Brian Robin

Muck Rack profile
Dating to 1863 and defining the sport of kings in the United States, probably no race track in the country holds the history, charm and heritage of Saratoga in upstate New York. (Image: AP)

As Horse Racing Considers Its Future, NYRA and Churchill Downs Extend Track Closures

Both the New York Racing Association (NYRA) and Churchill Downs on Wednesday announced delays in opening or re-opening training facilities after coronavirus-related track closures. But the two influential racing organizations diverged as to when facilities should be ready to return for spring/summer meets in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. […]

Queen Elizabeth II, seen arriving with Princess Alexandra for the 2018 Royal Ascot meet, is a fixture at Royal Ascot's summer meet. It may run behind closed doors this year. (Image: NBC Sports)

With Other English Races Shelved, Royal Ascot May Run Behind Closed Doors

With the other four British Classic races postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Royal Ascot plans on racing ahead with its June 16 opening for now – albeit behind closed doors. This announcement came almost simultaneously with Jockey Club officials postponing the first four Classic races on the British racing […]

Nearly 5 million people watched the Virtual Grand National on Saturday. Bookmakers took action on the "race," donating profits to charity. (Image: YouTube/GCRider)

Millions Tune in to Watch, Bet on Virtual Grand National (VIDEO)

The good news was, no horses were injured during the Virtual Grand National, which was viewed by a peak audience of nearly 5 million viewers throughout the United Kingdom. And the bookmakers earned a respectable profit, which they donated to charity. The bad news? No real horses ran in Saturday’s […]

Independence Hall, seen dismantling the Nashua Stakes field by 12 1/2 lengths last fall, will focus on one-turn races. He won't compete in any more Kentucky Derby preps. (Image: Coglianese Photos/Chelsea Durand)

One-Time Favorite Independence Hall Pulled From Derby Trail

On New Year’s Day, after he romped to a 4 ¼-length victory in the Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct, bookmakers and fans alike considered Independence Hall one of the 2020 Kentucky Derby favorites. On April 6, his connections took him off the Derby trail. Aron Wellman, the managing partner for Eclipse […]

Constitution blew away the competition in the 2015 Donn Handicap. But he's blowing away the competition as a sire in 2020. (Image: WinStar Farm)

Promising Pedigree: Constitution Progeny Showing What’s in Sire’s DNA

His racing career was promising, but unfulfilled – four victories in eight starts. Even being a son of standout sire Tapit, there was nothing in the crystal ball foreshadowing what awaited Constitution in the stallion shed. Which illustrates why horse breeding is such an inexact science, and why semi-royal bloodlines […]

Scenes like this race start at Arkansas' Oaklawn Park are rarer and rarer these days due to the coronavirus. Oaklawn is one of only five US thoroughbred tracks still running, causing a 22.58% drop in March  wagering compared to the same month in 2019. (Image: Coady Photography)

No Surprise: Horse Racing Handle Takes Huge Hit in March

With the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic closing racetracks and limiting betting opportunities at the few still facilities that remain open, horse racing wagering dropped sharply in March, falling 22.6% from its 2019 totals. Bettors placed $731 million in wagers during March, a $214 million drop from last year. Equibase released the […]

Trainer Jason Servis, seen here after his Maximum Security was disqualified from the 2019 Kentucky Derby, has far more pressing problems these days. He's a centerpiece of a federal investigation into horse doping. (Image: Getty Images)

Servis, Navarro, 17 Others Plead Not Guilty In Horse Doping Scandal

Thoroughbred trainers Jason Servis and Jorge Navarro headline a list of 19 defendants who pleaded not guilty to federal charges involving horse doping during a Thursday arraignment and pre-trial conference conducted telephonically in the US Attorney General’s office for the Southern District of New York. The pair, along with numerous […]

The Championships at Royal Randwick in Sydney are Australia's version of the Breeders' Cup. But the party and social element are missing this year due to the coronavirus. (Image: Sydney.com)

The Championships Begin In Australia Tonight With No Spectators

The easiest way to classify The Championships, which begin tonight at Royal Randwick in Sydney, is to compare the crown jewel of Australia’s Autumn Carnival of racing to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships. Just add more than 150 years of tradition to several of the races, while at the same […]

One of the last tracks on the West Coast to continue live racing, Golden Gate Fields closed Thursday on county health department orders. (Image: Golden Gate Fields)

Golden Gate Fields Ends Live Racing, Latest California Track to Close

Alameda County public health officials shut down Golden Gate Fields Thursday morning, closing the Northern California track in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The track, located between the San Francisco Bay and Interstate 80 on the western edge of Berkeley, issued a statement late Thursday morning announcing the closure. That […]

Queen Elizabeth II presents winning jockey Eurico Rosa Da Silva with the Queen's Plate at Woodbine in 2010. (Image: Michael Burns Photo Ltd.)

Queen’s Plate, Canada’s Most Prestigious Race, Postponed Indefinitely

Following through on an expected decision, Woodbine Entertainment CEO Jim Lawson confirmed the 2020 Queen’s Plate race – Canada’s most prestigious horse race — is postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision to postpone the June 27 race came less than two weeks after Woodbine announced it was […]

Tiz the Law is clearly the best 3-year-old thoroughbred in the country right now. Will he be the best in a September Kentucky Derby? (Image: Lauren King)

Tiz the Law Reigns Now, Will Form Hold For A September Derby?

In a normal year, what Tiz the Law did last Saturday – dismantle the strongest field of 3-year-olds assembled to date – would put the horse racing world in the center of his hoof. His effortless, 4 ½-length victory in the Grade 1 Florida Derby stamped him as the prohibitive […]

Santa Anita won't spring horses for the Santa Anita Derby Saturday. Despite fervent lobbying by track officials, Santa Anita remains closed by order of the Los Angeles County Health Department. (Image: Santa Anita Park)

Santa Anita Derby Pushed Back As Track Officials Lobby For Reopening

As track officials continue lobbying to resume racing, Santa Anita Park remains closed for another weekend. That pushes back Saturday’s planned Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby and Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks to dates yet to be determined. On Friday, Los Angeles County health officials abruptly shut the track down, […]

Hong Kong's Sha Tin Racecourse continues its Wednesday and Sunday cards amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Horse racing is immensely popular in Hong Kong, with 30% of the population avid followers. (Image: Alpha Lighting)

Hong Kong Horse Racing Runs Uninterrupted Amid COVID-19 Fears

It is a late March Wednesday night at Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong and normally, the track would be teeming with upwards of 20,000 racing fans. But even without spectators in this era of the COVID-19 virus, horse racing gallops along in Hong Kong without interruption or questioning about […]

The starting gate at iconic Santa Anita Park will stay empty for the foreseeable future after county health officials closed the track Friday morning. (Image: Santa Anita Park)

County Health Officials Abruptly Close Santa Anita Park

With 30 minutes to go before first post, officials from the Los Angeles County Health Department shut down racing at California’s Santa Anita Park Friday morning. The move came in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Track officials at Santa Anita, who worked hard to keep the track open for racing […]

New York racing fans have an undetermined wait to see the Wood Memorial. New York's premier Derby prep was the latest coronavirus casualty.

Wood Memorial Becomes Latest Derby Prep Shelved Due To COVID-19

With the New York Racing Association’s decision to suspend live racing at Aqueduct Racetrack through at least April 5 because of the coronavirus, another Kentucky Derby prep race went on the shelf. The latest postponed marquee race is the Grade 2 $750,000 Wood Memorial. Previously set for April 4, the […]

Even in a deep, talented Florida Derby field, it's not a stretch to picture Gouverneur Morris and John Velasquez emerging victorious. Velasquez owns five Florida Derby victories in eight trips and no finish worse than third. (Image: Coglianese Photos)

Florida Derby Offers Talent, Versatility, History, and Best Derby Prep Field

Now, we’re getting serious. Now, we’re into the varsity of Kentucky Derby prep races and with Saturday’s Florida Derby from Gulfstream Park, we’re going to see a healthy helping of this year’s best 3-year-olds. The 1 1/8-mile Grade 1 Florida Derby offers a hearty helping of Derby Qualifying points: 100 […]

Javier Castellano is one of the best big-race riders in the country. Now, as the first prominent jockey to test positive for COVID-19, he becomes the unwilling face of the pandemic in his sport. (Image: Getty Images)

Hall-Of-Fame Jockey Javier Castellano Tests Positive for COVID-19

Hall-of-Fame jockey Javier Castellano announced on Twitter Thursday that he’s tested positive for COVID-19, making him the first US rider known to have a coronavirus infection. The initial announcement came via a tweet by his agent, John Panagot who said Gulfstream Park required Castellano to take a physical. He took […]