BloodHorse.com

With the amount of time breeders spend holding their breath, running a commercial operation has to be incredibly hard. Will the “big mare” get in foal? Will she carry the foal? What about her delivery? They would be lucky if the worries stopped there. The resultant foal—should it be hale and hearty enough—has a year and a half of preparation ...

1 Vino Rosso Todd Pletcher Curlin—Mythical Bride, by Street Cry I’ve had him ranked on top for several weeks now and see no reason to change at this point. He’s done nothing wrong, he looks fantastic physically, and you had to love his last work, a sharp half in an un-Pletcher-like :47 1/5. Working outside his stablemate, he did ...

On April 27, trainer Todd Pletcher sent out Audible, Magnum Moon, Noble Indy, and Vino Rosso for their final pre-Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) workouts at Churchill Downs. That would be this year's respective Xpressbet Florida Derby (G1) winner, Arkansas Derby (G1) winner, TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) winner, and Wood ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Question: How fast will the early pace be in the 2018 Kentucky Derby? That is one of the key factors to consider when handicapping the ''Run for the Roses,'' since predicting the intensity of the early pace can determine whether speed horses or late runners will have the advantage, ...

Every once in awhile a great one comes along. And while the best of them are often measured by the grit and determination they show in defeat instead of in victory, so to, are they more appreciated once they leave this earth. We say this with the passing of the legendary Giant’s Causeway, a wonder in flight and a legend at stud, who left us April ...

1 Vino Rosso Todd Pletcher Curlin—Mythical Bride, by Street Cry He had a good competitive work with stakes-winning 4-year-old Outplay, winner of a recent seven-furlong allowance race in 1:22 3/5. Vino Rosso broke off on top and the pair kept exchanging leads before coming down the stretch together and finishing on even terms in :49 ...

This year's Kentucky Derby is unlike anything we've seen in many years, as it looks as if we have a number of budding superstars, some of whom have already been labeled as freaks. A couple, Justify and Magnum Moon, are undefeated, have displayed extraordinary brilliance, and are looking to defy history by putting an end to the so-called ...

About 2,000 bettors went home happy after playing the mandatory-payout Rainbow 6 wager March 31 at Gulfstream Park. Thanks to new tax reporting and withholding rules put in place during the fall, the joy figures to spread through racing for quite some time. Betting the Rainbow 6 on this year's Florida Derby day card at Gulfstream has provided the ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Every year, one of my favorite races to handicap is the $1.2 million Charles Town Classic (gr. II) at Charles Town in West Virginia. The huge purse usually ensures that a competitive field lines up to contest the race, and what's better than a group of talented older horses running ...