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While the finalists for the 2010 Eclipse Awards, which we be held in Miami on Jan. 17, have yet to be announced, winners of most of the categories are fairly easy to predict. Of course, Horse of the Year is going to provide most of the drama and will be the focus of most of our attention. But we've all made our feelings clear on that ...

Racing is close to finishing up for the year. Lots of potential broodmares and stallions are retiring to start new careers. After a quick break for Thanksgiving, I went to Churchill for the Clark Handicap and for likely my last day of racing this year. Other recent and ongoing assignments have included a New Sires feature in the December 11 ...

In the horse racing industry, there’s no need for fiction, because the reality is so outrageous and bizarre. All you have to do is cover the events as they happen—a good fiction writer couldn’t make up some of this stuff. Maryland racing has been a head-scratcher for years. Economic issues and their impact on the business is one thing; ...

Yes, there is room for one final Zenyatta column. Farewells have a way of inspiring them.On Sunday, Hollywood Park will become racing’s mecca, as fans of all ages bow and pray in their own manner to a Thoroughbred that has become goddess-like to her thousands of self-proclaimed subjects. They have worshipped Zenyatta up close and from afar, and it ...

The suggestions for the perfect stallion for Zenyatta were large in number and wide in their variety. Studs at her new home, Lane's End Farm, were mentioned prominently, but other suggestions included her successful Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) rival Blame; various foreign stallions, including Sea the Stars; deceased sires, including Northern ...

Like some Thoroughbreds, Smarty’s Gold, a 4-year-old son of Smarty Jones, just wasn’t cut out to be a racehorse. Trained by Michael Gorham, he failed to win in eight starts on the northeast circuit, and was shelved this spring with a minor injury after campaigning for just two seasons. Smarty’s Gold’s connections decided the chestnut colt may be ...

Speightstown, photo by Lee Thomas It has long been apparent that the crop of stallions that began their stud career in 2005 is a very good one. It’s members include Medaglia d'Oro (TrueNicks,SRO), Tapit (TrueNicks,SRO), Speightstown (TrueNicks,SRO), Candy Ride (ARG) (TrueNicks,SRO), and Lion Heart (TrueNicks) (exported to Turkey, but ...

Todd Pletcher leads all North American-based trainers in 2010 with more than $22.6 million in earnings and should have his fifth Eclipse Award locked up. His first Kentucky Derby win and three Breeders' Cup victories may have made this the most rewarding year of Pletcher's career. With 2011 right around the corner, it's only logical to take a ...

I have just finished reading Thoroughbred Breeding: Pedigree Theories and the Science of Genetics by Dr. Matthew Binns and Mr. Tony Morris, and it is a thoroughly interesting and worthwhile read. I can recommend it for anyone involved in breeding racehorses (see it at Amazon.com). The book covers a large range of topics within Thoroughbred ...

   (Originally published in the December 4, 2010 issue of The Blood-Horse magazine. Feel free to share your own thoughts and opinions at the bottom of the column.)   By Marla Bickel ''What’s the future of The Blood-Horse?” This is the question many readers, advertisers, and industry partners have asked during ...