Letter to the Editor

I just wanted to express my frustration and disappointment that we, as an industry, seem incapable of presenting a meaningful response to the negativity we are currently facing in the mainstream media. For example, when the 60 Minutes documentary aired several weeks ago, it elicited a wave of legitimate outrage. But the industry's side of the story was nowhere to be seen outside the trade press. We have a collective tendency, at times like this, to wring our hands and shuffle our feet, figuratively speaking. Surely the Thoroughbred Racing Industry,...

With the Arqana sales closing out our breeding stock sales season, there were some very stark warnings for the industry in Europe. Plenty have highlighted the dire situation at the lower end of the market with a frightening number of mares failing to sell for even the covering fee of the foal inside them. However, it is also far from rosy at the top end of the market for our domestic product. Analysing the 143 mares/fillies that sold for £200,000+ at the three main sales (Goffs November, Tatts December and...

Like many TDN readers, I use online betting for playing the races. I had used one online site for a few years and felt that I needed another site that offered more "rewards", thus I signed up for DRF.com bets. Nice rewards and free past performances as you accumulate "points." Imagine my surprise to find out that I cannot place bets at Churchill Downs, Turfway, Fairgrounds and any other track that Churchill owns. And I cannot watch online live video either. Now, I don't know what the squabble is between...

While I don't know Mike Repole, I do know about his business success and acumen. I also know about his repeated calls to improve and perhaps save the sport so many of us love. Let's be realistic, horse racing has been in a decline for 25 years.  I have personally considered giving up and moving on many times recently. Yet on a recent trip to Lexington to see my foals and horse friends I realized how much it still all means to me. I don't get the push back and...

If there are two sports whose paths have mirrored each other historically, it would be baseball and horse racing in America. Both are tradition-driven and both enjoyed prominence for decades. And both recently have dealt with challenges, scandals and declining interest. One sport though has chosen to embrace innovation. Baseball has developed multiple changes over several years as they fought to gain fan, media and sponsor revenue. To our credit, racing has innovated in several spaces, specifically health and safety, but not so much in product presentation. The last major...

I read with much interest the recent article involving the interview with John Sikura from Hill 'n' Dale farm. I happen to agree with some of his points, especially that fixing many of the issues currently present in racing will require the combined sacrifice and agreement of many facets of the racing industry. However, what struck me the most in this article was that, once again, a member of the breeding community in racing does not seem to think anything with their own business needs to change. From a business...

In a time when true horsemanship is increasingly considered a lost art, and our industry faces a barrage of criticism and skepticism, Frank Taylor's Stable Recovery initiative shines as a beacon of what can be accomplished. This program is not just a cutting-edge approach to addiction recovery; it is a call to arms for an industry that needs both positive PR and meaningful solutions to real-world challenges. True Horsemanship: The Heart of Stable Recovery What stands out about Stable Recovery is its focus on horsemanship as a cornerstone of recovery....

Recent discussions about racing fatalities are putting the sustainability of Thoroughbred racing to the test. Various solutions have been suggested to reduce fatalities and maintain public acceptance of our wonderful sport. We should pay more attention to the opportunities of breeding to improve sustainability. Let us look at the history of dairy cattle breeding for inspiration to breed more sustainable Thoroughbreds. For a long time, farmers focused almost exclusively on maximizing milk yield until their attention shifted towards reducing involuntary culling and improving animal health and welfare. Breed associations supported...

I am a bloodstock agent and, at times, a horse owner based in California. I have been reading, with great interest, the various comments and opinions regarding how best to resolve the ongoing and serious issue with the spate of deaths of our precious and amazing Thoroughbreds. While I am not as well known (and as articulate) as most of the professionals who have commented on this topic in TDN, I feel that I might be able to bring a different perspective. My family has owned both flat and steeplechase...

We have all been affected by the recent tragedies that have occurred in the racing industry. Whether reading of, heartbreakingly witnessing these horrors on national television, or while sitting with our friends at an event, we have all begun with breathless engagement in the grand spectacle of poetry in motion. We watch in admiration and awe as living, breathing works of art slice through the wind in full flight only to often sadly witness events that cannot be unseen; events that may haunt the recesses of our minds, creating fodder...

Horse racing is at an existential moment. Just weeks after a series of breakdowns at Churchill Downs cast a shadow over the Kentucky Derby, a wave of horrifying horse deaths at Saratoga Race Course has once again brought questions about safety to the forefront of public consciousness. This is a tragedy, as every horse that breaks down also breaks our hearts. However, I believe our sport has reached a tipping point, and I predict there will be a Silver Lining emerging from all these tragedies. In the past week, I...

My first race was two years ago. The 2021 Haskell Invitational S., the summer before my senior year of college. It was the post parade that hooked me. When "Born to Run" sounded through the grandstand as Mandaloun, Hot Rod Charlie and Midnight Bourbon bounced onto the track, it didn't matter how the race would go. I was in. It was enough to latch onto despite the outrage I felt towards my home-state regulators for an ill-advised whip rule that took down Midnight Bourbon, along with my exacta box. But...