This week on Rail Talk! Joe Bianca and Jon Green go international, as they welcome Hong Kong Jockey Club CEO Winfried Englebrecht-Bresges to fill us on in on this weekend’s prestigious Hong Kong International Races. Then our friend Andrew Stewart of Arion Pedigrees joins us to provide betting tips for the HKIR. The boys then preview the last big weekend of the year in New York racing, discuss the ongoing crisis at Woodbine and there’s a bee in Jon’s bonnet about a 2025 mating. Don’t miss any Rai...
Dec 04, 2024•58 min
This week on Rail Talk! It’s a two-guest show, as Gulfstream Park’s excellent on-air analyst Samantha Perry stops by to preview the track’s prestigious Championship Meet, which gets underway this week. Perry also gives us insight on how to handicap Gulfstream’s synthetic-track racing, differentiating horses’ physical presence and where to go in Miami if you want to stay up all night! Then, Rail Talk champion Len Green of The Green Group returns to the studio to talk about all the tax benefits of...
Nov 26, 2024•53 min
This week on Rail Talk! HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus and HIWU Executive Director Ben Mosier join Joe Bianca and Jon Green to correct some misconceptions about the new era of horse racing they’re ushering in and discuss all the progress being made to keep horses safer on the track. How logical are provisional suspensions? Is contamination an explanation or an excuse for positive test findings? What’s being done to ensure labs are all singing from the same sheet? Lazarus and Mosier answer these hot-butto...
Nov 19, 2024•1 hr 2 min
This week on Rail Talk! Joe Bianca and Jon Green are joined in the studio by very special guest and presumptive Eclipse champion jockey Flavien Prat! The three of them discuss Prat’s winding journey from France to California to New York, his enormous victory aboard Sierra Leone in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, all of the work it’s taken to bring him to the precipice of his first Eclipse Award and much more.Joe and Jon also reflect on a huge stakes weekend for West Point Thoroughbreds and what it me...
Nov 13, 2024•48 min
This week on Rail Talk! Joe Bianca and Jon Green welcome guest third host Michelle Yu to react to a star-studded weekend at the Breeders’ Cup. An outstanding reporter and analyst for Santa Anita and NBC Sports, Yu gives us her railbird review of Sierra Leone’s Breeders’ Cup Classic score, what it means for champion 3-year-old honors, whether or not Thorpedo Anna has locked up a Horse of the Year trophy and everything else that stood out to her from racing’s most important weekend. As someone who...
Nov 06, 2024•52 min
This year’s Breeders’ Cup is so spectacular we had to drop two episodes of Rail Talk in two days, this time providing a betting companion to the 41st World Championships! On the latest edition of Breakaway Rail Talk presented by Arion Pedigrees, Joe Bianca is joined by friend of the show, owner and excellent handicapper Jim Politano to put together Breeders’ Cup tickets in hopes of making our subscribers some money this weekend. The two cashed a Rail Talk Pick 5 and a Pick 4 at last year’s BC, a...
Oct 31, 2024•47 min
This week on Rail Talk! We are on the eve of Breeders’ Cup XLI, and Joe Bianca and Jon Green can barely contain their excitement. Starting with the intrigue of the Classic, the boys touch on what they’re most looking forward to in Friday and Saturday’s 14 combined championship races. Then, ace international handicapper and “Longshot Lad” Kev Humphreys joins the show to clue the audience into who’s hot and who’s not from the stout European and Japanese contingents descending upon Del Mar. Which h...
Oct 30, 2024•1 hr 7 min
This week on Rail Talk! Our good friend and wise sage Tony Cobitz, a.k.a. Tinky, returns to the studio for another fascinating conversation with Joe Bianca and Jon Green on the state of racing and breeding.The three discuss the upcoming Breeders’ Cup Classic and its international flavor with main contenders City of Troy and Forever Young shipping in from all over the world. Has the City of Troy hype train run off the tracks? Will there be enough speed to set up Forever Young? And where does top ...
Oct 23, 2024•1 hr 10 min
This week on Rail Talk! Joe Bianca returns to the mic from his honeymoon in Greece to catch up with Jon Green on all the latest happenings in racing, breeding and sigh HISA litigation. The two appreciate Irad Ortiz, Jr. after the jockey’s 4,000th win and discuss the effort by the IBEW to unionize the backstretch at Belmont. On the HISA legal front, their outside counsel John Roach joins the show to break down the next steps in the fight over constitutionality and what will happen to the sport if...
Oct 17, 2024•1 hr 13 min
On this week’s episode of Rail Talk, Jon Green and fill-in co-host Ren Carothers discuss some of the weekend’s WIN AND YOU’RE IN races including the three-way head bob in the Jessamine, the awesomeness of IDIOMATIC and CITIZEN BULL’S gate to wire victory. They also dive into the explosive 1-x family and which juveniles benefit from those potent genes. OBS director of sales Tod Wojciechowski discusses how they are preparing for Hurricane Milton in advance of their current two-day yearling sale. H...
Oct 08, 2024•1 hr 11 min
Host Jon Green welcomes Fasig-Tipton’s Jesse Ullery and Leif Aaron to talk about the wild success of Fasig-Tipton digital sales. The clearance rate for the ultra-convenient, ultra-popular platform run at 83%. Jesse, a very familiar face, is the sales announcer and also an account executive. Leif, a former stallion nominations manager for Juddmonte, is the director of digital sales. Fasig-Tipton digital sales offer benefits for both the buyers and the sellers. Jon Green knows both ends. In his da...
Sep 30, 2024•28 min
This week on Rail Talk, Joe Bianca and Jon Green lament the predictable tragedy we saw Saturday on the Parx turf course. Despite obvious problems with the safety of the ‘grass’, horses were allowed to race over it on Parx’s biggest day, and it took one race for a horse to break down and have to be euthanized. How was this allowed to happen, and who shares in the blame? Dave Grening, the excellent longtime reporter for the Daily Racing Form, then joins Joe and Jon to react to his experience Satur...
Sep 30, 2024•1 hr 4 min
On Episode 61, hosts Joe Bianca and Jon Green welcome esteemed lawyer and CEO of the Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, Alan Foreman, to discuss the investigation into the University of Kentucky lab and Dr. Scott Stanley. They talk about the lawsuit at Hawthorne and the constitutionality (and success) of HISA and HIWU. The boys then reflect on last weekend's Woodbine Mile card which included some good DJ Stable success and preview the Pennsylvania Derby. Newlywed Joe Bianca shares an intimate ...
Sep 19, 2024•58 min
This week on Rail Talk! Joe Bianca and Jon Green take an overview of the Kentucky Downs meet—after Saturday’s performance, is it fair to call Cogburn the fastest horse in the world? And has the purse money given out at KD become too disproportionate to the quality of the horses running? That leads into a discussion about the Parx turf course, which was shut down recently after a trainer whose horse broke down over it posted a video of the atrocious condition of the grass. How does a modern racet...
Sep 11, 2024•45 min
This week on Rail Talk! Joe Bianca and Jon Green put a bow on the Saratoga meet, which features a dazzling array of outstanding performances, but most importantly, boasted a safety record that was night and day from last year’s disaster. The boys give kudos all around, including to Flavien Prat for his record-setting meet, before debating whether or not the boutique meet should be expanded to start July 4 weekend.Later on, Joe and Jon are joined by ace bloodstock agent Kim Valerio, who gives lis...
Sep 04, 2024•1 hr
This week on Rail Talk! It was shaping up for weeks like a classic Travers, and if anything the race exceeded expectations, as champion colt Fierceness and presumptive champion filly Thorpedo Anna threw down in an all-time stretch drive that no racing fan will ever forget. Joe Bianca and Jon Green react to and appreciate the show that was put on before discussing what it means for the year-end championships and the sport as a whole. It wasn’t just the Travers that thrilled us this week, as an ar...
Aug 28, 2024•50 min
This week on Rail Talk! Joe Bianca and Jon Green welcome jockey Dylan Davis, who’s enjoying a breakout season at Saratoga. Fresh off a huge Grade I win in the Saratoga Derby aboard West Point Thoroughbreds’ Carson’s Run, Dylan talks about his upbringing as the son of ultra-talented jockey Robbie Davis, the years of work he’s put in riding the harsh winters at Aqueduct and how he communicates with his horse and fellow riders during a race.Elsewhere on the show, Joe and Jon look forward to a massi...
Aug 21, 2024•1 hr
This week on Rail Talk! Joe Bianca and Jon Green celebrate a terrific weekend for the home teams, as DJ Stable/West Point Thoroughbreds’ Sandman takes his first step towards a potential Breeders’ Cup appearance with an impressive maiden score at Saratoga, while the always inspiring Carson’s Run notches a second Grade I win in the Saratoga Derby. With producer Patty Wolfe out of the country, associate producer Julia Agresta steps in to host the not-quite-newlywed game as Joe and Jon are both test...
Aug 14, 2024•55 min
This week on Rail Talk! Joe Bianca and Jon Green are both on scene in Saratoga Springs to bring you the latest from the most action-packed week of the summer in upstate New York.They discuss the absolute firework show that was Night One of the Fasig-Tipton Select Yearling Sale, and react to a monster Whitney win by Arthur’s Ride that vaulted the big gray to the top of the handicap division.Later, the boys also look forward to Arlington Million day at Colonial and Jon relays an illuminating conve...
Aug 07, 2024•38 min
This week on Rail Talk! Joe Bianca and Jon Green react to a stellar weekend of racing, including a thrilling Jim Dandy that drove home the realization that this crop of 3-year-olds is pretty, pretty good. They then take a look forward to what’s shaping up to be a Travers for the ages and also preview plenty of great action in the meantime, including a 12-horse Whitney leading into the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale. Later on, the boys discuss all of the seemingly avoidable mishaps that we’ve seen at...
Aug 01, 2024•51 min
This week on Rail Talk, Joe Bianca and Jon Green break down all the top headlines from a great weekend of racing, including how Dornoch and Thorpedo Anna’s victories affect the races for 3-year-old championships and Horse of the Year, and Idiomatic scoring another game victory as she builds a potential Hall of Fame case. They then touch on hopefully the last chapter in the Bob Baffert vs. Churchill Downs saga as Baffert is allowed to resume racing under the Twin Spires after a three-year suspens...
Jul 25, 2024•1 hr 1 min
This week on Rail Talk, Jon Green returns from his Canadian vacation and rejoins his buddy Joe Bianca, just home from opening week at Saratoga! The two break down all the storylines from the Spa—smaller than average crowds but solid handle, impressive 2-year-old performances and a speed-favoring dirt track.The boys then welcome Paulick Report founder and publisher Ray Paulick to analyze the latest developments from a potential Game of Silks rug pull, the opening of the Del Mar season, NYRA going...
Jul 18, 2024•1 hr 7 min
Happy Saratoga opening day! This week on Rail Talk, the team is back from a holiday weekend and Joe Bianca is joined by guest co-host Jim Politano, owner, bettor and rockstar. The two break down the latest court ruling on HISA’s constitutionality and Jim gives his input as a horseman on what needs to be fixed. They also discuss the concerns surrounding fantasy horse racing app Game of Silks, which is temporarily freezing its operations after raising millions of dollars in the past year. Joe and ...
Jul 11, 2024•37 min
This week on Breakaway Rail Talk sponsored by Arion Pedigrees, Joe Bianca sits down for an in-depth 1-on-1 conversation with Dave Lyon, the founder and managing partner of Blue Lion Thoroughbreds. A Saratoga native, Lyon started Blue Lion as a tight-knit partnership with local friends and acquaintances. Before they knew it, the group found themselves on the Kentucky Derby trail with Gotham Stakes winner Morello in 2022. But an untimely injury cost the colt his chance at the Roses, and Lyon tells...
Jul 03, 2024•36 min
We made it to 50 episodes! It’s been an absolute joy for the team here at Rail Talk to experience this journey with all of you, so for this week’s episode we had to celebrate our milestone with an extravaganza of surprise guests, games, and of course, some straight talk on racing’s hot-button topics. First, Joe Bianca and Jon Green react to the Supreme Court rebuffing a constitutional challenge to HISA and discuss some of the fascinating findings from McKinsey’s report on racing at the sport’s W...
Jun 28, 2024•1 hr 5 min
This week on Rail Talk, Joe Bianca and Jon Green welcome back HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus for another illuminating, substantive discussion about a wide variety of racing’s hot-button topics. Joe and Jon ask about the improved breakdown statistics from the first quarter of 2024, the rationale behind HISA’s deferment of metformin suspensions, HISA’s investigative powers, the successful pressure campaign forcing Louisiana’s about-face on its attempt to loosen drug regulations and much more.The boys also ...
Jun 19, 2024•57 min
For the first time in its history, the Belmont Stakes moved north to Saratoga, and the buzz was unmistakable at the old Spa during a phenomenal racing festival. This week on Rail Talk, Joe Bianca and Jon Green react to the thrilling capper to an exhilarating—and safe—Triple Crown and celebrate an array of superstar performances. Joe, who was in attendance all week at Saratoga, is then put in the hot seat as this week’s interview guest, as his buddy Jon has all sorts of questions about the inaugu...
Jun 12, 2024•1 hr 2 min
This week on Rail Talk, Joe Bianca and Jon Green welcome Louisiana racing’s finest and New Orleans native Dallas Stewart to update us on the pushback to the Bayou State’s racing commission loosening drug regulations. Stewart lets the viewers in on discussions happening behind closed doors to make the LRC reconsider the drastic move that will make horses less safe if enacted. He also touches on his former boss and mentor D. Wayne Lukas winning the Preakness and how Lukas’s willingness to take sho...
Jun 04, 2024•47 min
Joe Bianca and Jon Green had to get behind their mics for an emergency Rail Talk this morning after stunning news broke that the Louisiana Racing Commission is purposefully loosening regulations on drugs and injections for its horses. Outraged by the decision, Joe and Jon discuss the potential fallout—Louisiana racing ending up on an island where no one wants to ship in or out, potential revocation of Derby qualifying points for Fair Grounds’s series of prep races, and of course the horses who w...
May 30, 2024•22 min
Two races in, the 2024 Triple Crown has produced a pair of phenomenal stories, with the good vibes continuing Saturday as 88-year-old D. Wayne Lukas’s Seize the Grey went wire to wire at a rain-soaked Pimlico in Saturday’s Preakness. Joe Bianca and Jon Green broke down all angles of the popular victory, starting of course with the legendary Lukas.They went on to analyze the other myriad storylines, including horses who ran two weeks ago at Churchill Downs finishing 1-2-3 in the Preakness just as...
May 22, 2024•38 min
