BloodHorse.com

The usual place on the agenda for a steeplechase is the first race.  But in deference to the lofty status of the $100,000 grade 1 New York Turf Writers Cup, the jumpers were moved down the card a bit, thus moving up, in fact.  The 2 3/8 mile fixture over fences went forth as the third and, wouldn't you know it, a 20-1 shot upset the ...

Last Friday night, Animal Planet rolled out the season premiere of its high energy show ''Jockeys'' to critical and industry acclaim.  ...

Welcome to TrueNicks' Keeneland September Yearling sale page. TrueNicks are available for the 2009 Keeneland September yearlings listed here by hip number. To generate a TrueNicks report, click on the link beneath the hip number and pedigree line and submit the foal's sire and dam information   Normal 0 ...

It's always fun to pass along good news about retired racers.  From our sister site The Horse: Your Guide to Equine Health comes this release:  A new trail training course at the Maker's Mark Secretariat Center in the Kentucky Horse Park will allow off-the-track Thoroughbreds to be schooled over natural trails. The training course, ...

Editor's note:  Dr. Robert Fishman shares his story about breeding recent stakes winner Girlfrienontheside. Earlier in the series (see part I,  part II, part III, and part IV), we read about how Dr. FIshman bred her dam, Refrain, and then followed along as Refrain was bred several times to some top sires. In the previous ...

Post position isn't supposed to mean much in a 1 ¼ mile race at Saratoga.  Yet, quite a media gathering took place in the paddock at 11:00 on a perfectly sublime Wednesday morning to learn which horse will be starting where in the Travers on Saturday.   The suspicion is that most on hand were interested in hearing about the ...

Although he retired to stud with earnings of nearly $7,780,000, Pleasantly Perfect (TrueNicks,SRO) had some strikes against him as a stallion prospect. The Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I), and Dubai World Cup (gr. I) winner didn't start until he was three, when he made one outing, didn't win until he was four, and was at his best and five and six. ...

As soon as Jess Jackson announced his plans to run Rachel Alexandra in the Woodward Stakes, the historical significance of such an attempt was made known in various publications, as were comments that Jackson is taking the easy way out, running against inferior older horses instead of much more accomplished 3-year-olds in the Travers. We have ...

A reader's comment to a post last week (Thoroughbred Pedigree Review of KEESEP Hip #4233 -- A Rasmussen Factor Case Study) pointed out the significant mare inbreeding in a 1952 mare named Ellen's Best (pedigree). Ellen's Best's fourth dam was Friar's Carse, who was also the dam of her sire War Relic. In turn, War Relic was inbred to Fairy ...

Combining genetic relatives in pedigrees has been for some time a pathway to upgrading pedigrees for stakes success. Many moons ago noted pedigree authority Ken McLean suggested in his book Quest for a Classic Winner that the like bred Nijinsky II, his three quarter brother The Minstrel and Storm Bird, a son of Northern Dancer whose dam is ...