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(Originally published in the April 24, 2010 issue of The Blood-Horse magazine. Feel free to share your own thoughts and opinions at the bottom of the column.)     Gail Hughes called recently and wanted to stop by and chat, an invitation readily accepted. I have learned many things over the past 25-plus years ...

By Brock Sheridan, The Brock TalkWith the major prep races for the Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands in the books and the field beginning to solidify, it appears all but certain that Wood Memorial Stakes (gr. 1) winner Eskendereya will be your post time favorite on the first Saturday in May.  And as we mentioned  Monday, ...

Even with the Coolmore Lexington Stakes (gr. II) completed, we still don’t have a firm field. A starting berth in the Derby is in such high demand, The Cliff’s Edge Derby Trial Stakes (gr. III) has now become a final last gasp for those with a bad case of Derby fever. One of those who has been stricken is Ken Ramsey, who, refreshingly, admits he ...

Let's get this out of the way first: Todd Pletcher needs to win the Kentucky Derby to get the monkey off his back, to put his demons to rest, to silence his critics. Pick whichever cliché you'd like, Pletcher has to get the roses this time or he will continue to be labeled as the best trainer in the country who can't get it done on the biggest ...

(To all those Zenyatta enthusiasts who cringe at the mere mention of a certain other filly’s name, rest assure that name will not appear anywhere in this blog. She will have her own blog in the near future). Why, you might ask, am I writing yet another blog on Zenyatta? Well, the answer to that question is actually the subject matter. Writers and ...

Continuing with the theme of “What is the role of the NTRA?” with an emphasis on “the horse side” of the business,” this week’s topic is safety and integrity.  The year 2008 presented horse racing with some of its greatest challenges to date.  Eight Belles’ catastrophic injury before a world-wide television audience in the Kentucky ...

I don’t know about you guys, but when it comes to handicapping a race, the name of a horse is a huge factor for me. Even though I can read a program and tell you what each statistic means, and whose past performances are the best, the name still stands out above everything else on the page. Second to a horse’s name are its connections, whether or ...

By Rob Fundter, aka Amateurcapper ICE BOX ran the most compelling internal fractions of the Kentucky Derby prep season en route to his 20-1 Florida Derby upset on March 20.  What is the likelihood he can repeat that effort on May 1 at Churchill Downs?  Considering multiple Kentucky Derby winning trainer Nick Zito is calling the ...

While Ghostzapper (TrueNicks,SRO) was represented by his first grade I winner when Stately Victor upset the Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I), his older half-brother City Zip (TrueNicks,SRO) , continued his progress when his daughter Unzip Me captured the Las Cienegas Handicap (gr. III). City Zip – who’s advertised stud fee for 2010 is just $10,000 – ...