All Equine All The Time

Last week it was announced that Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner I'll Have Another is going to Japan for his stud career . While the news was predictably followed with dismay, there were also many hateful comments such as "He'll just suffer the same fate Ferdinand did" among others (to learn about Ferdinand's story, click here ) so I did a little research on some of the top stallions in Japan and how many are directly connected to the United States. (Thanks to Tachyon from Thoroughbred Champions for the list) 9. Victoire Pisa(USA) (Neo Universe) (Shadai) 3,500,000 (43,750)- raced outside the US 11. Empire Maker(USA) (Unbridled) (JBBA) 3,000,000 (37,500)- Won Belmont, Wood, Florida Derby 12. Kurofune(USA) (French Deputy) (Shadai) 3,000,000 (37,500)- not raced in US 13. Conduit(IRE) (Dalakhani) (Big Red Farm) 3,000,000 (37,500)- Won BC Turf twice 16. Johannesburg(USA) (Hennessy) (JBBA) 3...

In a sport dominated by two and three-year-olds, it's hard to believe that older horses have any place in this fast paced world. But while many popular three-year-olds retire with just a few starts in their career, a horse running at the upper levels for multiple years gains a massive following. One only needs to look at Zenyatta to understand that a horse that spends multiple years in the spotlight can attract a massive following. Another example would be the European supermare Goldikova, who had American fans clamoring to see her at her yearly appearances in the Breeders' Cup races she ran in during her career. While both example cite successful mares that defied the odds by either taking on males or keeping a winning steak alive, it also proves that fans can be attracted to the track. In the past few years, we have seen healthy, or slightly injured, horses leave the track at three-years-old because they "have nothing else to prove" or they are offered lucr...

If you've been in racing long enough, you know things can change quickly in this industry. In only a month, the hero can fall into the trap of being forgotten about and an unknown horse can turn into the next hot thing. In January, Hansen and Union Rags were the big three-year-olds to watch and over the last five weeks, very few words have been uttered about either until yesterday's Belmont. I'll Have Another seemed to burst on the national scene in the G1 Santa Anita Derby when he beat Creative Cause by a nose (however, the colt won the Robert B. Lewis Stakes in February before that win) and captured even more attention when winning the first two legs of the Triple Crown.  The racing gods determined that another Triple Crown winner was not to be this year when the Flower Alley son was scratched from the Belmont and retired due to a tendon issue, sending a sober atmosphere over the running of the last leg of racing's biggest challenge. However, in the ...