BloodHorse.com

Winston Churchill once said, “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.” No one can really put into words the centuries-long bond between horses and humans, especially the emotional and sometimes mystical attachment we have had with these magnificent creatures throughout history. But there are times ...

1 McCraken Ian Wilkes Ghostzapper—Ivory Empress, by by Seeking the Gold I have to admit I kept changing my mind who to put No. 1. I love Irish War Cry and hated lowering him after only one week. Although he has shown more brilliance, I have absolutely no questions regarding McCraken, and his style of running and powerful turn of foot stamp ...

Sources of stamina among North American stallions seems to be getting leaner as judged by the recent release of the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation's annual report of sire durability and soundness (see near pg. 66 in the Feb. 11 issue of BloodHorse). Among the leading 30 stallions by starts per starter, 13 sires have died, two are ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Yet another exceptional weekend of racing is coming up on February 11th and 12th, with nine graded stakes races and an impressive group of smaller stakes races on the agenda. The race drawing the most attention is the $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes (gr. III) at Tampa Bay Downs (you can ...

Many in the industry have lost touch with the importance of the Experimental Free Handicap, which was released by The Jockey Club Feb. 2 and appears on page 38 of the February 11, 2017 issue of BloodHorse magazine. It remains a vital historical marker for a sport that allows for pretty straightforward comparisons from generation to generation. ...

 By: Erin Shea, @BH_EShea The inaugural $12 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) Jan. 28 at Gulfstream Park created a whole lot of buzz with its unique set up, the rematch between California Chrome and Arrogate, the largest purse in the world, the Pegasus Win-Win Sweepstakes, and its own branding initiatives calling racegoers to ''be ...

1 Irish War Cry Graham Motion Curlin—Irish Sovereign, by Polish Numbers Well, someone has to be No. 1, so why not the horse with the most impressive maiden victory I saw last year and the most impressive stakes victory I’ve seen this year. I just needed to see if he would rate going two turns after being surprisingly rank in last, and he ...

As long as the New England Patriots keep winning Super Bowls, and doing it in such dramatic fashion, I will keep telling this story, which first appeared in a much shorter version in 2001 and has been expanded since. What better time to re-tell it yet again,16 years after it all began. This time the story shifts to a wild and crazy night in ...