BloodHorse.com

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') On Monday, the Road to the Kentucky Derby continues at Oaklawn Park with the running of the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes. The one-mile race has drawn a field of nine, led by the talented Mr. Z, who placed in a quintet of graded stakes races during his very busy juvenile campaign. Here are the ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') The $200,000 LeComte Stakes (gr. III) on January 17th at Fair Grounds poses an interesting handicapping question—what do you do with Eagle, the likely favorite, now that he has drawn the far outside post position in a field of eleven? From some perspectives, Eagle seems like a standout. Last time out, he ...

Picture a deep blue sky, a slight late winter’s chill in the air, warmed by the sun, and rows of colorful tulips bringing the first images of the impending spring. Picture a kaleidoscope of familiar colors atop noble steeds who have migrated north with the robins. Picture cigar smoke-filled buses and trains arriving one after another from all ...

What happened to a Thoroughbred after it finished racing barely registered as an issue with most industry stakeholders 25 years ago. “Nobody cared,” said Delaware owner/breeder Herb Moelis, a New York businessman who bought a farm he named Candyland in 1986. What awoke Moelis and his wife, Ellen, to the fate of ex-racehorses was an article about ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Along the road to the Kentucky Derby, it sometimes becomes clear that the top three-year-olds in a particular region of the country are clearly superior to their rivals in other states. In 2012, the supremacy of the California-based runners became clear as they dominated prep races across the nation, ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Dirt! Turf! Fillies! Colts! Three-year-olds! Older horses! No matter what kind of racing you prefer, there should be something for everyone on the second Saturday of 2015. At Santa Anita, up-and-coming Kentucky Derby contenders will take the stage in the $100,000 Sham Stakes (gr. III), while at Gulfstream ...

It’s been 24 years since a Kentucky Derby winner won the Breeders’ Cup Classic. During those 24 years, only eight Derby winners even made it to the Classic, and only one of them finished in the money. That horse was California Chrome, who finished third, beaten only two necks. And he managed to accomplish that with only one prep race since the ...

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 ...