This week Joe Bianca and Jon Green talk stallion fees as farms begin to release their 2024 rosters. Three at $250,000 still hold good value while another’s doubled fee is clearly ‘justified.’ Some second-year sires see reduced fees but not reduced quality. While on the topic of breeding Joe and Jon welcome Bret Jones to catch up on Airdrie Stud’s roster and a lot more including growing up (and raising kids) in the business. And what would we be without another contest? Instead of true or false, ...
Oct 18, 2023•51 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Does racing need a new association of owners and trainers to confront its challenges? Should there be an increase in the Kentucky Derby purse? Just how many words can a person fit into one tweet? Those are all questions ultra-successful Thoroughbred owner Mike Repole attempted to answer this week, and it provided fuel for a fascinating discussion this week on Episode 13 of Real Talk. Joe Bianca and Jon Green dissected Repole’s rants, which they said contained a number of great, actionable ideas ...
Oct 12, 2023•52 min•Season 1Ep. 13
This week on Rail Talk, the boys go guest-less because there was simply too much news to discuss, starting with the ultimate confrontation between Horse Racing Twitter™ and the sport’s institutional giants. Bob Baffert is suing two of racing’s most well-known social media firebrands/instigators/rabble-rousers for alleged defamation and extortion, and Joe Bianca and Jon Green break it down from every angle.Joe and Jon then ask when is enough enough re: Paco Lopez and his irresponsible riding styl...
Oct 05, 2023•44 min•Ep. 12
This week on Rail Talk, Joe Bianca and Jon Green welcome Terry Finley, the founder and CEO of West Point Thoroughbreds, for an illuminating discussion on racing, auction strategy, the brave new world of HISA and much more.Fresh off of a huge three-week span of graded stakes successes, West Point was also extremely active at the Keeneland September Sale, including taking a piece of the $3-million topper. Finley takes the audience behind the curtain and let us in on how those million-dollar deals ...
Sep 22, 2023•50 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Joe Bianca and Jon Green are back at their mics for a late-night record of Rail Talk, with Jon reporting from the September Yearling Sale with lots of good news and big numbers. Joe then welcomes one of his racing heroes, illustrious journalist Jay Privman, who recently retired from his post as the excellent National Correspondent for the Daily Racing Form. Joe and Jay cover the topics and challenges of racing today, including renewed safety concerns, the implementation of HISA, Bob Baffert, the...
Sep 15, 2023•51 min•Season 1Ep. 10
They're back! Joe Bianca welcomes Jon Green back from his European adventures as Mark Casse brings some sanity to the mix. There's a lot of catching up to do. Reflections on the Saratoga meet, the (preventable?) tragedy of New York Thunder, synthetic tracks, wearable biometrics and a look ahead to the Breeders' Cup are all on the table this week.Celebrated trainer Mark Casse offers expert insight on keeping horses safe. Spoiler alert: synthetic tracks are at the top of the list. We are so gratef...
Sep 08, 2023•55 min•Season 1Ep. 9
It seems like yesterday that Ramón Dominguez, the three-time defending Eclipse Champion Jockey, was forced to walk away from racing after several bad falls put him on the precipice of catastrophic injury. In reality, it was 10 years ago, and if anything, Ramón’s legend has only grown since. A regular at New York racetracks since his retirement, he’s become one of the game’s top ambassadors and one of the most revered people in the industry, for good reason. This week, the always engaging Domingu...
Aug 23, 2023•52 min•Season 1Ep. 8
It’s a new era in racing. Long clamored for, the sport finally has an umbrella organization to unify its rules and regulations—most significantly, its anti-doping policies. The woman at the top of that organization, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, is CEO Lisa Lazarus. This week, she joined Joe Bianca and Jon Green on Episode 7 of Rail Talk to answer questions about the successes and missteps of HISA’s early days, reveal how the industry has reacted to the new sheriff in town and ...
Aug 16, 2023•46 min•Season 1Ep. 7
It was an incredibly difficult weekend for horse racing at Saratoga. Emotions were as raw as they’ve ever been, particularly over the soul-crushing breakdown of Maple Leaf Mel as she was just a few strides from winning the Test Stakes. Incidents like that make us fundamentally question the sport we all love so much. This week on Rail Talk, Joe Bianca and Jon Green held an informal therapy session to cope with the devastating losses of Maple Leaf Mel, Ever Summer and Sopran Basilea at Saratoga. T...
Aug 11, 2023•39 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Road shows are always the most fun. With the intersecting buzz of Whitney weekend, the Hall of Fame induction ceremony and the upcoming yearling sales, there was no better place to be Friday morning than Fasig-Tipton in Saratoga. With buyers inspecting horses in the and the enshrinement after-party in the background, thats exactly where the Rail Talk crew set up shop, recording Episode 5 of the growing podcast featuring an array of illustrious guests. Joe Bianca and Jon Green welcomed Fasig-Tipt...
Aug 06, 2023•39 min•Season 1Ep. 5
This week's episode has all the twists and turns of a classic Bond Flick - action, peril, villains, and suspense. Hosts Joe Bianca and Jon Green welcome the "Voice of Saratoga" Frank Mirahmadi to the show. The guys discuss Frank's journey from Beverly Hills High to the heights of race calling at the most premier tracks in the country. Frank also provides insight as to how the Golden Gate closing affects the Golden State. Thanks to Joe's persistence (some would say grovelling), we unveil an excit...
Jul 26, 2023•56 min•Season 1Ep. 4
This week, on Episode 3 of Rail Talk, Joe Bianca and Jon Green welcome star host/reporter for NYRA/Fox Sports Acacia Clement! The three break down an upset-filled opening week at Saratoga and the closure of Golden Gate Fields before paying tribute to the late, great Funny Cide. Joe and Jon also tackle the unorthodox decision to put 2021 Preakness winner Rombauer back into training after he failed to secure a high-profile stud deal, and try to determine once and for all whether Joe actually liste...
Jul 19, 2023•52 min•Season 1Ep. 3
This week on Rail Talk, longtime host of industry-leading daily radio show At the Races on Sirius/XM Steve Byk joins Joe Bianca and Jon Green to talk about finding his dream job in racing in his late 40s and the legacy he’s been creating since.The three also reflect on what makes Saratoga so special as the marquee summer meet gets underway and later, Joe and Jon react to the monumental suspensions handed down in the early days of HISA’s anti-doping program.
Jul 14, 2023•49 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Annnnnd we’re off! Hello Rail Talk family! Joe Bianca here, and I’m proud to present the very first episode of our irreverent new racing podcast, Rail Talk. For our maiden run, Jon Green and I were joined by award-winner writer, analyst and pedigree expert Ren Carothers. We talk Bob Baffert vs. Churchill Downs, breeding lines and have a ton of laughs, mostly at each other’s expenses. Special shoutout to sponsors Fasig-Tipton, The Green Group and Taylor Made Sales Agency. We’re so excited to begi...
Jul 07, 2023•53 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Welcome to episode 0! Eclipse Award winners Joe Bianca and Jon Green reunite to co-host Rail Talk, an innovative weekly podcast tackling all topics in the world of Thoroughbred racing. The longtime friends and co-hosts take on racing’s hot-button issues, review top races, handicap upcoming stakes, preview sales and provide humorous insights in a free-flowing format. In this abbreviated episode, Joe & Jon discuss Royal Ascot, Frankie Dettori and George Weaver. Leave your comments below, let’s...
Jun 29, 2023•8 min•Ep. 1
