HorseRacingNation.com NewsWire

Cheating: Do Punishments Fit the Crimes?

Mon, 06 May 2013 23:23:00 GMT

According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of cheating is to influence or lead by deceit, trick or artifice; to violate the rules dishonestly. I am often surprised by what an athlete or team will subject themselves to in order to cheat. The creativity and the effort that can go into hiding the wrongdoing is almost as significant as the hard work that brings a team to be successful. However, if cheating is what made a team become successful, we can then ask the question, “would that person or team have ever been as successful if they were not cheating?”

Unfortunately for many fans, competitive racing has become synonymous with cheating. Competitors are always in search of an “edge,” and sometimes in some of the most creative ways possible. To a normal person, the thought of exchanging every drop of your blood to rid your body of the natural acids created as a result of physical output sounds insane. However, to athletes driven by their peers, fear of loss, greed, and above all, the competitive will to win, this just sounds like an undetectable way to give them an

A Closer Look at the 2013 Audemars Piguet QEII Cup

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 20:52:25 GMT

Audemars Piguet QEII Cup – 2000m Sha Tin turf - $14,000,000 HKD ($1.8M USD)

In the midst of Kentucky Derby fever, it can be very easy to lose track of the global racing scene. In addition to the Hong Kong International races in December, there are two other large purse international Group 1 races hosted by the HKJC. The first is the Audemars Piguet QEII Cup contested at nearly ten furlongs on the Sha Tin turf. The second of the two races is the Champion’s Mile contested a week later over the same track. The timing of these races often helps dictate the end of season honors for Hong Kong based horses. The Hong Kong racing season runs from September through early July.

The prestige of these races, along with their very nice purses, tends to draw some of the world’s best globetrotters, and this year is proving to be no exception.

The allure of this race has drawn arguably the most successful horse from this year’s Dubai World Carnival. Sajjhaa has won all four starts at Meydan including her most recent display of dominance, which yielded a track record in the D

Was the Training Surface the Key to Animal Kingdom's Victory in Dubai?

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 01:49:31 GMT

The 2013 Dubai World Cup featured one of the most powerful and dominating wins I have seen in recent memory. In the world’s richest race, and against some of the best ten-furlong horses in the world, Animal Kingdom again showed the talent and poise that won him the Kentucky Derby. For those who have confidently followed Animal Kingdom’s troubled career, this win was not surprising. We have all known that Animal Kingdom is one of the most versatile horses in the world today, having won on dirt, turf, and synthetic racing surfaces.

Animal Kingdom’s path to the Dubai World Cup was not like the other American dirt runners. After training for a turf race in the 2012 Breeders’ Cup, Animal Kingdom was shipped to Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland to spend part of his winter and regroup for a spring time assault on the Dubai World Cup Carnival. Nothing sounds very unique about this path until one recognizes that the training surface at Fair Hill is Tapeta. After training there for a short period, he was shipped to Palm Meadows to focus on turf training for his prep race in

A Kentucky Derby Void of a Healthy 2 Year Old Champion?

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 15:03:09 GMT

On a day that will be remembered for an older Kentucky Derby champion's international success, a shadow was cast on one of the top prospects of 2013. Shanghai Bobby had a 2-year-old season that was nothing short of spectacular. Undefeated in five starts and concluding his championship season with a well earned win in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, the dark bay son of Harlan’s Holiday looked to be on the fast track to success.

Clearly the cream of the crop in 2012, expectations were high for 2013 but confidence and expectations can only take a horse so far. Even though he boasted the most impressive resume on his 3-year-old birthday, he would still have work to do to earn his ticket in the starting gate in Churchill Downs.

And so we once again bring up the new Kentucky Derby points system. The old system would have confirmed Shanghai Bobby into the crown jewel of American Racing six months early with his gritty win over He’s Had Enough in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile but now he may have to watch from the sidelines. When Todd Pletcher first publicized his plans

How much does weight really matter?

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 18:00:41 GMT

Today spawned some very interesting comments on both social media and HRN blogs with regards to the amount of weight carried by a horse in a race. The first group of comments was from a facebook post by Brian Zipse about Bob Baffert’s pending decision to race Game on Dude in the Santa Anita Handicap. The second set of comments was in result to a blog written by Laura Pugh about Violence and Orb’s finish in the Fountain of Youth.

The commonality between both of the resulting

Is Todd Pletcher's Kentucky Derby Cup Too Full?

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 22:51:35 GMT

Shanghai Bobby, Overanalyze, Verrazano, Palace Malice, Violence, Abraham, Forty Tales, and that’s only the horses in Florida! Revolutionary has apparently been called up from the minor leagues. After his gritty performance in this past weekend’s Withers Stakes he will make the trip from New York down to Florida on Tuesday to join the other Derby hopefuls under the watchful eye of Todd Pletcher.

I could be one of the few who view Mr. Pletcher’s stable and say “that guy has it rough.” But how on earth can I say that? He has 7, maybe 8 serious derby contenders, and each week the fickle mob of race fans jump around yelling “Todd’s horse, _________ will be your 2013 Kentucky Derby winner!!”

Based on rough estimations throughout the industry, it is postulated that 40-45 Kentucky Derby points will be enough to join the field of 20 on May 4th. Not a single Pletcher horse has that many yet. Not a single horse in the COUNTRY has that many yet. And now, Todd has concentrated his army of Derby contenders in South Florida. The same South Florida that has only

Team America: Dubai World Cup Nominations

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 00:03:04 GMT

Despite very large purses, a multitude of race types to choose from, and top class competition, many of the world’s elite thoroughbreds do not make the trip to the United States for the Breeders’ Cup. This is perhaps one of the most frustrating aspects of being a worldwide racing fan here in America. But the coin is two sided, and with the plethora of high quality races abroad, why don’t American trainers seek out the best outside of the USA? The sportsman in us all wish it was pur

A Weekend to Remember

Sun, 20 Jan 2013 15:09:58 GMT

“The highest of highs and lowest of lows.” As much as this phrase personifies the rapid and sometimes unexpected swing of emotions that encompass thoroughbred horse racing, I cannot help but think about how it reaches beyond the Sport of Kings.

For nearly all of my life, I have had to grow and watch my father suffer from a degenerative heart condition known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. This condition, has portions of the heart muscle never stop growing, to the poi

The Best Races That Never Happened

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 19:00:19 GMT

There have been many great horses through history, and often some of their careers overlap with one another. However, to the fan’s dismay, it is not always the case when top class horses face each other on the track. I thought it would be fun to look back at some of the great horses of our nation’s past and ponder what would have happened if two outstanding athletes had met in the purest form of competition. I tried to keep the list focused on as many US based horses as possible (with 2 exceptions), as an international list would need to be a “top 100” to appropriately capture all the greats throughout the world.

10. Bernardini vs Barbaro

Few horses have ever touched the hearts of fans like Barbaro. His talent on the track was second to none, and many thought 2006 was going to be the year the Triple Crown drought was brought to an end. After a breathtaking win in the Kentucky Derby, Barbaro looked to be on his way to greatness. However tragedy struck in Preakness and the whole nation gasped as Barbaro sustained the injury that would eventually lead to his death. In tha

Hong Kong International Races: A Preview

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 11:27:50 GMT

This year’s lineup for the Longines Hong Kong International Races looks to be as good as ever with several international stars making the trip to try and take a piece of the $72 Million HKD ($9.25 USD) in prize money. Sunday's card is made up of four international group 1 races including the 6 furlong Sprint, the 8 furlong Mile, the 1 ¼ mile Cup, and the 1 ½ mile Vase a