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Welcome back to Breeders' Cup Chat, 2011 edition. Most years, I watch the Hollywood Gold Cup with minor interest. With a couple of rare exceptions, it's a race that doesn't have much major impact on the Breeders' Cup Classic, and so for me, it's a just another California grade I with a small field that helps pass the time before Saratoga begins. ...

Next week this blog will officially switch over to Breeders' Cup Chat, where we can begin talking about the second half of the racing season. Before we do, let's review the 2011 Triple Crown by giving quick updates on all of the 3-year-olds that won graded races this year and what their immediate futures might hold. As far as who the 3-year-old ...

Are there any country music fans out there? Truth be told, I can't say I'm the world's biggest, but I am a fan of high-profile people supporting the industry, and that is exactly what Toby Keith is doing for horse racing. A multi-platinum recording artist and Billboard's Country Artist of the Decade, Keith is one of the biggest country music ...

In previous blogs, I wrote about the jumbled and messy nature of many of the racing divisions. Whether resulting from early retirements to our best horses, injuries to key players, or the overall lack of depth in racing this year, with nearly six months in the books we have not solved a whole heck of a lot so far. Fortunately, we have the older ...

Thirty-three years. The number now stands out in bold type, an unimaginable figure; one that lifelong horse racing fans never imagined possible. For many, 1978 seems like another lifetime ago. Heck, I was four years old at the time when Affirmed won the Triple Crown, still another eight years away from going to my first horse race. For me, it ...

Another Triple Crown is in the books and unfortunately, it yielded us no Triple Crown winner. That much is not a total surprise. What is a bit surprising is that with nearly half of the season gone we are no closer to finding out who is the best 3-year-old in the country. You can make a strong argument that Animal Kingdom was the best horse ...

At this point in the season, I think most would have to agree that the current 3-year-old class has been far from overwhelming. The parity that exists amongst them, coupled with the average speed figures and final times, has made this an ordinary group so far. A superstar may still come out of the class of 2011, but that has not happened in the ...

Thanks to Mike Repole and Elliott Walden, I was lucky enough to get a chance to go to WinStar Farm Tuesday morning to see Uncle Mo. Here is a link to the story I did, and below are photos taken by Blood-Horse photographer Anne Eberhardt and a video shot by Alex Cutadean. You can judge for yourself how Mo looks, so I will keep it brief and ...

When Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom meets Preakness winner Shackleford in the Belmont, there is a good chance that the 3-year-old championship will be at stake. If one of them should win, history has shown that they almost certainly will go on to take divisional honors. Since the Eclipse Awards began in 1971, there have been 10 occasions ...

If you asked Dale Romans, he probably would not trade his long-awaited first Triple Crown race win for anything. But as gratifying as Shackleford's Preakness win was for him, he had to be equally as devastated by the loss of Paddy O'Prado. In winning the Dixie Stakes (gr. IIT) in the manner that he did-returning off a lengthy layoff and ...