Blood-Horse Publications is no more.
In its place is a new company, Blood-Horse LLC, which is co-owned by majority partner The Jockey Club Information Systems and the publishing company’s former owner the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. (See page 10 of The Wire in this issue for more about the sale.)
After the transaction’s announcement Feb. 27, readers immediately raised questions about the voice and editorial integrity of the magazine and website. The Jockey Club, after all, is an extraordinarily influential organization, and the expectation by some is that it will shape the issues that are covered—or not covered—going forward.
Here’s the truth.
The partners are fully committed to the mission of Blood-Horse, and the spirit at the heart of our Editorial Charter remains intact. The following is an excerpt of that charter as it was established decades ago (enhanced to account for the digital world):
Since 1916, the staff of Blood-Horse has served the Thoroughbred community with the highest standards of journalistic excellence to provide comprehensive and timely editorial coverage and analysis.
Blood-Horse informs and educates Thoroughbred horsemen and professionals, and fans about events, trends, and issues affecting the industry, and it provides a forum for debate about those trends and issues.
The point of view of Blood-Horse is created and cultivated by its editor through an editorial column and the overall tone of the publication in its features and departments. The diversity of the publication is evidenced in its ability simultaneously to be topical, entertaining, analytical, and investigative. The editorial content is accurate, pertinent, and provocative, and the graphic presentation is contemporary and professional.
Its editorial direction is independent and dictated by the needs of its readers. All editorial content whether in print or digital is edited for the readers instead of any one segment of the industry. Through objective editorial coverage, the company fosters its commitment to the improvement of the industry as a whole.
Make no mistake: Blood-Horse is and always has been a trade publishing outlet. The brand’s roots go back to the Kentucky Thoroughbred Horse Association bulletin with its mission to “bring all persons interested in the survival of the Thoroughbred horse and the welfare of the Turf into an association through which they would be mutually helpful to each other in improving the breed, producing, marketing, shipping, and racing the Thoroughbred, and in affording the cleanest and best possible entertainment for those who patronize the sport of racing.”
Part of our mission is to promote and grow interest and participation in Thoroughbred racing. But to achieve that goal, the industry requires objective news and analysis. Open and honest debate leads to progress.
Agree or disagree with an editorial? Then leave a comment on the website or call or send an e-mail, just like you’ve already been doing. Know of an issue that needs to be covered? You know how to reach us, just as you always have done.
The ownership group may have changed, but the heart and the mission of Blood-Horse remains the same and in a new climate that provides an opportunity to build on our legacy.
