Nov 022025
 

That’s All Folks

We should do three things every day of our life. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is to think, we should spend some time in thought. And, number three is you should have your emotions moved to tears.

Jim Valvano

Check My Brain

After The Thrill is Gone

Horse Race Insider – John Pricci – BREEDERS’ CUP HEARTFELT IMPRESSIONS; DERBY GREATEST U.S. RACE, CUP IT’S GREATEST EVENT

Thoroughbred Racing Commentary – Nicholas Godfrey – What’s been happening: Melbourne Cup, Forever Young plans, Breeders’ Cup controversy and more …

My Opening Farewell

DRF – Brad Free – Baffert unveils 2026 plans for Breeders’ Cup trainees

Lonely Bull

Bloodhorse – Byron King – Preakness Stakes Winner Journalism to Race in 2026

Things ain’t what they used to be and never were.

Will Rogers

All Along The Watchtower

Thoroughbred Racing Commentary – Nicholas Godfrey – Breeders’ Cup rankings update: ‘This is like if the Japanese team won the World Cup’ – historic Classic success for Forever Young

All Along The Watchtower 

Salon – Sophia McClennen – How Donald Trump broke the American mind

All Along The Watchtower

Secretariat.com – Steve Haskin – A King Is Crowned In Absentia 

Bloodhorse – Jay Hovdey – Breeders’ Cup Raises as Many Questions as Answers

96 Tears

A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.

Bruce Lee

Paulick Report – Yoshito Yahagi: Breeders’ Cup Classic Winner Forever Young’s Story Overshadowed By World Series Final

Bloodhorse – Bob Ehalt – There Will Be More to Come From Forever Young

Fire and Rain

Paulick Report – 2025 Breeders’ Cup Saturday In Photos: A Made-In-Japan Classic

Paulick Report – Scylla Caps Career In BC Distaff; Plans To Be Determined For Dual Classic Winner Sovereignty

 

TDN – Post-Breeders’ Cup Notes: Journalism’s Future TBD, Stable Stars Head Off for Retirement

TDN – Emma Berry – Frankie Dettori to Retire at the Breeders’ Cup

White Abarrio…”there’s nothing wrong with him.”

What caused the stewards to scratch White Abarrio (Race Day) shortly before the running of the GI Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile? Co-owner Mark Cornett doesn’t have a clue.

“There’s nothing wrong with him,” Cornett said Sunday. “I have no idea why they scratched him. No one has told us why yet.  This is unbelievably frustrating. We have a perfectly sound horse. I’ve been with this horse since September of his 2-year-old year and he’s never missed a race, never missed a work, never missed a day of training. What a wonderful way to spend our Breeders’ Cup day.”

Cornett said White Abarrio will run next year at age seven and his first main goal of the 2026 season with be the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park.

TDN – Week In Review: Did the Rabbit Cost Fierceness the Classic, and Other Observations on the Breeders’ Cup

Phil has a question:

Were the track veterinarians making up for missing Gin Gin’s gate problems and the 7 horse in the first race rearing in the gate by scratching White Abbario. 

Paulick Report – White Abarrio ‘Doing Great’ Day After Breeders’ Cup Scratch

My psychiatrist told me I was crazy and I said I want a second opinion. He said okay, you’re ugly too. 

Rodney Dangerfield

Bloodhorse – Byron King – Forever Young Gives Japan a Breeders’ Cup Classic Win

Forever Young

Brisnet – Vance Hanson – Forever Young claims Breeders’ Cup Classic for Japan

Phil has a question:

Will Sierra Leone’s progeny bear in down the stretch interfering with other horses like Sierra Leone always did.

Forever Young

TDN – Steve Sherack – Japan’s Forever Young Rises to the Occasion in the Breeders’ Cup Classic

Forever Young

Paulick Report – Chelsea Hackbarth – ‘We Got The Number One In America’: Forever Young Wins Breeders’ Cup Classic For Japan

Forever Young

Third, fifth, and eighth-place trainer Todd Pletcher (Fierceness, Mindframe, and Antiquarium) – “(Fierceness) was in a difficult position. He’s inside of the pacemaker, so you either have to commit to try to make the lead and have a pacemaker pushing you or try to settle into a spot. He settled into a comfortable spot. He seemed like he was handling it pretty well. Johnny said the Japanese horse was kind of pushing him around around the far turn. He finally, finally got clear when some horses went on the outside. He got a decent run at him. It wasn’t an ideal scenario, but when we drew the one-hole we knew that it kind of handcuffed us a bit. That’s just kind of the way it worked out.”

Paulick Report – Explanations And Excuses: Breeders’ Cup Saturday Reactions From Jockeys And Trainers

Bloodhorse – Sean Collins – Patience Pays Off as Nysos Fights for Dirt Mile Win

My Back Pages

TDN – Steve Sherack – Baffert Duo Throws Down Late, Nysos Wins the Photo for Dirt Mile Glory

When The Night Feels My Song

Bloodhorse – Sean Collins – Shisospicy is Too Fast for Older Rivals in Turf Sprint

TDN – J.N. Campbell – Filly Shisospicy Gives The Boys Heartburn By Wiring Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint

Phil has an observation:

When you have to explain your pun it drains the humour.

Goodbye

Bloodhorse – Frank Angst – Brant’s Gezora Delivers BC Filly and Mare Turf Victory

TDN – Heather Anderson – First Breeders’ Cup Win For Graffard, As Gezora Wins The Filly And Mare Turf For Brant

Guerilla Radio 

Bloodhorse – Jay Hovdey – Notable Speech Surges to Breeders’ Cup Mile Win

TDN – Alan Carasso – Notable Speech Gives Godolphin a Fourth BC Mile Score In Five Years

Doesn’t Remind Me

Bloodhorse – Racing Post – Denis Harvey – Ethical Diamond’s First Trainer Thunderstruck After BC

Bloodhorse – Bob Ehalt – Ethical Diamond Sets Course Record in BC Turf Win

TDN – Alan Carasso – ‘Diamond’ In the Rough: Mullins Runner Causes Major Surprise in the Turf

Paulick Report – Joe Nevills – ‘He Will Always Be My Best Friend’: Connections Of Globetrotter Rebel’s Romance Reflect After Breeders’ Cup Turf Runner-Up Effort

Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)

Bloodhorse – Byron King – Splendora Pounces in Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint

TDN – Splendora Best Of The Bafferts In Filly & Mare Sprint

Gin Gin  and Seismic Beauty were eased and they each walked off the track. Trainer Brendan Walsh suspects Gin Gin wasn’t the same after breaking through the gate before the start but said he thinks she’ll be fine.

Bloodhorse – Frank Angst – Scylla Dominates the Breeders’ Cup Distaff

Phil has a question:

Was the Del Mar gate crew in a rush to get home and watch game 7 of the World Series.

Phil has an observation:

Go back and watch the replays of race 1 and the BC Distaff. The 7 horse in each race had gate trouble and instead of being checked by the track veterinarian was stuffed back into the gate and the latch sprung. Neither 7 horse received a fair start after having gate problems and the betting public was stiffed as both finished last with no refunds.

TDN – Jill Williams – Juddmonte Homebred Scylla is Sublime in Breeders’ Cup Distaff

Bloodhorse – Tracy Gantz – Bentornato’s Sprint Win the Second for D’Angelo at BC

TDN – BC Friday Debrief: Ted Noffey ‘More Convincing’ Than Winning Margin Suggests

TDN – Irad Ortiz Jr. Wins Sixth Bill Shoemaker Award

TDN – Breeders’ Cup Handle Ranks as Third Highest

TDN – Mystik Dan Out Of Dirt Mile; Retires To Airdrie Stud

The Ringer – Jordan Ritter Conn – No One Is Having a Worse Time Than Bill Belichick

Gold Dust Woman

ESPN – Bill Belichick feels ‘great’ after first ACC win with UNC

The less men think, the more they talk.

Montesquieu

TDN – ‘All Others’ 6-5 Favorite, Ted Noffey 10-1 In KY Derby Future Wager Pool 1

The Long and Winding Road

To doubt everything or to believe everything are two equally convenient solutions; both dispense with the necessity of reflection.

Henri Poincaré

TDN – Breeders’ Cup Friday Handle Tops $60 Million For Fifth Straight Year

Paulick Report – Explanations And Excuses: Breeders’ Cup Connections React After Future Stars Friday

Bloodhorse – Pete Denk , Nicole Stafford and Joe Perez  Breeders’ Cup Notebook: Soumillon Relishes Victory

This Mess We’re In

Bloodhorse – Byron King – Gstaad Takes Juvenile Turf for Record-Setting O’Brien

TDN – Alan Carasso – Nothing Neutral About Gstaad In the Juvenile Turf As O’Brien Passes Lukas

Bloodhorse – Bob Ehalt – Undefeated Ted Noffey Wins Breeders’ Cup Juvenile

TDN – Ted Noffey Completes Undefeated Season in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile

Paulick Report – Chelsea Hackbarth – Breeders’ Cup Friday: Ted Noffey Finds ‘A Little More’ To Win Juvenile

Bloodhorse – Sean Collins – Balantina Dazzles in Juvenile Fillies Turf

TDN – Stefanie Grimm – Balantina Explodes Late To Capture Juvenile Fillies Turf

Bloodhorse – Frank Angst – Cy Fair Tops Males in Winning BC Juvenile Turf Sprint

TDN – J.N. Campbell – A Lone Star Down The Lane, Cy Fair Takes Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint

Bloodhorse – Tracy Gantz – Super Corredora Triumphs in BC Juvenile Fillies

TDN – Steve Sherack – Superstar: Gun Runner’s Super Corredora an Upset Winner in Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies

Paulick Report – Breeders’ Cup Future Stars Friday In Photos: Turf, Surf, First-Time Winners, And A New No. 1

In The End


Phil M. Stockmen

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.