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By Ray Paulick -- One of the last things Thoroughbred racing needs is another organization that duplicates or comes into conflict with the work of others. That must be avoided if the Thoroughbred Championship Tour, a concept developed by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, comes to fruition.
Tuesday, July 01, 2003By Ray Paulick -- How big was Funny Cide's run for this year's Triple Crown? In terms of television ratings, no prime-time program received a higher number during the week of the Belmont Stakes than the final hour of NBC's 90-minute race telecast.
Tuesday, June 17, 2003By Ray Paulick -- A Travers with Funny Cide and Empire Maker is almost certain to attract a record crowd to Saratoga.
Friday, June 13, 2003By Ray Paulick -- Whether he wins or loses in New York, Funny Cide has helped give racing new exposure.
Wednesday, May 28, 2003When New York-bred Funny Cide goes for a Triple Crown sweep in the Belmont Stakes, the sport of kings will be the king of sports in the Big Apple and throughout the Empire State.
Tuesday, May 20, 2003By Ray Paulick -- Most interesting comment in the 48-hour media barrage surrounding the "controversy" of Jose Santos and the 129th running of the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) came at about hour 24, during a roundtable discussion of journalists on ESPN's "Sports Reporters" telecast the morning of May 11.
Tuesday, May 13, 2003By Ray Paulick -- Precisionist, one of this year's inductees into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, didn't start in the 1984 Kentucky Derby (gr. I).
Tuesday, April 29, 2003By Ray Paulick -- Has it really been 25 years since Thoroughbred racing had its last Triple Crown winner? It doesn't seem that long ago to us gray-haired types, but a new generation of racing fans has not had a Triple Crown winner in their lifetime.
Tuesday, April 22, 2003By Ray Paulick -- Barring a last-minute miracle in the Maryland legislature, the horse industries in Maryland and Kentucky came up on the short end of the stick in their efforts to get legislation permitting slot machines at racetracks.
Tuesday, April 08, 2003By Ray Paulick -- Expenses from February's ice storm in Central Kentucky could easily exceed $9 million.
Tuesday, March 18, 2003By Ray Paulick -- Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak wouldn't have happened if a racing secretary ruled baseball.
Wednesday, March 05, 2003By Ray Paulick -- Progress continues in the areas of medication and drug-testing, and those involved in the process should not let a "lack of easy answers" stand in their way.
Wednesday, February 26, 2003By Ray Paulick -- The ice storm that socked Central Kentucky could not have come at a worse time for horse farms.
Sunday, February 23, 2003By Ray Paulick -- While for some the trail to the Triple Crown begins the minute a healthy foal hits the ground, a more realistic starting point is when the first major prep races are shown on live television.
Tuesday, February 11, 2003By Ray Paulick -- The governors of New York and California may strike deals that will hurt the racing industry.
Tuesday, February 04, 2003By Ray Paulick -- The NTRA needs to clearly define for voters what the awards are supposed to recognize and should take control of who votes for the awards, inviting a panel of 50 to 100 of the most qualified and unbiased people in racing to participate.
Tuesday, January 28, 2003By Ray Paulick -- An online betting exchange poses a serious threat to horse racing because none of the money wagered is passed on to the industry.
Wednesday, January 22, 2003Kentucky's leadership role in breeding excellence may be slipping and too many of the state's legislators fail to understand the importance of the state's Thoroughbred industry, how it works, and who it represents.
Tuesday, January 14, 2003By Ray Paulick -- Eclipse voters may have potential conflicts of interest, but most take their jobs very seriously.
Wednesday, January 08, 2003By Ray Paulick -- Organizations for breeders and owners have to be engaged in the efforts to bring slots to racetracks.
Thursday, January 02, 2003By Ray Paulick -- Creative breeders are continuing to explore new ways to promote their stallions.
Monday, December 23, 2002By Ray Paulick -- Breeders' Cup purses have not kept pace with inflation --and neither have nomination fees/
Tuesday, December 17, 2002By Ray Paulick -- The battle between Elusive Quality and Distorted Humor to be leading freshman sire in North America could be decided in a hearing room of the Jockey Club of England next month.
Tuesday, December 10, 2002By Ray Paulick -- Japanese officials are perplexed why owners of the best American horses are showing such little interest in the Japan Cup and Japan Cup Dirt.
Tuesday, November 26, 2002By Ray Paulick -- Some track officials and horsemen have begun to question the wisdom of their relationships with offshore and U.S.-based wagering companies that attract some of the game's biggest players through rebates of 10% or more on wagers.
Tuesday, November 12, 2002By Ray Paulick -- The competitive races at Arlington Park warmed the chilly 46,118 on hand for the Breeders' Cup races Oct. 26.
Tuesday, October 29, 2002By Ray Paulick -- If she adds the Breeders' Cup Distaff to her list of credentials, Azeri deserves consideration for Horse of the Year honors.
Tuesday, October 08, 2002By Ray Paulick -- Remembering a mare who is destined for the Hall of Fame and looking at how the horse industry has changed.
Tuesday, October 01, 2002By Ray Paulick -- A number of the policies for the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships are beginning to resemble those at other major sporting events. That's a good thing, even if it means some people will be unhappy. The Breeders' Cup should be a tough ticket.
Wednesday, September 04, 2002By Ray Paulick -- If the investment community is unclear about the direction Magna Entertainment is heading, it isn't alone. People in racing also are wondering exactly what chairman Frank Stronach has in mind for the company that has either acquired or has agreements to purchase racetracks in nine states and in one province of Canada.
Tuesday, August 27, 2002By Ray Paulick -- If the investment community is unclear about the direction Magna Entertainment is heading, it isn't alone. People in racing also are wondering exactly what chairman Frank Stronach has in mind for the company that has either acquired or has agreements to purchase racetracks in nine states and in one province of Canada.
Tuesday, August 27, 2002By Ray Paulick -- If the investment community is unclear about the direction Magna Entertainment is heading, it isn't alone. People in racing also are wondering exactly what chairman Frank Stronach has in mind for the company that has either acquired or has agreements to purchase racetracks in nine states and in one province of Canada.
Tuesday, August 27, 2002By Ray Paulick -- Sunday Silence, who died in Japan Monday at age 16, saved Arthur Hancock's Stone Farm from bankruptcy in the late 1980s.
Tuesday, August 20, 2002By Ray Paulick -- Sunday Silence, who died in Japan Monday at age 16, saved Arthur Hancock's Stone Farm from bankruptcy in the late 1980s.
Tuesday, August 20, 2002By Ray Paulick -- What has happened to the top of the yearling market, the sector that outpaced all others during the boom years of the late 1990s and into the first year of the new millennium?
Tuesday, August 13, 2002By Ray Paulick -- At Del Mar, promotions and activities such as concerts, "family fun club," trackside educational programs, handicapping seminars, and even a day-care facility in association with the local YMCA have helped the track increase business.
Tuesday, August 06, 2002By Ray Paulick -- Rebate shops have been on the scene several years now, and it appears there has been limited success in slowing down their ability to recruit and retain some of horse racing's biggest gamblers.
Tuesday, July 30, 2002By Ray Paulick -- In a reversal of form, Fasig-Tipton Kentucky had the greatest momentum and Keeneland sustained a downturn during the 2002 summer yearling sales.
Wednesday, July 24, 2002By Ray Paulick -- The late Howard Battle will be missed, not only at the many racetracks where he worked and by the many younger officials he mentored. His reach extended around the racing world.
Tuesday, July 16, 2002By Ray Paulick -- Personal experience confirms that people would rather bet on races they can watch on television.
Tuesday, July 09, 2002By Ray Paulick -- Major League Baseball is trying to come to grips with a growing drug scandal involving anabolic steroids that some people feel already has tarnished some of the sport's most sacred records. It's one scandal that, for now, racing has managed to avoid.
Tuesday, June 18, 2002By Ray Paulick -- The attendance, wagering, and television audience numbers posted for this year's Triple Crown series do not support the notion that this is a dying industry.
Tuesday, June 11, 2002By Ray Paulick -- While media interest in this year's Belmont Stakes is unprecedented, the year-round depth of quality of racing is epitomized by the likes of Kona Gold, Xtra Heat, and others.
Tuesday, June 04, 2002By Ray Paulick -- Racing fans from the baby boomer generation were spoiled by the remarkable careers of the three most recent Triple Crown winners, Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977), and Affirmed (1978). Maybe that's why the knockers are lining up to take their shots at War Emblem as he bids for the Triple Crown.
Wednesday, May 29, 2002By Ray Paulick -- Mike Pegram calls Bob Baffert "an artiste." Bob Lewis says he is "unbelievable." And Prince Ahmed Salman, whose colors have been carried to victory in four consecutive Triple Crown races by the Baffert-trained duo of Point Given and War Emblem, proclaims the conditioner a "genius."
Tuesday, May 21, 2002By Ray Paulick --Sometimes it's easy to forget what's important about the game. People can argue long into the night about seemingly important issues like marketing, takeout rates, or medication and drug testing, but then a remarkable talent like Seattle Slew comes along and reminds everyone that the horse is king of this sport.
Tuesday, May 14, 2002By Ray Paulick -- Giving credit to assistant trainers; changing the entry and graded stakes money rules; and a call to increase the Kentucky Derby purse.
Wednesday, May 08, 2002By Ray Paulick -- Handicapping 101 teaches things like pace, trips, and class, but does not cover what the late oddsmaker Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder used to refer to as the "intangibles." When it comes to handicapping the Kentucky Derby (gr. I), the intangibles sometimes seem just as important as the measurable factors.
Thursday, May 02, 2002By Ray Paulick -- Three jewels in the Triple Crown? Not nearly enough, it says here. The series of classic races that ushers in springtime as much as the crack of the bat on opening day has far too much history, far too many heroes, to say there are only three jewels.
Tuesday, April 23, 2002By Ray Paulick -- For a change, let's all accept the winner of this year's Kentucky Derby as the best horse. Period.
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