Ready to talk Illinois-bred maidens? In the latest episode of Chicago Race of the Day, I delve into the Arlington … More
Category: Illinois breeding
a new series on Patreon
This is the first in a series I call “One-Pagers” — short, frequent reflections on topics in horse racing. They … More
foals to watch out for! – 2017 edition
I’m used to the Illinois foal report being my Christmas present. This year, the Department of Agriculture has released the … More
Picks and Ponderings: Rethinking Illinois Champion Categories
I voted in the Illinois Champions poll last week…but, the more I thought about it, the more I think Illinois … More
Picks and Ponderings: Voting for 2016’s Illinois Champions
This week, I had the honour to cast my ballot in the ITBOF’s poll, to determine 2016’s champion Illinois-bred racehorses. … More
foals to watch out for! – 2016 edition
Last week, I hit upon the doom and gloom from this year’s Illinois foal report, but I promised some better … More
foals to watch out for: revisited
Enough with the foal report-related doom and gloom, at least for the moment. The foal report abounds with hope, as … More
foal crops, stallion rosters, and stability in Illinois
One of my favourite moments of the year happens when the Illinois Department of Agriculture posts the latest year’s foal … More
2016 Illinois Mares Bred
This week, the Jockey Club released its Report of Mares Bred. Illinois is still a fairly small segment of the … More
Illinois-breds at Keeneland September: book 6
Six Illinois-breds were originally catalogued in book 6 of the Keeneland September sale. Four of them have so far been … More
Illinois-breds at Keeneland September: books 4-5
This is the second in a three-part series looking at the Illinois-bred yearlings in Book 4 and Book 5 of … More
Illinois-breds at Keeneland September: books 2-3
It’s that time again: the biggest yearling sale of the year, Keeneland September. This year’s catalogue features fifteen Illinois-breds. Blinkers … More
Chicago Railbird: Hero’s and Crooks
I had a blast writing my latest Chicago Railbird column. There’s little I like more than learning about Illinois breeding, … More
the golden bloodline of N. C. Goldust
N. C. Goldust (Gold Stage – Arraign, by Judger) was aptly named. Her name did not fit her in the … More
for the first time in ten years, a seven-figure Illinois-bred
When writing (or tweeting) about Illinois-breds in the auction ring, it jumps out enough when an Illinois-bred horse commands five … More
Blinkers Off 