On this week's edition of The Friday Show, Ray Paulick and Joe Nevills are joined by Fonner Park CEO Chris Kotulak as opening day at the Nebraska track draws near. Kotulak discusses how the track has managed the nationwide polar vortex, how the recent approval of casino gaming will affect the operation, and what gives Fonner Park its unique charm.
Ray and Joe then salute Star of the Week Maxfield, and give a toast to Spendthrift Farm's Vino Rosso in a new segment spotlighting the stallion's first foals.
Eight races offering Kentucky Derby qualifying points have been run this year with two more scheduled this weekend, including Saturday's Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds in New Orleans – the first in the Kentucky Derby Championship Series with 85-points each (50-20-10-5 to the first four finishers).
What have we learned so far? What horses have had their stock rise and which ones have fallen? And how many potential Triple Crown race winners have we yet to see racing in 2021?
In this week's edition of the Friday Show presented by Rowayton, standing at Diamond B Farm in Pennsylvania, Paulick Report publisher Ray Paulick, bloodstock editor Joe Nevills and news editor Chelsea Hackbarth tackle those questions and more. They've also got a surprising pick for the “star of the week.”
For the last three years as the calendar pages turned from December to January, the Paulick Report took the pulse of its readers, asking how they felt about the future health of the Thoroughbred industry: Were they optimistic or pessimistic?
In January 2019, 43% expressed optimism. In January 2020, that number fell to 30%. Currently, 54% of our readers said they are optimistic heading into 2021 – a significant shift in just 12 months.
While this online poll is not a scientific survey, its results are revealing, if not head scratching, considering all that society has been through the last 10 months since the World Health Organization declared that the coronavirus was a pandemic.
In this week's episode of the Friday Show, presented by the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association's stallion season auction, Paulick Report publisher Ray Paulick and bloodstock editor Joe Nevills search for reasons why the “optimists club” may have so many new members. What is there to be optimistic or pessimistic about when it comes to the Thoroughbred industry?
They also discuss the long comeback road by this week's “star of the week,” Grade 3 Tropical Turf winner Ride a Comet.
Given the circumstances of the past year, we decided to not take that obligatory editorial trip down memory lane with a look back at all the good things that happened in 2020. Come to think of it, I suppose we could have fit them all into one of bloodstock editor Joe Nevills' popular horse racing haikus.
Let's face it: for the most part, 2020 was a year many of us wish had never happened. We were happy to turn the page.
With that in mind, and with the Friday Show freshened up for its first gallop around the track in 2021, the Paulick Report editorial team decided to look ahead with some insights into what may be in store for the Thoroughbred industry this coming year.
But instead of showing our cards here and letting you know what our fearless predictions are for 2021, you'll have to watch the show. We will tell you that this week's edition of the Friday Show is brought to you by the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association's 11th annual PA Stallion Seasons Auction that gets under way on Tuesday, Jan. 12, offering approximately 75 seasons to stallions in five different states.
Watch the Friday Show below to get the skinny on what's coming in 2021.
