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Liebman Named Editor of Frankfort, Ky., Paper

Dan Liebman, former editor of The Blood-Horse magazine, has been named editor of The State Journal newspaper in Frankfort, Ky., effective in mid-January 2013.

Mosses to Speak at UK Lecture Series

Jerry and Ann Moss, owners of 2010 Horse of the Year and three-time champion older mare Zenyatta, will speak at the University of Kentucky Equine Initiative Distinguished Industry Lecture Series Sept. 14.

Buy The Book

Once again Keeneland has listened to its customers, recently announcing changes to the structure of its September yearling sale.

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Santa Anita Horsemen: Get Out While You Can

California trainers with a top 3-year-old should bolt while they still can. Get to a track that won't cancel when it rains.

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Zenyatta vs. Rachel: How About May 2?

Can you imagine the publicity if the two great distaffers met the day after the Kentucky Derby?

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What's Going On Here: States of Confusion

The horse industry in NY, Kentucky, and Maryland is suffering because of politicians.

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Breeders' Cup Not a World Championship

The Breeders' Cup is a great event but it is not really a world championship of anything.

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What's Going On Here: So Long Synthetic

Dan Liebman addresses Santa Anita's decision to remove its synthetic surface and replace it with dirt.

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Morning Line Blog Live from Belmont!

Join Blood-Horse Editor-in-Chief Dan Liebman for a live blog from Belmont Park Saturday, June 6th, from Noon EDT to 1:00 pm.

Inside Track: NYRA's Silver Lining

As the June 6 Belmont Stakes (gr. I) approaches, discussions often turn to the last Triple Crown winner, Affirmed in 1978, or to Secretariat's 31-length spectacle in 1973. Dan Silver, the new director of communications and media relations for the New York Racing Association, appreciates those historic races, even though he wasn't born when they occurred. Silver is only 29 years old.

Argentine Aspirations

From just 14 starters, Argentina has been represented as the breeding ground of the winners of four Breeders' Cup World Championships races.

Hall of Fame: It's All About the Horse

The message at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame induction ceremony Aug. 4 was plain and simple: "It's all about the horse."

Commentary: Healing the Wounds

by Dan Liebman - There were 417 races run on the flat in North America May 3, but only one captured the attention of the public.

Commentary: The Sound of Silence

by Dan Liebman - After winning the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) May 2, Airdrie Stud owner Brereton Jones talked of the relationship his family has developed with trainer Larry Jones and his wife, Cindy.

Commentary: Dear John

by Dan Liebman - One night during the 2007 Keeneland November sale, Eoin Harty was enjoying a leisurely dinner when the topic turned to horses, in particular those in his Southern California stable.

Commentary: Just Like Yesterday

by Dan Liebman - There are moments along the Triple Crown trail that remain forever etched in our minds. For this writer, one of those was April 27, 1978.

Commentary: Sales Sold

by Dan Liebman - Few have the resources to do anything they want in the Thoroughbred industry. Sheikh Mohammed would be one of the exceptions.

Commentary: The Next Steps

by Dan Liebman - Alice Chandler has no intention of shooting craps in a fancy, glitzy casino. Wouldn't be the same. Now 82, she harkens back to her youth when she would try to make her point in a tack room with the men on her dad's Beaumont Farm.

Commentary: Losing Gamble

By Dan Liebman - Wallace Wilkinson did what the voters asked him to do. Steve Beshear did not.

Commentary: Detox

By Dan Liebman - Imagine using something in your profession for 25 years because you believe it to be beneficial, and then having regulators take it away from you.

Commentary: Right to Know

By Dan Liebman - It leaves a bad taste in the collective mouths of the betting public when it believes it has been misled.

Commentary: When Is Diligence Due?

You can bet there are those pushing for a return to a dirt surface at Santa Anita

Commentary: Fresh Start

By Dan Liebman - The franchise extension is only the beginning. NYRA has many hurdles to return to profitability.

Commentary: Half Empty

By Dan Liebman - The Breeders' Cup should be a win-win for the organization and the host track.

Commentary: 'Roid Rage

By Dan Liebman - The industry has one chance to get it right or the federal government may intervene.

Commentary: Hall Worthy

By Dan Liebman - Years after Kent Hollingsworth's death, many issues he wrote about are still at the forefront.

Commentary:Beyond Past Performances

By Dan Liebman - There are no rules for Eclipse Awards voters, and maybe that is as it should be.

Commentary: Holding Court

By Dan Liebman - A contemporary of Bob Courtney's was asked how he would best describe the 86-year-old owner of Crestfield Farm, who retired from selling horses following the Keeneland January sale. "If you asked 100 people who the most honest guy in the sale pavilion is, all 100 would say Bob Courtney," he said.

Blood-Horse Launches Stallion Tour

Blood-Horse Publications has announced the launch of its Blood-Horse New Stallions Tour, a specialized online video library available on BloodHorse.com and BloodHorseNOW.com.

Commentary: Broad Cast

By Dan Liebman - During dinner with colleagues the night of Dec. 29, a member of the party returned to the table and mentioned how the New York Giants were leading the New England Patriots in the fourth quarter. A television in an adjacent room was showing the game on CBS.

Commentary: Hall of a Career

By - Dan Liebman - I never met Dale Baird. In fact, I never even saw one of his horses win in person. But in 2005 I voted for him to gain inclusion in racing's Hall of Fame.

Commentary: By the Numbers

By - Dan Liebman - Usually, if sales of young horses are up, so too are sales of broodmares and broodmare prospects. As this issue devoted to the auction market shows, 2007 was a bit different.

Commentary: Pitching In

By - Dan Liebman - Compile a list of important issues facing the Thoroughbred industry in 2008 and integrity would surely be included. Well, racing is not alone.

Commentary: Another World

By - Dan Liebman - On Dec. 9, the Cathay Pacific International Races were held in Hong Kong. The following day, the Breeders' Cup announced it was adding three new races to its World Championships program. The terms "international" and "world" may imply the same thing, but there is little that is similar about the two events.

Commentary: Step Lively

By - Dan Liebman - In 2007, at least one Thoroughbred flat race was run at 129 different racetracks in North America (another 24 ran steeplechase races only). Of those racetracks, nine now have a synthetic track surface.

Commentary: Rough Ride

By - Dan Liebman - In some ways, jockeys are no different than coal miners, oil-rig workers, and police and firemen. There is inherent risk in their everyday job. But you can't think about the risk. To dwell on it would make the job impossible to perform.

Commentary: Performance-based

By - Dan Liebman - In a perfect world, professional athletes would all have one-year contracts. The results of their previous season would determine whether or not they would receive a raise for the following year.

Commentary: One Small Step

By - Dan Liebman - It was an item that didn't draw many headlines. But, as Neil Armstrong so eloquently said about one small step, it can lead to a giant leap.

Commentary: Cloud Cover

By - Dan Liebman - "Trainer of record" is important, but in many ways, it is a meaningless term.

Commentary: To Market

By - Dan Liebman - There were many longtime industry participants at Monmouth Park Oct. 26-27 for the first Breeders' Cup World Championships spread over two days. But perhaps more importantly, there was a newcomer to the sport intently watching the goings on.

Commentary: Have Courage

By - Dan Liebman It was a routine early December night in Kentucky, when suddenly residents of South Frankfort were startled by late night fireworks. The pyrotechnics display from near the state capitol could mean only one thing -- Kentucky's first female governor had closed the deal to land the Toyota manufacturing plant.

Commentary: Short of the Mark

By Dan Liebman - The preliminary recommendations of the Sales Integrity Task Force were released Oct. 15, and though the diligent work of the group is admirable, it fell far short of providing a strong blueprint for needed changes in the public auction arena.

Video Q&A With Dan Liebman

Dan Liebman, newly appointed editor-in-chief, took part in a video question-and-answer session Oct. 12.

Video Q&A: Dan Liebman

Video Q&A

Liebman Named Editor-in-Chief of The Blood-Horse

Dan Liebman, most recently executive editor of The Blood-Horse, has been named editor-in-chief of the magazine, Blood-Horse Publications announced Oct. 8.

Commentary: Substandard

By Dan Liebman - For baby boomers, 60 is the new 40; for airlines, 6 a.m. is the new 8 a.m.; and, according to a recent advertisement in The Blood-Horse, for the Thoroughbred industry, 6% stakes winners from foals is the new "gold standard."

Commentary: Running Start

By Dan Liebman - Thankfully, someone at the time did have an interest in standing Danzig, Storm Cat, and Mr. Prospector, respectively. And, our breed has been changed forever because of their decisions.

Commentary: Howdy, Partner

By Dan Liebman - What was the most interesting thing about the $2.2 million sale topper of the annual Fasig-Tipton Saratoga select yearling sale was not the breeder, consignor, or sire of the colt, but the buyer and underbidder.

Commentary: Chip In

By Dan Liebman - Pre-sale surgeries didn't keep horses such as Real Quiet and Curlin from becoming classic winners. Disclosure wouldn't have, either.

Commentary: Follow That Car

By Dan Liebman - But just imagine if the owner of every racetrack in North America could agree to do what is best for the sport overall, realizing what is best for all is best for one. Think of one network carrying every race televised across the continent with a cohesive schedule understood by fans.