BloodHorse.com

Commerce is key to any industry, and thankfully the folks at Fasig-Tipton and the Keeneland Association did a yeoman’s job in just being able to conduct yearling sales amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Thoroughbred breeders and consignors have to be most grateful for all of the hard work behind bringing in more than $300 million through the auction ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Five weeks out from the Breeders' Cup World Championships, there are so many high-profile races on the agenda that it's difficult to keep track of them all. The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series is really heating up with 11 ''Win and You're In'' qualifiers spread throughout the U.S. ...

While indicators at the end of the second session of Book 3 at the Keeneland September yearling sale seemed to indicate a “more stable” environment according to our Ron Mitchell, others suggested that the leading buyer of Book 3 was “RNA.” Nobody has ever said the sale game is easy…especially during a pandemic. Through six sessions some $208 ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman There are plenty of competitive graded stakes races on the agenda this week. Woodbine alone is hosting four such events, including the Woodbine Mile (G1), Natalma (G1), and Summer (G1)—all ''Win and You're In'' qualifiers for the Nov. 6-7 Breeders' Cup World Championships. Belmont ...

While the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Selected Yearlings Showcase raked in more than $61.2 million over two days, we’ll defer commenting on the yearling sales until we get more than two books in. Even then, the expert commentary will come from Bill Oppenheim’s “In My Opinion.” Until then, here are some side comments, like the old-school sports ...

I believe a stewards’ ruling on a recent race at Kentucky Downs failed to follow the state policies in place on disqualifications when an entry is involved, although chief steward Barbara Borden believes the rule gives them latitude on such matters. As it turns out, even when given that latitude—which I don’t think is there—I still think they ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman The lucrative race meet at Kentucky Downs is underway, with the Saturday card shaping up to be a major highlight. Five stakes events worth a combined $3.2 million are on the slate, including the $1 million Kentucky Turf Cup (G3) and the $700,000 Runhappy Turf Sprint (G3). Both ...

Kentucky Derby weekend in Louisville had it all. It was exciting yet bizarre, colorful yet weird, and tense yet quiet…often at the same time. But it makes sense in a year when Hunter S. Thompson’s once “Decadent and Depraved” Kentucky Derby was “disinfectant and delayed” due to a global pandemic and run in a city with raw nerves following more ...

Looking at the number of starts in the past performances for horses entered in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), one half expects to see Real Quiet or Thunder Gulch listed among the runners. In terms of starts ahead of the Derby for this year's 3-year-olds, pushing the race back four months seemingly has pushed the classic ...