Butch brownell

I'll follow but you have to lead.

[Chance Moquett @chancemoquett]

One of two gates like with fans this morning at 6:45 local time for Whitney Day at The Spa, 2026 🎪

[Ryan Thompson @RyanFromChicago]

4th race skyline @ClubHawthorne

[Robert J Marcin @RobertMarcin]

Trump singles out high gasoline prices as $100 oil works its way the the refining and disribution phases. WTF.
He should rail on Micron and Samsung for $100 plus DRAM and NAND flash chips!! These are up 500% in the past year.
Thats what I call price gouging.
And all consumers must pay when they buy electronic devices.

[Barstool Sports @barstoolsports]

Imagine telling these guys they would become NBA Champions together in 10 years

[side of X @OURFATHER_NG]

@DeItaone So investors are literally pricing in when one of the world’s most critical chokepoints ‘reopens’ like it’s a seasonal event 😭 Global trade depending on hope, surveys, and vibes is probably the most 2026 thing ever.

[Alexander Stahel 🌻 @BurggrabenH]

Cathie Wood literally missed the AI bubble.

[Chris Brown @browch05]

Reality few want to admit: No smart private investor would touch Maryland horse racing right now if they wanted real returns. The numbers are brutal…declining foal crops, declining interest, skyrocketing breeder expenses, sports betting sucking up action, animal welfare blowback, sketchy integrity issues…and almost nobody showing up in person anymore outside of big days. It’s currently a bad business.

The whole Pimlico rebuild is only happening because it’s taxpayer money, not private capital. It’s being driven by politics, nostalgia for the Preakness (a race quickly losing prestige), and some hope it’ll help the neighborhood. We’ve seen this over and over before in other states…these “save the track” projects typically end up underperforming.

If horse racing wants any shot at surviving, it needs way better TV and streaming exposure, simpler betting options that actually appeal to normal people, real improvements on aftercare and integrity, and full fields. Without those changes, it’s just going to keep shrinking. Contraction of racing days only speeds up more contraction when you have fewer reasons to breed a racehorse.

I’ll repeat the most important fact… we’re running out of horses way faster than any solutions are even possible because no breeder trusts the plans.

[Michael Taylor @Mike_Taylor1972]

I thought for hours on how to respond to this VERY VALID question on Iran. What the below Q is asking: how, why and what’s next.

The truth of the how and why is unlikely to be known to the masses - there will be a story - it will not be the true story. (It never is). We need to accept that MOST big stories spun to the public are not the true story. The truth is so much uglier (and sometimes more glorious) than the written History. It is always messy with esoteric and undisclosed influences and interests. Those that know, know who knows - either they are in the room where it happens - or they assist those in that room.
Accept that fact, and if you need, read the above again.

Moving fw there is a power vacuum in Iran: There are at least a dozen potent interests who will demand a dominant seat at the table. It will likely be solved with conflict - as there are no rules. The longer the cease-fire, the sooner that conflict will ensue.
Some tell me that conflict has already begun.

What will arise is unclear.

But what is clear: A dirty fissile bomb is off the table. Advanced missile efforts are thwarted and the remaining military is disorganized, ill-equipped and has no true leader.

The US will likely play a much greater role in the region and deterrents to drone technology will be widespread in the short term.

We will soon move on to the next news cycle. I promise you, everyone will be equally obsessed with the next as they were with the previous.

The one major recurring problem I see, that I feel compelled to mention, is VERY LARGE foreign $$ influencing the US political landscape, working in earnest to fracture our unity as Americans. The beauty of America is we do not agree. We are a rare, if not unique species in the World of Nations: unlike many others we are not forced to agree and are free to debate.

Enjoy that right - forces at every turn will work to liberate us from that burden, the burden of Freedom and Liberty.

To answer your (real) question: What happens next?
GOOD THINGS, if not very good things.
In a small survey I conducted, 4 out of 5 #Troglodytes agree with this message.

[Anna James @camerawomanANNA]

It’s no secret that FanDuel TV will eventually be closing shop. From camerawoman to feature producer, I spent 23 years dedicating my life to telling stories to horse racing fans. And when I say I dedicated my life, I truly mean it.

Just like every other horse racing employee around the world, there is something about this business that pulls you in and never lets go. You give it your heart and soul. You sacrifice your family, your time, your friends—for a community that somehow becomes your family, your life, your friends.

It’s hard to describe this kind of dedication, but everyone in horse racing understands it. It’s a different world. Is it the horses? Or is it the people you meet along the way—the ones who make the same sacrifices, who live the same life, who understand without you ever having to explain it?

When we received the news that we would no longer be part of a network we poured our heart and soul into, the first thing we all thought about wasn’t ourselves—it was about the people we’re about to lose.

The coworkers who became family.

The horse racing enthusiasts now searching for their place in an industry that doesn’t have many places to go.
The people who have been living this life twice as long as I have.

It’s a shame it has to come to an end.

But I will never forget the relationships we built, the memories we made, the years on the road with my HRTV/TVG/FanDuel TV family. The storylines that touched us. The races that shocked us. The racetracks that welcomed us.

The backsides that smelled like horse shit—but somehow felt like a breath of fresh air every morning. Watching the sunrise. Saying “good morning” to every single person you pass.

Feeding peppermints to horses you fall in love with.

Cheering for horsemen you may not even know—but feel like you do, because you told
their story.

Everyday people don’t understand this. They don’t even know this world exists.

Horsemen do.

I’m in TV, but in a lot of ways, I consider myself a horseman too. I don’t ride horses. I can’t train horses. I don’t even bet on horses. But I understand this life. I understand this industry.

And I will miss all of it.

But more than anything, I will miss the family I found along the way—especially my FanDuel TV family.

You know who you are. And we will always be family.

[The Kobeissi Letter @KobeissiLetter]

BREAKING: A record 104.3 million Americans are now "outside" of the labor force.

These are individuals who are neither employed nor actively looking for work, including retirees, students, stay-at-home parents, and discouraged workers.

This exceeds the 2020 pandemic peak by 600,000 when nearly the entire economy was shut down.

Since the 2008 Financial Crisis, the number of people not in the labor force has surged +25.7 million and +35.1 million since 2000.

As a % of the labor force, this metric stands at 61.2%, the highest level since the 1970s, excluding the pandemic.

All while the US population stands at a record 342.5 million, up +61.4 million since January 2000.

Cracks in the labor market are spreading.

[Ben Smith @firstenercast]

$8 LNG arb vanishing:

shifting from windfall profits to a battle of efficiency,
as TTF-HH spread compresses toward $3.50 by 2029.

only low-cost operators will thrive in this "marginal cost" future

[Riley Grannan @RileyGrannan]

30 years ago today - Thursday, February 15, 1996 - racing season cancelled at Ak-Sar-Ben in Omaha after attempts to fund racing collapses. Final day of racing ever at AK - opened in 1919 - was on August 7, 1995 unbeknownst at time. Nice AK tribute site at https://t.co/0YbtBtFIEx

[Michael Batnick @michaelbatnick]

Wild market. We haven't seen anything like this since the dotcom bubble burst.

Over the last 8 sessions, 115 stocks in the S&P 500 have decline 7% or more in a single day.

The average drawdown when that happens is 34%. Right now we're 1.5% below the all-time high.

[Lizzie Johnson @lizziejohnsonnn]

I was just laid off by The Washington Post in the middle of a warzone. I have no words. I'm devastated.

[Tim Miller @Timodc]

Somehow the entire administration is in lockstep lying about how they murdered a citizen and not a single political staffer/appointee has quit their job.

You’d think murder would be at least one persons red line but apparently not. @SusieWiles

[Jamie Bonkiewicz @JamieBonkiewicz]

This is who our government is calling a “monster” and a “domestic terrorist.”
Lies travel fast when violence needs cover

[��� Brittany Belle 💕 @BrittanyinTexas]

Trophies will be accepted tomorrow at the White House from 9–5.

[Lee Roach @leevalueroach]

Gold futures over $4,600 and silver futures over $83 as the dollar completely dies.

[Master Flip | Phillip Feliz 🇩🇴 @Masterflip_]

Jose Ramirez breaks silence on signing below market extension from Guardians;

(Translation by Master Flip)

That was ultimately my decision, to take the extension. We went through a year and a half of negotiations, and when I finally signed, I got a significant salary bump. I knew it wasn’t fully reflective of my market value, and plenty of people made sure to point that out. But I’m a veteran, I understand how the game works.
Cleveland is a small market team, and they simply can’t pay me what I could command on the open market. So I told them, Let’s find a fair agreement that works for both sides.
I spoke directly with the GM. There were real trade discussions and offers from other teams willing to extend me at my full asking price, but my heart was set on staying in Cleveland. First and foremost, my children were born here. My wife feels comfortable in Cleveland and so do I. I owe this city a lot.
Since the day I arrived, I’ve never once been booed by these fans. I’ve seen how crowds in other stadiums treat players when results don’t come quickly, and that’s never happened here.

Via @hgomez27

[MW Paddock Report @MWPaddockReport]

It’s a sad day in Minnesota as former @CanterburyPark champion and multiple stakes winner, Bourbon County, passed away at age 15 according to breeder/owner @scottrake. Our sympathies go out to the Rake team on the loss of the delightful old man.