BloodHorse.com

West Coast, Irap, and Tapwrit still need another big victory. Oscar Performance could jump in from the grass category and snatch it away, but needs to beat older horses at 1 1/2 miles. Always Dreaming and Cloud Computing have self destructed following their classic victories. Classic Empire looks as if he needs time to totally ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman How fast the summer has flown by! Believe it or not, this weekend will bring the Saratoga and Del Mar meets to a close, but fortunately for racing fans, the two tracks will go out in a burst of excitement with many top-notch graded stakes races scheduled to be run. There are actually ...

Since California lawmakers approved a takeout hike effective for the 2011 racing season, the price increase on horseplayers has failed to deliver projected purse increases and has been followed by reduced handle and race days. After an initial small bump in purses that fell well short of predicted increases, purses have declined the past ...

In speaking with consignors and buyers as they hustle to get ready for the start of the 12-session Keeneland September sale, we were reminded of a series in The Blood-Horse that ran before the September sale in 2000. The concept—dubbed “Reflections”—was simple: gather a handful of the great sale consignors, put them in a room with a recording ...

By: Erin Shea, @BH_EShea When Rachel Masen took a trip to Kentucky for the Retired Racehorse Project's Thoroughbred Makeover event last October, she didn't know she'd be leaving with a request from a Kentucky breeder to help locate a horse back out west.  A lifelong racing fan, Masen wanted to visit historic Calumet Farm on her trip. ...

It was like Samson, Hercules, and Achilles all losing their God-given strength and powers. Even in legend and myth, the most famous indestructible heroes eventually became mortal and met their fate. Since his remarkable conquest in the Dubai World Cup following a run of mind-blowing victories, Arrogate had convinced the world he was ...

Rachel Alexandra was led out of her barn, her coat glistening and dappled and a bit lighter than when she was racing. As she stood placidly in the morning sun, she was not bothered in the slightest by the two visitors fawning over her. She has held her weight extremely well, and she still has that same bright eye her fans remember during her ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman While the upcoming Saturday of racing at Saratoga is exceptional from start to finish-there are seven graded stakes races on the card, including six Grade 1 events-the highlight will undoubtedly be the $1,250,000 Travers Stakes (gr. I). For the first time since 1982, three separate ...