BloodHorse.com

For all of the negativity that surrounded 2019, two industry stories were actually very encouraging for the future of Thoroughbred racing and breeding. Heading into a new year, a little optimism can’t hurt. On the racing front, as abysmal as a lot of people’s experience was at the Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico in May, the early October ...

Penny Tweedy had a vision when she came up with the idea of the Vox Populi Award. We already had an award for Horse of the Year, based purely on accomplishment, but the most accomplished horse does not necessarily equate to the most popular. Often it is the horses closest to our heart that endure and whose memory lingers the longest. Vox ...

While dashing through the mall in an attempt to wrap up the holiday shopping, we witnessed the changing dynamic in American shopping habits. It appears that the concept behind the big department store hasn’t changed all that much in the last few years, so it’s easy to see the continued erosion there at the expense of the unabated growth of online ...

There’s little debate that 2019 has been a difficult one for Thoroughbred breeding and racing. The sport has been tested like never before as our very existence has been called into question by many in the general public, some of our elected officials, national media outlets, and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. In trying to wrap the ...

In a year in which the survival of our sport is being challenged and we fight to continue to engage in our passion—horses—it can be harder to give thanks and show gratitude for the treasures that enrich us and this business of Thoroughbreds. Although a long, fertile past doesn’t ensure an equally bright future, our history does give us thousands ...

With the passing of Morton Fink, I am reprinting a column I wrote the day of Wise Dan's emotional return from surgery in the Bernard Baruch. It culminates with me watching the race with the Finks, two of the most wonderful people you will ever meet. A Day in the Life of Wise Dan The dawn is breaking on a beautiful, cool Saratoga morning. This is ...

In addition to the commerce being conducted in and around the sale grounds at Fasig-Tipton and Keeneland in Central Kentucky this week, industry players are still shaking their heads in disbelief over the results of the Nov. 1-2 Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita Park where the ill-fated Mongolian Groom later lost his life after breaking down in the ...

It was 10 years ago today, on Nov. 7, that the mighty Zenyatta put on the show of shows. I am reprinting my recap of that special event in order to relive all the magic and excitement. On Jan. 13, 2008, John Shirreffs watched his 4-year-old filly Zenyatta win the El Encino Stakes (gr. II) at Santa Anita for her third career victory in as many ...

Usually the air around the Breeders’ Cup is tinged with the anticipation of who is going to emerge victorious over the two-day stand. There certainly was a level of anticipation to this year’s model, run at Santa Anita Park, but it was more cautionary than anything else. The industry collectively held its breath leading up to the Nov. 1-2 World ...