I believe that people like Joe Drape are in many ways more dangerous (to horses, that is) than the Bob Bafferts of the world. Drape is an unabashed racing fan who also happens to be an accomplished journalist covering racing…
Another excellent piece on NY Racing finances by Sam Mellins of New York Focus. Please read and then share this quality journalism. “Half a Billion in the Bank — And Next to No One in the Stands” “At Belmont Park’s…
The following was issued as a press release yesterday: “The Jockeys’ Guild and the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) hosted a symposium at Keeneland today in order to bring the critical issue of jockey mental health to the forefront…
I preface the following with this: Bob Baffert is not the villain. He is of course a villain, but he is no more or less so than the average trainer. If he has more kills, it’s because he has more…
So I’m wondering, what does it actually take for a trainer to get a figurative death sentence in horseracing? On the surface, it would appear that trainer Raul Vega was hit hard by the New Mexico Racing Commission last week:…
Monday, longtime TVG (a national horseracing channel) host, analyst, handicapper Ken Rudulph tweeted the following: Rudulph subsequently apologized for his “very poor choice of words,” but the damage had been done. My take: While I loathe what he said and…
In its official response to the current catastrophe – five kills in six days – Churchill Downs, claimed, among other derisible things, that “transparency is an important component of our commitment to safety and accountability in horse racing.” Okay, here…
There are two types of people in the racing world: the ones who know they’re exploiting horses for personal gain and really don’t care; and the ones who are oblivious to who they are and what they do. Falling squarely…
Jockey Mauro Cedillo was thrown from Spectacular Road in the 1st at Thistledown yesterday and was subsequently taken to a hospital. While I wish him the best, it is awfully telling that, apparently prompted by a jockey vote, the remainder…
Word from Kentucky is that former superstar racer turned breeding machine Havre de Grace died yesterday at a farm in Lexington, the result, says BloodHorse, “of multiple hemorrhaging episodes after producing a colt two days earlier.” Those internal bleeding “episodes,”…
The breeding shed is its own kind of servitude, creating its own kind of suffering. With zero control over his own wants and needs, a “stud” is but a machine whose sole purpose is to produce successful – as defined,…
The Stronach Group is one of U.S. Racing’s major powers, with five Thoroughbred tracks under its umbrella, including marquee venues Santa Anita, Gulfstream, and Pimlico. This week (which is not yet done) has been, to put it generously, a public…
