns in Northern Europe and is an appallingly mediocre tap dancer.


They're In the Gate by Robert - My journey into racing began when Affirmed and Alydar battled each other in the Triple Crown races in 1978. I was 14 years old and hooked as a racing fan. I was living in New York City and was able to go to Belmont, The Big A, and also venture to New Jersey to watch racing at the Big M. I know live in Saratoga County, NY, a stone's throw from The best racetrack in America, The Saratoga Race Track. I have also been to Monmouth Park and Churchill Downs. I have been to the Kentucky Derby, The Breeders Cup , and of course mulitple Belmont Stakes and Travers Stakes. I am not an expert, just a fan who loves the sport. My day job in insurance supports this love of racing. My blog is just a creative way to talk about this great sport.

Jen's ThoroughBlog - I live in Brampton, Ontario (close to Toronto) and have worked on the Woodbine backstretch, owned racehorses, managed a racing magazine and now I handicap the races for Daily Racing Form, the Toronto Star and have been Woodbine's morning line oddsmaker for 9 years. I have been to more than half of the Breeders' Cups and Personal Ensign's Distaff win was one of the best races I have ever seen. Among my zillions of favourite horses - Wando, Canadian Triple Crown winner and the biggest softie you'd ever meet.

Top of the Stretch by Richard - I grew up in the grandstand at Santa Anita back in the 80s when my dad brought me to the track and we used to park at the mall and jump the fence because the lot was full. Now, people pay to park at the track and go to the mall. Times have changed. I saw Gate Dancer, Snow Chief and John Henry, among many others. My favorite horse of all time is Alysheba. As a 15-year old kid I thought I was a big gambler by placing $5 to win on him in the ’88 San Bernardino (the best race I've ever seen) where he faced Ferdinand and 3 others. He won and paid $3.60 on a $2 bet. I saw Winning Colors destroy the colts in the '88 Santa Anita Derby and that was by far the best performance I’ve ever seen in person. I hope to make Charles Bukowski proud with my rants and opinions on TBA.

Up On the Roof by Jason Beem - I've been a fan of horse racing since my dad first took me to Longacres when i was a kid. I can still hear Gary Henson calling Captain Condo down the stretch! When i was a kid i would ride my bike around the neighborhood whipping it with a stick and re-voicing the racecalls of each of the days races. I'm truly living my dream as the track announcer at River Downs in Cincinnati and Portland Meadows in Portland, Or. This blog is basically just a way for me to jot down everything that goes on in my little journey, from mundane off days to Cradle Stakes day. I love my job, i love my family, i love racing, and i love my blog!!

VIEW FROM THE QUARTER POLE by David M. Miller - A racing fan for 23 years, I assist buyers and breeders of Thoroughbreds with matings planning, auction representation, and portfolio management. I also manage the campaign of several Thoroughbreds on behalf of Star of the North Racing partnerships. Working as a field crew member and chart caller since 1996, initially forDaily Racing Form and currently for Equibase, I have covered race meets at sixteen different North American tracks and have visited over a dozen additional racing venues. A regular contributor to Daily Racing Form, my work has also appeared in Owner-Breeder, the Minnesota ThoroughbredAssociation News, The Horseplayer Magazine, and the Horsemen's Journal. It is my hope that through the valuable contributions of the Alliance we can better publicize our sport and bring about needed and meaningful change tothe current course of the industry.

WARSTONE by Mr. Guerra - has been involved in horse racing all his life and brings more than 18 years of significant equine management experience to WARSTONE. He purchased his first racehorse at the age of 16 and won his first race in 1990. Since that time he has been an owner, breeder, assistant trainer, bloodstock agent, pedigree researcher and auctioneer. He has campaigned over 100 horses during this time.WARSTONE is a New York based bloodstock advisory and racehorse management organization.WARSTONE¢s mission is to invest in thoroughbred racehorses and to promote the thrills of thoroughbred racing.