For America's Best Racing, Tom Pedulla is interviewing prominent owners, trainers, and jockeys as they travel the Road to the $5 million Kentucky Derby (G1) May 3 at Churchill Downs.View the full article

Bookended by a strong opening week and a robust Santa Anita Derby weekend, the track's total all source handle topped $510 million. The total handle on just Santa Anita's races increased 5% from the 2023-24 Classic Meet.  View the full article

Tom Pedulla offers takeaways from major Kentucky Derby (G1) prep races held on each coast April 5, the Santa Anita Derby (G1) in California and the 100th Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct. He also looks at international action in Dubai.View the full article

It is interesting to me that on the dam line of Mr Prospector are the sires St Simon and Tadcaster (incorrectly shown as Bend Or). As they are on the dam line they produce daughters. In my data St Simon has 103 stallion sons, or stated another way, when St Simon is duplicated in pedigrees ir was almost always a son of St Simon. In my data Northern Dancer has 201 stallion sons, and that gave an imbalance between his sons and daughters after three generations of 14.3 sons to 1 daughter. St Simon's sire line died out in England probably due to pedigrees overloaded with his sons, but of course the rest of pedigrees (not the direct sire line) are still loaded with St Simon. What does M Prospector provide every time he is in a pedigree?  A daughter, Ondulee (1898) of St Simon, and a daughter, Ornis (1890) of Tadcaster. Mr Prospector's dam line matches two major sire lines. My guess is successful sires provide the mare population with the missing factor they need, usually the daughter to the son on the sire line.   The Northern Dancer sire line should read Northern Dancer, Nearctic, Pharos, Phalaris, Polymelus, Cyllene, Bona Vista, Tadcaster (not Bend Or). Mim Bower proved in 2012 that the 1880 English Derby winner and sire was Tadcaster (1877) and not Bend Or (1877).

Soft 7 track and they all had to come to the outside of the track. Not a track deserving of holding Group 3 races. Hopefully Matt is allover these issues.

$52 for a cheap bottle of wine is ridiculous. You can get a 375 ml bottle of wine from Woolworths for $9.50.  Next time grab one or two of those and just put them in your pockets.

Yes, Max should have mentioned the track, but for no apparent reason I expect the track to be a fair and reasonable surface for all runners throughout the day. But I shouldnt be expected to 'Google' TAB Winning Post' to get info on a new facility or its rules of entry. I was right there!   All the security wallahs had to do/say was explain it and all would have been well ...eg Are you a TAB Account holder, Sir? Excellent, just do this/that/the other thing on your phone and you're in like Flynn. A pleasure to have you here, do come again ... " LOL   Instead, Max was sent away feeling unworthy. Poor performance.

The second day of the Grand National Festival is known as Ladies Day where the Liverpool girls came to the track and show off their finery (and quite a bit else). To be fair, some of the gents make the effort as well and it's a livley good natured afternoon for the 40,000 or so on course (or on scouse if you prefer). The conditions continued to be fine for racegoers with another afternoon of warm spring sunshine (keeping the horses hydrated especially after racing was a significant concern but Aintree looked well prepared with buckets of water to be liberally thrown over horses, riders and media interviewers. The ground tightened slightly to Good all over despite overnight watering such was the strength of the sun and drying wind. Four more championship races on the second day starting with the Mildmay Novices Chase over 5000m for the young staying chasers. This looked an intriguing heat and for a change British horses dominated the betting - impressive novices handicap chase winner CALDWELL POTTER was backed in to 11/4 alongside HANDSTANDS, who had missed Cheltenham after wins in the Grade 2 Towton at Ffos Las and the Grade 1 Scilly Isles at Sandown where he had narrowly defeated subsequent Arkle winner JANGO BAIE. Just to note, this race last year was won by subsequent Gold Cup winner INOTHEWAYURTHINKIN Another strong display of front running and jumping from CALDWELL POTTER. Post race, jockey Harry Cobden said he was "on fumes" from three out and I certainly think the Ryanair is the more sensible target for this type next season. He's an exuberant sort well suited to 4000m. Trainer Paul Nicholls explained the horse had suffered significant foot issues which had taken time to be resolved and he was "no good on soft ground" which forces a spring campaign so again we may not see too much of him too early. He's always had a lot of talent - he was a Grade 1 winning hurdler - but these little issues have frustrated his progress but now they seem to be resolved and this 7-y-o could be of real interest next season. JORDANS, by contrast, isn't such a fluent jumper and was done no favours by the incident at the 14th. Let's not forget he chased home IMPAIRE ET PASSE in the Faugheen at Limerick over Christmas and we all know how good that horse is so this was not perhaps as much a surpsise as his 12/1 odds suggested. He took well to the decent ground and you could argue stepping up to 4800m wouldn't be a disadvantage. Joseph O'Brien doesn't have a lot of jumpers but he knows what to do with the ones he has. It was a rare setback for Team Mullins with both of his exiting at the same fence - DANCING CITY was already being asked some questions but QUAI DE BOURBON was still travelling well and I suspect he'll get another chance at Punchestown. HANDSTANDS didn't look happy on the track or the ground and was caught up in the backwash of DANCING CITY's fall leaving him with no chance and he was pulled up at the top of the straight. The Top Novices Hurdle over 3250m looked to concern only three of the nine runners. ROMEO COOLIO and SALVATOR MUNDI had finished third and fifth in the Supreme at Cheltenham with both running suggesting this easier track would suit but they faced a strong challenge in the local TRIPOLI FLYER who had impressed at Kempton when winning the Dovecote. Another for Clonsutton as SALVATOR MUNDI comprehensively reversed Cheltenham form with ROMEO COOLIO. I don't know whether Sam Ewing, on the latter, hoped or thought he would get a soft lead but that didn't happen and the distress signals were clear after the second last. Paul Townend, conversely, looked the epitome of a man at ease on SALVATOR MUNDI and once he asked the horse, that was that. I'm not quite sure why SALVATOR MUNDI didn't give his true running at Cheltenham but we know he has always looked much happier on decent ground. Given the way KOPEK DES BORDES brushed him aside in the Supreme, you'd have to think the latter could be very good and it will be interesting to see how Mullins plays his usual winning hand of novice hurdlers next season - I suspect SALVATOR MUNDI will stay over hurdles while KOPEK DES BORDES could go chasing but that will be for Mullins and the various connections to ponder over the long summer evenings. ROMEO COOLIO did little wrong in defeat for all he seems one who barely gets the minimum trip. I thought the apparent Mullins second string KARBEAU ran a huge race in third - he was miles behind the first two in the Supreme but closed that gap significantly here and like many of the French bred types seemed to relish the better ground and up in trip to 4000m could well be yet another string to the Mullins bow (or should that be orchestra?). It all went wrong for TRIPOLI FLYER who, as I feared, hated going left handed and was jumping right all the way. I think you can put a line through this run and back the correct way (for him), we should see a much better effort next time whether that be at Sandown this season or Kempton next year. Just four went to post in the Melling Chase over 4000m and this concerned two old rivals. EL FABIOLO had famously trounced JONBON in the 2023 Arkle at Cheltenham but JONBON had his revenge at Sandown last April. EL FABIOLO's chasing career had stuttered somewhat and he had been well held by BALLYBURN at Leopardstown in February. JONBON's, however, especially away from Cheltenham, had flourished with wins in the 2023 Maghull and this race last year testament to his love of the Liverpool circuit. They went as though being chased by the hounds of Hell over the first three fences - well, three of them did - and I thought it was a shrewd move of Paul Townend's to refuse the early gallop and sit off the pace but that was in truth more the result of EL FABIOLO struggling than Townend playing a good hand well. Indeed, EL FABIOLO's jumping was patchy at best and when he hit the deck at the eleventh, it didn't come as a huge surprise. Fortunately, both horse and rider were fine after the tumble. With his principal opponent out of the way, JONBON was able to see off PROTEKTORAT without too much trouble to record yet another Grade 1 win. I don't know if he will run again this season but it was interesting, in the post race interview, to hear trainer Nicky Henderson not fully dismiss the idea of a tilt at the King George next Christmas. He did try this before when he had REMITTANCE MAN, a really good chaser, in the mid 90s, and it didn't work so we'll see. PROTEKTORAT ran his usual honest race and with JONBON seemingly tiring up the run in (a sign perhaps 4800m might not be ideal), PROTEKORAT closed to within four lengths of the winner at the line.  Nicky Henderson had another favourite in the Sefton Novices Hurdle over 4850m in the form of the ex-French CALIFET EN VOL who looked as though he would appreciate the better ground but this looked an open race with MISTER MEGGIT also fancied for the Jonjo O'Neill stable. In the British trainers' championship, Willie Mullins, by dint of his five Grade 1 winners at the meeting, was closing fast on clear leader Dan Skelton but this was one back for the title leader after a bruising race. MOON ROCKET and BATTLE BORN LAD went suicidally fast up front (and neither finished as a result) and anything with doubtful stamina was found out over this trip. They were walking home over the last 400m and it was JULIUS DES PICTONS who basically outstayed his rivals. This was the winner's first attempt at the trip having basically looked outpaced at both 3200m and 4000m - he was running over 2400m as a 3-y-o in the French provinces. MINELLA RESCUE ran an extraordinary race - he was hopelessly outpaced and indeed last and seemingly likely to be pulled up as they went out on the final straight but he made remorseless progress in the straight and grabbed second on the jamstick to reward those who hadn't torn up their 50/1 tickets at halfway. CREST OF FORTUNE, another who can stay longer than the proverbial mother-in-law, ran on well for third while MISTER MEGGIT's stamina ran out in the final 100m and CALIFET EN VOL's a little before that. The first three all look staying chasers for the future and it wouldn't be the biggest surprise if one or all of them were in the Grand National itself one day. The time of the race was much slower than the other Grade 1 races and while I've not seen the sectionals, I suspect they'll show how slow the last 600m was - they looked like they were running on bottomless ground rather than a decent surface.

You and your fellow idiots' problem is that Trump cannot tell the truth, he is a chronic liar but you and your wacko mates on here cannot tell the difference.  Trump back in 2016 said words to the effect that he could kill someone in Fifth Avenue, but his followers would still idolise him. Probably the last accurate thing that he said  

Further update prior to Nominations tomorrow for HB Cup Day at Trentham: Even though it rained heavily here on the coast [Paremata] it appears that Trentham got but 2 mm yesterday. Today has been a warm 20 degrees and windy although it's cool tonight. My guess is that they will put up a Soft 8 tomorrow which I am still confident will come into the perfect track on Saturday, given the forecast. 

You have got to love the Conclusions.

9 times out of 10 going that speed you would expect leaders to cave in and ones to come from the back .but only Pinseeker did .  Thinking back to Alex Park one night when I was there , I can't remember if the 70's or 80's when Barley Bree went 2.46 for 2200 trained by the Nobles and people were going wow . Hard to imagine comparing times that night and the Cambridge race , that Barley Bree would have finished 39 lengths behind LTF lol

CNN again - give up Hoki because anybody who quotes CNN- esp this moron shows signs of desperation is nor far off waving the white flag nowadays  CHOO CHOO   On a side note is this not one of the hottest/funniest forum going around at the mo  Pure fun and jest and those that cannot see and handle that need their minds read just like Biden

The opening remarks here are worth listening to. Reality versus Trumps fantasyland.    

Bloke has just taken over as GOAT with TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYBDROME he has beaten Hokey Heap and Mitey by a mile. I wonder if he pulls a MAGA bonnet on when he goes to bed.

Yes. Don't think anyone is complaining about that.They seem to have finally figured out how to manage it. I'd love to have one good enough to race there. If I do though, I'll probably be watching from the couch at home and I used to love to go there for the big New Year's meetings.

HRNZ Funded Stakes  $835,486 =  HRNZ's contribution to the stakes, including NZSS contributions (excludes all other non- HRNZ funding) North Island             GBR  $6,127,982      Funding  $9,265,041    GBR/Fund  66.1%     GBR+Export  = $6,557,666    Avg Race $15,843  FS 8.3   Races 564 South of South        GBR   $6,055,341     Funding  $6,265,631    GBR/Fund  96.6%      GBR+Export  = $6,379,934   Avg Race  $13,018  FS 9.6   Races 429 With the North Islands substantial population advantage their contribution to Harness Racing financially is pathetic, they are put to shame by the South of the South Island's miniscule population who had 32% less races in the season to date, and 32% less Funding. The North Islanders either don't know about Harness Racing, or don't care, either way, unless somebody figures out how to get them interested and on track and up close to the horses, it is not only ATC that will go the way of the dinosaurs.  

Yes, let's see how the Island populated by only Penguins' makes out.  

Yes great. A Great Big Recession