Top racehorses are made, not bred

Shocking, I know. As we'll probably hear a few thousand times in the lead-up to this year's Kentucky Derby, one of the bedrock principles of Thoroughbred racing is that bloodlines are destiny. Every railbird and his cousin has a theory about which genetic traits are most important to search for when you're in the business of acquiring and mating horses. (If you've got a week to blow and a bottle of aspirin, google "Rasmussen Factor" to see what I mean.) Owners, trainers and jockeys all compete relentlessly for horses with the most successful ancestors. "Breed the best to the best and hope for the best," an old saying goes.

To find out why stud fees -- the real money in horseracing -- is a bogus premise, and why sports bettors shouldn't factor a horse's heritage when they're betting, become an ESPN Insider today!

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Peter Keating

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Peter Keating is a senior writer at ESPN The Magazine, where he covers investigative and statistical subjects. He started writing "The Biz," a column looking at sports business from the fan's point of view, in 1999. He also coordinates the Magazine's annual "Ultimate Standings" project, which ranks all pro franchises according to how much they give back to fans. His work on concussions in football has earned awards from the Deadline Club, the New York Press Club and the Center for the Study of Sport in Society.