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Clyde Haugan always said: ''Don't let the bastards get you down.'' Haugan, a longtime resident of Indian Harbour Beach, Fla., began suffering from skin cancer at the age of 51 and had to undergo more than 100 procedures to have them removed, extensive lymph node surgery, and high dose radiation therapy. Despite his ordeal, he never stopped ...

By William Shanklin The vast majority of businesses in the Thoroughbred racing and breeding industry are privately held and many are family-owned. Most are classified by the United States government as “small” businesses.Unlike big public companies with deep pockets, small firms normally cannot afford to employ the most sought-after executives ...

We are all aware of the big names in the 3-year-old division who won or competed in one or more of the Triple Crown races - names like Lookin At Lucky, Super Saver, Drosselmeyer, Ice Box, Fly Down, First Dude, Uptowncharlybrown, Paddy O'Prado, Jackson Bend, Make Music For Me, Dublin, Stately Victor, Game On Dude, and Mission Impazible. But could ...

By Alex Waldrop, President and CEO of the NTRA  Last week, the NTRA’s lobbying team secured introduction of important federal legislation to protect our $1.3 billion market for advance deposit wagering.The bill, H.R. 5599, clarifies the relationship between the Wire Act, a 1961 federal criminal statute aimed at illegal bookmaking, the ...

By Gene Kershner, EquiSpace So how do you think the year is shaping up so far for the sport of thoroughbred horse racing? Do you think the glass is half empty or half full? It's time for my annual half year inspection of the Bests and Worst of thoroughbred racing. You can see the mid-year reports for 2009 and 2008 in the archives (always fun ...

By Tim Capps  With the 2010 Triple Crown now in the record books, it is time for the annual wailing and gnashing of teeth that always follows or starts happening during the five weeks of Triple Crown hoopla. This year’s wailing has been predictable: The races are too close together; it’s too early in the season for 3-year-olds who, in ...

By Laura Pugh, of Horsin' Around Well, last blog certainly drew a crowd; let’s see what kind of reviews I get for this one.For this blog I have several things I would like to discuss, so sit back and please try and keep awake. First on the list is the creation of teams. This topic will tie into the rest as the post continues. Every sport has ...

By William Shanklin  Pari-mutuel wagering on U.S. horse racing peaked in 2003 and has been stagnant or deteriorating ever since, with precipitous drops during the economic slowdown of 2008 and 2009. In 2009 pari-mutuel wagering fell by 9.8%, compared with a 5.5% dip for casino gaming. Though the rate of decline has slowed in 2010, the decay ...