BloodHorse.com

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') In the quiet month of January—the only month in American horse racing that does not feature at least one grade I race!—it’s natural to pay special attention to the early Kentucky Derby prep races. After all, there’s no better time to start compiling lists of up-and-coming three-year-olds that could prove ...

The Blood-Horse magazine generates new growth from its deep roots with this week’s expanded edition.Over the past 20 years the magazine’s editors have continuously evaluated and tweaked the content (originally conceived as a newsletter in 1916 to serve hands-on breeders and owners) to meet the needs of a growing dual audience—Thoroughbred industry ...

Many racing fans today who have lived through nine Triple Crown sweep attempts since 1997 take for granted the 3-year-old media star who reaches out to mainstream America to capture the attention and the hearts of the general public. Over the past 15 years, we’ve been taken on magic carpet rides by Kentucky Derby and Preakness winners Smarty ...

Many years ago I established a successful Thoroughbred training farm in Southwest Georgia. It was truly a triumph of energy and enthusiasm over stupidity and bad judgment. When energy and enthusiasm began to wane, I sold Dogwood Farm.Back in the early days of 1975, we were making some headway, presenting Dogwood, and its mild Georgia winter ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Happy New Year, everyone! There is definitely a bit of sadness in bidding farewell to 2014, as it was a wonderful year with some of the very best racing in recent memory, but the good news is that 2015 promises to be just as good, or maybe even better! One of the reasons that 2015 is shaping up to be such a ...

Not many Thoroughbred breeders have the resources of the top five North American breeders highlighted in the section beginning on page 22.Still, anyone who is trying to catch lightning in a bottle with a couple of broodmares can learn something from the guiding principles and experience that have made Adena Springs, William S. Farish, Juddmonte ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') On December 26th, Santa Anita Park will begin their eagerly-anticipated winter meet with a nine-race card highlighted by three graded stakes races, including a pair of grade I races—the $300,000 Malibu Stakes (gr. I) and the $300,000 La Brea Stakes (gr. I). It promises to be a very exciting day of racing, so ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') A little more than a week ago, I wrote a blog post sharing early thoughts on the Kentucky Derby (gr. I), and mentioned that the promising allowance winner Dortmund—unbeaten in two starts for trainer Bob Baffert—is my top-ranked Derby horse with five months remaining before the Run for the Roses. On Saturday, ...