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When the Secretariat rocket ship soared to a galaxy never before reached in his 31-length procession in the Belmont Stakes, it gave the colt an aura of invincibility and made it seem inconceivable that he would ever be defeated again. He had raised the bar higher than any horse in history or at least the same level as the previous Big Red, Man o’ ...

So what do we make of the beginning of the second half of the 2017 race season, where in the space of one week we’ve seen the defeats of Arrogate, Always Dreaming, Cloud Computing, Irish War Cry, and Timeline with nary a battle offered? These named, are, after all and respectively, the highest ranked horse in the world, the Kentucky Derby ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman The road to the Breeders' Cup Classic has had a few surprising twists and turns thus far, such as Arrogate's surprising defeat in the San Diego Handicap two weeks ago, so although the $1.2 million Whitney Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga might look like a predictable race at first glance, ...

By: Erin Shea, @BH_EShea Racing NSW, the regulating body for Thoroughbred racing in New South Wales Australia, announced July 22 that it has purchased a 2,600-acre property in Capertee for the purpose of rehabilitation, retraining, and rehoming off-track Thoroughbreds. However, the organization aims for the property to be more than just an ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman The top-notch racing at Saratoga will continue this weekend with several competitive graded stakes races on the agenda, including the $600,000 Jim Dandy Stakes for three-year-olds and the $350,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (gr. I) for older sprinters. While the field sizes aren't ...

This article first appeared in Blood Horse magazine on September 9, 2000.Let's make a horse racing movie. You know, the kind they used to make in the 1940s and ‘50s. It doesn't matter if the plot is implausible. People love this kind of stuff.First we need a girl. There's always a girl, one who loves horses, having been around them all her life. ...

It’s doubtful the second half of the racing season—read Saratoga Race Course and Del Mar—could have gotten off to a more interesting start over the past weekend. The two grade 1 races at Saratoga delivered drama with both outcomes requiring photo finishes—and stewards’ approvals—before being made official. At Del Mar, Arrogate, number one on ...

By: Erin Shea, @BH_EShea The words used when Thoroughbred aftercare is discussed may not paint an accurate picture of what actually happens when a horse leaves the track. While arguing semantics about off-track Thoroughbreds may seem unimportant, one group views changing the conversation as a major piece of the larger equine welfare ...

Kentucky purses continue to benefit from the success of historical racing, which registered another strong year. The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission this week released final fiscal year 2017 handle reports for the gaming, which continues to thrive as gross commission improved 41% to more than $71.61 million. That increased handle for the ...