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Pedigree historians have long been suspicious about the exact parentage of the 1880 Epsom Derby winner. The record books will tell you that the winner was Bend Or, a son of Doncaster out of the Thormanby mare Rouge Rose, bred and owned by the 1st Duke of Westminster. However, not long after the 1880 running of the Derby, the owners of the ...

The select selling season for 2-year-olds in training has come to an end and, as usual, I've ended up with a lot interview material from sale coverage that I never was able to use in my stories. There's also stuff that I've gathered for features that never saw the light of day. This blog gives me a chance to pass some of it along. Read and ...

Going into the final two major preps last weekend, there were arguably five top Kentucky Derby contenders (Creative Cause, Gemologist, Hansen, I’ll Have Another, and Union Rags) with similar credentials. Had nothing major happened in the Arkansas Derby or Blue Grass, the picture at the top was going to be fairly clear on May 5. But, oh boy, ...

.commentForm, .postComments, #comments{display:none;} Join Jason Shandler and Tom LaMarra for a series of Live Blogs to discuss the Kentucky Derby and the Triple Crown.  Live Blogs will be held on April 20, Friday, May 4 (Oaks Day), and Saturday May 5 (Derby Day). All blogs begin at NOON Eastern Daylight Time, and run for one ...

(Originally published in the April 21, 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 - @EJMitchellKy on Twitter A year ago racing fans were scratching their heads over the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) contenders. What ...

 (Originally published in the April 21, 2012 issue of The Blood-Horse magazine. Feel free to share your own thoughts and opinions at the bottom of the column.) By Evan Hammonds The Bradley clan is back in grade I company. That would be the father-son team of Fred and William “Buff” Bradley, breeders and owners of Groupie Doll, the ...

[brightcove videoid=''1565029582001''] 1 Creative Cause Mike Harrington Giant's Causeway—Dream of Summer, by Siberian Summer If you were impressed with Dullahan and Bodemeister, he’s the only horse to have finished in front of both of them. With the top end such a toss-up, it’s difficult dropping him at this point after having him on top ...

In his first crop, sired at a relatively modest fee of $10,000, Broken Vow (TrueNicks,SRO) came up with a very promising colt in Private Vow. Winner of the Futurity Stakes (gr. II) and Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (gr. II), Private Vow might also have gone close in the Breeders' Cup Futurity (gr. I) had a rein not broken in the straight. A leading ...

  The final round of the Kentucky Derby preps are upon us. After Saturday, let the games, and the hype, begin.Blue Grass Stakes This is the race where we find out what Hansen is all about. With so much early speed in here, he will get the perfect opportunity to rate, not just off of one pacesetter but possibly several. If he can, and then ...

Four of our highly touted horses, as early as Oct. 13, 2011 and as recent as April 6, are running this weekend. Two already have the graded earnings to get in the Derby, one needs an in-the-money performance, and one needs to win.All of them – Holy Candy, Dullahan, Optimizer, and Sabercat – should be good prices, with Holy Candy and Sabercat ...