BloodHorse.com

Pity any 3-year-old that had the misfortune to come along the year after Secretariat. Talk about a tough act to follow. Well, it could have been worse. At least 1974 3-year-old champion Little Current didn’t have the bad luck to come along the same year as Secretariat, as did the unfortunate Sham. What Little Current did manage to do was ...

The return of SHOWdown is always a big deal here at TwinSpires.com HQ, but nothing would be a bigger deal than seeing Vice President of Marketing Jeremy Clemons with the blanket of roses in one hand and a $1-million bill in the other for the TwinSpires.com player who successfully picked a horse to show in 19 prep races plus the Kentucky Derby ...

Sunday, Gulfstream, Race 12, Local Post Time 6:01pm ETThe G1 Donn Handicap, 1 and 1/8 miles, Dirt, 4YO+By Craig MilkowskiThe Grade 1 Donn Handicap will be run at one-mile-and-one-eighth on the dirt at Gulfstream Park.  The field of eleven is highlighted by 2013 Eclipse Award winner and Breeders' Cup Classic runner- up Will Take Charge.  ...

Today I bring you a guest blog post written by Paula Carleton Evans. Paula is currently working on a book about about the Chilean Thoroughbred Huaso nee Faithful, an ex-racer who jumped a wall higher than eight feet back in 1949 and still holds a world record for that feat. The story is timely, as yesterday marked the 65th ...

One of the most common misconceptions surrounding Kentucky Derby future wagers in winter is that “No horse is worth betting now with the race so far away.” While I do think you’re more likely to find value in any race right now than for one 12 weeks away, it is possible for there to be value in any wager in which there is an outcome. I.e., ...

Sometimes Thoroughbred racing’s challenges seem as entrenched as the Israeli-Arab conflict in the Middle East.Small gains are so few and far between that they generate exaggerated enthusiasm when they do occur. The most recent example came Jan. 29 when Illinois avoided catastrophic—and likely irreversible—damage to its Thoroughbred racing industry ...

1 Top Billing Shug McGaughey Curlin—Parade Queen, by A.P. Indy The truth is, I don’t feel comfortable putting him or anyone at No. 1. Just too many question marks, inactivity, and setbacks regarding the top contenders, and he moved up because he’ll now likely go in the Fountain of the Youth with Honor Code out, and he does appear to have as ...

There is nothing quite as humbling on the Derby trail as attempting to set off two fireworks on the same day, especially when you light them minutes apart. Len Riggio, who hasn’t exactly been a familiar face on the Derby trail, not only attempted this on Feb. 1, he attempted it with New York-breds, both of whom went off as the favorite in their ...

When South Africa's Western Cape Breeders Club invited me to talk at their Thoroughbred & Equestrian seminar, I knew it meant one thing—an opportunity for another installment of Tapp's Travels, which I hadn't done since 2011 in Australia and New Zealand. The seminar coincided with the Cape Premier Yearling Sale in Cape Town Jan. 23-24. This ...