The Wire

We look back at the busy holiday weekend of racing including the Clark Stakes and Stars of Tomorrow at Churchill Downs, Pink Lloyd's amazing final win at Woodbine, and much more!...

While the “All Others” options were favored as expected – closing at 3-5 in the 2022 Kentucky Derby Future Wager (KDFW) Pool 1 and at 7-2 in the Sire Future Wager – Jim McIngvale’s plunge made a splash in the markets late Sunday afternoon....

Selected harness features pay off, as outlined in the Nov. 28 weekly update....

Detailed analysis of the 2021 Golden Rod Stakes field by J. Keeler Johnson of TwinSpires....

The following letter was submitted by Robert Williams, executive director of the New York State Gaming Commission. I am writing in response to your October 18, 2021 column “View from The Eighth Pole: Of Rulings and Squeaky Clean Racing.” I feel the obligation to object to your sarcastic characterization, which...

Real Writing on Racing 💯...

So many turkeys. So little time. With the Thanksgiving Day holiday upon, it's time to reflect on the many blessings we have in our lives. Family and friends. The roof over our heads. The food on our table. The dollars in our advance deposit wagering account. At the Paulick Report,...

Albert the Great (May 7, 1997 – November 19, 2021) Albert the Great, a son of 1994 Kentucky Derby winner Go for Gin  and Bright Feather by Fappiano, was bred in Kentucky by Albert Clay. Owned by Tracy Farmer, he … Continue reading →...

The late B. Wayne Hughes owned Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, until his death in August 2021.  The farm is now property of his daughter Tammy Gustavson.  Forbes recently valued the Spendthrift operation–on a Podcast–at $400 million. Using expert guidance from two bloodstock agents (Chad Schumer and Peter Bradley), Forbes...

Twenty seven degrees out there. Out there, meaning, out at the barn. I'm on the couch, thinking about the barn. This is partially why I was never going to train horses, I'd rather be on the couch – coffee and computer. We pushed starting time from 6:00 to 6:30. Winter...

Twenty years after the death of Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Unbridled (by Fappiano), the influence of the …Continue reading →...

Back in March of 2009, in the Werk Thoroughbred Consultants blog, the late Jack Werk recounted a wager we'd made years earlier. This is what he wrote: “The year that Elusive Quality went to stud, pedigree expert Sid Fernando and I had a small side bet: Who was the best sleeper or long shot...

There were super features at both Busan and Seoul this past weekend as both tracks hosted their respective Owners’ Association Cups. At Busan there was a shock with Meni Hero leading home the field, while at Seoul a new star was born as Raon The Fighter dominated an elite set...

I, like many of you, love using stats and numbers to make wagering decisions. Whether we're sports betting or horse race betting we're numbers people. But, it always strikes me how much nuance and feel we need to place on the numbers to make decisions to properly try and find our...

Detailed analysis of the 2021 Red Smith Stakes field by Vance Hanson of TwinSpires....

More than one Thoroughbred trainer has said that “time only matters if you're in jail,” but try telling that to a horseplayer. In North America, the fractional and final times of every race listed in a horse's past performances can play an important role in a bettor's decision-making process, not...

We may have to dust off the old Paulick Report Chutzpah Award in the wake of Arlington Park executive Tony Petrillo's gaslighting of the Illinois Racing Board. Appearing via video before the regulatory agency during a regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday, Nov. 18. Petrillo lobbied to keep Arlington Park's diminishing...

The Ninth Annual Sporting Art Auction will be held at 1 p.m. ET this Sunday, November 21, at the Keeneland Sales Pavilion in Lexington, Kentucky. Thoroughbred champions will grace the sales ring, from paintings like this 1867 portrait of Gladiateur to a 19th-century weathervane of the legendary Lexington with bullet...

Beemer had ITP on his show yesterday, and I found it a good listen. You can listen right here. If you read this blog over the years you're probably interested in the gambling side of the game and I am sure you agree with most of what ITP had to say,...

The 2021 Forbes list of the 400 wealthiest Americans has at least four members with deep involvement with Thoroughbred horse racing.  A record net worth of $2.9 million is required to make the list. John Malone, age 80, is the 98th richest American, with a net worth of $8.4 billion....

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) is not scheduled to begin operations until July of next year, but with release of the initial guidelines issued for public consumption last week and any number of Op/Ed pieces appearing in industry trade publications, the direction of the Authority that will steer...

Among the stallions whose stock enjoyed success at the 2021 Breeders’ Cup, Darley‘s Dubawi (by Dubai Millennium) clearly scored the most …Continue reading →...

Wow, what a finale at Charleston. Drama to the end. All centered around championship races. Jockeys Graham Watters and Tom Garner and trainers Jack Fisher and Leslie Young.  “We were joking about at the start of the fall that it was going to go to the last day,” Watters said....

Robert Lee “Sam” Huff rose like a rocket from a coal mining town in West Virginia to the pinnacle of football fame, starring at West Virginia University and earning NFL Hall of Fame induction for his years as a fierce linebacker with the New York Giants and Washington Redskins.  Mr....

Discreet Hero (1998-2021) In a modest way, from 2001 through 2005 Discreet Hero was one of racing’s stars. He won only one graded stakes, the 2001 Round Table (G3) at Arlington, but he ran creditable efforts against such as Orientate, … Continue reading →...