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Whether it’s been the result of a misguided battle plan or the horse simply being too headstrong early, the Nyquist we saw in the Preakness and Haskell Invitational was not the same horse we saw in his first eight starts, all victories and all professional efforts. Nyquist never made you feel as if he was the fastest horse in the country or ...

Each week I write a column in BloodHorse Daily on the Breeders' Cup Challenge that typically includes table information relevant to the week. But because of room constraints, I do not run all race winners to date. Since I have that information--and plenty of room on this blog--I figured I'd post it.Information is through Challenge races of Sept. ...

Coolmore’s M.V. Magnier had the attention of Keeneland’s bidspotter in the back ring of the sales pavilion. Without batting an eye he held three fingers to his chest, and just like that, the restraint that has been seen in the auction arena the last several years went out the window.The bid—at $3 million—was the final one on Hip 454, Clarkland ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Handicapping races with odds-on favorites is never an easy task, especially when you're doing it a couple of days in advance. It's a careful balancing act that involves analyzing the merits of the favorite and debating whether they are vulnerable to being upset by a longshot... and ...

Seeing those familiar Juddmonte Stable silks flying way ahead of the others down the stretch in the Travers Stakes, and witnessing the sheer brilliance and dominance of the horse carrying those silks, all you had to do was replace the sandy loam of Saratoga Racetrack with the lush green grass of Europe’s finest racecourses and you might as well ...

Just as a good horse can come from anywhere, so too can good horsepeople. That was readily apparent Sept. 10 at the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association’s 31st annual national awards dinner where breeders and owners of all shapes and sizes mingled under a tent at Stonestreet Farm near Lexington. Honored were some of racing’s titans: ...

The date September 30 is so ingrained in my mind I sometimes have to pause for a second so I don’t confuse it with the date of my wedding anniversary, which is September 28. (See the confessions I have to make for the sake of this column). I had already entered the portal into the world of Thoroughbred racing, but that was the day I broke through, ...