It's a shame Vincent O'Brien didn't hang on a couple more weeks. The legendary Irish trainer, who died June 1 at age 91, would have loved the just-concluded Royal Ascot meeting, in particular the success enjoyed by American conditioner Wesley Ward....
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Veterinarian Robert Copelan had this to say about W.T. Young: "I often wonder what would have happened had the phone been busy (the first time Young called). Meeting W.T. Young was that bolt of lightning; the most important thing to happen to me in my life."
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Another Triple Crown season has come and gone, and as usual it did not disappoint. Many of the happenings would have been impossible to predict, however, such as:...
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Nicking services have been available to Thoroughbred breeders for years, but, unfortunately, they did not take the entire pool of foals into consideration. Until, that is, Blood-Horse Publications, in conjunction with Pedigree Consultants owners Alan Porter and Byron Rogers, brought TrueNicks to the market....
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In light of two recent episodes of wagering integrity - or lack of same - it appears the industry has done little since being warned a decade ago that its infrastructure was woefully inadequate....
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Bloodstock agent John Moynihan has bought and sold many good horses, seen many top individuals at sales, and witnessed many impressive performances on the racetrack....
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Speaking to shareholders May 7 via conference call, Churchill Downs Inc. president and chief executive officer Bob Evans said, "The solution for tracks without slots is to cut purses, to cut races, and race days, or to cut all three."...
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Trainer Bennie "Chip" Woolley Jr. had a rough start to the year. He crashed his motorcycle in some gravel and broke his leg, and his stable was having a tough time winning races, with one lone maiden winner from 32 starts....
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This time of year people invariably talk about, and write about, the "racing gods" and "Derby gods."...
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While spending a spring morning watching horses gallop at Keeneland in 1990, I met a relative newcomer to training Thoroughbreds. He was searching for the clockers, and as it was his first trip to the Kentucky track, the West Coast-based conditioner was unaware they timed horses from the press box....
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Two stories from New York made headlines last week, but the fact they were linked together by some as being indicative of the current problems existing in the Thoroughbred industry was off base.
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On a beautiful spring day in Central Kentucky April 4, it was easy to see why Keeneland was considering a major expansion to its facility (now on hold due to the current state of the economy). With the fifth-highest attendance in its history--30,550--the place was bursting at the seams....
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The recent passing of Kentucky Derby (gr. I) winners Lil E. Tee and Alysheba and Well Armed's major victory have caused memories to come flooding back, from the world's richest race in Dubai to the world's most famous race in Louisville, Ky....
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It is comforting to see horsemen come together when members of the community need their help....
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Why are fewer horse races nationally televised today? Viewers are telling ESPN that horse racing ranks low on their "must see" list of sports....
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It was a casual introduction, nearly 25 years ago now, at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November breeding stock sale. Remember his name, the man said, because you are going to hear a lot from him. We’ve all heard that before; only this time it was true—we have heard a lot from Frank Stronach in the ensuing years....
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Personality-wise, Jimmy Jerkens and Julio Canani have little in common. But this week the two trainers have one important thing in common: Each has a Derby horse in his barn....
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Imagine that you are a patient in a hospital, a prominent Thoroughbred owner and breeder said. The doctor enters the room, takes a vial out of his black bag, and gives you a shot. He then produces a couple of pills, which you take orally. ...
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In a recessionary time, Florida's leaders have come up with their own stimulus package....
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The Thoroughbred breeding industry finds itself facing both the best and worst of times, and it has nothing to do with the proletariat and aristocracy. It has to do with the world economy....
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The icy conditions and sub-freezing temperatures of the last week in Central Kentucky gave us good reasons to catch up on some reading. Awaiting Steve Haskin's first Derby Dozen, I went to the bookshelf at home and pulled down The Archjockey of Canterbury and Other Tales by former Blood-Horse editor Kent Hollingsworth....
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For racing fans, the stars aligned for Curlin, the 2007 Horse of the Year, to return and race at age 4. Now, for just the sixth time since the Eclipse Awards were first handed out in 1971, a runner has repeated as Horse of the Year....
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The Keeneland January horses of all ages sale is a barometer of, well, nothing. Most years, that is....
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It was the night before the 1985 Kentucky Derby (gr. I), and I had been invited to dinner at Hasenour's in downtown Louisville, Ky., by Joe Hirsch....
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During most of the past 200-plus years, the Kentucky General Assembly convened for only 60 days every two years. To poke fun at the lawmakers, a group of Frankfort, Ky., citizens once printed bumper stickers calling for the group to instead meet two days every 60 years....
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