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If Rapid Redux extends his winning streak to a modern-day United States record 20 races Monday night at Mountaineer Racetrack, he will truly have to earn it. Although the 5-year-old Rapid Redux has dominated the $5,000 starter allowance ranks throughout the mid-Atlantic region en route to tying the record shared by 2010 Horse of the Year Zenyatta and the New Mexico-bred mare Peppers Pride, there are several potential stumbling blocks in his path when he faces nine other older horses going a mile in Monday’s eighth race. First, Mountaineer’s leading jockey, Deshawn Parker, must be able to work out a...

Rapid Redux won his 18th straight race Friday night at Charles Town, putting him one victory away from tying the modern-day record of 19 straight, held by Zenyatta and Peppers Pride. J.D. Acosta took Rapid Redux right to the lead in the 1 1/8-mile starter allowance, and they never gave their backers an anxious moment. Rapid Redux covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:51.94 over a track rated good and paid $2.80.

Rapid Redux, a 5-year-old gelding based at Penn National Race Course with trainer David Wells, extended his winning streak to 16 races Sunday by taking the eighth race at Timonium. In winning for the 14th time this season and 16th time since his streak began last December at his home track, Rapid Redux joined all-time greats Citation and Cigar as Thoroughbreds who have won 16 in a row. The mares Zenyatta and Pepper’s Pride share the North American record of 19 straight.

A possible tornado damaged several horse barns at Churchill Downs, prompting track officials to temporarily halt races Thursday at the famed Kentucky Derby horse track. Some horses have been moved to private farms, Keeneland racetrack in Lexington and to different barns at the facility, track president Kevin Flanery said. Flanery said multiple barns sustained damage after 8 p.m. EDT Wednesday when the storms blew through the area, knocking down poles, trees and power to thousands in Louisville. Flanery called off Thursday's racing card while workers assess damage and do repairs, but said he was optimistic racing can resume Friday and...

Yes, it's just a week away. Right now, there are 21 horses listed. Thought I'd give everyone a link to the official Derby site and a look at each of the horses.

Half-man, half-horse and altogether drunk, the Preakness' newest pitchman, introduced Tuesday, is a "party manimal" with one job: reassuring young people that this year's infield festivities will indeed be rowdy, raunchy and booze-soaked. Kegasus, a centaur with a nipple ring, body hair and ample beer gut, is the centerpiece of the new ad campaign for Maryland's leg of the Triple Crown. Starting this week, he'll be spreading his hard-partying message on television, radio and social media outlets that cater to the 21- to 40-year-olds the race hopes to reach. Only hours old, the campaign was already garnering criticism Tuesday for...

In just two races, The Factor has blazed his way to a place among the most exciting three-year-olds in the nation. The Rebel Stakes (G2) on Saturday at Oaklawn Park will be a crucial step in determining how far his talent will take him in horse racing. The War Front colt’s trainer, Bob Baffert, will look to Oaklawn for the second straight year as a proving ground for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1). Last February, Baffert sent a horse to Hot Springs, Arkansas, for the first time since 2001, and he may have wondered what took him...

Horse racing industry is both victim of state efforts to kill gambling and beneficiary of state efforts to subsidize gamblingRonald Reagan once famously quipped that government economic experts have a simple motto: "If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it." When it comes to horse racing, Michigan government's economic experts appear able to implement more than one of these seemingly contradictory plans at a time. The state of Michigan and Wayne County showered millions upon millions of tax dollars on the Pinnacle Race Course in Huron Township in 2008. The...

A column in today's Detroit News shows remarkable sympathy for government support of Michigan's dwindling horse racing industry. Several points stand out: Column: "Lansing is allowing an established segment of the entertainment industry - horse racing - to wither, taking with it hundreds of jobs and small businesses." Response: Who died and made Lansing the savior for any industry? Tastes and preferences in entertainment change, but that reality hardly justifies taxpayer subsidies to a lucky handful, whether they were buggy whip makers turned obsolete by Henry Ford in the past or horserace promoters today. Column: "When you're in a state...

Actress Bo Derek may be a "10," but state lawmakers Wednesday indefinitely put off a decision on whether to confirm her appointment by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to a state board. The Senate Rules Committee delayed action on the governor’s appointments of Derek, Keith Brackpool, David J. Israel and Richard A. Rosenberg to the California Horse Racing Board. If confirmed, they would all serve well into the administration of the next governor, who takes office in January.

One of the difficulties that world-famous public personalities such as myself face is that people think we have the answer for every question. That isn’t true. It’s only mostly true. Because I deal with numbers, about twice a week I receive emails from people the world over asking me to sell my Secrets To Win At Gambling. It turns out I do have a system, which, if I thought I could get away with it, I would sell. I’d have to insist on payment up front, though; no refunds. You’ll see why in a moment. Here is a typical email:...

All our usual Triple Crown chat seems to have evaporated. Today is the Second Leg of the TC. A field of 12 goes postward at Pimlico today for the Preakness Stakes.

Morning-line favorite Lookin At Lucky drew post 1 for the May 1 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) during the post position draw Wednesday afternoon at Churchill Downs. Post 1, while it hasn’t produced a winner since Ferdinand in 1986, has the most wins in the Kentucky Derby, along with post 5, since 1900. For an overview of winning Kentucky Derby post positions, click here.

Secretariat Foaled 40 Years Ago by David Schmitz (Secretariat, shown as a 2-year-old, was foaled March 30, 1970) March 30 marks 40 years since the birth of 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat at Christopher T. Chenery’s The Meadow near Doswell, Va. It’s a date well worth remembering by any racing fan but especially by those who were around during Secretariat’s racing days and more so by those lucky enough to see the strikingly handsome chestnut colt with three white stockings in action. Secretariat’s magnetism was evident soon after the colt’s birth. Chenery’s daughter, Penny, was so overwhelmed after getting her...

Dick Francis, who used his career as a champion jockey to launch an even more successful one as a thriller writer, died yesterday at the age of 89.

Earlier this week, we suggested that rather than the rumored sex scandal NY Governor Paterson's actual problems may surround the awarding of a state contract for video lottery machines at the Aqueduct Race track. New York TV Channel WPIX is reporting that the Eastern District of the US Attorney's office in Brooklyn are investigating Governor David Paterson over the awarding that lucrative contract. The Governor's office has been ripped apart at the seams because of the tainted deal. Some Paterson aides have signaled they may quit over what some call his "corrupt decision" to give the lucrative Aqueduct gaming contract...

So the inept New York City Off-Track Betting Corp. finally filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection yesterday, officially becoming the first bookmaker that couldn't make a profit (See Page 8). Despite handling close to one billion dollars a year in wagers, the incompetent organization still can't break even, blaming others for its problems when NYCOTB is its own. OTB pushed for nighttime thoroughbred simulcasting, and got it, and now is paying for it dearly. It's the biggest mistake that NYCOTB made, thinking people would gamble on Penn National and Mountaineer like they wager on Aqueduct, Belmont or Churchill Downs. It...

Zenyatta and the 2009 Breeders Cup Classic “Zenyatta is over rated”, “Zenyatta never beat a quality horse”, “Zenyatta doesn't have the speed to win”, “Zenyatta peaked last year” and “Zenyatta is all hype”. Perhaps most insulting of all “Zenyatta is racing in the Classic so her lose there will not be as damning as her certain lost to Careless Jewel or Music Note in the Lady's Classic”. It is a good thing horses don't read news papers or blogs. Perhaps she did and that's the reason she did not want to go into the gate at the Breeders Cup Classic....

An exuberant Calvin Borel expressed confidence that Mine That Bird will win the Belmont Stakes (gr. I) after working the diminutive gelding a half-mile in :50 on a warm, sunny June 1 morning at Churchill Downs. “Perfect,” said Borel, who won the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) with the son of Birdstone trained by Bennie “Chip” Woolley Jr. for owners Mark Allen and Dr. Leonard Blach. “He’s ready. We’re going to win. No questions asked.” The boast by the hard-working, likable Borel was similar to the one he made previous to winning the BlackBerry Preakness Stakes (gr....

race coverage begins at 3:00 central, Preakness winner Rachel Alexanda will not run at least until the Breeders Cup

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP)—Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra will not run in the Belmont Stakes, opening the way for jockey Calvin Borel to return to Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird in his quest for a personal Triple Crown. Jess Jackson, Rachel Alexandra’s co-owner, said Friday the spectacular filly “deserves a well-earned vacation.”

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. — Jockey Rene Douglas may be paralyzed after being thrown from his horse during a race at Arlington Park in suburban Chicago, his agent said. Agent Dennis Cooper said Douglas spent seven hours in surgery on Sunday at Chicago's Northwestern Memorial Hospital and afterward doctors told him the jockey could not feel his lower limbs. Cooper said doctors won't know Douglas' status for certain until swelling reduces in about two weeks.

The Monday after the Kentucky Derby, you’d think ABC would know which way horses run around an American racetrack—counter-clockwise—as you’ll see in the photo of Mine That Bird’s stunning triumph the Run for the Roses. But have a look at the Dem and Republican horses in the animation that Good Morning America used today to illustrate James Carville’s theory of why Democrats, according to his new book, are positioned to rule for 40 years. Yup, they’re running clockwise. View video here.

TODAY'S MAJOR KENTUCKY DERBY PREP RACES... Toyota Blue Grass Stakes Grade: I, Purse: $750,000, Distance: 1-1/8 miles Track: Keeneland Saturday, April 11, 2009 @6:00 PM ET Blue Grass packed with questions By Marty McGee, Daily Racing Form, April 09, 2009 LEXINGTON, Ky. - The multitude of questions that surround the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes might well be answered with even more questions. Such is the nature of the Polytrack surface at Keeneland, which two years ago produced the Kentucky Derby winner in Blue Grass runner-up Street Sense but last year gave the Derby its last-place finisher in Blue Grass...

TODAY'S MAJOR KENTUCKY DERBY PREP RACES... 6th Race, SANTA ANITA PARKSanta Anita Derby (TELEVISED LIVE ON NBC, BEGINNING AT 2PM PDT, 5PM EDT) Post Time: 2:40 PM (local time) Distance/Restrictions: 1 1/8 Miles, Dirt, 3 Year Olds, Purse: $750,000 Grade: 1 FREE PAST PERFORMANCES FOR SANTA ANITA DERBY: (direct link to pdf file from EQUIBASE -free/no catch)http://ntra.equibase.com/eqbNTRAGetFreeFF.cfm?trk=SA&rd=04/04/2009&cty=USA&de=D&rn=6 ________________________________________________ 7th Race, HAWTHORNEIllinois Derby Post Time: 4:15 PM (local time) Distance/Restrictions: 1 1/8 Miles, Dirt, 3 Year Olds, Purse: $500,000 Grade: 2 FREE PAST PERFORMANCES FOR ILLINOIS DERBY: (direct link to pdf file from EQUIBASE -free/no catch)http://ntra.equibase.com/eqbNTRAGetFreeFF.cfm?trk=HAW&rd=04/04/2009&cty=USA&de=D&rn=7 ________________________________________________ 9th Race, AQUEDUCT, NEW...

2009 Derby Contenders:http://www.kentuckyderby.com/2009/racing-information/contenders Contender PP's (Past Performances):Brisnet's weekly updated PDF past performance file of Kentucky Derby hopefuls:http://www.kentuckyderby.com/2009/racing-information/contender-pps For more info at the site (http://www.kentuckyderby.com/), hover your mouse pointer/cursor over "Racing Information" and select from the drop-down menu. --------------------------------------------------------- Prep race schedule from mid-March to Derby Day, May 2ndMarch:Mar 14 2009: Louisiana Derby - Fair Grounds, Grade II, 1 1/16 miles, $600,000Mar 14 2009: San Felipe - Santa Anita, Grade II, 1 1/16 miles, $200,000Mar 14 2009: Rebel - Oaklawn, Grade II, 1 1/16 miles, $300,000Mar 14 2009: Tampa Bay Derby - Tampa Bay Downs, Grade III, 1 1/16 miles, $300,000Mar...

Here are a few must-have links for the upcoming Kentucky Derby... (there's even free video of prior races at the site) 2009 Derby Contenders:http://www.kentuckyderby.com/2009/racing-information/contenders Contender PP's (Past Performances):Here is Brisnet's weekly updated PDF past performance file of Kentucky Derby hopefuls:http://www.kentuckyderby.com/2009/racing-information/contender-pps Derby Prep Schedule: (major races leading to the Derby)http://www.kentuckyderby.com/2009/racing-information/preps-schedule For more info at the site (http://www.kentuckyderby.com/), hover your mouse pointer/cursor over "Racing Information" and select from the drop-down menu.

I Want Revenge is a horse on a mission. The son of Stephen Got Even has traveled across the country to get a head start on his compatriots back home. While they remain in California, content to scamper along on the synthetic surface, oblivious to the test that awaits them on May 2, I Want Revenge is willing to find out right now, once and for all, whether he will get hit by a dirt bomb or take to the loam like a kid to a sandbox. If it turns out to be the latter and he can defeat a...

National Legal and Policy Center Focuses on Next Phase in Blagojevich-Johnston “Pay to Play” Saga Uncovers $183,000 in Additional Contributions to Friends of Blagojevich from Johnston horse racing interests New figures demonstrate more than half of all horse racing contributions from 2002-2007 came directly from Johnston-owned/affiliated interestsFalls Church, Virginia - Today the National Legal and Policy Center publicly released an in-depth analysis of financial contributions made to Friends of Blagojevich from Balmoral and Maywood race track owner John Johnston and other Johnston-owned/affiliated interests. The new analysis reveals that previous accounts of Johnston contributions to Friends of Blagojevich greatly under-reported the...

CHICAGO (CBS) ― Full release from U.S. Attorney's Office: Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich and his Chief of Staff, John Harris, were arrested today by FBI agents on federal corruption charges alleging that they and others are engaging in ongoing criminal activity: conspiring to obtain personal financial benefits for Blagojevich by leveraging his sole authority to appoint a United States Senator; threatening to withhold substantial state assistance to the Tribune Company in connection with the sale of Wrigley Field to induce the firing of Chicago Tribune editorial board members sharply critical of Blagojevich; and to obtain campaign contributions in exchange...

I mean in the Melbourne Cup. Which horse should I bet on? Any inside scoop?

Big Brown Retired After Workout Injury Updated: Monday, October 13, 2008 11:19 AM Posted: Monday, October 13, 2008 10:34 AM By Karen Johnson and Steve Haskin Dual classic winner Big Brown has been retired after sustaining an injury during a workout at Aqueduct the morning of Oct. 13. The winner of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) and Preakness Stakes (gr. I) had worked in company with Kip Deville over the turf course, with the stablemates finishing together in final time of 1:12 4/5 for six furlongs. Afterward, it was determined that the colt had grabbed a...

Each day brings new entries in the "Brown Shoe Diaries." The latest photos from the Belmont Stakes (gr. I) reveal Big Brown was stepped on by Guadalcanal leaving the gate, and that the shoe did not re-set itself during the race as previously thought; the colt ran the entire way with the shoe dislodged and the nail protruding from it. Even trainer Rick Dutrow, who had a hard time accepting the possibility that the incident hampered the colt, now believes after seeing the photos that it could have been an issue. In a photo (shown below) that originally appeared as...

A photo taken during the early stages of the Belmont Stakes has revealed Big Brown was running with a loose shoe as the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner attempted to become the first Triple Crown winner since 1979, Newsday reported Monday.

For the second time in this year's Triple Crown series, animal rights activists faced racing fans to draw attention to what they believe is the cruel side of a sport many consider glamorous. About 100 men and women, many of them holding photos of the fallen filly Eight Belles, responded with waves to car horns and the occasional jeer along a sweltering stretch of Hempstead Turnpike outside Belmont Park in Elmont. Last month, a smaller group of demonstrators was outside Maryland's Pimlico Race Course before the running of the Preakness Stakes. Amanda McCall, 27, of Manhattan, said she was drawn...

NEW YORK -- Big Brown failed in his bid to become horse racing's 12th Triple Crown winner when he finished dead last to Da' Tara in the Belmont Stakes. Da' Tara went wire to wire to beat eight other thoroughbreds over 1½ miles, the longest and toughest of the three classics. "I had no horse," said Big Brown's jockey, Kent Desormeaux. All week long, Big Brown's trainer, Rick Dutrow Jr. said the horse's victory was "a foregone conclusion." He turned out be wrong. The bay colt's disappointing performance followed convincing victories in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. He failed on...

Longtime turf writer, handicapper and former Maryland Jockey Club oddsmaker Clem Florio died on May 25 at Memorial Regional South Hospice in Hollywood, Florida, following a battle with lung and pancreatic cancer. He was 78. The colorful scribe began his lifelong career in racing as a groom for Racing Hall of Fame trainer Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons. He later worked as a handicapper for the Miami News before moving to the Baltimore News-American where he handicapped and covered Maryland racing from 1965 through '78. Florio later spent ten years in a similar position with the Washington Post and later served as...

Big Brown, who will be seeking the coveted Triple Crown in the June 7 Belmont Stakes (gr. I), has a "slight" quarter crack on the inside of his left front foot, trainer Rick Dutrow said Sunday, May 25. Dutrow said he noticed a small spot on the colt's foot Friday afternoon and notified hoof lameness specialist Ian McKinlay, who treated it. By Saturday, it had turned into a slight quarter crack, five-eighths of an inch long. McKinlay applied iodine solution and said he’s confident it is very minor. He will “lace it up,” and if everything is good, the colt...

Big Brown looks like a Tripe Crown cinch. He wasn't even challenged today. This horse is a monster. Visions of Secretariat.

Please note: this is NOT spam. It's just material I've gathered on my own to prepare for Saturday's Preakness (I'm a regular poster here). All of the tools below are absolutely free, including the PPs (Past Performances) and video. They usually let you download stuff like this for free for the major stake races. Official Past Performances for 2008 Preakness Stakes (on pdf file):http://ntra.equibase.com/eqbNTRAGetFreeFF.cfm?trk=PIM&rd=05/17/2008&cty=USA&de=D&rn=12 Official website of the 2008 Preakness Stakes:http://www.preakness.com/ Videos of each of Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown's 4 prior starts, including this incredible first-time-out shocker on the grass at 14-1! (they must have somehow hid his workouts...

Please note: this is NOT spam. It's just material I've gathered on my own to prepare for Saturday's Preakness (I'm a regular poster here). All of the tools below are absolutely free, including the PPs (Past Performances) and video. They often let you download stuff like this for free for the major stake races. Official Past Performances for 2008 Preakness Stakes (on pdf file):http://ntra.equibase.com/eqbNTRAGetFreeFF.cfm?trk=PIM&rd=05/17/2008&cty=USA&de=D&rn=12 Official website of the 2008 Preakness Stakes:http://www.preakness.com/ Videos of each of Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown's 4 prior starts, including this incredible first-time-out shocker on the grass at 14-1! (they must have somehow hid his workouts...

The trainer of euthanized filly Eight Belles said Monday his jockey handled the horse properly during her second-place finish at the Kentucky Derby. Trainer Larry Jones said from Lexington that if the Derby were run again tomorrow, he'd put jockey Gabriel Saez right back on one of his horses. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has called for the suspension of Saez, saying the horse must have been injured during the race and he should have pulled her up rather than finish. But Jones said Saez acted exactly as he should have. Saez started whipping the horse to prevent...

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is calling for sweeping reforms and an end to cruelty to race horses after the filly Eight Belles was euthanized at the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. The horse was euthanized on the track after breaking both front ankles and finishing second in the race, according to the Associated Press. The news service had reported yesterday that PETA was calling for the suspension of the horse’s jockey, Gabriel Saez. The animal rights group faxed a letter Sunday to Kentucky’s racing authority claiming the horse was “doubtlessly injured before the finish” and asked that Saez...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A quarter mile past the finish line in the Kentucky Derby, a gallant runner-up effort by the filly Eight Belles was forgotten in an instant. In a freak accident that one experienced racetrack veterinarian said he had never seen before, the 3-year-old daughter of Unbridled’s Song apparently snapped both of her front ankles simultaneously as she galloped out after the race, sending her crashing hard to the Churchill Downs dirt racetrack. She was euthanized moments later, after vets determined there was no chance to save her. “She had finished the race and was around the turn at...

The camera cut away from her, but it should have stayed on her. Eight Belles had run herself half to death yesterday, and now the vets were finishing the job as she lay on her side, her beautiful figure a black hump on the track. Horses don't just fall down like that, you thought, as NBC flitted away, cowardlike, from the sickening picture to the more appealing image of the Kentucky Derby victor, Big Brown. There is no turning away from this fact: Eight Belles killed herself finishing second. She ran with the heart of a locomotive, on champagne-glass ankles,...

Trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. said earlier this week that he could not imagine that a post position could get Big Brown beat on Saturday. That conviction will be put to the extreme test when Big Brown breaks from the outside post in a full field of 20 in the $2,211,800 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) at Churchill Downs. Big Brown drew the 16th pick on Wednesday morning in the traditional pill pull that determined the selection for post positions. Dutrow and owner IEAH Stables had four other options—posts one, two, 18, and 19—by the time they chose their...

The first morning at Churchill Downs brought sunny skies and warm temperatures, as the Kentucky Derby horses began their final stretch to racing’s biggest day. From here on, there is no room for error. We’ll give a brief rundown of the day’s activities and continue with the plusses and minuses of each contender. The majority of activity took place after the renovation break, with the only worker being the Nick Zito-trained Cool Coal Man, who worked a half-mile in company in :47 2/5. The two horses who really filled the eye from a physical standpoint were Colonel John and Adriano,...

Robert LaPenta’s War Pass, the champion 2-year-old of 2007 and winner of the $2 million Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (gr. I) at Monmouth Park, has suffered a leg injury that has knocked the colt out of the $2 million guaranteed Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I). Trainer Nick Zito said Saturday that X-rays had revealed a small fracture in the sesamoid in the colt’s left front ankle. Veterinarian Dr. Rick Fischer discovered the fracture that Zito said would likely require War Pass to be on the sidelines for “a few months.” Zito said equine surgeon Dr. Larry...

With the final Derby preps approaching, there is no more room for error. It’s time to earn your way into the Run for the Roses or pack up and go home. The three graded stakes this weekend – the grade I Santa Anita Derby and Wood Memorial and grade II Illinois Derby – offer intriguing plot lines that will make or break aspiring Derby hopefuls. Those plot lines include some juicy questions: Can last year’s champion 2-year-old War Pass rebound in the Wood Memorial following a dreadful performance at odds of 1-20 in the Tampa Bay Derby (gr. III)? Will...

Z Humor, a gutsy dead-heat winner in the Dec. 7 Delta Jackpot (gr. III), and Smooth Air, who captured the Jan. 5 Hutcheson (gr. II) but will stretch out beyond seven furlongs for the first time, lead a field of nine in the $200,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes Feb. 16 at Tampa Bay Downs. The 1 1/16-mile Sam F. Davis is a test for 3-year-olds on the dirt. One of five Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) hopefuls trained by Bill Mott, Z Humor is a well-bred son of Distorted Humor--Offtheoldblock, by A.P. Indy. After breaking his maiden...