‡ Free Sweaters No, I'm not giving away fashionable, cold weather gear. "Free sweaters" is a reference to horses that may sweat freely prior to their races, but, importantly, not necessarily to their detriment. As it happens, Aidan O'Brien will saddle at least one horse in

No need for industry leaders to worry, he only has 3.7m followers, a high percentage of whom like to gamble. 🙃

I didn't like Tommy Jo's appearance prior to her race at Keeneland, nor do I like it today.

‡ Shortening Up I wonder if there has been a Breeders' Cup Sprint winner that had never previously contested a 6 furlongs (or shorter) race? Not to say that Kopion couldn't possibly win, but it must be a rare profile, even among starters, and is not one that I would consider

‡ A Live Longshot? Despite some rather considerable obstacles, I find myself interested in the possibility that a real longshot might have wee chance of hitting the board in the Breeders' Cup Turf. The horse is Ethical Diamond, and he is unusual in a number of interesting

‡ Some Reflections on the Breeders' Cup This will be a relatively brief overview, featuring some horses, and races, that I found to be interesting. I plan to go into greater detail in stand-alone posts on some of the topics, over the coming days or weeks. – Juvenile Turf

‡ Forever Young "He will stay in training in 2026 as long as he stays in sound condition. His next race will be the Saudi Cup followed by the Dubai World Cup as his spring campaign." The above quote is from the BC notes, and is welcome news. While it is true that his sire,

‡ Marvin Gaye and Horse Racing? I grew up listening primarily to soul and funk music, but even those who prefer rock, jaz, country, or classical, are likely aware of Marvin Gaye, and his iconic song I Heard It Through The Grapevine. I don't know of any direct connection

It would be nice if all trainers understood the potential value of this pithy comment. Nice B&W photo, as well!

‡ Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock It's one thing to note, yet again, that the racing industry has contracted significantly over the past ~20 years (e.g. wagering handle down ~60% in inflation-adjusted dollars; the foal crop down ~50%), but another thing entirely to consider that those

‡ How Tommy Jo Tipped Her Hand – Twice In the wake of this year's Spinaway Stakes at Saratoga, contested on August 30th, Tommy Jo appeared to be on her way to a possible Championship season. She was two-for-two, and had dominated her rivals in the Grade I fixture. In those

‡ Yet another thoughtless take from Mike Repole Stable . As any modestly experienced handicapper would notice when viewing Skip Away's PPs, the addition of Lasix coincided precisely with blinkers being added, and also occurred at the beginning of his 3yo campaign. So for

‡ The White Abarrio Scratch The late scratch of White Abarrio soon before the running of the Breeders' Cup Mile catalyzed more than a few reflexive, and dubious reactions. Before I continue, here's a link to fairly recent, and useful overview of what has become a somewhat

‡ A List That No Trainer Wants to Top Heavyweight Champs, a 4yo gelding making his 15th start, broke down and was euthanized Friday at Aqueduct. Rudy Rodriguez was the trainer. By my count, using the NY Equine Injury Database, it was the 53rd recorded fatality in New York of

To paraphrase George Carlin, it's a big club, and you, the retail customer, ain't in it.

Seems like a good step in the right direction... "Among the most significant changes is the formal withdrawal of rules that required horsemen or veterinarians to be immediately suspended after a finding of a potential violation of HISA’s rules concerning banned drugs, which are

‡ Is Boyd a Serious Kentucky Derby Prospect? When Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager closed at the end of October, Boyd, a Zedan owned, Baffert trained colt with just a maiden win to his credit, was 9th on the list, at odds of 39/1. That is misleading, though, as the