Slave to the Stars
- Bruno@Racingwithbruno
- Oct 1
- 5 min read
Ah, Keeneland...The mere mention evokes images of crisp mornings, sharp hooves on finely manicured turf, and the intoxicating scent of tradition and opportunity. With Opening Day this Friday, it’s time we reacquaint ourselves with a rather valuable weapon—our Workout Report.
Let’s begin, shall we, with something simple. Accessible. Familiar. Our ratings.
At Racingwithbruno, these ratings are not decorative. They are trusted. Relied upon. Obsessively dissected. Players comb through them with the fervor of a codebreaker looking for a key to unlock a vault. And truthfully… sometimes, that’s exactly what they are.
Now, everyone seems to chase the elusive 4-star work—that glimmering beacon that says: “Pay attention.”But let me be clear: A 4-star rating is not perfection. It is not a guarantee.It is, however, our way of saying:
“Something happened here. Something worth your time.”
In the chaotic mess of the racing world’s alphabet soup grading system—A’s, B’s, B-minuses masquerading as something meaningful—we prefer clarity. Simplicity. Intention.
Our system is based on four stars, each chosen with care:
★☆☆☆ — A work that happened. Nothing more, nothing less, even forgettable.
★★☆☆ — Some effort. Perhaps something to note. But tread carefully, we wanted to see more
★★★☆ — Now we’re getting somewhere. The horse is showing signs—poise, purpose, potential.
★★★★ — This is the one. The movement, the focus, the professionalism. The kind of work that demands your attention and possibly, your investment.
But as always, I caution: Don’t become a slave to stars.The stars are a guide, not gospel. Use them wisely. Use them in concert with your eyes, your experience, and your intuition.
Because this game—like most worthwhile things in life—is not about finding answers. It’s about recognizing signals.
I understand. Everyone wants to shortcut the puzzle. Everyone wants the red arrow pointing to the winner. But if you think the rating is the whole story — my friend, you’re playing checkers on a chessboard.
We spend an infinite amount of time on our comments — and for good reason. Because they are, in many ways, the soul of the report. They illuminate nuance. They translate feel. They reveal the hidden layers behind the cold, blunt instrument of a number.
In fact, sometimes the comments define the rating — or lack thereof.They’re not afterthoughts. They’re the quiet whisper in the room full of people shouting, “4 STARS OR BUST.”
So, if players only look at ratings, why do we even bother writing comments?
Let me share a secret.There’s a tag we often use — a simple, unassuming little sentence at the end of a comment. You may have seen them:
“We really liked this horse.”
“Big, sharp drill.”
That tag… that final thought? That’s where the truth lies.That’s where we stop being clockers and start being handicappers. That’s where we tell you, plainly and sincerely, what we really think.
And, I love writing a work I really, really like and it comes across in print.
Because here’s the truth most won’t say out loud: not every good horse works flashy, and not every flashy work belongs to a good horse.
A 2-star “maintenance move” doesn’t mean the horse is bad. Far from it. It means exactly what it says — a horse maintaining, doing what’s needed. No fireworks, no smoke and mirrors.But too many of you out there — God bless you — see the number and lose your minds.You bring the axe down based on a time or a star rating, like an overzealous judge at a talent show who just hates mimes.
If we don't like the horse we tell you.
Here’s what you’re missing:
Some horses are covert — they hide what and whom they are.
Some trainers are poker players — they never want to show you their hand, it is evident as they try to hide with the official clockers the sharp times.
And some of you, unfortunately, are chasing ghosts — thinking every work and race is a declaration of greatness or doom.
Allow me to introduce you to a horse: DAVID OF ATHENS. From day one, he showed talent. Not brilliance, but something.The barn liked him. They even sent him to the Pennsylvania Derby, where he flashed speed… and promptly stopped. Now, why? We don’t know. And frankly, neither do they.
He won first out at boxcars at Keeneland, he caught the eye but didn't think was a one turn horse and didn't sell us on being a 2 turn horse either. So, what is he? The connections thought he was live in a Graded race this summer, he failed.
And then there are the horses who tell you who they are from day 1.
That, you see, is the nature of the game. Not every horse tells you what it wants to be. Some are puzzles even their own people haven’t solved.And then, of course, there are the chronic bullet workers — the horses that always work like monsters, and yet... they break your heart like a bad country song when it actually counts.
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again:
“Too many bullet works will shoot you in the foot.”
A horse can reel off half-mile bullets all day — but that’s not racing.That’s posing. That’s shadowboxing. Real talent reveals itself at five furlongs or longer.So when we tell you in the report:
“Did a lot more than a half.”...we’re tipping our hand — letting you see what’s behind the curtain, it can be a decisive moment of exclusive information.
Now — to the features that often go ignored, buried under the weight of impatience:
You can click the workmate’s name and view their works. Want to know what Tiznow was working with? Tap, his workmate,Siphon, and the whole picture comes into focus.
We embed videos. Not highlight reels. Real works. You can see what we saw. Watch how they move. Feel the energy. Note the ease—or lack thereof.
And yes, we include sales inspection videos. Walks, conformation, posture—all there.
I’ve cashed big tickets off a walk. Literally. Some horses move like silk. Others, as one sharp handicapper once said, look like “their legs are spinning like the Teacups at Disneyland. ” And when someone shrugs and says, “The pedigree takes care of that…” —I must respectfully reply:
“Not nah, but hell naw.”
Pedigree doesn’t fix poor biomechanics. It just makes them more expensive.
So I implore you: Stop treating the Workout Report like a scoreboard. It’s not.It’s a companion, a guide, a diary of intent from horse to trainer to you.It doesn’t just tell you who’s fast. It tells you who’s ready.
And if you’re willing to go just one layer deeper...You might finally start seeing what we’ve been seen all along.
And our Workout Report is full of them, let's F*cking Go!