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The year has been an interesting one so far, don’t you think? Despite a myriad of concerns for the Thoroughbred breeding and racing community, one relatively esoteric issue has come to mind: North America’s stakes schedule for the second half of 2020. Without racing since about mid-March in most of the country, the racing programs in New York, ...

Advised to hold our breath, the industry let out a collective sigh of relief last Thursday as Maryland Bill SB987 officially passed into law. The bill, the ''Racing and Community Act of 2020,'' which authorizes up to $375 million in bonds for redeveloping Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park, had passed March 18—or ''PC,'' pre-COVID-19—but had the ...

Purses in the United States as reported in the monthly Thoroughbred Economic Indicators were down 79.64% from a year ago for the month of April alone, and year-to-date purses are off 28.85%. That’s to be expected these days with the majority of tracks having been closed since the end of March due to COVID-19 concerns. That also means there ...

I would like to prepare all Zenyatta fans for the possibility that a son of Blame could win the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) this year. Not only that, he (Nadal) could defeat a horse trained by John Shirreffs (Honor A.P.). My request to all impassioned Zenyatta fans is this: Go to YouTube and watch the 2010 Breeders’ Cup ...

While Louisville and Churchill Downs remain quarantined—at least for another week as the backside is set to open May 11 with racing expected to resume May 16—Oaklawn Park’s 2020 season ended in a blaze of glory. Racing in Hot Springs, Ark., continued as most other major-market tracks were closed for the last two weeks amid COVID-19 shutdowns and ...

This column is for me and couple of guys from Brooklyn. If anyone wishes to relive it with us you can continue to the reprint of my 2017 Derby recap below. This will always be known as the year the Kentucky Derby went silent…at least for the next four months. But in silence comes thoughts, and for some reason this morning I thought of a cold ...

With NBC televising a special on American Pharoah's Kentucky Derby on May 2 I thought it would be a good time to reprint one of my favorite columns that appeared in 2015. That was my last Kentucky Derby after providing lead coverage for Daily Racing Form and Blood-Horse for 23 years. There were many memorable moments, but none quite as special as ...

Thoroughbred racing has been able to endure during the current pandemic—in pockets of the country at least—which is something most other sports have been unable to do. The National Basketball Association and National Hockey League’s 2019-20 seasons remain on hold; Major League Baseball is a long way from opening day; and while the National ...

1 Tiz the Law Barclay Tagg Constitution—Tizfiz, by Tiznow Derby horses normally are geared up to peak on the first Saturday in May and no horse would have been ready for a peak performance more than this horse, who would have gone into the Derby checking off every box. Now, no one really knows for sure where he'll be 3-4 months from now ...

The COVID-19 situation has divided most working Americans into two camps: those who have been fired, furloughed, or shut down and have plenty of time on their hands, or those on the clock who are busier than ever. Those in the Thoroughbred industry fall into the latter category. Although hard at work, we wouldn’t suggest the money is rolling in. ...