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In horse racing's year of resiliency in 2020 as its network of advance-deposit wagering outlets allowed customers to wager on the sport from home while horsemen and tracks found a way to continue to offer racing, a long-standing effort by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association proved an unsung hero. One of the NTRA's key legislative ...

In terms of today's methods of preparing Thoroughbreds for the spring classics, Essential Quality has gained about as much experience in his five starts before this year's Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) as any horse could expect. With horses no longer building toward the Derby through a long series of races at 2 and 3, it's ...

Starting with a full allotment of Road to the Kentucky Derby points for its signature race, things are looking up for the $250,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) and its host track, Turfway Park racing and gaming. The track, at this point, is only a track. The razed grandstand is being replaced by a new facility that Turfway broke ground on a week ago. ...

If one of the horses with early speed entered in the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) March 13 at Oaklawn Park is able to emerge with a victory in the 1 1/16-mile race, they figure to be a good fit for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1). I'm basing that ''good fit for the Derby'' statement on the fact that on paper an easy lead ...

Considering a percentage of sports fans discovered the joys of betting horse races from home last year as racing continued when some other sports halted activity during the COVID-19, I'm looking forward to seeing if racing can build on that opportunity during the excitement of the Road to the Kentucky Derby season. As racing tries to retain ...

Because of the pandemic my usual visits to Old Friends have been curtailed and I haven’t even had a work-related reason to visit the original Georgetown, Ky. farm in some time. Believe me, I usually find reasons to visit the farm and its impressive roster of horses. So I found a bounce in my step when a recent winter Friday presented a ...

I believe a stewards’ ruling on a recent race at Kentucky Downs failed to follow the state policies in place on disqualifications when an entry is involved, although chief steward Barbara Borden believes the rule gives them latitude on such matters. As it turns out, even when given that latitude—which I don’t think is there—I still think they ...

Looking at the number of starts in the past performances for horses entered in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), one half expects to see Real Quiet or Thunder Gulch listed among the runners. In terms of starts ahead of the Derby for this year's 3-year-olds, pushing the race back four months seemingly has pushed the classic ...

This is my Frankly Speaking column from today's (March 12) issue of BloodHorse Daily. If you haven't already downloaded the app or subscribed to the free BloodHorse Daily, you should.   I didn't get far into the California Horse Racing Board's assessment of the spike in Thoroughbred fatalities last year at Santa Anita Park before I ...

The initial equine fatality numbers for Southern California since March 29, when the tracks and racing regulator put sweeping reforms in place, are encouraging. While more numbers are needed before declaring any statistical significance, to date the rate of catastrophic injury during racing at Del Mar, Los Alamitos Race Course, and Santa Anita ...