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There is no question that racing came out a winner last weekend. Kentucky Derby attendance and handle gains, I believe, are testament to the exceptional power and allure of America’s favorite horse race.  The Derby’s unusual combination of history and tradition, national TV exposure, expansive media coverage and direct engagement through ...

 (Originally published in the May 14, 2011 issue of The Blood-Horse magazine. Feel free to share your own thoughts and opinions at the bottom of the column.)      Ken Ramsey is an industry Breeder and Owner. By any measure Ken Ramsey had had an outstanding Keeneland spring meet. He and his wife, Sarah ...

(Originally published in the May 14, 2011 issue of The Blood-Horse magazine. Feel free to share your own thoughts and opinions at the bottom of the column.)   Hollywood screenwriters could not have scripted a better story for racing partnerships than what unfolded on Oaks and Derby days at Churchill Downs. Stables ...

Graham Motion stood outside Barn 22 the morning of the $2,171,800  May 7 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) and admitted he had no idea what to expect from Team Valor International’s Animal Kingdom, who was about to make his first career start on dirt. Motion was well aware that no horse had ever won the Derby making his dirt ...

 Two weeks ago on I made my pre-draw predictions. My picks were Stay Thirsty, Archarcharch, Soldat, Uncle Mo and Midnight Interlude. The primary focus on these picks were grinder talents that like wet conditions, since I thought it was going to rain a lot Derby weekend. The weather forecast reveals there will be some rain, but the track ...

This will be an abbreviated report, as there wasn’t much activity Tuesday morning. There isn’t much happening on the track as we await the all-important post position draw tomorrow. No one on the Churchill Downs backstretch could remember a more miserable morning – cold, windy, and rainy. Only a handful of Derby horses were out for a gallop on the ...

  (Originally published in the May 7, 2011 issue of The Blood-Horse magazine. Feel free to share your own thoughts and opinions at the bottom of the column.)  By Lenny Shulman  There aren’t many advantages horse racing has over other sports when it comes to being television-friendly. Games such as football, baseball, ...

 (Originally published in the May 7, 2011 issue of The Blood-Horse magazine. Feel free to share your own thoughts and opinions at the bottom of the column.)       Mike Lauffer is a connection of Kentucky Derby contender Shackleford. When Mike Lauffer and partner Bill Cubbedge bought back a Forestry colt ...

 (Originally published in the May 7, 2011 issue of The Blood-Horse magazine. Feel free to share your own thoughts and opinions at the bottom of the column.)   By U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) and U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-KY) On the first Saturday in May, many Americans will turn their attention to Churchill Downs for the ...