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On a day when the world loudly celebrates a couple of all-American political campaigns -- the Obama/Biden ticket is now official and McCain/Palin is today's big news -- I thought it would be fun to look at an aptly-named Thoroughbred whose influence on the breed is growing every year. Quiet American (SRO) is of course the sire of 1998 Triple ...

If you’ve ever wondered how much one of those big plastic bags stuffed with empty beer cans is worth, the answer is $25.  The “goat patrol” provides a public service for NYRA, scavenging the grandstand and picnic grounds, picking up the precious metal throughout the race day and afterward.  Then with the bags full of empties over their ...

  With so many divisions seemingly wide-open for the Breeders' Cup, there was at least one that we thought we had a pretty good grasp on. The Sprint. Not anymore. In the last seven days the Sprint went from being a division with two clear-cut favorites, to one with more questions than perhaps any other division. First, defending champ ...

The USS Saratoga ball cap that Tom Capstraw wore on Wednesday was not a tricked-up accessory to his NYRA-issued red vest, white shirt and black bow tie.  It was “Proud to be an American” day at the track, and Capstraw, an usher in Section J who served 17 months on the aircraft carrier and four years in the Navy before 25 years as a postal ...

[image url="http://cdn.bloodhorse.com/images/content/shaskin_large.jpg" alt="Steve Haskin" ]Steve Haskin[/image] Blood-Horse senior correspondent Steve Haskin returns to Talkin' Horses for his first look at the 2008 Breeders' Cup World Championships. Haskin is an award-winning Turf writer renowned for his Kentucky Derby ...

This autumn, we'll have no shortage of broodmares to evaluate -- the limitation will be how much time we can spend perusing the myriad breeding stock sale catalogs!  In the meantime, there are many other opporutunites to find broodmares for sale.  The internet, especially, has become a useful tool for connecting buyers and sellers ...

Based on Reports of Mares Bred, The Jockey Club recently announced its projection of the foal crop of 2009 as 35,400, which would represent a 3.3% decline from the estimated 36,600 foals of 2008.Many believe the foal crop should be much smaller.Consider this quote from pinhooker Eddie Woods, speaking at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s yearling ...

Six television cameras, lined up in a row like the cannons at Fort Ticonderoga, were pointed at NYRA's communications director John Lee as he began an 11:00 am press gathering in the Saratoga winner's circle. Lee was sublime as the emcee, bringing up one politician after another with gracious aplomb, until finally it got down to the racing ...

It is time once again for the annual pilgrimage to the mecca of racing that makes me briefly forget all the problems the sport is facing and remember the way it used to be.This year marks my (gulp!) 49th anniversary at Saratoga, so what better time to go down memory lane and rekindle the first of many unforgettable moments that have made Saratoga ...

Four weeks ago, we looked at a Thoroughbred mare named Surgeglobal and discussed whether she was broodmare quality. I thought you might like an update from the mare's seller:  Thanks so much for taking the time to write the blog.  I sold her but not as a broodmare.  The guy who bought her plans to race her locally.  ...