Opinion
Piassek: Great Belmont performance left me empty
“I told myself I was fully prepared to hate-bet, hate-watch, and hopefully hate-cash on Sovereignty. But there was no joy as he crossed the wire in front.”
Preakness: A Baltimore-bred’s Pimlico memories
Longtime handicapper Gary Quill has been going to Pimlico for more than 60 years. Here’s what he’ll remember as a new facility replaces the old.
Op-ed: Time to modernize the condition book
Modernizing the condition book with 21st-century technology could be a cause that unites horsemen and management — and is long overdue.
Op-Ed: Heated industry defenses ignore backstretch workers
A New York Times op-ed criticizing racing generated heated industry responses that barely addressed the plight of backstretch workers.
Hamelback: Industry must speak out against decoupling
The horseracing industry must oppose a Florida “decoupling” proposal to sever the racing-gaming connection, says HBPA chief Eric Hamelback.
Piassek: Laurel needs to find post time sweet spot
There’s been a lot to like about the opening days of the 2025 Laurel Park meet. So why aren’t they betting it? The timing of races might be one issue.
Racing trends to watch in 2025
What’s going to happen in racing in 2025? Your guess is as good as ours, but here are some racing trends to watch in 2025.
Pimlico: Safe haven, keeper of memories, home
In this guest column, exercise rider and former jockey Emily Fewster reflects on the last days of the current version of Pimlico, her racing home.
Youngkin’s gray games veto right for racing
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed a bill that would have permitted so-called “gray games’ with few restrictions: it was the right call for racing.
The “fuego Preakness”
Most every Preakness weekend has one specific thing that sticks out in your memory. For me, this year’s will be the fire that wasn’t.
Arnold: HISA a “dictatorship” lacking common sense
The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority is a “dictatorship” lacking fairness and common sense, trainer Rusty Arnold says in this op-ed.
Opinion: Lack of MTROA transparency a concern
Maryland racing people deserve to know what their future is going to look like. But the lack of transparency from the MTROA has left them frustrated.
In Virginia, “gray games” need more clarity
In Virginia legislation that would permit “gray games” slot machines to proliferate needs much more thought, argues Nick Hahn.
Breeders’ Cup: Behind every horse a human story
Beyond the Breeders’ Cup racing, wagering, and glitz lies something more profound, says Jennifer Kelly: the connection between horses and humans.
Breeders’ Cup continues “year of the regulator”
The first Breeders’ Cup of the HISA era featured scratches galore and a Classic won by a trainer coming off a 10-year ban.
Colonial Downs-Arlington Park connection lives on
The Grand Slam of Grass once connected Colonial Downs and Arlington Park. With the Secretariat Stakes now moved to Colonial, the connection lives on.
PIASSEK: More time a must for Preakness – and Belmont
Debate over the spacing of Triple Crown races has centered on the Preakness, but John PIassek says both it and the Belmont need a new schedule.
A Preakness about everything but the Preakness
Saturday’s 148th Preakness Stakes was a stirring duel to the wire. It put the cap on a strange week that seemed to be about everything but the race itself.
Off the Pace: What they’re saying about HISA
In a new Off the Pace, our Mike Valiante reached out to several folks involved in racing to learn what they’re saying about HISA.
Off the Pace: The, err… less good Kentucky Derby winners
Lots of folks opine on which Kentucky Derby winners were best. Mike Valiante headed in the other direction to see what he could learn.
