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It just doesn’t make sense. Frankel seems an aberration, a contradiction; something that defies all the rules of genetics and racing tradition. At the risk of sounding pompous and disgustingly provincial, Frankel should have American blood coursing through his veins, especially on his sire’s side; a Seattle Slew incarnate let loose over the grassy ...

By Vic Zast [Editor's Note: Vic Zast traveled to Ascot to witness the first British Champions Day. Zast, a BloodHorse.com correspondent, has attended every Breeders' Cup World Championship since its inception in 1984.] (Ascot, England – October 15, 2011)  Horse racing headlines in London’s newspapers this past week were not what the ...

Our Mims Haven is a wonderful Paris, Ky.-based Thoroughbred retirement facility that features a stellar group of mares. This Saturday morning, Oct. 15, the retired multiple graded stakes-winning mare Lotka, an Our Mims resident, will be featured at Keeneland's ''Breakfast with the Works.'' The event begins at 8:45 a.m. in the paddock. Recent ...

It seems a contradiction to the senses to boost the merits of the Breeders’ Futurity, run over Polytrack, and several of its participants. But the feeling here is that we saw a couple of potential stars emerge from the race, whose true talents actually will not be seen until they run on dirt. One of them already has become our live longshot for ...

For many, the highlight of each year’s live racing calendar is the summer season and the annual pilgrimage to Saratoga or Del Mar to enjoy top class racing in a picturesque setting. They are journeys worth taking for a variety of reasons, and I encourage you to do so if you have never been.  But now that Fall weather is here and both Saratoga ...

This year's Perfect Trip Award will recognize a Breeders' Cup Challenge race winner from this season's North American races that best exemplifies a ''Perfect Trip''. The winner will be selected from a panel of racing experts and will have the opportunity to experience his or her own ''Perfect Trip'' through Sentient Jet, with ...

 Jim Weigel is the role model for every owner whose stable begins and ends with a $16,000 claimer and every breeder with two mares and a prayer.Weigel, 69, a former sonar engineer who worked with navies from Australia to Europe, bred and raced millionaire and grade I winner Dream of Summer out of a $7,000 mare he bought at auction. And now he ...

 Getting a seat at the grade I Kentucky Derby currently presented by Yum! Brands has always been tough, but getting tickets for the 2012 edition just got tougher, particularly on fans’ wallets.Churchill Downs introduced a new policy last month requiring everyone applying for tickets online—now the only way to apply—to pay a $100 application ...

Last week a columnist for the Daily Racing Form wrote in no uncertain terms that the race for Horse of the Year is over. He said that no matter what happens in the Breeders' Cup Classic, Havre de Grace will claim the award based on what she has accomplished already this year--five graded wins including defeating males in the Woodward. The ...

''He is a freak,'' said rival jockey Jim Cassidy after Lonhro (AUS) (TrueNicks,SRO) rolled past his mount Grand Armee in the 2003 George Main Stakes (gr. I, 1 mile, video below). ''That is the first time ever I've heard the whoosh as a horse goes past me. He burnt my ears. I let down and he let down five more gears. I'm stunned.'' Lonhro was ...