Bill Finley

The tariffs that will be placed on goods coming into the U.S. from Canada, and elsewhere, don't go into effect until Apr. 2. But they're already producing dire forecasts for what they will mean for the Canadian breeding industry. For instance, if someone brings a Canadian-bred to a U.S. yearling sale, the purchaser will have to pay a 25% tariff on top of the purchase price. That will probably mean that the Canadian breeder will disappear from the U.S. sales. No one has paid closer attention to this situation than...

On this week's TDN Writers' Room, owner and breeder David Anderson discusses the potential impact of tariffs on the Canadian Thoroughbred industry.

Maggie Sweet has been in her job at the TRF for a year now, after leaving Todd Pletcher Racing, and she has learned a lot--chiefly, that the racing industry isn't focusing enough on the need to provide lifetime dignified retirement for its athletes. She appears on the TDN Writers' Room to discuss the issue.

On the road to Oaklawn Park from his barn at Fair Grounds, Kenny McPeek seemed like a man without a care in the world when reached by phone in his car. And why should he? His Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) will begin her 4-year-old year in the GII Azeri Stakes at Oaklawn and since last seen in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff she has not missed a step. "If she's every bit as good as she was as a 3-year-old I think we'd be satisfied," McPeek...

Aron Wellman of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners joined this week's TDN Writers' Room after a huge weekend at Santa Anita for his partnership. The group co-owns GI Santa Anita Handicap victor Locked and GII San Felipe Stakes winner Journalism.

In response to the recent New York Times negative and factually incorrect article on the horse racing industry, I would argue that we, as an industry need to change our tack. The New York Times piece pulled three angles--animal cruelty, human exploitation, and the time honoured 'the rich are stealing your money.' How can any story based on such a narrative fail from raising temperatures? This was born out in the comment section at the end of the article, despite the quick action taken by Light Up Racing and Vicki...

Watch out for the "Little Guy." Sold for just $70,000 at a yearling sale in Texas, owned by a grocery store owner from Alabama who has had just a few horses and trained by a veteran who had never won a graded stakes race before last weekend, Coal Battle (Coal Front) isn't exactly your typical GI Kentucky Derby horse. But the son Coal Front did it again last week, winning the GII Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn. Having also won the Smarty Jones Stakes, he is obviously for real. To talk...

Norman Stables' Coal Battle scored one for the little guy Sunday at Oaklawn Park, overtaking pacesetting California invader Madaket Road in upper stretch and leaving favored Sandman in his wake while striding home a 1 1/4-length winner of the GII Rebel Stakes. His owner, Robby Norman, joins this week's TDN Writers' Room podcast to talk about the race, his Kentucky Derby aspirations, and the offers he has had to buy the horse.

A veteran Hall of Fame trainer, Mark Casse knows that sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. The Casse-trained Sandman (Tapit) turned in a remarkable effort in his last start, the GIII Southwest S. at Oaklawn, finishing second after breaking in a tangle and dropping far behind the leaders. Once straightened out, he rallied furiously and finished second, missing by just a length. To talk about the Southwest and Sandman's next start, Sunday's GII Rebel S. at Oaklawn, Casse joined the team on this week's TDN Writers' Room podcast...

Brad Cox joins this week's TDN Writers' Room after his trainee John Hancock took an impressive step forward on the road to the Kentucky Derby this past weekend. Cox also has a loaded group of runners heading into Risen Star weekend at Fair Grounds.

It sometimes seems that not a weekend goes by where Brad Cox isn't making news and visiting the winner's circle somewhere after winning another important race. That was the case last weekend as Cox won the Sam F. Davis S. at Tampa Bay Downs with John Hancock (Constitution). This coming weekend he'll send out one of his top threats for the GI Kentucky Oaks when the filly Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro) makes her 2025 debut in the GII Rachel Alexandra S. at the Fair Grounds. To talk about past successes...

Ian Wilkes doesn't rush his young horses. You won't seem them running in 4 1/2-furlong races at Keeneland in the spring and they may not peak until late in their 3-year-old year or even early in their 4-year-old year. That's probably why he's had only one starter in the GI Kentucky Derby, McCraken (Ghostzapper), who finished eighth in the 2017 GI Kentucky Derby. But this time it's different. Wilkes has come up with a horse that has forced his way into the Derby picture. That was evident when the Wilkes-trained...