What's Going On Here

Old habits die hard. BloodHorse, which has stuffed mailboxes weekly since before the Great Depression, will transition to a monthly publication with the April issue. Apparently too many subscribe...

http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/wgoh/archive/2021/03/24/that-s-a-wrap-by-evan-hammonds.aspx

In many respects it seems as if the “year of COVID” has lasted a lot longer than 12 months. A year ago we couldn’t find much on the shelves of the local grocery store, especially paper prod...

http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/wgoh/archive/2021/03/17/no-win-no-worry-by-evan-hammonds.aspx

Making a stand against social injustice at a racetrack is nothing new. Perhaps the most famous example occurred more than a century ago when Emily Davison walked out in front of the horses compet...

http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/wgoh/archive/2021/03/10/security-measures-by-evan-hammonds.aspx

Major announcements during the final week of February 2021 figure to have monumental implications for Thoroughbred breeding and racing…but we don’t expect the ramifications will be felt for a...

http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/wgoh/archive/2021/03/03/far-from-over-by-evan-hammonds.aspx

As most sporting endeavors have suffered through delays, disruptions, and cancellations amid the current COVID-19 pandemic, Thoroughbred aficionados proudly pointed out that our sport’s profile...

http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/wgoh/archive/2021/02/24/truth-in-numbers-by-evan-hammonds.aspx

A mid-February storm brought us more than frosty fields in Central Kentucky. As the breeding season officially opened and foals started arriving in earnest, a thick coating of ice was the culprit...

http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/wgoh/archive/2021/02/17/hot-and-cold-by-evan-hammonds.aspx

For most of us the opportunity to land a championship of any variety comes through a very small window. For a precious few that play at the highest level, brilliance and consistency put them in a...

http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/wgoh/archive/2021/02/10/touchdowns-and-stretch-runs-by-evan-hammonds.aspx

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association had big plans for the 50th anniversary of the Eclipse Awards. However, its lengthy list of ideas to celebrate the half-century of the best in Thorough...

http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/wgoh/archive/2021/02/03/live-to-tape-by-evan-hammonds.aspx

Despite it being only the fifth running, the Jan. 23 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1), with its complement of undercard stakes, has come a long way. Remember back in the day—all the...

http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/wgoh/archive/2021/01/27/flight-pattern-by-evan-hammonds.aspx

As usual, shortly after I pull into the bank parking lot located in New Albany, Ind., just across the Ohio River from Louisville, Ky., a fellow traveler parks his car a few spots down from mine. ...

http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/wgoh/archive/2021/01/20/money-on-the-table-by-frank-angst.aspx

Delivery of news and information has come a long way since cave painting. Daily newspapers have been around since the 1600s. BloodHorse, which began in 1916 as the monthly publication The Thoro...

http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/wgoh/archive/2021/01/07/brand-new-day-by-evan-hammonds.aspx

We let the screen door hit 2020 on the way out last weekend and look forward to a new year. All things considered, the last year had several positive moments for Thoroughbred racing as the indust...

http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/wgoh/archive/2021/01/06/right-direction-by-evan-hammonds.aspx

Based on the last few days of 2020, there appears to be a lot to look forward to in 2021. Just prior to Christmas the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act was part of a massive omnibus bill passe...

http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/wgoh/archive/2020/12/30/turning-the-page-by-evan-hammonds.aspx

Little did we know back in early February when we spent a snowy evening at Turfway Park what would come our way during the last 10 months of 2020. What followed might be best summarized by crazy,...

http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/wgoh/archive/2020/12/16/kentucky-trails-by-evan-hammonds.aspx

Pandemic-infused 2020 has put most American workers in one of two camps. The first includes the most unfortunate: those who are unemployed and those who are underemployed “non-essential” type...

http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/wgoh/archive/2020/12/08/New-Stallions_2C00_-New-Year-_2D00_-By-Evan-Hammonds.aspx

It’s amazing what a little grade 1 cheer can bring to a Thoroughbred breeding operation…especially during a year such as 2020. Such was the case out on Ironworks Pike north of Lexington at Mu...

http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/wgoh/archive/2020/12/02/holiday-cheer-by-evan-hammonds.aspx

The Keeneland November sale came in for a soft landing Nov. 18, bringing the Central Kentucky breeding stock marketplace to a close for the season. Based on the precipitous drop in yearling price...

http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/wgoh/archive/2020/11/24/hey-weanling-man-by-evan-hammonds.aspx

There sure have been a lot of hurdles to 2020. Some have been man-made—presidential politics—and most have been natural—a global, once-in-a-century pandemic tops the list. It’s human natu...

http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/wgoh/archive/2020/11/18/fall-breaks-by-evan-hammonds.aspx

With Breeders’ Cup-winning 2-year-olds Essential Quality and Aunt Pearl, trainer Brad Cox figures to be spending a lot of time thinking about the future in the days ahead, but his record-tying ...

http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/wgoh/archive/2020/11/11/four-score-by-frank-angst.aspx

All sports have had to adapt on the fly since mid-March as COVID-19 caused closures, shutdowns, and lockdowns around the globe. Professional sports rely on attendance—and food and beverage serv...

http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/wgoh/archive/2020/11/04/we-re-virtually-there-by-evan-hammonds.aspx

The news cycle in the Thoroughbred business moves like an opening quarter-mile in :21 and change this time of year. In the past two weeks we’ve been inundated with announcements from nearly all...

http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/wgoh/archive/2020/10/28/now-and-then-by-evan-hammonds.aspx

Not everyone likes to be first out of the box. Being first sometimes has its advantages while introducing a new product line or setting pricing, but being in front can also leave a business out i...

http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/wgoh/archive/2020/10/21/pandemic-pricing-by-evan-hammonds.aspx

There are few mountains left for trainer Todd Pletcher to scale. While the veteran horseman is not yet in the Hall of Fame—he’s sure to be a first-ballot entrant when he becomes eligible in 2...

http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/wgoh/archive/2020/10/14/oh-happy-day-by-evan-hammonds.aspx

Racing has continued amid a pandemic, and for that we have a great many thanks. In Maryland, hopeful horsemen declared last week: “Hey, they’re running the Preakness Saturday…it’s like we...

http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/wgoh/archive/2020/10/07/not-so-fast-by-evan-hammonds.aspx

Commerce is key to any industry, and thankfully the folks at Fasig-Tipton and the Keeneland Association did a yeoman’s job in just being able to conduct yearling sales amid the COVID-19 pandemi...

http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/wgoh/archive/2020/09/30/the-cat-in-the-picture-by-evan-hammonds.aspx