The Paulick Report and Breeders' Cup announced Oct. 26 a fundraising event for Breeders' Cup Charities benefiting the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund and The V Foundation for Cancer Research.
Monday, October 26, 2009
By Ray Paulick - Duchossois offers a special brand of hospitality to the racing fans and horsemen.
Monday, August 13, 2007
By Ray Paulick - The only master that should count is the horse and his safety.
Monday, August 06, 2007
By Ray Paulick - Racing has no commissioner, so when a substance, possibly cobra venom, was found in a trainer's barn a month ago, there is no swift and decisive action, only inaction.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
By Ray Paulick - Unlike existing news products delivered once a day, BloodhorseNOW.com will be a vibrant, constantly updated online resource pulling in the latest information from racetracks, auction rings, and breeding sheds.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
By Ray Paulick - Funny Cide was in more living rooms than any other person or animal leading up to the 2003 Belmont Stakes.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
By Ray Paulick - Included in that "it's not illegal if you can't test for it" category is cobra venom, the use of which has been rumored for years. The substance, believed to be 1,000 times more powerful than morphine, can help a horse run through pain by blocking impulses through the nervous system. Use of the substance in horse racing is illegal. Worse yet, it's cruel to the animal.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
By Ray Paulick - The revolving door at Magna didn't start with Neuman. Since Stronach formed Magna Entertainment in February 2000, there have been six CEOs.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
By Ray Paulick - What fans got this year were three incredible horse races that ended with three very accomplished and deserving winners, punctuated by the history-making performance of Rags to Riches, the first filly winner of the Belmont since Tanya in 1905.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Ray Paulick, editor-in-chief of The Blood-Horse, has been elected to the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation's board of directors.
Friday, June 08, 2007
By Ray Paulick - There is a touch of irony that Mom's Command will be inducted into the Hall of Fame the same year as the trainer of Forward Pass, Henry Forrest, who was elected by the Historic Review Committee.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
By Ray Paulick - The Tin Man and John Henry have more in common than grade I victories at the ripe old age of 9.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
By Ray Paulick - The fighting spirit shown by both Curlin and Street Sense in this terrific stretch battle epitomizes what breeding and racing Thoroughbreds is all about.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
By Ray Paulick - Racing has enough problems without a grandstanding politician using his position to wage a personal war with a state regulator.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
By Ray Paulick - Finally, after 23 years, Breeders' Cup officials can let out a sigh of relief. James Tafel's Street Sense proved that life does exist for a horse after winning the Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I).
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
By Ray Paulick - For some, just getting a horse to Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May is the realization of a dream. For others who've been there before, it's about winning -- pure and simple.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
By Ray Paulick - This year brings us to a couple of tried and tested chapters from the unwritten trainers' manual regarding the Kentucky Derby: the "two-prep" and "unraced juvenile" rules.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
By Ray Paulick - Conventional wisdom suggests front-running horses have a huge advantage if they are allowed to set the tortoise-like fractions established in this year's Blue Grass. But Polytrack has thrown conventional wisdom out the window.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
By Ray Paulick - Nobiz Like Shobiz and Tiago have a license to make beautiful music together on the first Saturday in May.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
By Ray Paulick - The CHRB's mandate is not only the right thing to do for the safety of horses, it is a benefit to owners, too, and ultimately for the tracks. Fewer injuries ensures there will be more horses in training, which will lead to larger field sizes, which usually translates to increased pari-mutuel handle. Owners are always happier to have horses racing and training rather than convalescing or recovering.
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
By Ray Paulick - Many state racing commissioners talk about cracking down on cheaters in our sport. Indiana regulators are taking serious action.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
By Ray Paulick - If you're a little confused about the future of racing in New York, join the club. If you're not confused, you're probably not thinking clearly.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
By Ray Paulick - Whether they race cars or horses, cheaters are getting more sophisticated today. Blood-doping agents or venom from exotic snakes and sea creatures are believed to be in use by some unscrupulous horsemen as performance-enhancing stimulants or painkillers. In a sense, it's the same kind of rocket fuel Waltrip's team was accused of putting into its Toyota.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
By Ray Paulick - I had to go all the way to Dubai to hear a panel discussion about how racing officials in various American jurisdictions have different interpretations about the most basic rules infraction.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Horse sale legislation filed Thursday and supported by California winemaker and horseman Jess Jackson would require disclosure of ownership and medical records of horses sold at public auction in Kentucky.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
By Ray Paulick - So many people owe thanks to Jonabell Farm founder John A. Bell III, who served on countless committees with numerous industry organizations for more than a half-century.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
By Ray Paulick -- While efforts to reform the bloodstock market have been stalled since the introduction of a Code of Ethics in 2004, a rallying cry can be heard from across the ocean as the new president of the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association in England calls for reform.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
By Ray Paulick -- The Jan. 8 announcement of the expansion of the Breeders' Cup to two days, along with the addition of three new $1-million races is symbolic of the organization's dynamic new leadership, one that is willing to take some chances.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
By Ray Paulick - The NTRA's biggest success -- its lobbying efforts -- is reason alone to continue supporting the organization as it embraces change.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
By Ray Paulick - Roy and Gretchen Jackson's beloved colt demonstrated other-worldly intelligence, matched only in size and scope by his courage and heart. Barbaro could play the role of the Cowardly Lion, Scarecrow, and Tin Man -- after they'd been to see the Wizard of Oz. Wouldn't it be nice if some of those attributes gravitated toward Thoroughbred industry leaders?
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
By Ray Paulick - Steroids have been at the center of scandals in numerous sports, particularly track and field and baseball, but the only steroid scandal in racing is that they are legal.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
By Ray Paulick - Russell Baze, unlike former Major League baseball star Rickey Henderson, knows his place in history.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Ray Paulick - It's difficult to get away from talk of synthetic surfaces, whether it concerns racing in North America, Asia, Europe, or Dubai.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
By Ray Paulick - The Society of International Thoroughbred Auctioneers is employing a classic carrot and stick approach with the Japan Racing Association, acknowledging through official recognition of 60 graded stakes that the JRA's racing quality is high, but warning the organization that no further advancements will be recognized until non-Japanese owners are licensed to compete in that country.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
By Ray Paulick - The proposed strategic plan that came out of last month's Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit is one of those documents or white papers that most likely will land in one of two places: the Thoroughbred industry's dust-gathering burial ground of so many other good ideas; or the hands of a leader with the energy, influence, and personal commitment to make a difference.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
By Ray Paulick - After a rocky year of changes that touched both the board of directors and the organization's top executives, stakeholders in the Breeders' Cup should feel good about its new direction.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
William S. Farish cited five current developments that give him optimism about the future of the Thoroughbred industry during his remarks as the honor guest at the Thoroughbred Club of America's 75th annual testimonial dinner, held at Keeneland Nov. 2.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
By Ray Paulick - It's too late to change anything for 2007, but California racing will be better served by a serious reduction of racing in 2008 and beyond. It's up to the CHRB to convince the industry it's the right thing to do.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
By Ray Paulick - This week's issue of
The Blood-Horse takes a trip down memory lane for a look at favorite Breeders' Cup moments. Here are mine.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
By Ray Paulick - For Thoroughbred trainers driven to succeed, it's all about numbers. That's the way it's been in the Hall of Fame career of D. Wayne Lukas, who virtually rewrote the record books in the 1980s, and that's how it is for his former assistant, Todd Pletcher, who Oct. 14 broke the single-season mark of 92 stakes victories established by Lukas in 1987.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
By Ray Paulick - If you didn't find something to like at Belmont Park, Keeneland, or the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita Park over the weekend of Oct. 7-8, you must not like horse racing.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
After a summer hiatus, the Thoroughbred Farm Managers Club resumed their monthly meetings Oct. 5 at the Embassy Suites in Lexington and announced that the late Dan Mallory had been named farm manager of the year.
Friday, October 06, 2006
By Ray Paulick - Reaction to the Congressional ban on Internet wagering was swift and severe -- at least from stock market investors who previously were bullish about online poker, sports and horse race betting, and casinos.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
By Ray Paulick - The political power the horse racing industry now enjoys in our nation's capital is a result of a strategy planned and executed by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, and supported by knowledgeable individuals who understand that contributions to the NTRA's Legislative Action Campaign and Political Action Committee are an investment in their future.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
By Ray Paulick - Increased distribution along with the convenience of telephone or Internet betting resulted in double-digit increases of advance deposit wagering handle in 2003-2005. Del Mar reported a 24% increase one year ago, which makes this year's 7% drop all the more puzzling -- and alarming.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
By Ray Paulick - The median household income for a family living in the United States was $46,326 in 2005 -- about $1,000 less than what a bloodstock agent would make in the purchase of a $950,000 horse if the agent was working for a client who agreed to pay a 5% commission, considered a standard fee by many in the Thoroughbred industry.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
By Ray Paulick - Last time I looked there were no sure things in racing. There are, however, some pretty safe bets. Here are a few I see.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
By Ray Paulick - There is profound sadness in the Bluegrass region as its residents and extended network of friends and family begin to deal with the tragedy of Comair flight 5191, which left 49 people dead when it crashed on takeoff at the end of Lexington's Blue Grass Airport Runway 26 in the pre-dawn hours of Aug. 27.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
By Ray Paulick - At the 45th Annual Jockey Club Round Table Conference on Matters Pertaining to Racing in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., on Aug. 10, 1997, Ogden Mills "Dinny" Phipps, then and now chairman of The Jockey Club, proclaimed that the "National Thoroughbred Racing Association is an idea whose time has come."
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
By Ray Paulick - A survey of buyers of Thoroughbred weanlings, yearlings, and 2-year-olds discovered that surgeries to correct conformation defects have a significant influence on whether or not someone will buy a horse at public auction.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
