I’ve spoken to trainers and owners preparing for this week’s @BreedersCup, and the overwhelming theme is FRUSTRATION. Between excessive veterinary scrutiny, PET scans and scratches, what should be one of the most exciting weeks in racing has become stressful, frustrating and downright unenjoyable. I’m 100% for Thoroughbred safety, but I’m also 100% FOR THOROUGHBRED RACING!!!!! At some point, enough is enough. I’m not a veterinarian or trainer, but I listen to those who have spent 20-30 years caring for horses. One concern I keep hearing is whether restrictions on therapeutic medications and treatments are actually doing more harm than good. Could a horse with a manageable condition end up compensating and injuring something else because appropriate treatment was restricted??? ARE WE PROTECTING HORSES OR PROTECTING REGULATIONS??? Are some medication withdrawal periods unnecessarily long??? Could shortening certain periods allow better treatment without compromising safety??? And LASIX continues to make ZERO sense to me. We allow it in claiming and allowance races but prohibit it for two-year-olds and stakes horses??? Does Lasix suddenly become dangerous because the purse is bigger??? If it’s harmful, ban it everywhere. If it’s beneficial, why not allow it consistently??? OUR GOAL SHOULD BE HEALTHIER HORSES, NOT SIMPLY FEWER MEDICATIONS!!!!! And of course, let’s not forget the @jockeyclub. They helped draft the legislation behind HISA, and somehow the same familiar faces keep appearing throughout The Jockey Club, Keeneland and Breeders’ Cup leadership. Everett Dobson chairs The Jockey Club, is a Keeneland trustee and a Breeders’ Cup member. Bill Lear helped draft the legislation and is also a Keeneland trustee. DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS. SAME INNER CIRCLE. Amazing how much influence a small group of clowns can have over an entire industry, yet somehow accountability always seems harder to find. HISA spends approximately $80 million annually. We should demand safer racing, fewer fatalities and catching cheaters. But shouldn’t we also question whether some of these regulations are making things WORSE??? We’re already dealing with a declining foal crop, shrinking fields, frustrated horseplayers and owners wondering why they’re spending millions to participate in a sport that’s becoming less enjoyable every year. HOW MANY MORE PEOPLE DO WE NEED TO DRIVE AWAY BEFORE SOMEONE REALIZES WE HAVE A PROBLEM??? WE MUST PROTECT OUR HORSES, BUT WE ALSO NEED TO PROTECT AND GROW THE FUTURE OF THOROUGHBRED RACING. THOSE TWO OBJECTIVES SHOULD NEVER BE IN CONFLICT!!!!! Am I missing something here, or has common sense become the latest scratch??? What do you guys think???

Howard Belvoir, a tribute to his long career west42sports.com/2026/10/26/…

🚨KENTUCKY’S RACING EMPIRE WON’T SURVIVE IF THE REST OF AMERICAN RACING COLLAPSES. WAKE UP BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!🚨 Keeneland’s Fall Meet handle just PLUNGED $31.7 MILLION, DOWN 14.6%! And the people running some of racing’s most powerful organizations still seem to believe everything is just fine. HOW MUCH LONGER WILL THE 99% TOLERATE THIS ARROGANCE AND INACTION? Let’s be absolutely clear. Kentucky’s hardworking horsemen, breeders, trainers and farm workers are NOT the problem. Neither are the dedicated employees of The Jockey Club and Breeders’ Cup. THEY ARE THE 99%. THEY DESERVE BETTER, TOO! The problem is the interconnected web of leadership occupying board seats across racing’s most influential organizations. THE SAME FACES. THE SAME INNER CIRCLE. THE SAME FAILED APPROACH. THE SAME CONFLICT OF INTEREST. The Jockey Club and Breeders’ Cup reportedly hold approximately $140 MILLION in combined financial resources while racing jurisdictions fight for survival, breeding declines, owners face escalating costs and aftercare organizations struggle for funding. And everyday horseplayers? They’re left questioning why CAW operations continue enjoying advantages that ordinary bettors cannot match. WHAT EXACTLY ARE THESE ORGANIZATIONS WAITING FOR? THE NEXT RACETRACK TO CLOSE? THE NEXT BREEDING STATE TO COLLAPSE? For decades, Kentucky has benefited from the rest of America’s owners, breeders, horseplayers and racing fans. We’ve bought your horses. Bred to your stallions. Filled your wagering pools. Supported your biggest events. WE HELPED BUILD YOUR SUCCESS. DON’T MISTAKE OUR SUPPORT FOR AN OBLIGATION TO REMAIN SILENT! And now, while other jurisdictions struggle, national leadership continues accumulating resources and offering explanations instead of meaningful solutions. IS THIS LEADERSHIP OR SIMPLY AN EXCLUSIVE CLUB PROTECTING ITS OWN INTERESTS? Keeneland’s handle decline doesn’t establish why bettors wagered less. But it should terrify anyone who assumes the public will support this sport indefinitely regardless of how it’s managed. HERE’S WHAT THE PEOPLE IN THOSE BOARDROOMS NEED TO UNDERSTAND: Kentucky doesn’t own American Thoroughbred racing. READ THAT @jockeyclub and @BreedersCup ! Its prosperity depends on a healthy national network of owners, breeders, racing jurisdictions and bettors. DESTROY THAT FOUNDATION THROUGH NEGLECT, AND EVENTUALLY THE ENTIRE STRUCTURE CRUMBLES, INCLUDING KENTUCKY! The 99% have spent months demanding transparency, accountability and a serious national strategy. Instead, we keep getting silence, excuses and the same interconnected leadership. YOU HAVE THE MONEY. YOU HAVE THE INFLUENCE. YOU HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY. So where is the action? The 99% aren’t asking Kentucky to fail. WE’RE WARNING THE PEOPLE IN POWER THAT THEIR REFUSAL TO ADDRESS THE NATIONAL INDUSTRY’S PROBLEMS PUTS KENTUCKY’S OWN FUTURE AT RISK! WITHOUT A HEALTHY NATIONAL RACING INDUSTRY, KENTUCKY’S EMPIRE WILL EVENTUALLY FALL WITH IT. The warning signs are EVERYWHERE. THE 99% SEE THEM. DO THE BOARDROOMS? REFORM IS COMING! Repost and speak out.

.@iradortiz suffered a broken left ankle and will have to undergo surgery, per agent Steve Rushing. Obviously, out indefinitely.