all in Lifestyle

The average Thoroughbred has the potential lifespan of 25-35 years. If the horse races from age 2 to 4, he or she then has another 20-30 years beyond that, a whole other lifetime which for some could be spent as a stallion/broodmare or as a paddock pet for a loving owner. Beyond the racetrack or a backyard paddock is the show ring, another venue for the Thoroughbred to show off their athleticism and work ethic in partnership with riders of all ages and levels.

After a relatively quiet weekend, North American horse racing action picks up in a big way during the February-March switchover weekend with three prep races for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve scheduled that each offer 105 qualifying points each to the top five finishers.

Four years ago, Joel Funk walked into his first yearling sale at Keeneland and saw nearly $400 million change hands in less than two weeks. Billionaires, celebrities, and global power brokers gathered in Lexington, Ky., bidding on bloodstock. When others were talking recession, Funk was talking opportunity.

“I was just blown away,” Funk said. “You want to get the wealthiest people in the world in a room, have a horse sale.”

The upcoming weekend in horse racing is light in terms of stakes races compared to what will follow – more than two months of heavy activity on the road to the 152nd Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve. There is one qualifying points prep scheduled: the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes held during the evening Saturday, Feb.

The sport of horse racing might have started with the simple question of whose horse is fastest, but centuries of such challenges have morphed that humble query into a full-fledged industry, replete with stories of great horses and the humans behind them. Racing reflects the world it inhabits, a mirror for the societal and economic conflicts playing out in the background.

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