BloodHorse.com

 Quality Road schools "perfectly" at Big A
QUALITY ROAD (Elusive Quality) passed his latest schooling test with flying colors Saturday morning at Aqueduct, proceeding professionally through a simulated race day scenario including both paddock and gate schooling. more...

 Company seeks to go out on top in Mile Championship
Eight-year-old veteran COMPANY (Miracle Admire), who became the oldest horse ever to win a Japanese Grade 1 race when capturing the Tenno Sho (Autumn) (Jpn-G1) last time out, will attempt to conclude his career on a high note in Sunday's $2.2 million Mile Championship (Jpn-G1). The bay horse has tried the Kyoto feature twice before, finishing fifth in 2007 and fourth last year, but is in his all-time best form at present. more...

 Conduit, Summer Bird arrive in Japan
Four international invaders jetted into Narita Airport in Japan on Thursday. Two-time Breeders' Cup Turf (G1) hero CONDUIT (Ire) (Dalakhani), Canadian Grade 1 victor MARSH SIDE (Gone West) and Italian Group 1 winner SCINTILLO (Fantastic Light) are all contenders for the November 29 Japan Cup (Jpn-G1). Multiple Grade 1 star SUMMER BIRD (Birdstone) is bound for the December 6 Japan Cup Dirt (Jpn-G1). more...

 Cigar Mile candidates to work over weekend
Schooling sessions for Edward P. Evans' QUALITY ROAD (Elusive Quality) continue Saturday morning at Aqueduct, where the three-year-old will go through the paddock and load into the gate with jockey John Velazquez aboard as his connections ponder a start in the Cigar Mile H. (G1) on November 28. more...

 Top Godolphin mares retired; Sara Louise confirmed for Top Flight
Rick Mettee, assistant to trainer Saeed bin Suroor, confirmed Friday that Godolphin's Grade 1-winning triumvirate of MUSIC NOTE (A.P. Indy), COCOA BEACH (Chi) (Doneraile Court) and SEVENTH STREET (Street Cry [Ire]) have all been retired. more...

 KTO honors Wiggins as Horseman of the Year
Veteran trainer Hal Wiggins, nearing the end of a distinguished training career capped by a record-smashing victory by Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia d'Oro) in the Kentucky Oaks (G1), will be honored on Saturday as the recipient of the 2008 Warner L. Jones Jr. Horseman of the Year Award, which is presented annually by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners (KTO). more...

 Jockeys to contribute to Brimo fund
On November 28, jockeys across North America will be asked to contribute one mount fee to the Julia Brimo Fund, set up to assist with her expenses during rehabilitation for her injuries. more...

 Mafaaz recuperating at farm after summer scare
Shadwell Stable's MAFAAZ (GB) (Medicean), the winner of the March 18 Kentucky Derby Challenge at Kempton Park in England, suffered a serious illness over the summer after joining Kiaran McLaughlin, assistant trainer Neal McLaughlin revealed Thursday. more...

 BST providing Thanksgiving dinner to NYRA backstretch
Bollam, Sheedy, Torani, & Co (BST), Financial and Management Consultants, will once again underwrite a special Thanksgiving meal at both Belmont Park and Aqueduct so that more than 500 backstretch workers will have the opportunity to share in the true spirit of the holiday. It will mark the third year the Albany, New York, based firm has sponsored the feast for the Backstretch Employees Service Team (B.E.S.T). more...

 Churchill Downs honors Borel
Popular Churchill Downs-based jockey Calvin Borel, who swept this year's Kentucky Oaks (G1) and Kentucky Derby (G1) aboard RACHEL ALEXANDRA (Medaglia d'Oro) and MINE THAT BIRD (Birdstone), respectively, will be honored at Churchill Downs this weekend with a bobblehead giveaway, autograph session, roast and his very own drink special. more...

 Championship up for grabs in Colonial Cup
The mid-season exit of two-time champion Good Night Shirt (Concern) due to injury left a huge void in the steeplechase division that has not entirely been filled. more...

 Sea the Stars named Cartier Horse of the Year
The exceptional SEA THE STARS was named Cartier Horse of the Year and Cartier champion three-year-old colt at the 2009 Cartier Racing Awards, which were presented at Claridge's Hotel in Mayfair, London, England, before an invited audience of 200 on the Tuesday night. more...

 Churchill announces six nighttime cards for 2010
Following the overwhelming popularity of a three-date market test this spring, Churchill Downs, the home of the Kentucky Derby (G1), will stage six special "Downs After Dark" nighttime racing programs under the lights in 2010. more...

 Hall of Fame trainer Frankel dies at 68
Hall of Fame horseman Bobby Frankel, a five-time Eclipse Award winner whose exceptional list of pupils included 10 champions and Belmont S. (G1) winner Empire Maker, died at his home in Pacific Palisades, California, early Monday morning. more...

 Bobby Frankel TSI
"We at Juddmonte today mourn the loss of our friend and great trainer, Bobby Frankel..." more...

 Commentary
The Wizard's personal tribute to Bobby Frankel more...

 Gulfstream moves date of Florida Derby
Gulfstream Park has announced adjustments to their 2010 stakes schedule and the creation of a new stakes day for sprinters. Affected by the changes are the dates of the Florida Derby (G1) and Fountain of Youth S. (G2), and the layering of stakes races on Saturdays, especially the first Saturday of the meeting, when the five stakes carded compose the inaugural Gulfstream Sprint Showcase. more...

 Red Ransom dies in Australia
Internationally renowned sire RED RANSOM (Roberto) has been euthanized in Australia, according to a Vinery release posted on racingandsports.com.au. The 22-year-old stallion had been experiencing complications in the wake of abdominal surgery on Saturday. more...

 Hollywood Park honors Zenyatta
Undefeated champion ZENYATTA (Street Cry [Ire]), who finished her career with a perfect 14-for-14 record by beating males with her dramatic late charge in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), will be saluted by Hollywood Park on November 29, the final day of the 18th Turf Festival. more...

 Diamondrella transferred to Stevens, headed for Matriarch
Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens, who never won the prestigious Matriarch S. (G1) as a rider, will try to win the test as a trainer with DIAMONDRELLA (GB) (Rock of Gibraltar [Ire]) on November 28 at Hollywood Park. more...

 Queen Spumante sparkles in 77-1 upset of QEII
Once more proving the old adage that pace makes the race, Green Farm's QUEEN SPUMANTE (Jungle Pocket) benefited from a heady front-running ride from 23-year-old Hiroyasu Tanaka to spring a 77-1 stunner in Sunday's $2,141,000 Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup (Jpn-G1). more...

 Track Bandit Previews
Hollywood Prevue S. (G3)... more...

 Stormy gets the nod in Commonwealth photo
Sullimar Stable's homebred GET STORMY (Stormy Atlantic) led throughout in Sunday's $112,100 Commonwealth Turf S. (G3) at Churchill Downs, but had to pull out all the stops to stave off a rallying Street Move (Street Cry [Ire]) by a nose at the wire. more...

 Mary's Follies steals the show in Mrs. Revere
The connections of Big Brown made another successful invasion of Churchill Downs on Saturday when MARY'S FOLLIES (More Than Ready) slammed a capacity field of three-year-old fillies in the $209,500 Mrs. Revere S. (G2) by 1 1/2 lengths. more...

 Commentary
Since the debate regarding who should be voted Horse of the Year for 2009 will be running rampant until the selection takes place at the Eclipse Awards in January, I figured that chiming in with my two cents couldn't hurt, right? more...

 Handicapping Insights
It was not a good Breeders' Cup for me until about 3:57 p.m. Pacific time when it was worth all the money I had lost on Saturday. more...

 Thoroughbred Beat
Z glory: ZENYATTA (Street Cry [Ire]) concluded her unbeaten racing career with an outstanding win in Saturday's Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), thrilling Thoroughbred racing fans one last time with her thunderous rally through the stretch. more...

 International Diary
Throughout history, the celestial realm has been viewed as the abode of surpassing excellence. more...

 Juvenile Fillies Diary
With the Breeders' Cup fast approaching, we'll take a look at the final premiere preps for the Juvenile Fillies (G1) and Juvenile Fillies Turf. more...

 Juvenile Diary
In this edition, we'll touch on the final preps for the two Breeders' Cup juvenile races for males and our initial observations on the participants exiting those races that are headed to California. more...

 Classic Diary
Call it the heart of a line-up. In baseball, the New York Yankees come at you with Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez and Hideki Matsui in the 3-4-5 spot, and the Philadelphia Phillies can counter with their own "Murderers' Row" of Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth. more...

 Sprint Diary
To paraphrase Samuel Clemens, who knew a little something about horse racing, the reports of ZENSATIONAL's (Unbridled's Song) invincibility have been greatly exaggerated. more...

 Handicapping Feature
For most of my handicapping career I regarded the jockey factor as incidental more...

 Filly & Mare Turf Diary
In this edition, we'll survey five significant preps for the Breeders' Cup. After recapping the three that have taken place recently, we'll cast a glance at the two coming up on Saturday -- the E. P. Taylor S. (Can-G1) at Woodbine and the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) at Keeneland. more...

 Ladies' Classic Diary
This year's Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic (G1) is shaping up to be a repeat of 2008, with most of the same cast and crew re-opposing reigning champion ZENYATTA (Street Cry [Ire]). One really interesting contender has been retired, and another major player is now only 50-50 for the 1 1/8-mile event. more...

 Turf Diary
In this issue, we'll analyze the recent Breeders' Cup preps, first for the Turf (G1) and then for the Mile (G1), and take a look at Saturday's Canadian International (Can-G1). more...

 Commentary
I've never had the privilege of meeting or speaking to legendary Irish horseman John Oxx and I suspect I never will. If given the opportunity, however, I would personally thank him for his role in reassuring me not once but twice over the past decade that an affliction that's lasted with me for nearly a quarter-century is best left uncured. more...

 International Diary
Trainer Aidan O'Brien may be feeling like an Austrian general after the Battle of Austerlitz. No matter the dispositions of his troops, or the intricate designs of his tactics as he envisions them on the map, his forces are still getting smashed to pieces by Napoleon, or in this case, SEA THE STARS (Cape Cross [Ire]). more...

 Commentary
When asked to reel off the top trainer or trainers in the United States, the common answers include the likes of Bob Baffert, Todd Pletcher, John Sadler, Steve Asmussen, Richard Mandella et al, and deservedly so, but one name that tends to get overlooked is the genius known as Jonathan Sheppard. more...

 Pedigree Handicapping
Budding turf sire Eurosilver more...

 Winning and Losing Streaks
In Thoroughbred racing, every level of handicapper has encountered winning and losing streaks from time to time. more...

 Churchill Downs Notebook
The second full week of the November Churchill meet wrote another 50 races into the season's history book, with a sharp betting public producing a 46-percent win tally. That astute behavior brought the meet's halfway point average to 37 percent. more...

 Aqueduct Notebook
We lost the Stuyvesant (G3) last week due to a shortage of entries and that was the only graded event that was scheduled during the past week. more...

 Hollywood Notebook
With just a small sample of races held, we won't snap into any judgments about the racing oval just yet, although it seems evident that this is not Santa Anita. more...