"Julie Balog, a spokesperson for Keeneland, said that the dissolution was 'solely the result of market conditions in the United States and in no way reflects diminished confidence in the company’s products or expertise.' Balog said that Keeneland has no plans to replace its synthetic surface." (See DRF interview with Keeneland president from October re: partnership.)

"Keeneland already has 200,000 Daily Racing Form pages online. It sounds like a lot until you add up the pages that remain. 'We think there's 11 million," Ryder says. "And it's still publishing.'"

"Sheikh Mohammed’s breeding operation breeds 'a lot of horses in Kentucky that run in Europe without medication, and they run very, very successfully,' including Discourse, a top filly in Europe by the sheikh’s stallion Street Cry. 'They’re all top 2-year-olds in Europe, and they all run medication free, so I don’t know why they need it in America when you don’t need it in Europe.'"

"According to Keeneland, 1,631 yearlings have been sold for a total of $198,638,200, surpassing total gross receipts in 2010 of $198,254,900 for 3,059 yearlings sold during a 14-day sale. Cumulative through Sept. 19, the average price was $121,789 compared to $99,973 in 2010 and the median price of $75,000 outpaced the $60,000 figure of last year."

"This year there has been a little pent-up enthusiasm; the buyers are anxious to buy.... People have been sitting on money for a while, plus we have unusual tax incentives that expire at the end of this year. That pushes a guy into that mood as well ... and there’s a lot of thanks for that. It’s encouraging for the breeders. It’s been three years since they’ve had any smiles on their faces."

"The horse is absolutely my inspiration," said Bonnie O'Neill, who drove from New York with her husband, John, to see Zenyatta one last time. "My hubsand got unemployed, and she sort of got us through the whole thing. That was a couple of years ago, and we really started following her. I bet on all her races, and she's the only one I ever bet on, and we built up a nice, cool little Zenyatta fund."

"In a year, I can count on one hand the amount of times I'll ask a vet to gate-scratch a horse. And I ride anywhere from 700 to 1,200 races in a single season. A lot of these people are really good clients of mine and I'm trying my best to bring them success. I know how much time, effort and money it takes to get a horse to the races. I appreciate the opportunities to partner with them. I don't take the idea of gate-scratching a horse lightly. But let's say I'm wrong and the horse is okay. What's the worst that can happen? He lives to run another day. If I'm right and I ignore that instinct, the potential results aren't pleasant for anyone." For background from Jennie Rees: http://racing.courier-journal.com/2010/10/this-time-gomez-takes-off-makers-horses.html

"Executives from the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Keeneland Association, New York Racing Association, and Oak Tree Racing Association met in late September in Lexington to discuss the launch of an advance-deposit wagering (ADW) site. The initial concept is the site would return a higher percentage of money from handle to tracks and horsemen, in the form of purses; and possibly to players, in the form of rebates; by eliminating the percentage of handle that other ADWs currently retain."

"Since every sales company's catalogs, including Keeneland's, have been available in portable document format (PDF) online for several years, it has long been possible to download entire catalogs to computers, but Apple Inc.'s new iPad as well as other tablet computers offer new possibilities to anyone who might feel overburdened by the burgeoning tools of the Thoroughbred trade."

Sortable results for session one. The average price of the 69 yearlings sold was $347,319, up 49% over 2009, the median $250,000, up 25%. The buy-back rate was 26%, down considerably from 2009. A full sister to Octave RNA'd for $390K, a full sister to Proud Spell sold for $250K. The Ghostzapper filly Azeri was carrying was she was bought back at the 2009 Keeneland January sale for $4.4M sold for $450K. Bernardini topped young sires, interest in Hard Spun seemed low.

"When the world's economy catches a sniffle, the horseflesh market starts wheezing."

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