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(By Avalyn Hunter) 2012 has been a year of changes for historic Calumet Farm. Sold to the Calumet Investment Group Trust and officially leased to billionaire businessman Brad Kelley, the farm now is revamping its breeding operations. Stallions Ice Box and Cactus Ridge, who both stood at Calumet in 2012 while the farm was still owned by ...

I have played in maybe a half dozen handicapping contests in my life, but this weekend I am going to take a shot in the Keeneland NHC qualifier. Entry fee is $150, plus $50 to join the NHC tour (which makes me eligible for the DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Contest in Las Vegas if I can finish in the top three.) I am going to split ...

Horseracing interests, led by the NTRA legislative team, have been involved in Internet gaming issues on Capitol Hill for nearly a decade. In the lame duck session following the 2010 elections, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) proposed a draft I-gaming bill to be included within other legislation. The draft bill would have essentially ...

I love it when a past Beyond the Blinkers subject takes the time to email and give me an update on his or her off track Thoroughbred! Do you guys remember the story of Windy Jim as told by owner Jackie Cross in March 2011? (Click here to refresh your memory). Well, Jackie emailed me a few weeks ago to give me an update on the 16-year-old Feel the ...

Calumet Farm is a name that has been associated with history-making stallions since the arrival of English Derby winner Blenheim II in 1936. In that case, Calumet—for whom Blenheim II sired Triple Crown hero Whirlaway—was only part of the investment group that brought the Aga Khan's classic victor to the U.S., Blenheim II's stateside home being ...

Few classic crops have been maligned more than the class of 2011. Well, perhaps it is time for the critics to re-evaluate their position. The truth is, there have been few classic crops recently that have accomplished more over the next two years. It should be noted that we are differentiating classic crop from 3-year-old crop. Every year, we ...

(Originally published in the December 1, 2012 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 common refrain heard among Thoroughbred mare owners at this time of the year is that stud fees are too high.This ...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- We form attachments writing about racehorses, as much as some of us try to deny it. Admiration of the Thoroughbred is, after all, part of why turf writers do what we do. The best and worst parts of our job revolve around the campaigns of these runners and our coverage of them. We get to know the horses and the people who ...