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By Eric Mitchell My memory includes an indelible image of George Steinbrenner standing before members of the then-Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' Association poised with a large sledge hammer painted gold. It was his scepter, given to him in the fall of 1989 when he was elected president of the association's board. Steinbrenner's main goal was to ...

The Fasig-Tipton July Sale is currently underway (Click here for Fasig-Tipton July TrueNicks reports). You'd probably be pleased if your yearling purchase goes on to win a graded stakes race regardless of the distance, but – in an ideal scenario – what distance would you prefer? Explain your choice in the comments section below. If your ...

(Originally published in the July 17, 2010 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 focus of racing in Kentucky after the Fourth of July should have been on Ellis Park as the Henderson, Ky., track once dubbed the ...

Bobby Frankel not only was a trainer, owner, and breeder, he was a darn good handicapper, a skill he developed studying the old Morning Telegraph as a kid growing up in Brooklyn. And it was his handicapping skills that won him many a race as a trainer. Unlike the majority of trainers from the 1960s, when he got started, Frankel came from the ...

Last year Gio Ponti put together a four-race win streak – all in grade I events – from spring through summer, that stamped him as one of the best around. Since then, however, the now five-year-old has been on a more frustrating streak. He ended the year with seconds in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational (gr. I) and Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. ...

At Royal Ascot, Australian-bred Starspangledbanner captured the Golden Jubilee (gr. I), a contest that the Racing Post suggested was “arguably the classiest sprint ever run in this country” with 12 of the 24 starters having previously won group or grade I events. In the July Cup (gr. I), Starspangledbanner lined up against another top-class ...

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 ...

With all the gloom and doom in Kentucky, it’s nice to know some people in the horse industry have a sense of humor. On opening weekend at Ellis Park—more than 5,000 packed the place Saturday on a hot, sunny day—the mood was anything but negative and the racing better than expected. And it wasn’t without a few laughs. “The horses are at the gate ...

This is our final profile of first crop offerings at the upcoming Fasig-Tipton July Yearlings sale. Click here for a complete list of Fasig-Tipton July TrueNicks reports. Hip# 130 – Discreet Cat – Tia Lea, by Songandaprayer (TrueNicks B+) Generally he has been disappointing with Mr. Prospector but Discreet Cat’s sire, Forestry (TrueNicks,SRO), ...

This week we are profiling some interesting first crop offerings at the upcoming Fasig-Tipton July Yearlings sale. Click here for a complete list of Fasig-Tipton July TrueNicks reports. Hip# 62 – Half Ours – Internal Affair, by Orientate (TrueNicks A) This is a very clever pedigree. The Unbridled’s Song/Mt. Livermore cross is a very good one as ...