TDN Podcast

Fresh off an exciting weekend with Forbidden Kingdom's win in the GII San Felipe S., trainer Richard Mandella joins the TDN Writers' Room to discuss the Derby hopeful and his enthusiastic connections, Spendthrift Farm and MyRacehorse.

It stands to reason, I guess, that the fountain of youth—the quest for which supposedly brought the first conquistadores to the shores of Florida—should instead turn out to be in Hot Springs. Certainly it seems as though there must indeed be something in those celebrated Arkansas waters, judging from the eternal vigor of an 86-year-old trainer based at Oaklawn this winter.

Heading into the GII Rebel S. a lot of people may not have known the name Ricky Courville, but they know him now. Courville pulled off the upset of the year when winning the Rebel with 75-1 shot Un Ojo (Laoban). This week he joined the TDN Writers' Room to share his story.

In the long story of the breed, there has never been a week's work remotely approaching the one Mandaloun (Into Mischief) bids to complete in the desert on Saturday. It opened with his formal elevation as winner of America's most prestigious race; and could conclude with him banking the biggest prize anywhere on planet Turf.

Bob Heleringer has made a career out of the practice of equine regulatory law, and appears on this week's TDN Writers' Room podcast to discuss the Medina Spirit case with the writers.

As somebody remarked at the time, on seeing B. Wayne Hughes and M.V. Magnier deep in conversation one morning before the 2019 Breeders' Cup: “I'll give you 140 guesses what they're talking about.”

Trainer Brian Lynch joins this week's TDN Writers' Room to discuss recent GIII Sam. F. Davis winner Classic Causeway and his journey on the road to the Kentucky Derby.

Joe Bianca, Associate Editor for the Thoroughbred Daily News, kicks off a new podcast called Bettor Things, where he hosts one-on-one conversations with some of the handicapping world's brightest minds. In this first episode, he chats with David Aragona, handicapper and morning line maker for NYRA.

As one of few institutions of American sport to rival its fastest two minutes, the Super Bowl will reopen some painful old wounds among our community. For while many in the Bluegrass presumably feel some allegiance to their nearest NFL team, they owe a deeper loyalty to the very acres on which the game will be contested—to the memories interred below.

Never has the pressure been greater on the Thoroughbred trainer than it is today. Facing increasing scrutiny and regulations, as well as the backlash felt from the federal indictments and censure of a barrel full of 'bad apples,' trainers are forced to ply an already labor-intensive trade in an atmosphere that is often harsh and unforgiving. This edition of 'Let's Talk' offers a closer look at the ever-evolving profession, featuring two-time Eclipse Award winning trainer Brad Cox, longtime New York horseman David Donk and Ron Moquett, who is based at Oaklawn and Churchill Downs.