TDN Podcast

Larry Collmus Talks Derby Shocker On Writers' Room

Larry Collmus has been calling races at the highest level for a long time, but even his vast experience and expertise could hardly prepare him for what happened in Saturday's stunning GI Kentucky Derby, as 80-1 bomb Rich Strike (Keen Ice) came seemingly from nowhere to surge past the short-priced pair of Epicenter (Not This Time) and Zandon (Upstart) and score the second-largest upset in the 148-year history of the Run for the Roses. Tuesday, Collmus joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland as the Green Group Guest of...

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Mike Repole Talks Derby, Oaks, Uncle Mo, Kobe Bryant On Writers' Room
Mike Repole Talks Derby, Oaks, Uncle Mo, Kobe Bryant On Writers' Room

In arguably the most entertaining interview of the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland's 130-plus episode history, billionaire and high-profile owner/breeder Mike Repole sat down with Joe Bianca and Jon Green Tuesday as the Green Group Guest of the Week for a lively discussion that covered Repole's GI Kentucky Derby and GI Kentucky Oaks chances this weekend, his shared legacy with super-stallion Uncle Mo, his eight-figure donation to a nonprofit that honors his late friend Kobe Bryant and much more. Looking for his first Derby win Saturday with Mo Donegal...

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Bettor Things: Handicapping the Derby With Joe Bianca & Bill Finley

Generally the hardest race to handicap every year, the 2022 renewal of the GI Kentucky Derby appears even more complicated than most, with a handful of major contenders but no standout favorite, and a seemingly small gap back to the rest of the field. Monday, shortly after the 20-horse field was drawn for Saturday's Run for the Roses, TDN writers and podcast hosts Joe Bianca and Bill Finley broke down the race from a variety of angles to try to provide clarity and insight for Derby bettors. Bianca, who hosts...

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A Loss That Takes Us to the Epicenter

"The Derby gods." It's a device that tells us rather more about us than them. We know there's no such thing, really; and that if they did exist, they would find sadistic satisfaction in stringing us along in the delusion that they will ultimately even out their torments and benedictions, only to let the ground fall away beneath us just as we reach for the stars.

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Star Politics, Racing TV Analyst Steve Kornacki Joins Writers' Room

A mainstay political analyst on television for going on a decade now, Steve Kornacki has gained superstardom for his election coverage, particularly during the interminable night of and week following the 2020 presidential election. But Kornacki is also a passionate horse racing fan and handicapper, and last year became part of NBC's industry-leading national racing coverage. Tuesday, he sat down with Joe Bianca and Bill Finley on the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland as the Green Group Guest of the Week to discuss his racing roots, how he survived...

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Run to Win, Not Win to Run

We live in a world where change is routinely mistaken for progress, draped in the cheap frills of "modernization"—a word that needs treating with extreme suspicion, implying as it does that any who challenge innovation are obstructing our species in some otherwise inexorable journey to fulfilment.

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THA Chairman Alan Foreman Joins Writers' Room

Alan Foreman, the chairman and CEO of the Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland Tuesday afternoon as the Green Group Guest of the Week. Discussing the upcoming 2022 MATCH series for mid-Atlantic horses, a program he spearheaded, and providing updates on the scheduled renovation projects at Pimlico and Laurel, Foreman also called upon his legal expertise to weigh in on Bob Baffert's appeal of the GI Kentucky Derby disqualification and why the THA supports the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act. While many in the racing...

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Ken McPeek Talks Derby Hopefuls Tiz the Bomb, Smile Happy On Writers' Room

Housing as many as three GI Kentucky Derby starters in his barn, trainer Kenny McPeek joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland as the Green Group Guest of the Week Tuesday to discuss Tiz the Bomb (Hit It a Bomb)'s dirt prospects and potential summer European campaign, his plan for likely GI Toyota Blue Grass S. favorite Smile Happy (Runhappy) to run in all three Triple Crown races, his thoughts on the continuing phase-out of Lasix in American racing and more. Tiz the Bomb, a dual stakes winner and...

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LNJ Foxwoods's Jaime Roth Talks Dual-Hemisphere Success On Writers' Room

It's been a remarkable few weeks for LNJ Foxwoods and Jaime Roth, with the outfit accomplishing the rare double of graded/group stakes victories in both America and Australia during the month of March. Wednesday, Roth joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland as the Green Group Guest of the Week to discuss GII New Orleans Classic S. winner Olympiad (Speightstown), G1 Coolmore Classic heroine Lighthouse (Mizzen Mast), her affinity for naming horses and much more. "He's always been a horse that showed tremendous ability," Roth said of Olympiad, who...

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Gary Stevens Talks Secret Oath, Jockeys Leaving California On Writers' Room

Ever-popular retired Hall of Fame jockey and current television analyst for Fox Sports and the New York Racing Association Gary Stevens joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland Tuesday afternoon for an expansive discussion on an array of racing topics and issues. Sitting down with Joe Bianca and Bill Finley as the Green Group Guest of the Week, Stevens gave a huge personal endorsement to star 3-year-old filly Secret Oath (Arrogate) as she prepares to take on males, analyzed the shuffling of the California jockey colony, talked about his...

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Terry Finley Talks OBS March, Next Start for Flightline On Writers' Room

Shortly before purchasing eight horses on the first day of the OBS March Sale, West Point Thoroughbreds CEO Terry Finley joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland Tuesday morning as the Green Group Guest of the Week to talk about the strength of the sales market, trying to find the perfect formula in analyzing and purchasing horses at auction, the latest with superstar Flightline (Tapit) and much more. "There is no secret sauce, and we bring that up to prospective partners all the time, to acknowledge something that's obvious...

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Richard Mandella Talks Forbidden Kingdom, Beholder On Writers' Room

Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella looks to have a great chance of saddling his first GI Kentucky Derby starter since the mid-2000s with a major contender in GII San Felipe S. romper Forbidden Kingdom (American Pharoah), and Tuesday, Mandella sat down with the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland to talk about his electric speedster, the impending Hall of Fame induction of former trainee Beholder, his view on the state of California racing after its trials of the past few years and more. "Truly excited," Mandella, calling in via...

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