Rail Talk Podcast

This week on Rail Talk! Joe Bianca and Jon Green fire up the take cannon and react to a star-laden Stephen Foster day at Churchill. Where does Mindframe rank in the older horse division coming off of consecutive Grade I wins? Is Thorpedo Anna back, or did she just beat up on weak competition in the Fleur de Lis?The boys then welcome Morplay Racing and Rich Music founder Rich Mendez to talk all about his passion for racing, what he learned from the music business that’s helping him navigate our industry, how he unearths musical talent and more. Plus Joe and Jon analyze the Supreme Court ruling sending HISA’s constitutionality debate back to the lower courts.Don’t miss any Rail Talk content—join our ever-growing family by subscribing to the show on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your pods. Mega shoutout to the sponsors Epic Insurance, The Green Group, Taylor Made, Fasig-Tipton and Arion Pedigrees for seeing and supporting our vision.

This week on Rail Talk! Joe Bianca and Jon Green are back after a week away to catch up on racing’s biggest stories. First, they appreciate and honor the outstanding career of D. Wayne Lukas, whose Hall of Fame career has come to its end after nearly five decades of groundbreaking success and influence.Joe and Jon then react to the ICE raid of Delta Downs, which resulted in over 80 arrests of backstretch workers, the vast majority of which had no criminal record. Is this a sign of things to come, which would undoubtedly doom racing and leave it without a workforce, and what can be done to help racetracks and horsemen protect their employees?Immigration experts Will Velie and Rebecca Shi then join the show to answer those questions and more, plus Joe and Jon look forward to a stellar Stephen Foster Day card at Churchill.Don’t miss any Rail Talk content—join the ever-growing family by subscribing to the show on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your pods. Huge thank you to the sponsors Fasig-Tipton, Taylor Made, The Green Group, Epic Insurance and Arion Pedigrees for supporting our vision and independence.

This week on Rail Talk! Joe Bianca and Jon Green wrap up a tremendous Triple Crown season with their reactions to the scintillating Belmont at Saratoga, as Sovereignty and Journalism put on a show at the Spa. Just how good are these two 3-year-olds historically, and what has been their impact beyond the walls of the racing industry this spring?The boys also analyze the star-studded undercard races, featuring breakout performances by Nitrogen, Raging Torrent, Deterministic, Ways and Means and more, and Joe gives his reviews of the entire racing festival after spending the week in Saratoga. Then, Mark Casse, coming off an incredible weekend of stakes success, joins the show to discuss all the monsters in his shedrow, his training philosophy and more.Don’t miss any Rail Talk content, be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible or wherever you get your pods. Thanks to the sponsors Epic Insurance Brokers, The Green Group, Taylor Made and Fasig-Tipton for all of their support!

This week on Rail Talk! Joe Bianca and Jon Green are back at their mics, refreshed from a week away and buzzing about Belmont Stakes week at Saratoga, as the Derby 1-2-3 reconvene at the Spa in what could be a classic renewal on the greatest stage in racing.Joe and Jon tackle that, plus the rest of a stacked two days featuring nine total Grade I’s, and wonder whether the popular Sandman’s absence will have any effect on the race’s ratings or handle.The boys then celebrate more good news for New York racing, as the Breeders’ Cup returns to Belmont Park for the first time in 22 years in 2027, and new penny breakage rules will pay out every cent on winning wagers starting in September.Join the ever-growing Rail Talk family by subscribing to the show on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible or wherever you get your pods. Thanks a trillion to the sponsors Fasig-Tipton, The Green Group, Epic Insurance and Taylor Made for their support!

This week on Rail Talk! Joe Bianca and Jon Green are back from the Preakness, full of crab cakes and hot takes. Did Journalism prove he’s head and shoulders the leader in this 3-year-old class? What’s the vibe from Team Sandman after his third-place run? How did Pimlico hold up in the final Preakness day at Old Hilltop?The boys then welcome multiple Breeders’ Cup-winning jockey and expert riding analyst Rajiv Maragh in the midst of a slew of jockey-related controversies. We get Raj’s opinion on the scary-looking incident involving Umberto Rispoli and Flavien Prat—aboard Journalism and Goal Oriented, respectively—at the top of the lane in the Preakness, as well as the heavy fine imposed on Junior Alvarado for exceeding the crop strike limit on Sovereignty in his Derby win and more.Nowhere else in racing are these kinds of candid, critical and incisive conversations happening. Don’t miss an episode of Rail Talk, join our ever-growing family and subscribe to the show on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your pods. Huge thanks to our sponsors Epic Insurance, Fasig-Tipton, The Green Group and Taylor Made for their powerful support.

This week on Rail Talk! Joe Bianca and Jon Green provide the backstory on Sandman’s surprise entry into the Preakness and dive into the rest of the field and its storylines with star NBC Sports racing host/reporter Britney Eurton. Britney also gives her take on the present and future of racing in her home state of California, how we can capitalize on an influx of young eyes watching this year’s Triple Crown and more.Joe and Jon then talk to HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus about the rationale behind the controversial fine levied upon Kentucky Derby-winning jockey Junior Alvarado for using too many strikes with his riding crop, and welcome Samantha Perry, Michelle Yu and Dan Tordjman for a final rundown of the Mage Rage Derby contest, won by Sam!Don’t forget to subscribe to the show—join the ever-growing Rail Talk family by smashing that button on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your pods. Thanks to our sponsors Fasig-Tipton, The Green Group, Epic Insurance, Taylor Made and Airdrie Stud for their support!

This week on Rail Talk! Joe Bianca and Jon Green are back from the 151st Kentucky Derby and give you all the reactions from Team Sandman, plus analysis of the first three across the wire and the state of the 3-year-old division. They then discuss Griffin Johnson’s impact on the race and the sport, the Kentucky Oaks and notable undercard performances, give a final rundown of their Mage Rage Derby contest standings and appreciate Junior Alvarado in this week’s EPIC Performance of the Week.In the guest chair this week is none other than chef, restaurateur, TV star and racing die-hard Bobby Flay, who relives his Derby day experience, gives his take on whether the Triple Crown’s spacing should be changed, discusses his footprint/strategy in racing and breeding, gives Jon a few restaurant recommendations and much more.The show continues to reach new heights and we want to extend a huge thank you to all of our viewers/listeners for their support. If you haven’t yet, join the family and subscribe to Rail Talk on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your pods. Shoutout to our sponsors The Green Group, Fasig-Tipton, Taylor Made, Epic Insurance Brokers and Airdrie Stud for being the wind beneath our wings!

Former Kentucky State Senator and Thoroughbred Racing Initiative (TRI) Senior Advisor Damon Thayer sits down with Jon Green to get into the weeds of the Florida decoupling bill that will no longer see the light of day in this legislative session. Jon, TRI Vice President, has worked with Damon since forming the initiative along with David O’Farrell, Dr. Barry Eisaman, Mark Casse, and Aron Wellman. At that point, the decoupling bill looked like it was sailing through putting the future of Florida racing in serious jeopardy. The two give a behind the curtain peek at what went down and how quickly it all came together. Both praise the industry for coming together with rapid speed and efficiency. They examine the various paths Florida racing can take moving forward. Thank you to everyone who supported TRI and a special thank you to Arion Pedigrees for allowing us to continue these valuable one-on-one discussions.

This week on Rail Talk! The Kentucky Derby is finally upon us, and Joe Bianca and Jon Green celebrate making it through the cold winter with a legitimate chance to take home the trophy in the 151st Run for the Roses.Joe and Jon give their honest reactions to Sandman drawing post 17, how they’d like to see the race unfold and what contenders they’re most worried about. They then welcome NBC Sports’ six-time Emmy-winning senior producer Lindsay Schanzer to take us behind the curtain on what it takes to broadcast an event as unique as the Derby.The boys also discuss the Kentucky Oaks, give one last rundown of the Mage Rage Derby contest leaderboard and appreciate an in-foal mare dominating on the racetrack in the Epic Performance of the Week.Thanks for following along with us on Team Sandman’s journey all winter—let’s get lucky! If you haven’t already, please subscribe to the show on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible or wherever you get your pods. Shoutout to our sponsors Fasig-Tipton, Taylor Made, The Green Group, Airdrie Stud and Epic Insurance for their support!

This week on Breakaway Rail Talk presented by Arion Pedigrees, Joe Bianca welcomes back friend of the show, owner and ace handicapper Jim Politano to put together multi-race tickets for the loaded Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks cards this weekend.Joe and Jim, previously together on Breakaway Rail Talk’s Breeders’ Cup handicapping shows which have produced multiple winning plays, hammer out late all-stakes Pick 5’s for Friday and Saturday as well as a two-day Pick 6 ticket, with $500 to spend on each venture. Follow along as they agonize over where to spread, where to single and who to leave out for two of the best racing days of the year.Be sure to subscribe to Rail Talk on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible or wherever you get your pods. Thanks to Arion Pedigrees for their support!