Linda Rice - a racehorse trainer making her mark on the big stage

 If you win the training title at Saratoga, people will notice you. Linda Rice, catapulted into national recognition when she became the first woman to achieve this coveted honor in 2009, has been turning the heads of those in the know for many years now.

Read full story...

Rescinding claims - is it time to change the rules?

 Last October, during a regular meeting of the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) at then-CHRB chairman John Harris’s Harris Ranch Inn and Restaurant in Coalinga, California, commissioner Bo Derek, the actress and horsewoman, brought up an agenda item that sooner or later will likely have national ramifications. The issues: should long-held claiming rules be changed to void claims when a claimed horse doesn’t finish (DNF) a race or tests positive for prohibited substances?

Read full story...

Tibial stress fractures - a more common injury in racehorses than you might think

 Tibial stress fractures are generally perceived to be serious injuries that occur infrequently and require lengthy recovery times. However, this article will suggest that these injuries are in fact much more common than most people think and are often misdiagnosed as pulled muscles. In addition, they may not be as serious as previously thought and with the help of sequential x-rays monitoring the injury, young horses can be returned to training surprisingly quickly.

Read full story...

The advance of Turkish racing on the international scene

 For centuries extending back to the Roman Empire, Turkey and its cosmopolitan center now known as Istanbul have been the crossroads of civilizations, straddling Europe and Asia and connecting the commerce, art and religions of the world. Today Turkey is diligently working to also achieve recognition as a significant new crossroads for horseracing.

Read full story...

Mycotoxins – health issue for racehorses or simply hype?

 Ten years ago, mycotoxins were probably unheard of by the racing community. Recently, however, awareness has increased and it is not unusual for racing stables to be advised that they may have an issue with mycotoxicosis that is likely to have a negative impact on their horses’ health and performance.

Read full story...

Calvin Borel - portrait of a top rider and family man

 Calvin Borel’s portrayal on the mural of Kentucky Derby-winning jockeys at Churchill Downs, painted by the renowned artist Pierre “Peb” Bellocq, had already undergone minor surgery in 2009, when the jockey followed up a 2007 Derby on Street Sense with a win aboard Mine That Bird. His caricature was modified to hold up two fingers, but in 2010, after Super Saver charged up the rail to give Borel his third Derby, Peb rearranged his left hand to show three fingers.

Read full story...

Working the Kinesio tape therapy magic on equine athletes

 In a sport where everyone is looking for an edge, the latest for Thoroughbreds may be Kinesio tape. It is the same tape seen on tennis star Serena Williams, soccer player David Beckham, any number of University of Connecticut basketball players, and many others. It creates a lifting effect on the skin of humans and horses alike to improve circulation, relieve pain, and, depending on its application, relax or stimulate muscles.

Read full story...

The decline of East Coast fair racing

 In his 47 years of working at the Maryland State Fair in Timonium, Max Mosner, the fair’s president and general manager, has seen Thoroughbred racing at Maryland fairs, and at other fairs on the East Coast, slow to a crawl.

Read full story...

Keeping it in the family - can a horse's family traits be used to a trainer's advantage?

 It’s the same story at every dinner party. A stranger will invariably ask, “What do you do?”, as if the response will somehow explain the very essence of one’s being. Similarly, the first question we have for the owner or trainer who tells us he has a nice yearling on the farm is, “What’s it by?”

Read full story...

Accentuate the Positive

 I woke up today with the lyrics from an old Johnny Mercer song running through my head: You've got to ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive, E-liminate the negative, Latch on to the affirmative, Don't mess with Mr. In-Between.

Read full story...