BloodHorse.com

As 2008 drifts off into the sunset, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has read and/or commented on Breeders' Cup Chat. We had some lively debates, and even though 2008 wasn't the best of years for horse racing, I think we did a pretty good job of keeping it fun. I appreciated everyone's input, even when we disagreed. Thanks ...

Magazine publishing has been described as a three-legged stool supported by the pillars of editorial, advertising, and audience development. The perch becomes precarious if the three legs aren’t balanced. The core of the Thoroughbred industry can be thought of in a similar way. Here, the three legs are comprised of stallion managers, breeders, and ...

This final blog of 2008 is to wish everyone a joyous holiday season and say thanks for all the comments over the past six months and all the words of encouragement regarding the historical pieces, most of which combined facts, anecdotes, and personal recollections of the horses and the people. It seems most people have enjoyed looking back -- ...

Five months after we started discussing the mare Surgeglobal (in a previous Five-Cross Files post and again in a follow-up post), the mare will compete in a Turfway Park contest today.  This start marks Surgeglobal's return to racing after a 27-month hiatus. Surgeglobal is entered in race 3 on the Dec. 29 Turfway card, a 5 1/2-furlong ...

As 2008 draws to a close, we can start to assess the Thoroughbred sire crop that entered stud in 2003.  At this point, those stallions have had their all-important first and second crops complete their 3-year-old season. I compared the year-to-date 2008 Third-Crop Sires list against the 2007 Second-Crop Sires list (BloodHorse.com lets ...

Here is a list of a couple new horses I am watching for the coming new year, thus some are derby projections. At the top of the list is none other than Scooby Dubai. You all know by now how much names mean to me in having fun with this sport, but it isn't just what's in a name, it is his potential. 12/5 finished 1st in a 7f MCL $33,80011/9 ...

Andre Agassi is the perfect poster boy for image trumping reality.  He was the rock star of tennis from the moment he set foot on the court in 1986, but he didn't win his first Grand Slam event until 1992.  Anna Kournikova might be example #2 as she did the same thing in 1999, being the #1 searched item on Google, but only reaching ...

Handicapping is an integral part of the Thoroughbred game, a cerebral exercise that involves time and patience, skill and luck, risk-taking and rewards. But the ultimate handicapping is not done by those who look at exactas and Pick Threes, but by the owners and breeders who realize how high the odds really are.Commodity brokers know how hard it ...

It's that time of year again.  Even when the Thoroughbred breeding market is facing tough times, it's exciting to take a look at the newest stallions on the block. Here are two helpful links: Stallion Register Online list of horses entering stud in 2009.  From Andronikos (GB) to Zanjero, meet all 100+ new sires in the ...

First it was Holy Bull’s rampage in 1994 and then the reign of Cigar. No chronicle of the mid-to-late ‘90s would be complete without recognizing Skip Away’s career, which football pundits would call smash-mouth racing.The story of Skip Away revolves around four basic elements – his remarkable statistics, his toughness, the love of his owner ...