Morning Line

It used to be that someone with limited financial resources had no chance of owning a quality race horse or even a fraction of one. That changed with the advent of MyRacehorse, which offers microshares in horses that can be bought for $100 or less. Now, there is a new player in the market, Morning Line. It, too, allows fans to buy into horses for only a few dollars. The difference is that a Morning Line customer is buying not just a horse, but a commodity that can be bought...

A trainer built equal parts brilliant and idiosyncratic, John Shirreffs passed away quietly in his sleep overnight Wednesday into Thursday morning. He was 80 years old. He leaves behind the kind of record unmatched by all but a select few. At the summit of Shirreffs's mammoth achievements was of course Zenyatta--elegant and imperious, who between 2007 and 2010 achieved the near impossible: 19 straight wins and 13 Grade I victories including back-to-back Breeders' Cup crowns, one of them a Classic. Zenyatta was just denied an exquisite send-off in the Breeders'...

Jeff Siegel has been named as the new Morning-Line Maker for Santa Anita, replacing Jon White who announced his retirement earlier this week. In a release sent Friday afternoon, Santa Anita noted that Siegel will begin the positive effective with the beginning of the Autumn meet, Sept. 27. "Jeff is universally respected by his peers, be them horseplayers, horsemen, or his fellow analysts," said Santa Anita's Senior Vice President and General Manager Nate Newby. " We are excited that Jeff will be expanding his role at Santa Anita in taking...

By J. N. Campbell As the Breeders' Cup Festival looms, Nick Tammaro is delving deep into the past performances. It's not to participate in the BC Betting Challenge. He's too principled. There is a more ardent task at hand-making the morning line. Last month, Tammaro got the call from Keeneland about taking over the October Meet's duties, previously held by longtime oddsmaker Mike Battaglia. "It was a true honor to even be considered," he said. "I have been doing this at Sam Houston Race Park and the chance to make...

Great expectations don't necessarily begin with lofty intent. Most new licensees start out hungry for that one lionheart of any stripe to announce their arrival. Those trainers who are routinely sent the big weekend warriors learn to acquire a more refined palate, to remodulate their ambitions accordingly. But scant few are fortunate enough to have harnessed the sort of thunderbolt that doesn't just electrify a trainer's career but leaves a patch of scorched earth for posterity. And really, how many ever expect to? In part one, we deconstructed some of...