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Ten years. If Rick Dutrow’s suspension ended today, it would mean the last time we saw him training horses was the year Funny Cide won the Derby and Preakness. That’s a lot of racing and a lot of years gone by. When Dutrow does return, assuming he has exhausted all avenues and finally capitulates, he’ll be 64. There have been a number of ...

We analyzed the Holy Bull Stakes (G3) on That Handicapping Show this week, and despite the presence of several big name three-year-olds, including 2yo champ Shanghai Bobby, I picked Calder-based Itsmyluckyday. If you didn't see his performance in the Gulfstream Park Derby on New Year's Day, it is worth reviewing. This Lawyer Ron ...

I would like to welcome back Shannon Hahn of Double L Stable Equine Rescue and Sanctuary in Argyle, N.Y., who I have featured several other times on Beyond the Blinkers.Over the years since I started this blog, Shannon has come to me with different stories of horses she has helped nurse back to health, rehabilitate, and re-home. This year, in ...

(Originally published in the January 26, 2013 issue of The Blood-Horse magazine. Feel free to share your own thoughts and opinions at the bottom of the column.)  By Eric Mitchell - @BH_EMitchell on Twitter A filly named Glorious Dancer caused two significant changes in the life of horseplayer Michael Beychok.The first occurred ...

The following stemmed from a morning editorial meeting when the question was asked whether Wise Dan is the first Horse of the Year to have broken his maiden at Turfway Park. (He did so March 27, 2010, as a 3-year-old.) He isn't the only one, however. Alysheba notched his first victory at Turfway (then called Latonia Race Course) in 1986 as a ...

It’s hard to believe 40 years have passed since the winter of 1973. Racing’s two hubs as usual were Hialeah and Gulfstream in Florida and Santa Anita in California. The only sounds that were heard at Aqueduct were the winds howling off Jamaica Bay and the squawking of the seagulls. Soon, track workers would begin preparation for opening day on ...

With everyone talking about undefeated Eblouissante's second career victory, I thought it would be interesting to analyze her from the standpoint of herd dynamics and emotional conformation with help from my friend and cohort Kerry Thomas. For those not familiar with Kerry, he is the founder of The Thomas Herding Technique ...

The charm of horse racing lies primarily in the animals that do it—their beauty, grace, power and their degree of class. But there is an undeniable attraction to the colorful human beings that make it happen. The purpose of this blog is to share my stories about some of these characters. My requisites in the selection: I had dealings with them, ...