Imagine that you are a patient in a hospital, a prominent Thoroughbred owner and breeder said. The doctor enters the room, takes a vial out of his black bag, and gives you a shot. He then produces a couple...
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Unless you stand a stallion in Florida, regularly breed and/or race in the state, or stable at Calder Race Course, you probably didn’t pay much attention to a news release regarding juvenile racing at...
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“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times…” So goes the oft-quoted line penned by Charles Dickens in A Tale of Two Cities, his 1859 novel that describes the days of the French Revolution and...
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For racing fans, the stars aligned for Curlin, the 2007 Horse of the Year, to return and race at age 4. Now, for just the sixth time since the Eclipse Awards were first handed out in 1971, a runner has...
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The Keeneland January horses of all ages sale is a barometer of, well, nothing. Most years, that is. Unless there is a major dispersal or unless the odd high-priced broodmare or two end up in the January...
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It was the night before the 1985 Kentucky Derby (gr. I), and I had been invited to dinner at Hasenour’s in downtown Louisville, Ky., by Joe Hirsch. I had been working for Daily Racing Form for a year but...
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During most of the past 200-plus years, the Kentucky General Assembly convened for only 60 days every two years. To poke fun at the lawmakers, a group of Frankfort, Ky., citizens once printed bumper stickers...
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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...
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The first Breeders’ Cup was held at Hollywood Park Nov. 10, 1984. But in January of that year, long before the first event day, nominators began receiving checks from another of the fledgling organization...
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Air travel has made the breeding, racing, buying, and selling of Thoroughbreds an international endeavor. Decades ago, it allowed stallions to be imported and exported, forever changing pedigrees across...
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