BloodHorse.com

Man does not live on food alone. Souls become nourished in Saratoga by meeting its people, by being near the Thoroughbreds and by walking the grounds and the city.  Still nobody picks winners on an empty stomach. There are four unofficial, fan-sanctioned breakfasts.  Here they are in terms of ascending fulfillment: The first requires a ...

Courtesy of Becky Johnston  If Superman wears Tim Tebow pajamas, I doubt Zenyatta honors her counterpart with a “Rachel is my Hero” negligee.  In fact, I doubt she’s ever heard of her.  With no match up anywhere in sight, the fans must speculate on who is better and it is getting to be a bitter feud.   Can you imagine ...

Veteran racegoers sensed a lack of excitement in the air as Saratoga opened its doors for the start of its 141st season.  It may have been the high humidity and subsequent rain or the realization that better racing was ahead on the weekend that dragged people down.  But the July and September days of the meet are never as ...

The Comparable Index (CI) measures the average earnings of progeny produced from the annual book of mares bred to a sire, when those same mares were bred to other sires. In other words, CI indicates the producing quality of the mares bred to a stallion.  To understand CI, you must first be familiar with the Average Earnings Index (AEI). The ...

 (The following was submitted by Jessi Pizzurro of Pennyroyal Stables. She is based at Mountaineer and spent part of the morning of July 29 watching Mine That Bird gallop. ... Thanks for the first-hand account.) The racing surface at Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort, normally closed for training on Wednesdays, was ...

By Alex Waldrop, President and CEO of the NTRAFirst, I want to thank everyone who responded to my last blog entitled ''Strategic Thinking.''  The overwhelming response I received from so many of you speaks volumes about the passion and enthusiasm of racing's fans.  Rest assured that I personally have read every ...

Editor's note:  In part I of the series, Dr. Robert Fishman, breeder of recent stakes winner Girlfrienontheside, discussed his choice to breed his mare Inlaw to Unbridled's Song -- a mating that resulted in Refrain, dam of Girlfrienontheside.  Follow along as Dr. Fishman continues the story. I bred Inlaw next to first-year ...

Few have made mention that trainer Bill Mott’s birthday is Opening Day at the Spa Course. This helpful bit of handicapping knowledge comes to you with no strings attached. Last summer was a rare Saratoga in which Mott didn’t saddle a winner on his birthday. This year, with Come From Behind in the fifth and Antenna in the seventh, as well as Auteur ...

Guest blog - by Brian Zipse Miss Woodford, Beldame, Regret, Busher, Twighlight Tear, Gallorette, Gamely, Dark Mirage, Gallant Bloom, Shuvee, Susan's Girl, Desert Vixen, Ruffian, Genuine Risk, Princess Rooney, Lady's Secret, Personal Ensign and Go For Wand. The greatest females of American racing. These fillies and mares so dominated their ...

In the last blog, the differences between U.S. and European racing were discussed. There was a time, long before the Breeders’ Cup, when foreign horses came to the U.S. for one special event, like the Washington D.C. International, and then returned home. But, then, along came Dahlia, and international racing changed forever. Unlike your typical ...