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TORONTO, April 3, 2020 – As part of its mandate, the Ontario Racing task force, dedicated to addressing the financial impacts of COVID-19 as it relates to the industry, will provide regular updates to the Ontario horse racing community.
The 146th Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve will be rescheduled from May 2, 2020 to September 5, 2020 and the 146th Longines Kentucky Oaks will be rescheduled from May 1, 2020 to September 4, 2020. These dates are contingent upon final approval from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission which we expect to receive on Thursday, March 19.
During times of uncertainty, our traditions provide a great sense of comfort. We realize, that for many of you, the Kentucky Derby is a treasured annual tradition, and for others, a bucket-list experience. The time-honored traditions of the Kentucky Derby are as much about the fans as the race itself.
“Keep calm and kick on” is the maxim racing appears to have adopted in the face of the threat posed by coronavirus, judging by the views expressed on a busy day here as trainers seized the chance to win some decent prize money without competition from the unbeatable Irish.
Championship Horse Racing has announced that it will launch a new flat horse racing series this summer, with the event to be sanctioned by the British Horseracing Authority. The Racing League will take place across six evening meets this summer, each consisting of six individual races. The overall prize fund for the league is set at £1.8m (€2.1m/$2.3m), with each of the 36 races worth £50,000.
The Saudi Cup is to become the richest horse race in the sport’s history after the prize money for the inaugural contest in Riyadh in February 2020 was confirmed to be $20 million.
Maryland lawmakers introduced legislation Monday that would authorize up to $375 million in debt to rebuild the state’s two largest racetracks and keep the storied Preakness Stakes horse race in Baltimore.“I am proposing a historic $200 million investment in scholarships for young Pennsylvanians attending our state system universities.”
When Governor Wolf delivered his sixth budget address to the joint session of the general assembly, that announcement drew applause.
A new $204 million tuition scholarship fund for students attending any of the state’s 14 owned universities. It’s called the Nellie Bly Scholarship. Good news for students.
Edward Gilliard still suffers the effects of the combat wounds he received in the Vietnam War: His voice is a soft whisper, and his legs ache. But it was a daunting caseload as a career social worker in Philadelphia — years spent investigating child-abuse cases, working with adjudicated delinquents, and later supporting those with AIDS — that stirred back to life the trauma he had experienced in combat.
Mike Smith, still vanquishing Father Time at the age of 54, won four stakes races on Saturday at Santa Anita Park. Three of them were Grade I's, setting a record for career Grade I successes at 217, one more than fellow Hall of Fame member Jerry Bailey.
It was an Australian win in the 159th Lexus Melbourne Cup as Vow and Declare delivered a thrilling finish to the $8 million ‘race that stops a nation’ ™ at Flemington Racecourse this week. The 4-year-old gelding held off Master of Reality and Prince of Arran to secure Flemington trainer Danny O’Brien and champion jockey Craig Williams their first wins in Australia’s greatest race.
NBC Sports & TVG, Youtube & Facebook, Mobile Ap, and BreedersCup.com. Visit https://www.breederscup.com/races/watch for all the details. Breeders Cup Championship Saturday begins at 3:00 PM EDT on Saturday, November 2nd 2019.
Bolstered by strong community support and highlighted by championship-caliber racing, idyllic fall weather and special events aimed at benefiting the Central Kentucky region, Keeneland closed its 2019 Fall Meet today with significant increases in on-track attendance and record all-sources wagering. “We remain humbled by the depth of support from our fans, our horsemen and our sponsors,” Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason said.
Four horses among the remaining 42 vying for the 24 spots in the Melbourne Cup field have been the subjects of veterinary scrutiny.
FORT ERIE, October 16 – It was a beautiful fall day for racing at Fort Erie on Tuesday, as fans visited the border oval to say farewell to the 122nd racing season. Fort Erie Race Track had another positive year, which saw an increase in wagering both on and off track.
Georgia has yet to expand legal gambling beyond the lottery, but that isn’t stopping a three-day parade of representatives from the world’s gaming industry from pitching their businesses to state lawmakers.
Chairman of Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen Duc Chung on October 14 granted the investment certificate for Charmvit chairman Lee Dae Bong to build a multi-functional entertainment complex - horse racing track in Tan Minh and Phu Linh commune, Soc Son district.
A Milestone was record achieved during reconfigured racing calendar and despite cancellation of Saturday racing card. For the first time in history, the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) generated more than $700 million in all-sources handle during the 2019 meet at Saratoga Race Course, which was conducted over a five-day race week and included the cancellation of a full Saturday card of racing.
Fort Erie, July 23, 2019 – Tone Broke crushed One Bad Boy’s Triple Crown dreams when he rallied past the favoured Queen’s Plate champion in the stretch to win the 84th running of the $400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes, second leg of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown, on Tuesday at Fort Erie Race Track.
Avie's Flatter will be favoured for the 160th Queen’s Plate (post time Saturday about 5;36 p.m.) and there was a bit of a buzz when Ivan Dalos’ colt drew selection order 14 of 14 before the post position selection process on Thursday. The colt was left with post 14 which, with the very long run to the first turn, should allow US import rider Javier Castellano to situate his colt in a stalking position or in mid-pack.
The California Horse Racing Board conducted its regular meeting Thursday, June 20, at the Alameda County Fairgrounds. Chairman Chuck Winner presided. Vice Chair Madeline Auerbach and Commissioners Dennis Alfieri and Fred Maas also were in attendance. The audio of this entire Board meeting is available on the CHRB Website (www.chrb.ca.gov) under the Webcast link.
Tracy Farmer’s Sir Winston rose to the challenge in his first start in an American Classic, overtaking pacesetter Joevia in the stretch and holding off 9-5 favorite Tacitus for a one-length victory in the 151st running of the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets on Saturday at Belmont Park.
Mark Casse waited more than 30 years to earn his first victory in an American Classic. After Gary Barber's War of Will won the Preakness, the veteran trainer will have a chance to notch his second in three weeks as the War Front colt highlights an accomplished 10-horse field in the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets on Saturday at Belmont Park. 
A special two-day Pick 6 wager, with a $0.20 base minimum and featuring six graded stakes races, culminating with the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA bets, will be offered by the New York Racing Association (NYRA) this Friday, June 7.
The post position draw for the 151st running of the Belmont Stakes will be held in the Foxwoods Club at Citi Field on Tuesday, June 4 at 5:30 p.m., the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) announced today. For the second straight year, NYRA will hold the draw for the Belmont Stakes at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets, before a game, with the Mets taking on the San Francisco Giants at 7:10 p.m.
FORT ERIE (May 14, 2019) – Only two more weeks until Fort Erie Race Track kicks off its 122nd season of racing. The thoroughbreds return to the border oval for opening day on Tuesday, May 28, first race post time is 4:20 p.m.
Maximum Security led all the way home in Saturday’s 145th running of the Kentucky Derby (G1) over a sloppy track at Churchill Downs, but Country House was declared the winner after jockey Flavien Prat lodged an objection. Repeated replays showed Maximum Security drifting off the rail in the final bend and floating other rivals wide.After Kentucky Derby favourite, Omaha Beach, coughed a few times galloping, his trainer decided they should take a look, mainly because he had a little bit of a sore throat eight or ten days before that had been treated and resolved. In a Q&A yesterday, with Kevin Kerstein, Trainer Richard Mandella stated, "Didn't think we had anything to worry about until that. And when we scoped him yesterday, he had an entrapped epiglottis." KEVIN KERSTEIN: Can you explain a little bit for us what is an entrapped epiglottis? So he's obviously comfortable. We saw him in his stall this morning.
Fox Hill Farm’s Omaha Beach has been installed as the 4-1 morning-line favorite for Saturday’s 145th running of the $3 million Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (GI) that drew a field of 20 entries and one also-eligible Tuesday morning. 
It's often referred to as "The most exciting two minutes in sports." So what makes the Kentucky Derby so special? Here are five reasons not to miss the event, which will be Saturday, May 4 at Churchill Downs race track in Louisville, Kentucky.
In advance of the Kentucky Derby, several prominent racetracks announced the formation of a coalition to eliminate Lasix as a race-day medication for 2-year-old and stakes races.
Officials from Churchill Downs Inc. and Keeneland celebrated the start of work on Oak Grove Racing & Gaming. The development, named for the town in which it will be based, will offer standardbred harness racing when the track opens this fall. By June 2020, Oak Grove will feature a gaming venue featuring up to 1,500 historical racing machines.
The Century Mile Racetrack and Casino opens this month, ushering in a new era of horse racing for fans in Edmonton and area. The racetrack not only features a one-mile track with one of the longest home stretches in North America, heightening the excitement as the horses run for the finish line, but also an adjacent entertainment complex that adds Las Vegas-style pizzazz between the races.
Thunder Snow overcame a huge amount of difficulty to become the first horse in history to land consecutive wins in the US$12 million Dubai World Cup sponsored by Emirates Airline (G1). Christophe Soumillon was in the saddle as 12 months ago and the victory capped a superb evening for His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and the Godolphin team who scooped four of the eight thoroughbred races.
(via press release) Ontario's Government is putting people first by supporting rural communities through new investments to help the province's horse racing industry create and protect good jobs. The government will provide $10 million per year to support programs for breeders and horsepeople through the Horse Improvement Program (HIP).
The Coalition for Horse Racing Integrity (CHRI) today [March 14th 2019] announced its strong support for the Horseracing Integrity Act of 2019, introduced by U.S. Reps. Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Andy Barr (R-KY) earlier today. The bill, designated as H.R.
Racehorses running down the streets at iconic global locations such as Sydney Harbour Bridge or Fifth Avenue in New York...It might sound implausible, but the man spearheading the project has told BBC Sport he hopes agreements for the first such race meetings, on a special artificial surface, will be in place by the end of next month.
FORT ERIE, February 12, 2019 - The board of directors of the Fort Erie Live Racing Consortium met Friday, February 8, 2019 for two very important meetings. The first being a general meeting regarding governance matters.
The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has committed to providing meaningful daily updates regarding the ongoing situation in relation to the equine influenza case.!["Speed Gene" key to future of horse racing](/sites/default/files/resize/speed%20gene-240x130.jpg ""Speed Gene" key to future of horse racing")
The effects of the gene were tested by matching it to the race records of more than 1,700 thoroughbred horses in Britain and Ireland.
Jan 23rd 2019 -- via Press Release -- The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) Board of Directors today announced that it has accepted the resignation of NYRA CEO & President Chris Kay, effectively immediately.
Sunday Racing Co., Ltd.’s Group I-winning mare Aerolithe arrived at Gulfstream Park Wednesday morning at approximately 3:15 a.m. to prepare for the $7 million Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1).They are coming from around the world for $16 Million reasons. Get to know the contenders on their Path to Pegasus (Episode 2)
“You get more self-aware because if you're angry the horse doesn't want to be by you. He's going to sense that it makes you become more self-aware about yourself and emotional state you're in...” An East [San Diego] County ranch is offering hope and healing to active duty military members, veterans and first responders suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
The Virginia Racing Commission has granted Colnial Downs a new license to return live racing to the Commonwealth along with approval to open a 600-unit historic horse racing (HHR) operation in New Kent County.
A new Maryland Stadium Authority study calls for demolishing Pimlico Race Course and rebuilding it at a cost of $424 million, according to a summary of the study’s findings obtained by The Baltimore Sun.
Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens on Tuesday said he is retiring immediately from riding after doctors informed him he has a spinal injury that could lead to a far more serious issue if he were to fall. “I had an MRI on Monday and the C-4 is up against the spinal cord,” Stevens said of his examination with Dr. James Tibone. “Tibone didn’t mince any words.
While the lawsuit filed Oct. 1 by Frank and Elfriede Stronach against their daughter Belinda over her management of the family's privately held business and various trusts plays out in Ontario Superior Court in Canada, Belinda Stronach and the management team she has assembled at The Stronach Group are moving forward with strategic, long-range plans for the company's assets.
The place is located in Creston, Washington, about 50 miles west of Spokane. It encompasses 220 acres and is home to 30 retired Thoroughbred racehorses. It’s called Down the Stretch Ranch. Over the course of the last three years it has also been a place that has hosted approximately 100 U.S. military war veterans, all of them battling post-traumatic stress disorder, on stays ranging from two days to two weeks.
An eight-year court battle over the legality of historical racing machines in Kentucky may at long last be over. On Wednesday, Franklin Circuit Court Judge Thomas D. Wingate ruled that wagering on historical racing machines developed by Exacta Systems (formerly Encore Gaming) was, in fact, pari-mutuel wagering as defined by Kentucky law.
Gary Barber’s Wonder Gadot is scheduled to return to the work tab Friday morning at Churchill Downs, trainer Mark Casse said, in what will be her first breeze back since the Sept. 22 Cotillion Stakes at Parx toward a potential start in the Nov. 3 Breeders’ Cup Distaff. 
The Fasig Tipton November Sale Catelogue is now available online at http://www.fasigtipton.com/2018/The-November-Sale#/
EquiLottery, a gaming company best known for its live horse racing lottery game Win Place Show™, is transitioning its corporate identity and evolving its mission to better serve its lottery customers. Rebranded as EquiLottery Games, the company will expand its pioneering vision for live sports lottery games from a single horse racing product to now include baseball, basketball, football, golf, hockey, soccer and stock car racing.
Hallandale Beach, FL. September 18, 2018 - The Stronach Group, owners of the Pegasus World Cup, announced today an exciting new element to what has become, in just two short years, one of the premier events on the Thoroughbred racing calendar.
U.S. Army veteran Brian Ray was sitting tall in the saddle of a palomino quarter horse at the Crossed Arrows Ranch south of Santa Fe. The combat vet, who had spent three decades in the military, including two tours in Iraq as an adviser, focused his heart, mind and body on his connection with the horse.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club Conghua Racecourse officially opened on August 28th 2018, marking the beginning of a new era for the sport of horse racing in Hong Kong and for the ever closer relations between Hong Kong and Guangdong.
Before meeting Smokey the pony, five-year-old Maisie Colhoun couldn't sit up properly and was barely able to walk but the Co Derry child, who has Down's Syndrome and cannot speak, has developed an extraordinary bond with the placid animal who has helped her and dozens of other children overcom
The stands were a little fuller, the excitement was a little higher and the cheers were a little louder Tuesday during the sixth race at Indiana Grand. That's because the race included first time starter Distant Shore, who is owned by the Churchill Downs Racing Club.
On March 30, 2019, the Dubai World Cup meeting is set to enhance its status as the world’s richest day of horseracing. Total purses for the card, which will feature six Group 1 and three Group 2 fixtures, will increase from US $30 million to $35 million.
FORT ERIE, July 24, 2018 – Wonder Gadot took centre stage once again dominating a field of six with a powerful front-running performance to take the 83rd edition of the $400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes, second jewel of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown, Tuesday at Fort Erie Race Track.
Say what you wish about Ron Geary, the hockey team owner who unsuccessfully attempted to move the Evansville IceMen to Owensboro in 2016. But just about everyone, it seems, has nice things to say about Ron Geary, the horse racing track owner.
The first ever Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan for British racing has been published today by the sport’s Diversity in Racing Steering Group (DiRSG). The Action Plan covers eight core areas which it believes can – and should – be addressed to promote greater inclusion in British racing.
Gary Barber's Wonder Gadot has been knocking on the door in all six of her 2018 starts, including a hard-fought second in the Kentucky Oaks, but she finally found the winner's circle with the addition of blinkers in Saturday's $1 million Queen's Plate.
The Kentucky Lottery Corporation’s Board of Directors has approved a trial introduction of “Win Place Show,” a lottery game based on the results of live horse racing. The board has approved a pilot test beginning March 24, 2019.Xpressbet Customers Get Free Daily Picks & Pay 0% Takeout on the New Royal Ascot Pick 4. Leading online wagering provider, Xpressbet, has once again received recognition as ‘A Preferred US Betting Site’ of Royal Ascot. Royal Ascot, one of the world’s most prestigious meets and racing’s most recognized brands, begins Tuesday, June 19 and continues through Saturday, June 23.
The morning after his breathtaking victory in the 150th running of the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes, presented by NYRA Bets, anointed him racing's 13th Triple Crown winner, a bright-eyed and bouncing Justify was showing no signs of the dizzying campaign that comprised six victories in just under 16 w
A Chinese study found that older people who took part in intellectual activities, such as reading, playing games or even betting on horse racing, had a lower risk of developing dementia, or might delay its o
Undefeated Kentucky Derby (Grade I) and Preakness Stakes (GI) winner Justify tuned up his preparation for the June 9 Belmont Stakes (GI) with a rapid half-mile breeze in :46.80 Tuesday morning at Churchill Downs. With Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert on hand, Justify breezed at 7:30 a.m.
The 150th Belmont Stakes runs Saturday, June 9, from Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Justify, the undefeated colt trained by Bob Baffert, is one victory away from horse racing's coveted Triple Crown. He's going off at 4-5 at several major sports books.
FORT ERIE (May 22, 2018) - The 121st racing season is kicking off at Fort Erie Race Track on Tuesday, May 29, and it is sure to be one of the most exciting se
With a 6:48 pm ET start time, the Preakness will be televised on NBC. Coverage begins at 5:00 pm ET and horses will begin the call to the post at approximately 6:20 p.m.BALTIMORE – Not only is unbeaten Kentucky Derby (G1) Justify the hottest 3-year-old in the country, his trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Mike Smith are also in the midst of a remarkable run of success together.
BALTIMORE -- Having the Preakness favorite has never bothered Bob Baffert before, and it doesn't bother him with Justify.Coming off an impressive victory in the Kentucky Derby, Justify is the 1-2 morning-line favorite for Saturday's second race in a field of eight horses.
WinStar Farm, China Horse Club, Starlight Racing and Head of Plains Partners’ favored Justify took command at the half-mile pole and roared away to a 2 ½-length victory over Good Magic under the lights at Churchill Downs to win the 144th running of the $2,192,000 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (Grade I) for 3-year-olds on a soggy Saturday afternoon befor
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Monday, April 30, 2018) – Monomoy Girl and Midnight Bisou, the two dominant 3-year-old fillies in the country, will clash for the first time Friday as they head a field of 14 entered Monday for the 144th running of the $1 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (Grade I) that serves as the centerpiece of Friday’s 13-race program.
Juddmonte Farms’ Hofburg tuned up for Kentucky Derby 144 by working a half-mile in company in :48.20 at Churchill Downs on a cool Sunday morning.
"I was five years old the first time I came to the track and I just loved it. I'd sit in the paddock and watch the horse and I was enthralled by it," said Rob Slack, a partner in Don't Tell My Wife Stables. Ever since then Slack has been hooked on horses -- only this time it's with his his partners.
Adena Springs homebred Holy Helena was voted champion 3-year-old filly and Adena Springs was honored as Outstanding Breeders at the 43rd Sovereign Awards ceremony at Palais Royale in Toronto.
LOUISVILLE, KY., (Thursday, April 19, 2018) –Churchill Downs Incorporated Foundation today announced the opening of three separate 50/50 Charitable Gaming Raffle drawings to be held during Kentucky Derby week, one drawing on each Thurby, Oaks and Derby days.
Peter Berringer has spent a lifetime in the thoroughbred racing industry. Though he was exposed to horses and racing through his family from a very early age, it was after spending a year working as Franz Crean’s assistant that he decided this would be his profession.
Saeed bin Suroor has dominated the Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline like no other trainer and won the US $10 million feature for a stunning eighth time with the Christophe Soumillon-ridden Thunder Snow.
The major Triple Crown prep races are here, and leading online wagering provider, Xpressbet, is giving its customers two ways to make their wagers worth even more. Beginning with the Xpressbet Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park on Saturday, March 3, Xpressbet custom
Nominations for the $10,000,000 Dubai World Cup sponsored by Emirates Airline (G1) closed on January 11th with 136 of the globe’s premier Thoroughbreds. Scheduled for March 31st, 2018, the 2000m dirt fixture has been won by such superstar champions as Cigar, Dubai Millennium, Invasor, Curlin, California Chrome and Arrogate. 
The performance of female jockeys is equal with that of their male counterparts, suggests an English study carried out through the Thoroughbred Horseracing Industries MBA at the University of Liverpool.
Betting favorite Gun Runner, ridden by Florent Geroux, won the Pegasus World Cup on Saturday, ending the horse's career by taking the richest thoroughbred race in the world. Gun Runner, the horse of the year, easily beat West Coast to win the $16 million event at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida.
Therapeutic horse riding is clinically effective in easing the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in military veterans, the findings of an American study suggest. The researchers also found that riding for longer appeared to improve the outcome for the troubled veterans.
January 11, 2018 (Washington, PA) – Xpressbet is excited to announce it will be the exclusive online provider of the $500,000 Estimated Pegasus World Cup Betting Championship (PWCBC), offering horseplayers the opportunity to play in horse racing’s ‘most player-friendly handicapping tournament’ 
On a recent fall morning, four women inmates from Chester County Prison entered an indoor arena at the Thorncroft Equestrian Center and began to meet the duo who have been helping them navigate their way toward success outside of the prison walls. But Jubilee and Mia are not your traditional counselors or social workers.
Toast, or Fairytale? “Got on a lucky one, came in at 18 to one,” the song says. “I’ve got a feeling this year’s for you and me.”
Owen McElroy says he spent years going to the doctor, trying to find out what was wrong with his hearing.
The late Ben's Cat, four-time Maryland Horse of the Year, has been awarded the 2017 Secretariat Vox Populi Award, or "Voice of the People," with record-breaking voter participation.
November 21, 2017 -- For far too long the Thoroughbred, Standardbred and Quarterhorse horse people of Ontario have been marginalized, and put off to the side when significant decisions as to their future have been made.
The hippotherapy center designed to offer equine-assisted therapy for young locals living near the Şanlıurfa Hippodrome was established as part of a social responsibility project being conducted by the Jockey Club of Turkey (TJK).
[Australia's Everest race] and its massive $13 million prizemoney pool is likely to keep the nation’s best sprinters like Redzel and Chautauqua from going overseas but mighty mare Winx is still in the mix for Royal Ascot next year.
What was supposed to be an epic duel between Arrogate and Gun Runner turned into a tour de force for Gun Runner as he set blistering fractions through every call and then pulled away in the stretch to record a 2 ¼-length victory in the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on the second and final day of the World Championships at Del Mar Racetrack.Xpressbet’s popular Breeders’ Cup Handicapping Headquarters is back to help bettors navigate this year’s World Championships. The Breeders’ Cup, horse racing’s premier year-end event, will be held for the first time at San Diego’s historic Del Mar Racetrack. The races kick off Friday, November 3 at 2:25PM ET and continue Saturday, November 4 at 1:10PM ET.
Grade 1 winner Keen Ice , who will forever be remembered for his upset victory over Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in the 2015 Travers Stakes (G1), will miss the Nov. 4 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Del Mar due to a ankle injury and has been retired.
Cracksman and Frankie Dettori stormed clear to win the QIPCO Champion Stakes at Ascot on Saturday. The son of Frankel put in a stunning display to soar clear of a high class field to hand his sire his first Group 1 success for John Gosden. John Gosden had an excellent day as Persuasive stormed home to win the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (sponsored by QIPCO).Xpressbet is excited to announce that handicappers will have the ability to play in the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC) online at Xpressbet.com. The Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge is one of horse racing’s richest handicapping tournaments, showcasing one of the sport’s premier events, the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, held November 3 & 4, 2017 at Del Mar Racetrack. This year’s BCBC features an estimated $1 Million Prize Pool.
Redzel proved himself the in-form sprinter of the year when he raced clear to take a $5.8 million winner's cheque for his owners in the inaugural running of The Everest at Randwick on Saturday.
Set to be run for the first time on Saturday at Randwick in Sydney, the Everest will immediately become the world's richest turf race. With a prize fund of A$10 million – £5.92m (or $7.82m) at current exchange rates – the 1,200-metre (six-furlong) contest stands behind only the Pegasus World Cup (projected at $16m for 2017) and the Dubai World Cup ($10m) on the overall prize-money list.
A new equestrian centre opening in St-Lazare offers more than just riding lessons. Instructors at Enfants en Équi-Libre are certified therapists who incorporate horses in their physical and occupational therapy.
Her blue and white colours might not be as recognisable as the salmon and black of Black Caviar or the cerise of Lonhro and his dad Octagonal, but the blue and white mix is starting to become part of the amazing Winx show, that attracted more than 20,000 to Flemington on Saturday.
The Jockey Club reported this week that 1,863 stallions covered 36,045 mares in North America during 2016, according to statistics compiled through Sept. 13, 2017. These breedings have resulted in 21,624 live foals of 2017 being reported to The Jockey Club on Live Foal Reports.
For the past four years, Jonah Schmidt has evolved from a kid who was a little nervous around horses to a confident young man riding astride a quarter horse named Lola.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) has announced its strong support for the Horseracing Integrity Act of 2017. The bill, formally designated as H.R.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Sept. 17, 2017) — Helen “Penny” Chenery, owner of 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat, who became a well-loved figure in her own right as a champion of Thoroughbreds and women in business and sports, died on Saturday, Sept.16 in her Colorado home following complications from a stroke.
The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has launched a package of reforms to modernise and simplify the administration of racehorse ownership.
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Gulfstream Park announced Monday it would resume live racing Saturday, Sept. 16, and that its facility would be open for simulcasting Wednesday. Training will resume at Gulfstream, Gulfstream Park West and Palm Meadows Tuesday morning.
LAUREL, MD – Looking to continue the momentum that has seen an increase in average daily handle for eight consecutive meets dating back to 2015, Laurel Park kicks off its 60-day fall stand with a nine-race program Friday, Sept. 8.
FORT ERIE - August 28 – Fort Erie Race Track is kicking off the fall racing schedule this Saturday, Sept. 2 with the annual Puss N Boots Cup, one of Fort Erie’s most popular racing events. First race post time is 1:20 p.m.
Canada's Eurico Da Silva skillfully guided fourth-pick Le Grand Frisson to a close but awesome nose victory in the fourth leg to claim the champion title with 47 points. Finishing Day One in seventh by accumulating 16 points from a tenth and a third in the first two legs, he was tied ninth with Mirco Demuro, still 27 points behind Keita Tosaki and Yuichi Fukunaga after finishing 11th in the third leg.Following its launch during the 2016 meet at Saratoga Race Course, NYRA Bets, a leading advance deposit wagering (ADW) platform, has increased its geographic reach by nearly 50 percent and is now available in 29 states nationwide. The operation of NYRA Bets provides a variety of benefits to the New York Racing Association (NYRA) and its stakeholders.
FORT ERIE, July 31 - Saturday nights in August are about to get a lot more exciting. On August 5, Fort Erie Race Track will be making the switch from a Sunday afternoon post to Saturday night twilight racing.
Churchill Downs Inc. is investing about $60 million to build a historical race wagering facility in Louisville at its former Trackside training and simulcast wagering facility on Poplar Level Road.The 85,000-square-foot facility will offer historical racing machines, also known as instant racing, that model games off previously run horse races.
Over the past 15 years, there’s quite a case to be made for Victor Espinoza being the nation’s hottest professional jockey. After all, he has won seven Triple Crown races, numerous other Grade 1 races both in the United States and abroad, and the grandest of all accomplishments – being the winning jockey of America’s Triple Crown – the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes.
FORT ERIE, July 25 – Cool Catomine, a 14-1 longshot, edged past favoured Aurora Way in the last strides to take the 82nd edition of the Prince of Wales, second jewel of Canada’s Triple Crown of Racing, Tuesday at Fort Erie Race Track.
Fort Erie Race Track will host seven of the finest Canadian-bred three-year-old horses on Tuesday, July 25, as they compete for the $500,000 Prince of Wales Stakes.
Lady Luck was not on Del Mar’s side two summers ago when Triple Crown champion American Pharoah’s connections opted for the Haskell Invitational and Travers Stakes over a stakes schedule devoid of any big races for 3-year-olds on the dirt.
FORT ERIE, July 14 – The border oval is gearing up for its most prestigious day of the year on Tuesday, July 25, the 82nd running of the Prince of Wales Stakes. This highly-anticipated event features the finest Canadian-bred 3-year-old horses running one mile and three sixteenths on the dirt at Fort Erie Race Track.
Reading last Friday morning's edition of Harness Racing Update (HRU) from Dave Briggs was a very disturbing experience for me.
When the average consumer thinks about lottery, they imagine life-changing prizes such as last year’s $1.6 billion Powerball jackpot. When we buy one of these tickets, even at the "smaller" $40 million jackpot level, we are buying into a dream for a better tomorrow without financial worries. We all dream of hitting the big one. Well, maybe not all of us.
Massachusetts horsemen achieved a major victory July 7 when state lawmakers reached compromise on the $40-billion 2018 budget bill that eliminates $400 million in spending yet leaves intact a significant portion of the money in the Race Horse Development Fund.
Frank Stronach's homebred filly Holy Helena captured the Woodbine Oaks on June 11, then returned this Sunday to beat males by 3 1/2 lengths in the $1 million Queen's Plate.
With the Summer holidays just a few weeks away, Great British Racing is launching its biggest ever national under 18s campaign to encourage more families to take advantage of free entry for children and young people at racecourses across the country.
The only buzzword more often used to describe Millennials than social and experiential is probably the word Millennial itself. Study after study shows this age group puts a premium on the experiences they have in their day to day lives.
Through interaction with the animals, horse therapy encourages people to rebuild trust and boundaries in personal relationships, and promotes the idea of adopting new approaches to problem-solving. Sandra Goeldner says she has been struggling since her life was shattered by sexual abuse. "I'd say a lot of my confidence was beaten out of me, my personality was destroyed and I became just a closed soul who was basically dying," she says.When you start on a journey to create a new lottery category out of whole cloth, predictability can’t be your thing. And relevancy must be at the core of what you do. Millennials apparently feel the same way about the products they buy.
Churchill Downs Incorporated has announced it is investing approximately $60 million to construct a state-of-the-art historical racing machine (“HRM”) facility in Louisville.
Xpressbet has been named the ‘Preferred US Betting Site of Royal Ascot.’ Xpressbet, a subsidiary of The Stronach Group, an industry leader in world-class horse racing, entertainment and pari-mutuel wagering technology, will offer online wagering customers 0% Takeout on Exactas throughout the five days of Royal Ascot, which spans June 20 – 24, 2017.
Tapwrit handed trainer Todd Pletcher a third career victory in the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets, taking aim on front-running favorite Irish War Cry at the top of the stretch and then surging into the lead in the final yards to win Saturday's 149th edition of the 'Test of the Champion' at BeEquiLottery and Ellis Park have entered into a broadcast rights agreement that will allow races from the Henderson, Kentucky racetrack to be utilized in conjunction with EquiLottery’s lottery game based on the results of live horse racing.
The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has published its annual report and accounts for 2016 which provide a comprehensive review of its operating activity and financial performance. The report highlights that shoots of growth were achieved across several key metrics in 2016, including participation, ownership, betting, viewing, field sizes and horses in training.
Effective Thursday, June 8, Churchill Downs Racetrack will raise overnight race purse offerings 10 percent thanks to record Kentucky Derby week business levels. Purses for overnight races – which include overnight stakes, allowance, maiden special weight, claiming and maiden claiming events – will rise by an approximate blended average of $3,209 per race.
FORT ERIE, May 30, 2017– It was a full house for opening day and the start of the 120th season of racing at Fort Erie Race Track.“We had a huge turnout and a beautiful day, it was a great way to start the season,” said Tom Valiquette, chief operating and financial office
FORT ERIE, May 26, 2017 - The 120th season of live racing is only days away at Fort Erie Race Track. The horses will break from the starting gate on Tuesday, May 30 at 4:20 p.m. to begin another exciting season at the historic border oval.
Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) Ownership Department has launched the ‘Experience It’ campaign, offering individuals and groups with an interest in racing the opportunity to trial racehorse ownership. The launch took place at trainer Paul Deegan’s yard in Athy, County Kildare. The campaign facilitates a group to lease a horse for a day.
Combat veterans diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) were less depressed and experienced fewer symptoms after participating in a new local therapeutic horseback-riding program, according to a study conducted by the UCF College of Medicine.
Trainer Chad Brown and his crew welcomed Cloud Computing back to Belmont Park Sunday morning, some 15 hours after the colt’s dramatic victory in the 142nd Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico Race Course. Cloud Computing, co-owned by Seth Klarman’s Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence, edged Classic Empire by a head.
BALTIMORE – At Wednesday afternoon’s post position draw for Saturday’s $1.5 million Preakness Stakes (G1), Always Dreaming, the impressive winner of the Kentucky Derby (G1), was assigned post 4 and installed the 4-5 favorite in the 10-horse field.
As activity picked up at the Pimlico Race Course stakes barn May 16, Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) winner Always Dreaming went out earlier than normal for his daily exercise.
With most leading horses on sabbatical, the biggest mover in the third edition of the LONGINES World’s Best Racehorse Rankings for 2017 is Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) winner ALWAYS DREAMING (USA) [122].
BALTIMORE – Championship racing returns to historic Pimlico Race Course Thursday for the opening of its 12-day Preakness Meet at Pimlico, highlighted by the 142nd renewal of the $1.5 million Preakness Stakes (G1) Saturday, May 20. The middle jewel of racing’s Triple Crown, the 1 3/16-mile Preakness is the centerpiece of an eight-stakes card that includes the $250,000 Longines Dixie (G2), $150,000 Gallorette Stakes (G3) and $150,000 Maryland Sprint (G3).
BALTIMORE –Two days after winning his second career Kentucky Derby, trainer Todd Pletcher said he is impressed with how Always Dreaming came out of his 2 3/4-length victory over Lookin At Lee in Saturday’s Run for the Roses. “So far I’ve been amazed at how well he came out of the race,” said Pletcher at Churchill Downs Monday morning before taking a scheduled flight to New York later in the day. “His energy level is great.
Before a breakfast meeting at Arlington International Racecourse, a plate of fresh fruit on a conference room table led to a healthy exchange with 95-year-old Chairman Dick Duchossois about eating right.
Post time for the Kentucky Derby is 6:34 p.m. ET, and there is coverage on NBC from 2:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET. Looking to watch the online? Visit NBC Sports. Listed below is the field for the 143rd running of the Derby.
It is precisely its habit of sustaining national self-mythology that keeps the Kentucky Derby so close to American hearts, year after year.
It's a gray, overcast morning at Churchill Downs when the contender trots out to begin his workout. The misshapen white hexagon marking on his forehead flashes as he ducks his head and paws at the dirt. Then the bay colt breaks into a gallop, running smoothly along the rail.
A few years ago, Jennifer Pyjas slipped into a coma after an unsuccessful bone marrow transplant.It took a year in the hospital, but Pyjas recovered and eventually moved from South Carolina to Colorado, partly because her cousin, Robyn Morgan, a long-time volunteer at the Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center (CTRC) in Longmont, knew Pyjas would be a perfect candidat
Exciting entries are revealed today for the eight Group One races staged at Royal Ascot, which takes place from Tuesday, June 20 through to Saturday, June 24. A very strong US-trained challenge is in prospect, with representation in five of the eight races.The British Levy Board announced that new legislation will take effect from 25 April 2017 to capture a return from all betting operators accepting bets on the sport by British bettors. This change is one of the key strategies needed to ensure the long term-health and growth of horse racing, which supports more than 85,000 jobs and is the country’s second biggest spectator sport.
LEXINGTON, KY (April 24, 2017) – With trainer Joe Sharp riding alongside on a lead pony, Brad Grady’s Girvin, winner of the Risen Star (G2) and Louisiana Derby (G2) and the top point earner on the Road to the Kentucky Derby (G1), jogged twice around the main track Monday morning before the renovation break.
Just 10 days after winning a first Aintree Grand National in nearly 40 years with One For Arthur, Scottish racing could lose one of its five racecourses. The track at Musselburgh is only operating on a temporary licence from the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), which has expressed dissatisfaction with the course's "governance".Kentucky-based entities Kentucky Downs and EquiLottery have entered into an agreement that will allow the use of races from the Franklin, Kentucky racetrack as the basis for EquiLottery, a new lottery game based on the results of live horse racing.
Stellar Wind's résumé leading up to her 5-year-old season was already, well, stellar. She earned a championship, defeated four-time champion Beholder twice, and won six graded stakes overall—but she added a line to her accomplishments April 14 at Oaklawn Park.
Churchill Downs Racetrack today announced that multi-platinum recording artist Harry Connick, Jr. will sing our national anthem at the 143rd Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands on Saturday, May 6, 2017.
EquiLottery is proud to join forces with the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance as its newest industry stakeholder member. The TAA is the national leader in accreditation and financial support for aftercare organizations that retire, retrain and rehome Thoroughbreds after their racing careers are completed.
With opening day less than eight weeks away, owners and trainers have started shipping horses in to Fort Erie Race Track’s backstretch to get an early start on spring training. Horses started arriving on Sunday, April 9, which is three weeks earlier than previous years.
In overtaking the famed New Zealand mare Sunline to secure second place on the all-time prize money list for Australasian racehorses, Winx signed off on a four-start autumn campaign with barely a moment's worry.
Fresh off the heels of the inaugural running of the $12 million USD Pegasus World Cup Invitational, The Stronach Group announced today that the world’s richest Thoroughbred horse race is about to get even richer.
The near 90 year old statutory monopoly over UK pool betting and the current arrangements with Totepool end in July 2018 when racecourses will become responsible for deciding on the management of their on course operations in the newly liberalised market.
In the build up to the Grand National Festival, Maserati GB decided to go back to the roots of the festival and set up the ultimate Point to Point horse racing challenge, pitting Maserati’s first ever SUV – the Levante -- against a horse.
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Saturday’s 66th running of the $1 million Xpressbet.com Florida Derby (G1) produced a total handle of $30.614 million, the second highest ever in Florida Derby history and the third largest handle at Gulfstream Park excluding Breeders’ Cups.
Racing NSW and the Australian Turf Club today announced that all slots have been filled for the $10 million The Everest to be run for the first time at Royal Randwick Racecourse on Saturday, 14 October 2017.
It’s so cold that pigeons have sought refuge in the barn; they flutter and coo in the rafters. Chunks of ice lie by a water trough with no hope of thawing. And in the center of the arena, six teens wearing thick winter coats jam gloved hands into jean pockets, trying to stay warm, but failing. Nonetheless, the therapist is in and ready to work.
The owners of Suffolk Downs in East Boston, Mass., have reached an agreement to sell the track and its property to a real-estate development company, but live racing and simulcasting is expected to continue at the track through at least the end of 2018, according to officials.
Bob Baffert said he is delighted with Arrogate’s condition at Meydan Racecourse on Monday after the favourite for the Dubai World Cup worked for the first time under the watchful eye of his trainer. Arrogate completed a breeze of around 800 metres under work rider Dana Barnes with his dual World CEquiLottery has come to an agreement with Mountaineer Park in New Cumberland, West Virginia that will allow its lottery game based on the results of live horse racing to use video feeds from Mountaineer’s annual racing calendar.
Trainer Bob Baffert revealed that Arrogate will do little real work when he arrives at Meydan in the next few days ahead of his bid to win the $US10 million Dubai World Cup next Saturday. Arrogate completed his preparation for the Emirates-sponsored $10 million race on Sunday with a workout under Martin Garcia over 1,400 metres on a deep track in 1m.25s.
Over a century of tradition could be scrapped as Victorian racing chiefs consider bumping the Melbourne Cup from the first Tuesday in November.The chief executives of the Melbourne Racing Club, Moonee Valley Racing Club and Victoria Racing Club will meet this month to discuss the greatest shake-up of feature races 
There’s a place in Middle Tennessee unlike most. It’s a farm with rescue animals and also children, and they compliment each other in a way that’s both educational and therapeutic.
NBC Sports viewers will get the chance to watch the world's top-ranked racehorse Arrogate compete in the US$10m Dubai World Cup from Meydan Racecourse later this month, following an agreement with Racecourse Media Group (RMG).
The Japan Racing Association (JRA) and Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) are delighted to announce that the 10 furlong, Group 1 Osaka Hai on Sunday, April 2nd at Hanshin Racecourse has been nominated as a ‘Win and You’re in Race’ for the 2017 renewal of the QIPCO Irish Champion St
Triple Crown winner American Pharoah will shuttle to Coolmore Australia for the 2017 southern hemisphere breeding season, it was announced March 1. He will depart Kentucky in July and return to the United States at the end of the year.![Breeders' Cup Classic Champ Arrogate posts "Terrific" work at Santa Anita](/sites/default/files/resize/ARROGATE-ZM-FEB-27-657x446-240x163.jpg "Breeders' Cup Classic Champ Arrogate posts "Terrific" work at Santa Anita")
Reigning Breeders’ Cup Classic Champion Arrogate worked a mile at 9:05 this morning in 1:38.40, but according to Bob Baffert, a decision has still not been made as to whether he’ll stay home and run in the Grade I, $750,000 Santa Anita Handicap on Saturd
The Turkish Jockey Club (TJK) has opened a third horse therapy center for children with disabilities in the Şirinyer Hippodrome in the Aegean Sea city of Izmir. Izmir Deputy Governor Erol Türkmen, Provincial Director of National Educati
Experience the thrill of Thoroughbred ownership! Free registration includes the ability to walk in the shoes of one of the top owner’s in the region for a day of races which includes five competitive stakes. The day’s festivities begin with an optional informative training session at 8:30 a.m.
If in 1987 you asked David Freshwater and David Barnes if by 2017 they thought they’d be managing 39 retirement communities nationwide—and now creating one of their very own state of the art facilities in Tucson—you might get a laugh.
EquiLottery has come to an agreement with Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races in West Virginia that will allow its game based on the results of live horse racing to use video feeds from its nearly year round racing calendar.
If you step off the elevator on the wrong floor in a Las Vegas casino only to see a man holding a lucky rodent skull, three women in cleavage-baring horse-jockey outfits and hundreds of frothing men screaming themselves hoarse, end times might seem nigh.The Horse Peoples' Alliance of Ontario has concerns that the proposal of Ontario Racing, as a basis for the going forward of the industry, speaks primarily, and perhaps completely, to and about the needs and concerns of race tracks.
Arrogate, officially recognised as the world’s best racehorse of 2016, has been nominated for the Saturday March 25 Dubai World Cup, along with a host of other global stars of racing.The Bob Baffert-trained four-year-old, who was the runaway winner of the Pegasus World Cup, produced his star performance to date when beating the 2016 Dubai World Cu
The 27th running of the $1,000,000 TVG Pacific Classic will be held on Saturday, August 19 at Del Mar and be broadcast live by the NBC Sports Network, it has been announced.The Grade I mile and one-quarter for 3-year-olds and up, captured last year in spectacular fashion by subsequent Horse of the Year California Chrom
A correction has been made to the official finish time for the 1 1/8 mile Pegasus World Cup (G1) run at Gulfstream Park on January 28, 2017.Upon subsequent detailed review of the race performance data, it has been determined that the winning horse ARROGATE (Unbridled's Song) fini
The Indian Cancer Society (ICS) is trying its hand at equine therapy to help cancer patients overcome the fear and sense of powerlessness that often accompany a cancer diagnosis. Last week, three cancer survivors were taken to the Mahalaxmi Race Course to familiarise them with horses.
Racing New South Wales (RSW) and the Australian Turf Club today announced the launch of The Everest, an exciting new race with prizemoney of $10 million. This not only makes it the richest 1200 metre race in the world but also the richest turf race in the world.
An all-time record handle of $40.217 million was set at Gulfstream Park on Saturday, January 28th across the 12-race program capped by the inaugural running of the $12 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1).
Visiting Gulfstream Park is always a great experience: the weather is perfect, the facility is spectacular, and the racing is superb. This year, with the first running of the now richest horse race in the world, the $12m Pegasus World Cup, there is even more of a buzz in the air.
With his impressive victory in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), ARROGATE (USA) [134] secured the titled of 2016 Longines World's Best Racehorse. Arrogate won the Classic by a half-length after chasing down CALIFORNIA CHROME (USA) [133], the world's second highest rated horse.
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters announced this evening that California Chrome, winner of the Dubai World Cup and the TVG Pacific Classic, and North America’s all-time leading money earning Thoroughbred, was voted as Horse of the Year, an honor which he also won in 2014, at t![Pegasus World Cup: "Jockey" McGregor & "Trainer" Lovitz choose "silks"](/sites/default/files/resize/13thjockeyking2-240x158.jpg "Pegasus World Cup: "Jockey" McGregor & "Trainer" Lovitz choose "silks"")
UFC Champion & 'Jockey' Conor McGregor and Actor, Comedian & 'Trainer' Jon Lovitz are back for the Pegasus World Cup Invitational's '13th Jockey' comedic short film series.
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – California Chrome attracted a crowd for his first workout over the Gulfstream Park track Saturday morning, when racing’s most enduring star breezed five furlongs in preparation for the $12 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) Jan. 28.
Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Arrogate, a leading contender for Horse of the Year along with arch-rival California Chrome, likely will work on Santa Anita’s main track “Sunday or Monday” as he prepares for a widely anticipated rematch with the popular California-bred in the $12 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park 
Following unprecedented success on the track for Irish-trained horses in 2016 under both Flat and National Hunt codes, Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) has announced a positive set of industry figures for the year, with growth across almost all areas. Irish bloodstock sales increased for the seventh consecutive year and
Port-Au-Prince, Haiti --Judeley Hans Debel runs as fast as his prosthetic leg can take him when he arrives at a Haitian equestrian center. A riding session with his favorite horse is the highlight of his week.
Trainer Jimmy Jerkens, who is preparing Stronach Stables’ Shaman Ghost for a start in the $12 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) Jan. 28, said the mount on the Grade 1 winner will go to 2016 Eclipse Award finalist Jose Ortiz.
Reeves Thoroughbred Racing has reached a deal with Gunpowder Farms and West Point Thoroughbreds to run grade 3 winner Breaking Lucky in the inaugural $12 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) Jan. 28 at Gulfstream Park.
Breeders' Cup Classic winner Arrogate stepped up his preparation for the Pegasus World Cup, and a mouthwatering rematch with California Chrome, with a racecourse workout at Santa Anita on Sunday.
The 2017 Breeders’ Cup Challenge begins today, Saturday, January 7th, at Kenilworth Racecourse in South Africa with two outstanding Group 1 turf events in the one mile R1.5 million L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate, for an automatic berth into the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) and the 1 1/8 mile R1 million Maine Ch
Led by Horse of the Year candidates Arrogate, California Chrome and Songbird, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB) today announced the finalists for the 2016 Eclipse Awards, recognizing excellence in Thoroughbred racing.
James McIngvale's Eragon cleared quarantine in Miami and arrived Jan. 5 at Gulfstream Park for his upcoming engagement in the $12 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) Jan. 28. South American import Eragon, a three-time group 1 winner in Argentina, stepped off McIngvale's van at approximately 10:30 a.m.
Lisa Arie has trained with horses for years, but her specialty is in training executives.The so-called "CEO whisperer" lives on 160 acres of Colorado plains, where since 2005, she and husband Jess have run an experiential learning center for CEOs, philanthropists, and entrepreneurs to unplug and discover h
Godolphin has officially launched the Godolphin Fantasy Stable League, offering loyal fans a unique and exciting opportunity to get closer to the team.It is now down to about five of us looking for horses for the $12 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational, but there's still some quality horses out there and I think you will see some deals done over the next four or five days.![California Chorme "full of himself" as he preps for Pegasus](/sites/default/files/resize/cal%20chrome%20peg-200x167.jpg "California Chorme "full of himself" as he preps for Pegasus")
It has been called “racing’s latest medication scandal” and that is probably an understatement when one fully considers the consequences to participants who abided by rules and to bettors who assumed that all horses were competing on a level playing field. 
Santa Anita’s Winter Meet, which opens today, will offer fans a comprehensive pari-mutuel betting menu that will include an enhanced Pick Six with a Single Ticket Jackpot component.
Jessica Moore is a physical therapist assistant who wanted to focus her professional life on children with disabilities. She also is a horse lover. 
The countdown has begun, to not only the New Year, but also to one of the biggest days in the Japanese horseracing calendar: the 61st Arima Kinen (The Grand Prix) will be staged on Sunday, Dec. 25 at Nakayama Racecourse in Chiba Prefecture, near Tokyo.
California Chrome, the 5-year-old chestnut champion whose 2016 stellar season catapulted him to be North American racing’s all-time leading earner, again has been selected to receive the 2016 Secretariat Vox Populi, or “Voice of the People,” Award.
California Chrome’s racing career in his home state finished in the spectacular fashion everyone expected. He won Saturday’s $180,000 Winter Challenge by 12 lengths at Los Alamitos and did it without really trying.
The term "also-ran," like so much racetrack parlance, is firmly entrenched in the American lexicon. Taken literally, the term describes any horse in a race that did not finish in the top three, but it has taken on a pejorative connotation.
Online voting is now open for the seventh annual winner of the Secretariat Vox Populi Award. Created by Secretariat’s owner Penny Chenery, the Vox Populi, or “Voice of the People,” Award recognizes the racehorse whose popularity and racing excellence best resounded with the public and gained recognition for the sport during the past year. 
California Chrome, who has been based at Los Alamitos since January, 2014, will race for the first time locally (and last time in California) in the $180,000 Winter Challenge Saturday.
An encounter in Harry Swimmer's local grocery store parking lot changed his life more than 20 years ago. He met a girl in a wheelchair named Stacy. She was deaf and nonverbal. Swimmer learned she had cerebral palsy. It gave him an idea.
Horses, bikes, powerboats and motorbikes all have one thing in common in Japan -- they're part of a small selection of sports that members of the public are legally able to gamble on. And in the case of horse racing, the Japanese people certainly make the most of it.
Florida’s Gulfstream Park next month will host a new race with the world’s largest purse in thoroughbred racing: the $12 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational, run on dirt at 11/8 miles. But while the winnings are record-setting, the outsized purse isn’t the only thing about the Jan. 28 race that has set the racing world abuzz.
Horses are more than transportation, they can be friends, teachers and healers. No one knows that better than clinical psychologist Robert G. Magnelli. Magnelli uses horses in his practice. He calls the program Horsepower. Officially, it's called equine assisted psychotherapy and equine assisted learning.
Maurice and Satono Crown, both trained by Noriyuki Hori, were the highlights for the Japanese runners in the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races on Sunday, Dec. 11 at Sha Tin Racecourse.
Australian harness racing is banning the use of whips in training and racing from 1 September 2017 in a world-leading animal welfare initiative that improves the industry’s image and enhances its sustainability. The decision sets the pace in animal welfare and for the long-term support and sustainability of the industry.
Though he missed the opening weekend of Gulfstream Park’s 2016-2017 Championship Meet with commitments out of town, jockey Javier Castellano is gearing up for a return to South Florida with his sights set on a sixth consecutive riding title.
Runnymede Farm, whose owners say it is Kentucky’s oldest continuously operated Thoroughbred breeding operation, is preparing for its 150th anniversary. But before he talks about history, Brutus J.
Horses taking aim on the Kentucky Derby typically hog the spotlight at Gulfstream Park, which has a rich history of producing Triple Crown racing stars. But that’s about to change. When the track kicks off its 77th meet on Saturday, much of the buildup will be directed toward a brand new race — the $12 
When Dr. Blair Barone-Rice added a handful of severely abused horses to her herd a year and a half ago, she never could have foreseen the dramatic impact the fragile horses would have on a group of equally fragile people.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association today presented its listing of U.S. Graded and Listed Stakes Races for 2017, the results of its annual grading session conducted November 30 in Lexington. The Committee reviewed 790 unrestricted U.S.
A pair of grade I races for 2-year-olds and an anticipated start by California Chrome highlight the 2016 Winter meet at Los Alamitos. The eight-day season will begin Thursday, Dec. 8 and continue through Sunday, Dec.
Each year, the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) and Longines. The scoring for the award is based upon performances in the 100 highest-rated Group 1 and Grade 1 races established for the year by the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings Committee.A study released recently by university researchers reinforces a long-held belief of a Kamsack woman who has been fostering therapeutic sessions with horses at Ravenheart Farm...Researchers Colleen Dell of the University of Saskatchewan and Darlene Chalmers of the University of Regina released study results showing that people who participated in mental health and addictions treatment programs involving interactions with horses reported therapeutic benefits in their healing.
Michelle Payne has claimed another slice of racing history as the first Victorian dual licence holder to win aboard a horse she trains. Last year, Payne became the first woman to ride a Melbourne Cup winner.
FAVOURITE Kitasan Black, the champion stayer in Japan, landed the country's richest race, the Japan Cup, making all under a measured Yutake Take. The four-year-old won last year's Japanese St Leger and the Tenno Sho (Spring, 2m) in May, but a top-level success over middle distances had eluded him until now.
The call is going out: Sponsors and Artists – we need you. The Breeders’ Cup, the World Championships of horse racing, is headed to Del Mar next November. Along with its world class racing comes a week-long festival produced by the Breeders’ Cup Host Committee that will excite and entertain the San Diego community with all things horse.
The Turf Publicists of America (TPA) announced Nov.
The discussion between four inmates and a trio of therapists was about personal space. "Somebody invades my space, I hit," said one of the inmates at the Berkshire County Jail and House of Correction."This is a very effective therapy because it's integrative. It very nicely pulls together all the body, mind, spirit mechanisms and systems."
Posted by Racing Future on Wednesday, November 23, 2016
For far too long the Thoroughbred, Standardbred and Quarterhorse horse people of Ontario have been marginalized, and put off to the side when significant decisions as to their future hav
After years of decline, Maryland's horse industry has rebounded and is generating $1.1 billion a year — 23 percent more than in 2010, a new study says. The study, released Monday by the Sage Policy Group, concludes that the industry — which has a ripple effect on the state's economy — is "finally moving in the right direction" but hasn't come all the way back to its early 2000s highs.
FROM Wednesday, British punters will be able to bet into the huge Hong Kong pools after a deal was signed between local racing authorities and Betfred, Ladbrokes and Coral. The Hong Kong pools are famously vast - betting turnover averaged an astonishing £134,944,842 per meeting last season - and free access to that kind of liquidity, in a restrictionless PMU environment, is su
Writing in Paulick Report, John Scheinman, explains that "there was no fanfare, no rapturous odes, no good riddance or heartfelt goodbyes" when Andrew Beyer retired from journalism this year.
A 17-year-old student believes her horse may have “saved her life” after an undiagnosed heart condition caused her to lose consciousness in a field. Jemima Lailey was bringing in her six-year-old ex-racehorse Matrix (pictured) on October 30 when she collapseAs noted on Ontarioracing.com, "Ontario Racing is engaging in industry-wide consultations on a proposed framework for long term funding for horseracing in Ontario. You can review that presentation that outlines the proposed framework here. We encourage all interested parties to share feedback by completing the survey below and sharing their thoughts and perspectives."
Since 2014, Darlene Chalmers, assistant professor in the Faculty of Social Work and her colleague Colleen Dell from the Department of Sociology and School of Public Health at the University of Saskatchewan, have been looking at the effectiveness of horse therapy on individuals.
New Jersey voters rejected a measure that would have allowed casinos outside Atlantic City, but approved a referendum on the allocation of gas tax funds to the state's transportation costs. Voters said yes to the question asking whether every penny of the state's 37.5-cent per gallon gas tax should go exclusively to the transportation fund.
In New Jersey, a little girl who has been battling cancer is starting third-grade this week, after she couldn’t go to school last year. Kaia Carroll recently discovered the healing power of horses, and said she hasn’t had this much fun in months. The eight-year-old has a rare form of Leukemia. The last year of her life has been a blur of doctors, hospitals and chemotherapy.
Almandin, ridden by Australian Kerrin McEvoy, won the 156th running of the Melbourne Cup, Australia's most popular horse race. It was McEvoy's second Melbourne Cup success, after first winning with Brew in 2000.![Melbourne Cup: "It's a very exciting thing to be a part of"](/sites/default/files/resize/melbourne%20cup-240x124.jpg "Melbourne Cup: "It's a very exciting thing to be a part of"")
Tony Martin admitted he had never seen anything like it as thousands of people lined the streets of Melbourne to catch a glimpse of the trainers and jockeys competing for Tuesday's Emirates Melbourne Cup.
According to VIConsortium, a new horse racing proposal put forward by Governor Kennth Mapp sees VIGL, a Virgin Islands firm that operates the Caravelle Hotel, and whose parent company runs multiple assets on the mainland in the betting business, spending no less than $27 million to rebuild the St.
Led by North America’s all-time leading money earner CALIFORNIA CHROME, two-time Breeders’ Cup champion mare BEHOLDER, Travers Stakes winner ARROGATE, defending champions TEPIN and FOUND (IRE) and Kentucky Derby (G1) winner NYQUIST, an all-star international ca
CROWNSVILLE, Md. — Lana Robinson’s short-term memory has been weakened from Alzheimer’s, but her childhood memories of horseback riding remain intact. Today at 62, Mrs. Robinson rides Chrissy with ease. A volunteer and instructor walk along her left, and another volunteer is at her right, but Mrs.
It was another record setting year at the Fort Erie Race Track, as the 119th season of live racing at the border oval came to a close on Tuesday, Oct. 18. Among the many positive highlights for the year was a 20 percent increase in all-source wagering to $28,855,000 over 40 days of racing.
Horse people from the Quarter Horse, Standardbred and Thoroughbred industries in Ontario have joined together to form the Horse Peoples’ Alliance of Ontario.
This past week Twitter announced that it has formed a new partnership with the Victoria Racing Club (VRC) to stream the 2016 @Emirates Melbourne Cup to an Australian and global audience. This will be the first Twitter live streaming deal the social media company has announced outside of the United States.
California Chrome, the leading Thoroughbred in North America with earnings over $13 million, continues to hold the top spot in this week’s NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. The all-time leading money earner in the U.S., California Chrome has led the poll for all 32 weeks of 2016 voting, clinching this week’s tally with all 41 first-place votes and 410 points overall.The Jockey Matters: Mental Health & Wellbeing film begins the discussion of depression and mental health in the sport and features contributions from Sir AP McCoy, Leighton Aspell, Daryl Jacob and Mark Enright, the first jockey to speak publicly about suffering from depression. The film gives advice for those affected by mental health issues and signposts jockeys to the 24 hour confidential Wellbeing Helpline set up by the Professional Jockeys Association.
Racing Future applauds all farms that open their doors to the public to share their horses with all of us so it is always a pleasure for us to post Open House events. Here in Canada, this weekend offers a great opportunity to visit a premiere breeding facility -- Adena Springs North in Aurora, Ontario.
Superstar California Chrome was sensational yet again at Santa Anita on Saturday, taking the Grade I, $300,000 Awesome Again Stakes in gate to wire fashion by 2 ¼ lengths over rival Dortmund, who pressured him early.
NBC Sports Group has reached an agreement with The Stronach Group for exclusive United States media rights to the inaugural running of the $12 Million USD Pegasus World Cup Invitational. The world’s richest thoroughbred race will be contested on January 28, 2017 at The Stronach Group’s premier destination, Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida.
The following is a Letter to the Editor the Coalition for Horse Racing Integrity sent to Paulick Report on September 21, 2016.
The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Foundation has announced financial support for two research projects investigating support limb laminitis, in which lameness in one limb results in laminitis in the opposite limb.Subsequent separation of the coffin bone from the hoof wall causes 
This week's article by Natalie Voss at Paulick Report about the state of out of competition testing covered a lot of ground, particularly why this is not a standard practice in every racing jurisdiction.
Racing NSW will establish a Horse Welfare Fund which will be predominately funded by a deduction of 1% of all prizemoney paid in NSW. It is estimated that $204 million of prizemoney will be paid in the coming year, accordingly $2 million will be taken from prizemoney. This will be in addition to Racing NSW's existing horse welfare schemes.
Stronach Stables' Ontario-bred Shaman Ghost, the 2015 Queen's Plate winner, dove to victory in a four-horse photo Sept. 3 and beat Mubtaahij by a head to steal the $600,000 Woodward Stakes (gr. I) Sept. 3 at Saratoga Race Course. Dual grade I winner Frosted, favored at 2-5 in the field of nine, broke poorly and was all-out at the end.
The inaugural Journée de la Reconversion des Chevaux de Course (The Retrained Racehorse Day), organised in partnership with France Galop, was held on Saturday 27th August, 2016, at Deauville-La Touques racecourse.
The GI Pacific Classic was not supposed to be easy for California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit). The opposition included last year’s winner in the superstar mare Beholder (Henny Hughes) and a serious race horse in Dortmund (Big Brown). In Hoppertunity (Any Given Saturday) and Imperative (Bernardini) there were still two more millionaires in the race.![Future of Northlands Racetrack: "Anything is possible"](/sites/default/files/resize/northlands_colour_lg_400x400-150x150.jpg "Future of Northlands Racetrack: "Anything is possible"")
Hold all tickets until the race is official. Post positions for Saturday’s Canadian Derby were drawn Tuesday morning for a race that was widely believed to be the final Derby at Northlands.
But, then again, maybe not.
ROCK CITY, Ill. — Rising Star Farm appears to be much like many others from the narrow gravel roadway. But looks can be deceiving. A special home for 10 dogs, 22 cats, cattle, chickens and 17 horses, the farm is a haven for critters — and people — in need.
A competitive international field of 13 passed the entry box for Saturday's 34th running of the Grade I $1,000,000 Arlington Million as part of the International Festival of Racing at Arlington International Racecourse.
2017 Horsemen Incentive Programs
Locals, longshots, brothers-in-law… Call them what you’d like, but successful trainers Eddie Plesa Jr. and Jason Servis will be representing the home team in Sunday’s GI Betfair.com Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park. Plesa is set to saddle Live Oak Plantation homebred Awesome Slew (Awesome Again), recently third in the GIII Pegasus S. June 19, while Servis brings GIII Withers S.
The hurdles on the road to Rio de Janeiro for a 12-year-old Thoroughbred gelding named Blackfoot Mystery (Out of Place), nicknamed “Big Red,” began just a few miles away from the Kentucky Horse Park, at a place called Milestone Farm. That’s where John O’Meara bred the ex-racehorse turned Olympic-bound champion named to the 2016 U.S. Eventing Team.
Dan Feiss eats, sleeps and breathes horse racing.
The Pink Sheet handicapper has been around the ponies all of his life. Now 51 years old, Feiss first started handicapping when he turned 18, and hasn’t stopped since. He even started owning horses in 2002, when he got into his mid-30s.
Ivan Dalos' Amis Gizmo avenged a half-length loss in the Queen's Plate, first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, with a powerful victory in the Prince of Wales Stakes July 26 at Fort Erie Race Track. 
Upsets. They happen all the time in sporting competitions of all sorts. Horse racing in particular—with so many factors influencing the outcome of each race—is filled with stories of heavy favorites that were beaten by unexpected longshots.
Songbird Remains Unbeaten With Courageous CCA Oaks (G1) Triumph
California Chrome Bests Dortmund in Thrilling San Diego H. (G2)
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N. Y. – Promotions and track giveaways are nice, but if Thoroughbred racing really wants to create new fans, all it has to do – ALL it has to do – is offer a quick backstory to those who didn’t already know it on the two main protagonists in Saturday’s Grade 2 San Diego Handicap at Del Mar.
August 1864. It was the best of times in France: Napoleon III's Second Empire was at the height of its glory, enabling prosperous ladies and gentlemen to escape the heat of Paris and head north for the delights of Deauville, the Duc de Morny's new racecourse on the Normandy coast just a few hundred yards from the sunny beaches that were bringing new meaning to the idea of summer vacation.
The New York Racing Association, Inc. will host more than 40 local non-profit organizations, schools and PTAs at Saratoga Race Course during the upcoming season, which begins on Friday, July 22 and runs through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 5.
Racing fans will be greeted by a series of exciting new attractions, perennial favorite events and world-class thoroughbred racing when they return to the Spa for opening weekend of the 2016 racing season at Saratoga Race Course, July 22-25, presented by NYRA Bets.
Molly Theresa is a local celebrity. The miniature donkey has achieved minor fame due to her appearances in nearby nativity scenes. But this is only a seasonal job. For the rest of the year, Molly Theresa is a therapy animal for Mule Creek Therapeutic Riding Center, southeast of Roggen. Her role on the ranch just got bigger.
While planning for an end-of-year tilt at the Breeders’ Cup World Championships is not unusual for a top-class runner, it becomes so when quarantine regulations dictate you must start your journey eight months before.
Grade 1 Delaware H. Goes to I'm a Chatterbox
Blood-Horse magazine is celebrating its 100th anniversary. But like the Thoroughbred breeding and racing industry it covers, the Lexington-based publisher is evolving.
About 2 p.m. on Friday, Trevor Denman will step into the announcer’s booth at Del Mar, adjust his head-worn microphone, stare into his mounted set of binoculars and do something he hasn’t done in a while: Call a race.
“And away they go.”
Del Mar is gearing up for a fashionable and fabulous Friday opening.
The summer season will kick off on July 15, and it’s the first time in a while that it will be held at the start of a weekend, said Chris Bahr, director of events and promotions. Last year, Opening Day was a Thursday, and for many years, it traditionally fell on a Wednesday.
Horses have been carrying human burdens for centuries, and the task is transitioning from a physical burden to a mental one through equine assisted therapy. It’s been a practice since the Ancient Greeks, and was further developed in Europe in the 1960s. Relatively new in the U.S., equine assisted therapy can help depression, anxiety and substance abuse.
Summer racing at Del Mar once again promises to be a flashy affair, with big hats, colorful silks, musical stars, and the return of the popular racehorse “Chrome.”
The 39-day season kicks off July 15 and runs through Labor Day, Sept. 5.
Deauville Invades for Belmont Derby Inv. (G1) Score 
ST Publishing Managing Editor Tom Law will join three-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Ramon Dominguez, Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Graham Motion and Starlight Stables founder Jack Wolf as a panelist at the National Museum of RaST Publishing Managing Editor Tom Law will join three-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Ramon Dominguez, Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Graham Motion and Starlight Stables founder J
Nolan Ramsey (pictured wearing #5), grandson of well-known owner/breeders Ken and Sarah Ramsey, was one of many connections of Sir Dudley Digges who crowded together on the Woodbine turf course for a photo after the Queen's Plate.
The Korea Racing Authority (KRA) and Keeneland Association July 6 announced the inaugural Keeneland Korea Cup, which will offer a purse of 1 Billion Korean Won (approximately $855,000) and be held as part of an international day of racing at Seoul Racecourse in South Korea Sunday, Sept. 11.
Three-year-old Jack Foster sat on his mother’s lap as she wrapped a towel carefully around his neck.
“Jack has cerebral palsy and low muscle tone,” said his mother, Emily Foster, of Northbrook, Ill. “The biggest challenge is holding his head up.”
Gulfstream Park will host the 2017 Clásico Internacional del Caribe, the Caribbean's premier Thoroughbred race, the Confederation of Caribbean Racetracks announced July 1 at its mid-year meeting at the Florida track.
Ken Ramsey put his money where his mouth was Sunday.
The Kentucky native was so confident in his horse Sir Dudley Digges’s chances to win the $1-million Queen’s Plate that he bet roughly $3,600 on the horse. The three-year-old son of Gio Ponti proved to be money in the bank, surging past Scholar Athlete and 5-to-2 favourite Amis Gizmo in deep stretch to secure the stirring upset win.
The American Triple Crown season has come and gone, but north of the border at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, the Canadian version is set to get underway. The first jewel is the Queen's Plate, the premier event of Canadian racing. It's also the most prestigious, and oldest continuously run race in North America since it began in 1860.
Roger Attfield won his first Queen’s Plate. On Sunday, he will once again attempt to stand alone as the winningest trainer in the race’s history.
Shakhimat completed a successful workout at Woodbine on Tuesday and will be one of the favourites for the 157th Plate.
Just a few years ago there were suggestions that the Queen’s Plate might become obsolete; deader than the Dodo Bird; the dinosaur of Canadian sports.
Times have changed.
“What do you like on your pizza?” asked Beth Macauley.
“Pep-pe-ro-ni!” said Davide Sirilli, sounding out each syllable.
“Good. Now say that in a full sentence,” said Macauley.
“I like pep-pe-ro-ni on my pizza,” Davide answered.
“What do you like on your pizza?” asked Beth Macauley.
“Pep-pe-ro-ni!” said Davide Sirilli, sounding out each syllable.
“Good. Now say that in a full sentence,” said Macauley.
“I like pep-pe-ro-ni on my pizza,” Davide answered.
Horse racing is surely one of the oldest sports known to man, and now one of the most valuable leisure industries of the age. Even in these digital times nothing can beat the excitement of seeing in the flesh the true beauty and grace of a fully stretched thoroughbred passing the winning post.
Harzand Strikes Again in Irish Derby (G1)
When two brush fires erupted in the mountains above the San Gabriel Valley earlier this week prompting mandatory evacuations in some cities, residents moved quickly, taking clothes, their pets and a few important documents with them to safer ground.
You’ve seen it in all the magazines and blogs – fancy hats and fascinators, gorgeous dresses and jumpsuits, suits and ties to the nines… well, now it’s your turn. We breakdown the do’s and don’ts when it comes to going to the races, in style.
He still gets included on the list of all-time Thoroughbred greats if you extend the list long enough, but what hazy recollections come to mind when you hear the name Exterminator?
“No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle.”
That’s what British statesman Winston Churchill thought; and moreover, it’s what David and Teresa Miller, owners of Stars & Strides Therapeutic Riding Center believe.
What Songbird (Medaglia d’Oro) did in Saturday’s GII Summertime Oaks at Santa Anita was spectacular. She remained unbeaten in eight career starts and so thoroughly dominated her competition that she was eased up by jockey Mike Smith at the three-sixteenth-pole. She looked like the horse of the century, yet she may not even be the Horse of the Year.
Galileo Gold Triumphs in St. James Palace S. (G1) Clash
Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG) today announced that it has selected SWA Group, a leading landscape architecture, planning and urban design firm, to create the master plan to guide the long-term vision for Woodbine’s overall development and expanded entertainment offering across its 680 acres of largely undeveloped land.
Sometimes people ask me why I don’t write more often because they enjoy reading what I write. I guess honestly because I feel like “who cares what I have to say on the subject” or maybe because I’d rather just wait until something really moves me.
For centuries it has been known as the sport of kings, yet for the past six decades at least, flat racing in Britain has been inextricably linked with the horse-devoted Queen.
This year marks the 157th running of Canada's most famous horse race, the Queen's Plate. To celebrate one of the city's oldest and chicest sporting traditions, filled with fashion and fast horses, we invite you to an exclusive screening of Being AP, a documentary that profiles the 2015 final season of 20-time Champion Jockey Sir AP McCoy.
Tanya Punt is transforming a near-death experience into a life-giving opportunity for veterans who, like her, have suffered a traumatic brain injury or another ravage of war.
Punt, 45, of Billings, was thrown from a horse April 12, 2014, during a barrel racing competition, landing on her helmet-less head. Doctors feared she wouldn’t survive her brain injury, or that she’d at least be paralyzed on her left side. Instead she made a complete recovery — except for losing her senses of smell and taste.
American raider Tepin (11-2) landed the Queen Anne Stakes to open Royal Ascot 2016 in spectacular fashion.
Despite concerns that the unusually soft conditions the Mark Casse-trained five-year-old beat the 9-2 favourite Belardo by half a length under Julien Leparoux, with Lightning Spear (20-1) a further length a quarter back in third in the Group One contest.
Creator Noses Out Destin in Dramatic Belmont Stakes (G1)
Frosted Sensational Winner of Met Mile (G1)
Flintshire Outclasses U. S. Rivals Again in Manhanttan S. (G1)
Pedigree is perhaps the most important factor in analyzing a horse's ability to navigate the testing 12 furlongs of the Belmont Stakes. Here are pedigree snapshots of this year's Belmont contenders:
The great Kentucky-born trainer and two-time Kentucky Derby winner Woody Stephens enjoyed a career in racing that was, by any measure of success, a lifelong highlight reel.The Stanton native won a pair of Kentucky Derbys and five runnings of the Kentucky Oaks, but the accomplishment for which the Hall of Fame trainer is best known happened a long way f
More than 25 large-scale black and white photographs of some of the USA’s greatest race horses are on show in the debut exhibition of British born photographer Neil Latham.
America’s Best Racing (ABR) has announced that the second annual Belmont Fan Bash, sponsored by Ninety North Racing Stable, will benefit the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) and Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF).
Susan Ginise has a heart for horses and helping. As the co-owner of Hope Farm Granville, she put the two together to teach horsemanship and riding lessons to those most in need.
The 2016 Belmont Stakes may have some of its luster a year after the 1-1/2 mile race in New York played host to the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years. Undefeated no more, Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist will skip the event due to health concerns. However, Preakness Stakes winner Exaggerator will be there, as will be several other of horse racing's top 3-year-olds.
The Aga Khan's Harzand Victorious in Investec Epsom Derby (G1)
The Aga Khan homebred Harzand moved to the lead in mid-stretch of the Investec Epsom Derby (Eng-I) and fought off a challenge from Us Army Ranger to win the 1 1/2-mile classic June 4 at Epsom Downs.
Not even a nasty mid-race incident and a less than ideal preparation could prevent Minding from stamping herself as one of the best fillies of modern times in the Investec Oaks on Friday.
It's Derby weekend at Epsom and in Chantilly. It's Yasuda Kinen Sunday in Tokyo. And it's "the weekend of the mile" in United States thoroughbred racing.
Lou Smith must be spinning in his grave.
Rockingham Park’s late and larger than life former owner, who turned the track into what was regarded as “Little Saratoga” in its glory days, would surely be dejected by the news that the 116-year-old track has been sold for development and is shuttering its doors for good.
The next two Classics of the year take place at Epsom Downs this week, with the premier three-year-old colts' race, the Investec Derby, on Saturday and the Investec Oaks on Friday.
Many business deals are all about the Benjamins, but when it comes to standing stallions a deal can hinge more on personal connections than on money.
The stallion kicked out, nostrils flaring. In the ring, it faced off against a 32-year-old former infantryman.
Months ago, Mitchell Reno was sitting in a hotel room with a half-gallon of vodka and dark plans. But this April afternoon found him serenely still as a stallion kicked up sawdust in an arena in Poplar Grove. Slashes across the horse's heaving belly and back revealed fights in the Wyoming wild.
The horse zeroed in on Reno, who wrestles with PTSD and knows a thing or two about scars, the kind you can see and the kind you can't.
Mario Pino was announced as the 2016 recipient of the of the Mike Venezia Memorial Award, earning the prestigious honor awarded to jockeys who exemplify extraordinary sportsmanship and citizenship.
There really is nobility in failure.The Japanese have a thing for losers. As chronicled by the famed scholar Ivan Morris, Japan’s greatest historical heroes are notable for their utter lack of success, immortalized only after their goals have been thwarted, their dreams crushed.
Horse racing's first pitch contest, giving entrepreneurs a chance to bring change and innovation to the horse racing industry, is returning for another year. In 2015, the winner of the Innovators' Circle competition won $15,000 and the contest's finalists earned significant exposure and access to the executives in horse racing.
Shelly Fyant from Arlee painted circles around the eyes of a horse named Big Medicine on Wednesday night.
"The circle gives us a clear vision so we can see our enemy," she said.
Nyquist's third-place finish in the May 21 Preakness Stakes (gr. I) won't diminish the luster of Uncle Mo, his sire and dominant second-crop stallion.
A week before the second leg of the Triple Crown, industry experts conservatively projected the value of Ashford Stud's son of Indian Charlie had grown to between $120-$140 million.
Exaggerator Turns Tables on Nyquist in Preakness Stakes (G1)
83-Year-Old Trainer Prendergast Wins Irish 2,000 Guineas (G1) with Awtaad
The 2016 Preakness Stakes field is comprised of 11 runners, three of whom are multiple graded stakes winners in North America. Handicappers can quickly guess that Nyquist and Exaggerator are two of three. But the third? That's the Bob Baffert-trained Collected.
Every once in a while, Hollywood likes to crank out a good old-fashioned horse racing picture. Rags-to-riches or the rise-from-obscurity stories are favorites, likeNational Velvet and Seabiscuit.
Adam Staple's Page McKenney, a 6-year-old gelding in the Pimlico Race Coursebarn of trainer Mary Eppler, might not make for a classic—but he has got plenty of the elements for a good yarn.
Horseman Niall Brennan has been selling 2-year-olds that he's raised, broken, and trained since 1991 and has sold so many good horses over the years it's hard to keep track. However, you remember the classic wins and classic years.
There are countless methods of therapy used to help Soldiers and family members through difficult times, but helping agency personnel on Fort Rucker aren’t horsing around when it comes to providing the best treatment for those under their care.
Bob Manfuso walked through one of the stables at his 195-acre Howard County farm like a proud papa — or, more accurately, a doting grandpa — as he watched his newest foal, a bay colt born the previous night, bond in a stall with his mother.
Wake Forest Tops Chad Brown Exacta in Man O'War S. (G1)
There will be several 'new shooters' to greet Kentucky Derby hero Nyquist in the Preakness starting gate on May 21. Of those, Stradivari is the lightest on experience but just might be the most intriguing upset possibility.
Does the world really need another inspirational horse-racing movie? From “National Velvet” to “Secretariat,” the against-the-odds tale of equestrian pluck is a staple of cinema.
But who said that love was about need?
The Stronach Group announced May 11 the inaugural running of the $12 million Pegasus World Cup will be held Jan. 28 at Gulfstream Park.
With a purse that would make it the world's richest Thoroughbred race, the Pegasus World Cup will be contested at 1 1/8 miles on dirt and was created to attract the world's biggest stars in racing.
Emily Davidoff overdosed on heroin 26 times before ending up in rehab in July of 2015.
"I was trying to kill myself," the 24-year-old, now 10 months sober, tells PEOPLE. "I didn't care about my life and I didn't care about anybody else."
It was during her third stint in rehab that Emily found the desire to keep living from an unlikely source: a horse.
"This horse had a story just like mine – she was abandoned and alone," Emily recalls. "I never knew I could bond with an animal like that but I cried on that horse before I cried in front of anybody else."
As images come flowing from the rail at Churchill Downs and Pimlico, documenting every move of Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist's quest for the Triple Crown, a dedicated team in Paris, Ky. is still drowning in images from Triple Crowns past.
Nyquist Reigns as Unbeaten Kentucky Derby Champion
I wrote last week that the strength of the 3-year-old division was based in Southern California. Then, as if on cue, Nyquist and Exaggerator ran 1-2 in a formful Kentucky Derby.
In fact, for the first time in the pari-mutuel history of the Kentucky Derby, the first four favorites in the betting finished in that order.
Southern California-based horses have won four of the past five Kentucky Derbies: I’ll Have Another (2012), California Chrome (2014), American Pharoah (2015) and Nyquist.
Expect some "Who Dat" chants from the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) crowd May 7 at Churchill Downs as supporters of Gayle and Tom Benson's Mo Tom and Tom's Ready try to bring some Mardi Gras to Louisville's biggest party.
The not-so-secret weapon that has carried owner Paul Reddam and trainer Doug O’Neill back to Louisville, Ky., is Doug’s older brother, Dennis O’Neill. The bloodstock wizard selected both the unbeaten champion Nyquist and Grade 2 winner Land Over Sea as unraced 2-year-olds.
KERN COUNTY, Calif. - Down a windy road, past free-range cows and several farm houses is a place called Lifesavers Wild Horse Rescue in Twin Oaks, California. It's a safe haven for rescued horses and broken veterans.
One of the most interesting elements of covering the Kentucky Derby year after year is finding out how (relatively) accessible it is. Sure, you have to have the right 3-year-old Thoroughbred peaking at just the right time with just the right trip around 1 ¼ miles, but the Derby has been won by racing veterans and relative newcomers; by the rich and the less-rich; the bluebloods and the blue-collar types.
Galileo Gold Upset Winner of 2,000 Guineas (G1)
Minding Tops Ballydoyle Tri in 1,000 Guineas (G1)
In his racing debut last August, Brody's Cause failed to fire as the 3-1 second choice in a Maiden Special on the Ellis Park turf. After that it didn't take long for the chestnut colt establish himself as one of North America's top juveniles - breaking his Maiden at Churchill Downs, scoring in the Breeders' Futurity (G1) over eventual Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner Exaggerator and running a sold third to Nyquist in the subsequent Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1).
When it comes to breeding and raising thoroughbreds, Arthur B Hancock III holds fast to his faith in a few simple truths.
"If you take care of the land it will take care of you, and if you take care of your horses they will take care of you," Hancock says, as he stands under the blue sky stretching over the quiet paradise of his 2,200-acre Stone Farm near Paris, Kentucky.
Prairie Meadows Racetrack & Casino will have a new look when its Thoroughbred meet begins April 28.
The Iowa track has added two high-definition information boards on either side of its LED odds and wagering totals display. A jumbo 18-foot-by-31-foot high definition Daktronics video screen, similar to those installed at Keeneland and Del Mar, will sit atop the tote board to provide a view of every live race.
An encounter in Harry Swimmer's local grocery store parking lot changed his life more than 20 years ago.
He met a girl in a wheelchair named Stacy. She was deaf and nonverbal. Swimmer learned she had cerebral palsy.
It gave him an idea.
The 160,000 fans who fill Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May can attest that the Kentucky Derby is one of the biggest parties of the year. With gambling, fashion, mint juleps and plenty of socializing, the Derby is much more than just a horse race.New Zealand's Werther Runs Off with QEII Cup (G1) at Sha Tin
On February 12 Creator finished second to a horse named Call the Colonel in a Fair Grounds maiden special, the fifth straight loss of his racing career. Just over two months later the colt is a Grade 1 winner and one of the favorites for the Kentucky Derby.
Use him for a windbreak, a coat rack, a barn doorstop. It doesn’t matter to California Chrome as long as you set him free in his paddock for most of the day and have a bag of Mrs. Pastures horse cookies handy on demand.
A record number of overseas entries from eight countries feature among a total of 394 entries for the eight Group One highlights at Royal Ascot in June this year.
There are 164 overseas entries in all, as against a previous best of 156 in 2013, including a record 35 from outside Europe (previous highest 27 in 2011).
Dawn Solomon became addicted to horses at a riding stable in Aurora.
Now she hopes that love, along with her counseling degree, can help people with a dual diagnosis of mental illness and substance addiction.
She, along with investors, is betting a ranch that horse therapy can help.
Jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. was dominant this spring at Oaklawn Park. Santana finished things off in style by winning the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby on Saturday and also wrapped up the meet’s riding title.
Creator on to Kentucky Derby After Arkansas Derby (G1) Score
Tepin Strike Again in Record-Setting Jenny Wiley S. (G1) Win
It's no exaggeration to say that Exaggerator is one of the most consistent colts in this year's three-year-old crop. He won a pair of graded races last year at two and put it all together in his third start at three, a sensational victory in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) on April 9
Warriors on Horseback, written by John Carter and published by Bloomsbury Publishing, was named the winner of the tenth annual Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award on April 13. The announcement was made at an evening reception at the Ryan family’s Castleton Lyons in Lexington, Ky.
TwinSpires.com, the official wagering partner of the Kentucky Derby, and PaulickReport.com, a leading Thoroughbred information website, have teamed to auction a pair of tickets to the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks to benefit the Retired Racehorse Project.
Australia: Winx will not bid win a tenth stakes race in succession after trainer Chris Waller confirmed the brilliant mare is done for the campaign, a decision he acknowledged will disappoint many punters.
Unbeaten 3YO Nyquist New Kentucky Derby Fave With Florida Derby (G1) Romp
Australia's Winx Earns 9th Straight Victory in Doncaster Mile (G1)
Back in 1971, Canonero II shipped up from Venezuela to shock the racing world by winning the Kentucky Derby in his very first North American start. The connections of Lani, winner of the March 26 U. A. E. Derby (G2), will try to pull off a similar feat.
Hong Kong has been promoted, effective Sept. 1, to Part I status of the International Cataloguing Standards book by the International Grading and Race Planning Advisory Committee. 
Six-year-old Tuttipaesi (IRE) had to come a long way to win last weekend's Grade 2 Santa Ana, even beyond the many miles she's logged racing around the world. The daughter of Clodovil (IRE) raced in Italy and England before Team Valor International brought the filly stateside to become the first acquisition in the all-female partnership Valor Ladies.
Law enforcement experts say post traumatic stress disorder is a silent killer of first responders.Law enforcement experts say post traumatic stress disorder is a silent killer of first responders.
Three finalists for the tenth annual Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award have been announced by the Ryan family's Castleton Lyons, founding sponsor of this lucrative competition for racing-oriented literary works since 2006. Jockeys ruled the day in 2015, with two of the three top entries focusing on those brave men and women, who, pound for pound may be the best athletes in all of sport.
California Chrome All-Time N. American Earner with Sparkling World Cup Win
In classical mythology Cupid is the god of desire and the son of the war god Mars and the love goddess Venus. In the modern thoroughbred world Cupid is the Rebel Stakes (G2) winner and the son of all-world sire Tapit and the exceptional broodmare Pretty 'n Smart. The contemporary legend also stars Bob Baffert, who is virtually unconquerable when he flies into Oaklawn Park.
There's a new love in Tom Benson's life these days.
Walk into his office, turn to the left and the prominent pictures on the wall aren't of the New Orleans Saints or the Pelicans. They're pictures of horses.
Stand on the Meydan surface and soak up the morning sun, and watchCalifornia Chrome stride out onto the racetrack. There's his signature ear prick, a turn of the head toward snapping cameras—the look of eagles.
Kids of all ages and genders are benefiting from an Equine Therapy program in the Ozarks.
"Our students are children that have anxiety or have had a death in their families or their parents are going through a divorce," said Gena Wenger, professional counselor for Nixa Public Schools and H.A.Y. (Horses Assisting Youth) Foundation board member.
Ever since arriving in Viña (as the city is fondly called) I’ve been dying to check out the racetrack. My bus drives past the Valparaiso Sporting Club on its way to deliver me to classes, and my university, situated on a hill overlooking the city, provides a convenient view of the track.
Shadwell Farm has an especially strong hand for the 2016 Classics with a pair of unbeaten colts in 
Jockeys Flavien Prat and Emma-Jayne Wilson take America's Best Racing’s readers inside the jockeys’ room in 2016. Prat rides on the Southern California circuit after launching his career in his native France, where he was named champion apprentice in 2009 and won a Group 1 race in 2013. He also won the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes in 2015 in his first full year of riding in the U.S.
Touting "artifacts never before seen by the public," the Kentucky Derby Museum announced it will open an American Pharoah-themed exhibit before another horse makes a run at the Triple Crown.
If you're driving between Colorado City and Snyder on Texas 208 and you happen to see a woman on horseback flailing her arms and flopping her legs, don't worry.
She's fine.
"I really look like a crazy person when I get on the back of a horse," said Andrea Barefield, 24 and founder of Take the Reins Therapeutic Center, a newly launched nonprofit.
Why the spectacle? That's how she trains her horses.
A recent three-day trip to Tampa, Florida, which was the scene of such a brilliant Derby Festival day on Saturday, reminded me once again why it is one of my favorite race-day experiences in America.
Melatonin Upset Winner of Santa Anita H. (G1)
It wasn't especially pretty. It wasn't especially fast. But Shagaf got the job done in the Gotham Stakes, giving owner Shadwell Farm a second unbeaten Kentucky Derby prospect.
In the first agreement of its kind between a racetrack and racing contest site, DerbyWars will contribute revenue to Hawthorne Race Course and Illinois horsemen.
America's Best Racing's David Hill interviews author/Kentucky Derby historian Bill Doolitle:
Equine assisted activities and therapies (EAAT) are treatments that incorporate equines in an equine environment with rehabilitative goals that are related to the rider's needs and abilities. EAAT promotes emotional, physical, social and cognitive growth in people with a variety of diagnoses.
Nearly a decade after the death of prominent California owner, breeder, and racing-industry philanthropist Trudy McCaffery, her legacy lives on – both on the track and off.Favored Rangipo Best in New Zealand Derby (G1)
Special Fighter Upset Winner of Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 (G1)
After a promising juvenile season Gun Runner made the shortlist for many Kentucky Derby winter book handicappers. With his victory in the February 20 Risen Star Stakes (G2) the Steve Asmussen-trainee currently sits second behind Mohaymen on the Kentucky Derby qualifying points list.
British Horseracing Authority chief executive Nick Rust hailed a “truly historic” intention from the British government to replace the Levy betting system by April 2017.
In a seismic overhaul that could see up to £30 million (€39m) of additional income plunged into the industry, bookmakers would be forced to contribute to Levy from profits taken in betting shops and online.
Mother Nature was kind to Woodbine Entertainment Group at the start of the laying-in process for the new Tapeta course on the one-mile main track earlier this winter. But a recent onslaught of freezing rain, ice pellets, and snow has provided a taste of what Lake Ontario’s volatile weather patterns are capable of dishing out on an annual basis.
Ryan Moore whose has just finished a successful stint in Hong Kong, is set for his first rides of the year in Dubai this week when he will partner headline acts Sole Power and Keen Ice on Meydan's Super Saturday card.
Moore, regarded by many as one of the world's finest Flat jockeys, has spent the last six weeks riding on the Hong Kong circuit and partnered 14 winners from 107 mounts.
Never having raced outside of Oklahoma, Suddenbreakingnews was on few handicappers radar prior to the February 15 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park. Even at the top of the stretch the colt looked like an also ran before unleashing a furious rally to earn his first graded stakes victory.
Thirty-four years ago, the very first Equicizer he built enabled the 1980 Eclipse Award-winning apprentice jockey Frank Lovato Jr. to recover from a broken leg and return to the saddle. These days, Lovato’s distinctive mechanical wooden horse is at the center of his world and continues to deliver the support he needs.
The third "Jockeys and Jeans" fundraiser for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund is set for Feb. 28 at Gulfstream Park.
The event, held last year at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino, will feature a video of the 1962 Preakness and the 1984 Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I). The top finishing Hall of Fame jockeys from those races will be on hand to answer questions for attending fans and media during a panel presentation and sell signed photos of the famous races to benefit PDJF.
Up to $100,000 is up for grabs for researchers investigating the impact of horses on humans, thanks to the Horses and Humans Research Foundation (HHRF).
Past grant funding opportunities have been limited to $50,000, but the successful completion of HHRF’s 10-Year Anniversary Research Funding Campaign enabled the foundation to double the size of grant funding available for this grant cycle.
Never underestimate the value of a good eye. Without a keen batting eye, it’s nearly impossible to be a successful hitter in the major leagues. It takes a different type of eye to be successful in the breeding industry, but a good eye is just as crucial when buying mares or yearlings at auction.
Despite an unblemished record at two and an Eclipse Award trophy on his mantle, Nyquist has has to earn the respect of many racing fans the hard way. His performance in the February 15 San Vicente Stakes (G2), in which he defeated the graded winner Exaggerator in near track record time, was just the kind of signature victory he needed to validate his stellar 2015 campaign.
Seasons to Lane's End-based stallions Honor Code, Liam's Map, Tonalist, The Factor, Union Rags, and Mr Speaker, will headline an online auction that will benefit the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.
Tepin (Bernstein) has been invited to compete in the G1 Queen Anne S. at the Royal Ascot meet, an invitation owner Bob Masterson is eager to accept. The invitation came after the 5-year-old mare kicked off her 2016 campaign with an easy win Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs in the GIII Endeavour S.
We all have the utmost respect and appreciation for our veterans, the brave men and women who fight for our protection and freedom.
There is a wonderful program called Equines For Freedom. Organized in February 2015, EFF is located on the campus of Marley’s Mission in Newton Township.
We all have the utmost respect and appreciation for our veterans, the brave men and women who fight for our protection and freedom.
There is a wonderful program called Equines For Freedom. Organized in February 2015, EFF is located on the campus of Marley’s Mission in Newton Township.
This therapeutic program brings horses, humans and the Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Process together.
Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG) and Trinity Development Group Inc. (Trinity) today announced the companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the purpose of developing an integrated entertainment venue at Woodbine Racetrack.
Dancing House Tops McLauglin-Trained Exacta in Barbara Fritchie S. (G2)
Astute Kentucky Derby handicappers often look past flashy early spring performances, instead preferring horses ready to peak on the first Saturday in May. Mor Spirit is firmly on the radar of those players.
As the breeding season began earlier this week in chilly Kentucky for Kitten’s Joy, the Ramsey Farm’s foundation sire, Ken Ramsey was in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, where he could be heard via mobile phone flipping through the thick dossier of paperwork that keeps track of his worldwide bloodstock and racing prospects.
Mike Smith let the question dangle, let it roll around in his head, let it swim like a whiskey over ice. Over the phone, it’s hard to see, but there’s no doubt, Smith looked up at the sky, squinted his eyes like mail slots and blew a kiss in the air.
For the first time psychologists from Sussex University have shown that horses are able to distinguish human facial expressions showing different emotions.For the first time psychologists from Sussex University have shown that horses are able to distinguish human facial expressions showing different emotions.
Sussex University researchers compiled a dictionary of horse expressions last year. They identified 17 distinct facial movements in horses which may be manipulated by the horse to represent different emotions and intentions. The raising of eyelids, the pull of mouth corners — all these small gestures can be indicative of underlying mental states, just as they are in humans.
When I meet someone for the first time and tell them that I go to graduate school for horse racing, the first few minutes of the conversation are filled with bewilderment as I explain that it is possible to get a degree in racetrack management.
Once this understanding is reached, the stranger usually becomes extremely interested in the University of Arizona’s Race Track Industry Program (RTIP).
Mshawish on to Dubai After Sharp Donn H. (G1) Score
The superlatives began flying around Gulfstream Park (and the internet) the second Mohaymen crossed the finish line in the January 30 Holy Bull Stakes (G2). And with good reason. The Kiaran McLaughlin pupil didn't have an easy go of it yet still drew off under a hand ride to score by 3 1/2 lengths.
The connections of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah should have no trouble telling what time it is for the rest of their lives. Longines awarded commemorative watches to trainer Bob Baffert, owner Ahmed Zayat, and jockey Victor Espinoza when the colt picked up the title of the 2015 Longines World's Best Racehorse Award earlier this year in London.
Hollywood could hit Royal Ascot this summer as Triple Crown-winning trainer Bob Baffert intends to have his first runner at Flat racing's most prestigious fixture.
California-based Baffert enjoyed a fantastic 2015 thanks to the exploits of the brilliant American Pharoah, who became the first horse since Affirmed in 1978 to land the Triple Crown.
The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival and Stars & Stripes Day during the spring/summer meet at Belmont Park and the Whitney and Travers Stakes days at Saratoga Race Course highlight the stakes calendar unveiled by the New York Racing Association.
The numbers are startling, the reality is staggering.Moyhamen new Kentucky Derby Favorite after Holy Bull Stakes (G2) Romp
Thoroughbred racing, like any other sport, has been home to the exploits of scamps, scallywags and scoundrels.
At the other end of the scale of human character and integrity, few people in the sport have ever been as genuinely beloved and admired as Bob and Beverly Lewis.
Their marriage was a heartwarming tale of love and devotion that lasted 58 years.
The last time the Carolina Panthers played in the NFL championship round, Jake Delhomme was their star quarterback, leading the team to its only previous Super Bowl appearance 13 years ago. As the Panthers prepare to take on the Denver Broncos in next Sunday’s Super Bowl, the former Pro Bowl quarterback is more concerned with post times than post patterns.
Dear Members:As a kid growing up in rural Minnesota, I spent many of my waking hours searching for a reason to be near the five horses that roamed the 40 acres behind our house. Their methodical munching and tail-swishing put me at ease and learning how to ride a 1,200-pound animal that could easily wipe me off on a fence post taught me much of what I know about courage and persistence.
The Asian Racing Conference continued Wednesday, Jan. 27 in Mumbai with a discussion of the updated methods used in various jurisdictions to market horse racing. 
2016 marks the 40th Anniversary of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. Since the inaugural class of people and horses were inducted in 1976, there are now over 500 honoured members in the CHRHF.
Kawi All Class in Thorndon Mile (G1) Victory in New Zealand
Safety Check Claims Second Straight Al Fahidi Fort S. (G2) at Meydan
The New York Racing Association announced Jan. 22 that tickets for the 2016 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will go on sale at 10 a.m. Jan. 28.
I may not have written it, but I certainly thought it: I was no Frank Stronach fan. I shed a tear when he tore down the old Gulfstream Park, a wonderful facility that was home to some of my fondest memories as a racing fan and journalist.
For Gretchen Davis, horseback riding is more than a recreational activity: It’s a treatment option that helps people with disabilities become stronger, healthier and more independent.
Davis is program manager of the therapeutic riding program at Helen Woodward Animal Center, where she teaches kids and adults with autism, muscular disorders and other conditions to ride specially trained horses.
The Jockey Club of Canada will host the 41st Annual Sovereign Awards Ceremony to honour the Canadian Champions of 2015 and to celebrate Thoroughbred racing in Canada on Friday, April 8, 2016 at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario.
Overlooking the sunny beaches of the Riviera, the racecourse at Cagnes-sur-Mer lies at the very heart of France's ultra-chic Cote d‘Azur. A few miles east is Nice, the playground of the international jet set since long before jet airliners were invented. And a few miles further up the road is the Principality of Monaco, where Grace Kelly lost her commonness.
Racing Hall of Famer Lava Man and future Hall of Famer Zenyatta will be added to the Arcadia Historical Society's Thoroughbred Racing Walk of Champions in a ceremony May 24.
OwnerView’s second Thoroughbred Owner Conference wrapped up a two-day stand Wednesday at Gulfstream Park, with prominent horse owner and radio and TV personality Jim Rome delivering the day’s keynote address. Some 200 attendees were on hand for the conference, which was sponsored by Keeneland Association, the New York Racing Association, The Stronach Group and Woodbine Entertainment Group.
Horses that Heal is an 8 minute documentary that examines the impact of horses in healing wounded warriors returning from service, as well as local children with disabilities. The interviews of the wounded vets are particularly emotional, as they describe what they experienced at war before coming to Cornerstone.
Star Australian colt Vancouver, unbeaten in four starts at two when his victories included the Group 1 Golden Slipper at Rosehill in March 2015, is to join Aidan O'Brien to be trained for Royal Ascot.
The son of Medaglia D'Oro, trained in Australia by Gai Waterhouse, is to enter quarantine before being transferred to Ballydoyle.
California Chrome on to Dubai After Impressive San Pasqual S. (G2) Triumph
Adena Springs North, Park Stud and Shannondoe Farm have all donated 2016 seasons to a charity auction to benefit those affected by the recent fire at Classy Lane Stables in Puslinch Ontario.
Starquine.com has also donated their services to handle the auction, which is open to both thoroughbred and standardbred stallions. All farms are welcome to join. Listing will be posted on Monday January 11th with the auction ending on Friday January 15th
Keeneland opens its 58th January horses of all ages sale on Monday, Jan. 11.
Breaking from the outside as the second betting choice, Uruguayan-bred 4-year-old Fletcher pulled away from the field in the final quarter mile to capture the 120th renewal of the prestigious Clasico Gran Premio Jose Ramirez (Uru-I) Jan. 6 at Hipódromo Nacional de Maroñas in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Equine-assisted psychotherapy is known to help people address mental and behavioral health issues, but there remains little evidence-based research to prove it.
The Ontario horseracing community is reeling after a fire engulfed a barn at an elite stable facility and left dozens of horses dead.
The fire at Classy Lanes Stables Training Centre in Puslinch, Ont., erupted late Monday night, and killed 43 animals inside, according to Jamie Millier, who owns the stables with his wife, Barb Millier.
After receiving applications from all over the country, Oaklawn Park recently named Pete Aiello as its next announcer. Aiello, who has held positions at Hialeah Park, Gulfstream Park and River Downs, becomes the track’s fifth announcer since it opened in 1904.
Ryan Mark Ends Trainer's Drought in Railway Stakes (G1) at Ellerslie
Flamboyant Longshot Winner of Santa Anita's San Gabriel Stakes (G2)
It feels like spring in Central Kentucky, as rain soaks the track at the Thoroughbred Center and the fields stubbornly remain green. The aisles of the North American Racing Academy's Barn 30 are still bustling in the morning, but each week sees fewer and fewer students legging up on horses as the riding students finish up their finals and scatter across the country.
From American Pharoah’s exciting season to the 2-year-olds building hopes that this year will see another Triple Crown, 2015 had something for all racing fans.
Relive some of the best moments of 2015 with the 2015 Inside the Numbers Year in Review for fun facts about the past 12 months.
The Qatar Derby at Al Rayyan, Doha, was settled in dramatic fashion in the judge's box when the original announced decision in favour of victory to Germany's Rogue Runner by a nose was amended to a dead-heat with South Africa's Tannaaf.
For the past 8,000 years, horses have accelerated human development, ploughing our fields and carrying our goods. Today, we no longer require their muscle power. Instead, we need their intuition and wisdom for the more subtle challenges of mastering soft skills and becoming authentic leaders.
Leaders who can’t harness intelligence in body and brain — head, heart and gut aligned together — are at a distinct disadvantage in today’s complex and volatile business environment. Horses are exceptionally well suited to guide a learning process that facilitates this.
You won’t find John Velazquez at Gulfstream Park Saturday, Jan. 9, but at the Gold Coast Turf Club in Queensland, Australia, where he’ll be riding on the Magic Millions Raceday card.
BC Sprint Champ Runhappy Runs Away with Malibu S. (G1)
American Pharoah 's Triple Crown sweep, culminating in his breathtaking victory in the 147th edition of the Belmont Stakes presented by DraftKings (gr. I) that ended a 37-year drought, was honored Dec. 24 as the "Sports Story of the Year" by the Associated Press.
David Jacobson was in his teens when his father sent him to work with Bobby Frankel at Santa Anita four decades ago. Now he's here from the East Coast with a string of his own for the marquee Winter Meet that starts Saturday.
Jacobson has a multitude of memories of Frankel, who will be honored Sunday with the running of the Grade III Robert J. Frankel Stakes, named for the late Hall of Fame trainer who died Nov. 16, 2009, at the age of 68.
When I set out to write RIDING HOME ~ The Power of Horses to Heal I wanted to share about the profound emotional healing one can experience from today's equine therapy. I also wanted people to discover the joy, empowerment and self-awareness they could receive by simply having a relationship with horse.
Woodbine’s darkest hour occurred on Mar. 31, 2013, the day the gravy train came to a halt. Ontario’s Slots at Racetracks Program was ended and no longer would any portion of the revenue from the machines at Woodbine or any of the province’s racetracks be given to support racing.
Mor Spirit is Latest Futurity (G1) winner for BaffertMeta Osborne became the first woman at the helm of an international horseracing regulatory body Dec. 18 when she took over as senior steward of the Irish Turf Club.
Osborne, who joined the Turf Club in 2005, replaces Neville O'Byrne in the position and becomes the first female senior steward of the Turf Club in the organization's 225 year history. She is a daughter of the late Michael Osborne, who served as senior steward of the Turf Club from 1994 to 1997.
Harry McCalmont replaces Osborne as deputy senior steward.
From the 1960s through the 1980s, few racing silks were as recognizable and iconic as the silks of Darby Dan Farm. The silks were fairly plain—a fawn-colored shirt with brown sleeves—but it was their simplicity and their regular appearances in the winner’s circle that made them famous.
Frank Mirahmadi (pictured) was named by Santa Anita on Monday as the announcer for the first part of its winter-spring meeting, which begins Dec. 26. Mirahmadi resigned from the same position at Oaklawn Park to take the job at the Arcadia, California oval.
Local war veterans are learning to overcome PTSD and traumatic brain injuries by working with horses through the Veteran Barn Door Project, a nonprofit organization.
“When I returned from Afghanistan in 2010, I had some serious PTSD,” said Steven DePalma, founder of the Veteran Barn Door Project. “I didn’t know it at the time. I was suffering from what’s known as survivor’s guilt.”
After 10,000 issues the Racing Post has reported on plenty of big stories - here are a few since our very first edition
Japan's A Shin Hikari Springs Upset in Hong Kong Vase (G1)
Fifteeen months into retirement, Tom Durkin returns to a different–though familiar–form of live entertainment Friday in the opening night presentation of Miracle on 34th Street in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
The eyes of the world will be on Hong Kong this weekend as horses from the United States, United Kingdom and Australia all descend on Sha Tin Racecourse for the Hong Kong International Races.
The meeting is the most prestigious in Asia and consists of four races. Here is a look at the day’s action to see who to watch out for in each of the four divisions.
A horse racing jackpot game that combines elements of Daily Fantasy Sports, “Survivor”-style pools, and the game show “Deal Or No Deal” won the first ever Innovators' Circle contest Wednesday at the University of Arizona's Global Symposium on Racing and Gaming.
South Africa's reigning champion rider, Gavin Lerena, booted home the last two winners to take top honors in the Dec. 9 Longines International Jockeys' Championship at a rain-soaked Happy Valley Racecourse.
Eddie Brennan is all charged up. The 4-year-old, who is autistic, has already raced through a puddle, and he writhes as his nanny struggles to remove his shoes and socks.
But when Brennan climbs on the back of Kattie, a dark bay therapy horse, something magical happens.
The kinetic little boy melts into the horse, contented and somehow soothed. He sits or lies on its back — even rides backward. It’s as if he has a connection to the horse.
The 2016 Breeders' Cup Classic is one of 24 international races under consideration for simulcast into Japan, thanks to a new law passed earlier this year by Japanese legislators lifting the ban on wagering on races from outside of Japan.
Japan's Champion Cup (G1) Goes to 66-1 Sambista
In an effort to get as much use out of its turf course as possible and to create new wrinkles it hopes its customers will find exciting, Woodbine will run approximately 25 grass races next year that will go in a clockwise direction.
Coral on Thursday announced a landmark deal to sponsor their first races in Ireland at Leopardstown on January 17.
The firm will back the entire seven-race card, which now includes the €100,000 Coral.ie Hurdle and the €100,000 Coral.ie Handicap Chase.
As a professional ballroom dancer and teacher, Shelly May was accustomed to being the center of attention.
The glare of the spotlight, the flamboyant costumes donned during competition, the students who followed every stomp of her feet and swing of the hips. It all suited the self-described "mover and shaker" with an infectious personality to a tee.
British-based Frankie Dettori has been named the Longines World's Best Jockey for 2015, besting U.S. Triple Crown-winning rider Victor Espinoza and British-based Ryan Moore for the title. 
Trip To Paris, fourth in a bruising renewal of the Melbourne Cup (G1) earlier this month, bids to become the first British trained horse in almost a decade to win the Japan Cup (G1), one of the most exciting end-of-year races.
Trained by globe-trotting handler Ed Dunlop at Newmarket in England, the four-year-old faces 17 rivals in his quest to make history and gain compensation for his two-length defeat by Prince Of Penzance in the Australian showpiece.
Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer won the 7,000th race of his career when Kiss N Scat, who he co-owns with Steve Taub and George Todaro, won the first race at Golden Gate Fields Nov. 26.Hollendorfer is now third on the all-time list of trainers by wins behind the late Dale Baird and Steve Asmussen.
RENNER, S.D. -Professional development is an important process for every working man and woman to go through to help them become better leaders in the workplace and communicate effectively with coworkers.
Santa Anita Park has announced five finalists for the prestigious Santa Anita George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award, with the winner to be announced in February following a vote of jockeys nationwide.
Buffering Best in Australia's Winterbottom S. (G1); International Campaign on Tap
Good Project Breaks Maiden in Railway Stakes (G1) in Australia
Champion and dual classic winner Smarty Jones , whose 2004 Triple Crown bid and affable connections earned him legions of fans, is returning to Central Kentucky from Pennsylvania to take up stallion duties at Calumet Farm. His fee for 2016 will be $7,500.
The American Pharoah sideshow that has captivated the racing world this year will roll into Hong Kong next month - in a small form, at least - with his regular rider Victor Espinoza to headline the International Jockeys' Championship (IJC) at Happy Valley on December 9.
The third annual Sporting Art Auction, presented by Keeneland Association and Cross Gate Gallery of Lexington, is set for Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 4 p.m. ET in the Keeneland sales pavilion.
Risque Winner of New Zealand One Thousand Guineas (G1)
Chile’s oldest racecourse is one of the world’s most beautiful. The Club Hipico’s palatial complex is a vast green oasis at the south east of Santiago’s bustling city centre. Since its construction almost a century ago, it has ranked as one of the architectural highlights of the Thoroughbred world – imaginative, picturesque and almost miraculously preserved.
Dan Loiselle has countless memories of his career at Woodbine, but asked to recall his first-ever experience with horse racing and the longtime announcer offers a lengthy pause.
For those that know him well, it’s a fitting response.
Hong Kong: Mondialiste, who came close to his biggest win when second in the Breeders' Cup Mile at Keeneland last month, could continue his world tour with a trip to Sha Tin for the Longines Hong Kong Mile on December 13.
Golden Horn, the Investec Derby and Qatar Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe winner, cemented what was an almost perfect season when he was crowned Cartier Horse of the Year at the 25th Cartier Racing Awards in London on Tuesday night.
As Matthew Shepherd locked eyes with a thoroughbred race horse, the world suddenly stopped.
I have played fantasy sports since I was a kid. I (like many of you, I suspect) enjoyed season-long leagues with friends; making trades, playing head-to-head and watching the box scores each day or week to see how my players were doing. It was always fun, a bit of a brain stretch, and we as a group had a good time. Recently, the season-long league fantasy phenomenon has branched out.
Over the past three years at Racing Future, we have been very proud of the advocacy work we have undertaken for horse racing worldwide. As part of these efforts we have promoted many initiatives such as the best horse racing marketing ideas, Horses Art and Fashion, and the connection between horses and human health.
Xtravagant a Big Winner of New Zealand 2,000 Guineas (G1)
Nominees for the 2015 Cartier Racing Awards were announced Nov. 6, with Horse of the Year to be decided amongGolden Horn, Legatissimo, Muhaarar, and Solow.
Champion Shared Belief on Thursday returned to the track at Golden Gate Fields, jogging leisurely as he prepares to come back from an injury he suffered in April.
The sale of 14 seven-figure horses, led by the $6 million paid for champion Take Charge Brandi and a North American weanling record of $3.2 million bid for a War Front filly, highlighted a day of strong trade that resulted in substantial gains in gross, average and median prices on Tuesday at Keeneland’s November Breeding Stock Sale.
When Sheryl Barto saw the movie “Horse Boy,” it struck a deep chord, and she knew she had to get involved.
While Triple Crown winner American Pharoah with jockey Victor Espinoza won the Breeders Cup Classic on Halloween day at Keeneland Racecourse in Kentucky, a big story had unfolded earlier in the day with some interestingly dressed men from a far away land.
Prince Of Penzance scored the unlikeliest of victories in the Emirates Melbourne Cup (Aus-I) Nov. 3 at Flemington, as the 100-1 shot carried the first female jockey to victory in the history of Australia's most famous race. 
The 32nd Breeders' Cup highlighted North American racing while Australians were riveted by the Victoria Derby Day card at Flemington.
As the sun rose on Friday morning the temperature slowly climbed into the 40s, but the cold did not stop thousands of people from filling up Keeneland for the first day of Breeders’ Cup racing.
Of the 11 races at Keeneland, four of them were Breeders’ Cup races – the juvenile turf, dirt mile, juvenile fillies turf and the Distaff.
Out of town visitors for this weekend’s Breeders’ Cup probably know that Lexington and the Central Kentucky region is known for it national championship college basketball teams, smooth bourbon and fast Thoroughbreds. What they probably haven’t heard is that Lexington also sets high standards for education.
In the quiet of those last few mornings, Mike Mitchell still came to the barn. He walked the shedrow managed by his assistant and somehow often found himself at a solid bay's stall. That horse, he would later tell his son-in-law, "Gave me so much joy in the midst of so much darkness." Waging a prolonged battle against brain cancer, the trainer held on to the things he knew best—his family and his Thoroughbreds.
For owner Ahmed Zayat, the difference between American Pharoah winning the Triple Crown and winning the Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) in his final race is very clear.
"With the Triple Crown, we wanted it for the sport," Zayat said the evening Oct. 27 during the Thoroughbred Charities of America "Evening With Team American Pharoah" fundraiser. "On Saturday, we want it for American Pharoah. We want him to go out on a high note."
The fields are set. The posts are drawn. Now it's time to top of your Breeders' Cup weekend wardrobe wit the right hat.
Almost every woman who came by milliner Christine Moore's display at Keeneland's on opening day tried on the same hat.Some of the customers tried on many hats, but almost everyone who stopped tried on the raspberry chapeau with a wide brim, adorned with a cluster of raspberry and navy fabric.
Winx a Record-Setting Winner of Cox Plate (G1)
In the build-up to the $3 million William Hill Cox Plate (2040m), trainer Chris Waller declared that Winx ‘could just be a superstar’. There’s no doubting that now. In one of the strongest Cox Plate fields in years, Winx delivered an utterly dominant performance.
The Kentucky Horse Park will unveil a new memorial statue dedicated to the great Thoroughbred champion Cigar on Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 3 p.m. Created by artist Douwe “Dow” Blumberg, the statue will be placed at Cigar’s gravesite at the Hall of Champions and features Cigar with jockey Jerry Bailey winning the 1995 Breeders’ Cup Classic.
There’s more than one way to corral a horse. But what does the method we use tell us about ourselves?
Susanne Riemer of New Ipswich is a clinical social worker. Most of her career has been spent in an office, seeing one client after another.
There’s more than one way to corral a horse. But what does the method we use tell us about ourselves?
Susanne Riemer of New Ipswich is a clinical social worker. Most of her career has been spent in an office, seeing one client after another.
Official pre-entries for all 13 Breeders' Cup races were announced on October 21. Now that the fields have taken shape, it's time to get your wardrobe on track.
In what is expected to be his second-last workout before the Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I), American Pharoah worked six furlongs in 1:10 4/5 Tuesday morning, Oct. 20, at Santa Anita Park.
Grand performances were the norm on British Champions Day at Ascot, controversy ruled after the Caulfield Cup in Australia and the last two Grade 1's on the 2015 Canadian calendar were run at Woodbine.
Pat Smullen scythed through the field to become the winningmost jockey in British Champions Day history, powering to the front on the Dermot Weld-trained Fascinating Rock and landing the feature Champion Stakes.
When an event happens only once a year and offers nearly $25-million over the course of two days, it deserves a party. That party, in keeping with the status of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, should step up from standard fare.
Many people find recreational horseback riding pleasurable and relaxing. However, many individuals are unaware that there’s a therapeutic form of horseback riding [often integrated with psychotherapy] called “equine assisted therapy.” In recent years equine therapy has garnered attention as a potential intervention for the treatment of PTSD, troubled youth, and even autism spectrum disorders.
Many people find recreational horseback riding pleasurable and relaxing. However, many individuals are unaware that there’s a therapeutic form of horseback riding [often integrated with psychotherapy] called “equine assisted therapy.” In recent years equine therapy has garnered attention as a potential intervention for the treatment of PTSD, troubled youth, and even autism spectrum disorders.
Explore your sense of Hollywood fashion by entering the Hollywood Fashion Contest on Opening Day, always one of San Diego's biggest parties. Everyone is invited to dress up in their best fashionable attire. Revert back to styles from the dazzling vintage Hollywood era or go glamourous modern diva, your favorite Hollywood Celebrity or a fabulous duo from past or present.
Most individuals on their final day of work get to take things easy. That wasn’t the case for Nugget, the beloved pony of Belterra Park’s outrider Kim Jordan. Before he was celebrated in the winner’s circle to cheers after the feature race, he proved that he still had the skills to get the job one.
There were five G1's at Cauflield in Australia on Saturday while Her Emmyency (North America) and Air Force Blue (England) scored Grade 1 victories on their continents.
Press Statement (pictured) all class in Caulfield Guineas (G1) victory
What’s in a name? In the case of Bona Venture Stable’s Louisiana-bred filly by Exchange Rate named Play Unified, there’s plenty.
Dissident has been named Australia's Horse of the Year for his four Group One wins last season.
Trained by Peter Moody until his retirement to stud this spring, Dissident was the decisive winner of the award over Brazen Beau.
It is the fifth time in six years a Moody-trained horse has won the honour with Typhoon Tracy winning in 2010 and Black Caviar taking the title three times.
What’s in a name? In the case of Bona Venture Stable’s Louisiana-bred filly by Exchange Rate named Play Unified, there’s plenty.
Fashionistas take note, the Down Royal’s Best Dressed crown is up for grabs this month.
Victoria Square will make sure style is a cert with fashionistas from across Ireland jockeying for position to be named Best Dressed at the Northern Ireland Festival of Racing.
Asheville resident Matthew Estridge was diagnosed with PTSD after his first Army deployment and began receiving treatment while still in the service.
After a series of three straight second-place finishes at different distances and surfaces Takemetohollywood starred in a winning role at Belterra Park on Sunday.
The rare pure white Thoroughbred rated just off the pace in a one mile race and ran down the pacesetter Spaced Out late to win by ½ length.
The historic Prix d'l Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp was won in impressive fashion by Golden Horn while in North America a slew of Grade 1 contests at Keeneland, Belmont Park and Santa Anita helped shape the fields for the upcoming Breeders' Cup weekend.
Anthony Oppenheimer's 3-year-old colt Golden Horn, racing just behind the pacemaker, took off when asked in the stretch to comfortably win the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Fr-I) at Longchamp Oct. 4.Watch Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
The following Blood-Horse MarketWatch interview was conducted with international bloodstock agent Emmanuel de Seroux, who brokered the deal for Don Alberto Corp. and Gainesway to purchase Empire Maker from the Japan Bloodstock Breeders' Association.
It hosts one of the most glamorous days on the sporting calendar, but Paris' Longchamp racecourse has long been in need of a makeover.
On Sunday in Paris, the 5-year-old mare Treve (pictured) will run in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Europe’s most prestigious and difficult prize.
Four weeks later, on the last Saturday of the month, the 5-year-old mare Beholder will take on a similar challenge when she meets American Pharoah and company in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, North America’s richest Thoroughbred event.
On a 94-degree day this July, a heist appeared to happen in broad daylight on West 52nd Street.
One by one, 36 colorful iron lawn jockeys were yanked from their spots outside the iconic ‘21’ Club, where they guarded the doors to the dining room of the city’s cultural, political and business elite.
Runners prepped for Breeders' Cup weekend in eight Grade 1 races across North America on the first 'Super Saturday', while fans flocked to Taylor Made Farm for 'Califonria Chrome days'.
On October 3, 2015 at 9:00pm
a free nighttime community photographic project
celebrating three decades of Light Painting will occur at historic Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.Racing is in a unique position as a global sport, with some of our best ambassadors – the horses themselves – constantly appearing in all sorts of different countries and regions all over the world. The second came after the perplexing and disappointing decision to reinstate Simple Verse as winner of the St Leger, throwing out the original correct call to award the race to Bondi Beach – as we had written last week.
California Chrome Fan Day at Kentucky's Taylor Made Farms will give fans a chance to shake hands – and hooves – with the famous stable team and the racehorse. From Nashville, the event is only a few hours away.
Champion mare Black Caviar has delivered a colt to Golden Slipper-winning stallion Sebring overnight.
The final day of live racing at Kentucky Downs supported a worthy cause and added a variety of fair-like events and attractions to an exceptional closing-day card, which was highlighted by four stakes.
Though he was retired from racing at the end of 2013, Orfevre once again beat the competition earlier this week when he clinched a spot in the JRA Racing Hall of Fame. Though the two never met on the racetrack, the 2011 Triple Crown champion topped his main opposition, the champion sprinter Lord Kanaloa.
Jockeys, trainers and staff at the Fort Erie Race Track have a lot to smile about with a record-breaking season.The racetrack has broken the $1 million wager barrier six times in one season, with the latest $1-million day this week. 
TORONTO, September 7 - Wise Dan, who earned U.S. Horse of the Year honours in 2012 and 2013, has been retired from racing.The Morton Fink homebred, trained by Charles LoPresti, had been slated to make his return from an ankle injury in the Grade 1 $1-million Ricoh Woodbine Mile set for Sunday, September 13, at Woodbine.
(CNN) —She's got a winning smile and is hotly tipped to hold the whip hand over her male colleagues in the not too distant future.
LOUISVILLE, Ky -- Churchill Downs Racetrack, one of the world's most recognized sports venues and home of the Kentucky Derby, has announced an extensive $18 million capital project to modernize the Turf Club and several other premium areas.
Triple Crown champion American Pharoah will parade for Del Mar racing fans between races Sunday, the next-to-last day of the track’s 40-day summer meeting. The handsome, bay 3-year-old, a winner of eight of 10 starts and
Before the running of the $1.6 million Travers Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga Race Course, trainer Dale Romans thanked the New York Racing Association for capping attendance at 50,000 people—so more, he said, would not be there to boo Keen Ice after the Curlin colt took down Triple Crown champion American Pharoah.
TORONTO, August 28 - Morton Fink's homebred Wise Dan headlines a list of 31 horses nominated to the Grade 1 $1-million Ricoh Woodbine Mile, to be held Sunday, September 13, at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto.
If you blinked, you might have missed it. American Pharoah was on the Saratoga Race Course main track for all of five minutes for an easy gallop Aug. 27. It was the Triple Crown winner's first time on the track, following his arrival one day earlier.
Triple Crown winner American Pharoah stepped off the van at Saratoga Race Course at precisely 3 p.m. ET Aug. 26 for his next assignment, the $1.6 million Travers Stakes (gr. I) coming up Aug. 29 at the upstate New York oval.
Nearly four years after plans for a new grandstand were first unveiled, France Galop’s administrative council has finally given the go-ahead for the rebuilding of Longchamp.But the project will come at a cost, both financially and to the trad
The Seven Network – a key business of Seven West Media, one of Australia’s leading integrated media and content creation companies – and Racing Victoria today confirmed plans for the launch of Racing.com, a new free to air television channel devoted daily to Victorian thoroughbred racing.
EUGENE, Ore. – A local nonprofit called RideAble celebrated its 20th anniversary Sunday not with cake, but with horses.Many people at the event said the horses at RideAble have changed people’s lives.
LOUISVILLE, KY (August 24, 2015) – Churchill Downs Racetrack (CDRT) today announced a partnership with Ticketmaster to make purchasing Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks tickets online easy and reliable for fans across the country.
For 30 years, the Comox Valley Therapeutic Riding Society has addressed needs of physically, mentally and emotionally challenged residents of our community.
The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today announced that 2015 Triple Crown champion American Pharoah will compete in front of a sold-out paid crowd of 50,000 fans during the 146th running of the Grade 1 Travers on Saturday, August 29 at Saratoga Race Course. Contingent upon the champion colt starting in the Mid-Summer Derby, NYRA will raise the total purse for the Travers to $1.6 million from $1.25 million.
The Del Mar crowd let out a hopeful roar when Beholder blew by her male companions in the final turn of the $1 million TVG Pacific Classic (gr.I), but even the most hopeful in attendance could not have imagined what was coming next. Watch Video
The Jockey Club today announced the election of four new members: W. B. Rogers Beaseley, John Magnier, Rosendo (Ro) Parra, and Thomas S. Robbins. Beasley has served as Keeneland director of racing since 2001 and was the track’s sales director for 19 years prior to his current post.Danish Dynaformer shook off pacesetter Samuel Dechamplain into the stretch and romped away to an open-lengths victory in the $500,000 Breeders' Stakes, the third jewel in Canada's Triple Crown, Aug. 16 at Woodbine.
With Patrick Husbands in the irons, Charles Fipke's homebred son of Dynaformer tracked the front-runner from several lengths back second, moved to challenge at the quarter pole, and sealed a runaway 7 3/4-length victory in the matter of few powerful strides.
Conquest Boogaloo was second rallying from last in the nine-horse field, and Lucky Lindy was third.
The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has today published the Fixture List for 2016, with a total of 1,482 fixtures programmed.
The headline elements of the Fixture List are:
The World All-Star Jockeys is an international event launched by the Japan Racing Association. Formerly called the World Super Jockeys Series since its establishment in 1987, it has welcomed more than 200 top-caliber jockeys from Europe, North America, Oceania and Asia and held on the last weekend of November or else first of December at either Tokyo or Hanshin Racecourse.
Victor Espinoza, who guided American Pharoah through his Triple Crown triumph this spring, has been named the 2015 recipient of the Laffit Pincay, Jr. Award. Espinoza will receive the award and its trophy from Pincay this Aug. 16 at Del Mar in a winner's circle ceremony between races. The Pincay Award, given annually by the Hall of Fame rider since 2004 to those who have served the sport "with integrity, extraordinary dedication, determination, and distinction," originated at the now-closed Hollywood Park, but shifted to Del Mar in 2014.
The Jockey Club’s Board of Stewards voted Saturday to change certain provisions of the Principal Rules and Requirements of the American Stud Book and, as a result, microchips will become a requirement for registration for foals of 2017 and later.
Emma-Jayne Wilson is one of the best female jockeys in the world, and it's probably the case that she gets some of the best rides available in her native Canada because she does not regard gender as any kind of issue in the sport of horse racing. The 33-year-old has flown into England for another tilt at the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup.The New York State Gaming Commission will host a day-long summit focused on the issue of retired racehorses – both Thoroughbred and Standardbred – on Tuesday, September 1, 2015 at 10 a.m. at the Fasig-Tipton Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion in Saratoga Springs.
This event is designed to focus attention on the issue of racehorse retirement and publicize the current status of New York and national initiatives – including those ongoing and those developed since the New York Task Force on Retired Racehorses issued recommendations in
Charlie LoPresti liked what he saw in a five-furlong workout by Wise Dan Sunday, Aug. 2 on the Keeneland main track and the Kentucky-based trainer is pointing the two-time Horse of the Year toward an early September return.LoPresti is considering the Bernard Baruch Handicap (gr. IIT) Sept. 7 at 1 1/16 miles on the turf at Saratoga Race Course and the Ricoh Woodbine Mile (Can-I) Sept.
Canada’s Emma-Jayne Wilson will captain “The Girls” team at this year’s Shergar Cup for the second year in a row.
At stake for the winning team is the magnificent Shergar Cup, which depicts the mighty 1981 Derby and King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner. It was graciously provided by His Highness The Aga Khan, who owned Shergar.
Continuing his recovery from a hip fracture at Pegasus Equine Rehabilitation and Training Center in Redmond, Wash., Shared Belief still doesn't have a timetable for a return to racing, according to part owner and bloodstock agent Jason Litt.
American Pharoah's dominating victory in the William Hill Haskell Invitational Stakes paced Monmouth Park in New Jersey to a record-breaking day.The biggest crowd in Monmouth history, an announced 60,983, and a world-wide television audience installed American Pharoah as the 1-10 favorite
Triple Crown champion American Pharoah is set to contest the 1 1/18 mile Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Oark in New Jersey today. Joining a field of 7 others, Pharoah will race from post 4 for a purse of $1.75m. Horse racing fans can watch the race on TV through NBC Sports and the race will be live streamed via NBCSports.com beginning at 5 pm ET.
Triple Crown winner American Pharoah received star treatment as he arrived to prepare for the $1.75 million Haskell Invitational on Sunday at Monmouth Park.After landing at Atlantic City airport, racing’s biggest attraction was led off the plane, then escorted by New Jersey State troopers for the final leg of the journey.At Racing Future we are interested in new and innovative ways to make horse racing more accessible, and handicapping is a huge part of the game that has not seen much improvement over the years. Handicapping is what a bettor does before a race when trying to pick a winner.
FORT ERIE, July 28 – Breaking Lucky came from last to spring a 13-1 upset in the 80th edition of the $500,000 Prince of Wales Stakes, second jewel of Canada’s Triple Crown of Racing, Tuesday at Fort Erie.
(Via the Twinspires blog): The top three finishers from the July 5 Queen's Plate will have a rematch in Tuesday's C$500,000 Prince of Wales at Fort Erie.
Industry fans and advocates have been waiting 37 years to prove an axiom loosely applied in the world of fantasy: That a Triple Crown winner will have a major impact on the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing. Sunday at Monmouth, here’s your chance.
Daisy was found wandering the streets of Chessington, in Surrey. Gwen and Phyllis were both abandoned while pregnant on nearby Send Common. Ocean is frightened of women. Ernie had bitten a man’s face and was full of anger. ''I shouldn’t have a favourite,’’ says actress Jenny Seagrove, pointing out some of the 24 horses grazing in the shelter of the surrounding Surrey Hills.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) has celebrated its 130th anniversary with a record-breaking year for wagering turnover and the club’s understanding of its customer is the key to its success. Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, chief executive of the HKJC, believes that things could not have been scripted better.
A row of modern town houses and a Home Depot looms in the distance, but things on the adjacent 400-acre parcel of land that is Adena Springs North in Aurora, Ont., could not be more pastoral. Behind the iron gates marked with an “A” is one of Canada’s top thoroughbred breeding and racing operations, that has produced some of Canada’s best racehorses, most recently, this year’s Queen’s Plate winner, Shaman Ghost.
The idea that animals possess healing powers has been present in human lore since our hunter-gatherer days, but the first documented use of animals for therapeutic purposes wasn’t until 18th century England.
The Racing Post is reporting that Ryan Moore is facing the prospect of writing off the rest of the year as he recovers from a neck injury sustained in the stalls at Newmarket this month.
What do you do after you’ve really done it all—which, in American Pharoah’s case, means being the first horse in 37 years to win the Triple Crown?
Charlie Smith and his wife, Terry Propps, are a team. Propps makes the breeding decisions and Smith does the training.
“Just a little family operation,” Smith said.
They’re from a little town in Texas called Annetta, but their horse is from right here in Minnesota.
DEL MAR, Calif. (July 19, 2015) – California-bred Horse of the Year California Chrome will race as a 5-year-old and be returned to the California barn of Art Sherman, the trainer said Sunday on Roger Stein’s radio show.
Richard Hughes, champion jockey in Britain for the last three years and one of the sport’s most successful riders for two decades, is to unexpectedly retire at the end of Glorious Goodwood in 15 days' time.
Even for a miniature horse, Itty Bitty Hope is pretty small. Her height at birth -- just 14 inches -- was tied with the record of the smallest horse on record, according to her owners.WASHINGTON, July 16, 2015 –The Coalition for Horse Racing Integrity announced today its support of the Thoroughbred Horseracing Integrity Act of 2015, a new bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congressmen Andy Barr (R-Ky.) and Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.).
Hallandale Beach, FL – A Lasix-free race proved so popular at the entry box Wednesday that the over-subscribed field of 2-year-old fillies was split into two races for Saturday’s program at Gulfstream Park.
July 15, 2015 -- The Racecourse Association has today announced a significant increase in British racing's attendances in the first six months of 2015. The overall figure of 2,987,103 is higher even than the amount reached over the same period in 2011, the record year for attendances in British racing.
![Equine Therapy offers new definition of "Horse Power"](/sites/default/files/resize/Horses%20human%20health%203-240x160.jpg "Equine Therapy offers new definition of "Horse Power"")
When Helen Sorensen hears the phrase "horse power", she thinks of mental health, not fast cars.Equine ability is being harnessed (sometimes literally) at Equine Alliance, Mrs Sorensen's Palmwoods farm, to provide a unique therapy helping people of all ages
Dettori, 44, has been back at the top of his game this year, picking up the ride on the unbeaten Golden Horn to win the Investec Derby and following up in the Coral-Eclipse.
Hong Kong’s 2014/2015 racing season ended on July 12th in a a celebratory atmosphere before more than 42,000 racing fans, which represented an 8.9% increase on the same day last year.Racing To Win celebrates the best moments of the Hong Kong racing season with a special video montage.
Interviewed by HRRN's Mike Pena, Trainer Charlie LoPresti talks about Wise Dan's recovery and potential plans for the 2015 season.
With the momentum building toward Triple Crown winner American Pharoah’s run in the $1 million William Hill Haskell Invitational on August 2nd, Monmouth Park Racetrack is continuing its plans for a “Pharoah Phan Phestival” – three days of events and activities
THE calming power of horses is being used to bring peace and new hope to former servicemen’s lives.
Charity Salute is teaming up with Barden Lane Stables in Burnley to help armed forces veterans cope with their rehabilitation after the traumas of spending time in the world’s war zones.
Folks at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club could see where their sport was headed, and it wasn’t the winner’s circle.
Kentucky Downs recorded $8,425,830 in pari-mutuel handle on historical horse racing from June 29 to July 5, to set an all-time weekly record, besting the old mark of $8,332,610, set Feb. 24 to March 2, 2014. The record business levels followed Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) approval of 10 new wagers from the Encore system at its meeting on June 29.
Total attendances at Jockey Club Racecourses, the UK's leading racecourse group, have risen by 19% in the first six months of 2015, according to new figures published today.
Fort Erie Race Track is starting to see year-to-year growth and . . . just one month into its 2015 season, the 118-year-old race track is seeing yet another spike in attendance and business.
On July 5th 2015, Frank Stronach won his third Queen’s Plate with Shaman Ghost, ridden by Rafael Hernandez and trained by Brian Lynch. Here’s Bev Smith’s story on the event, the winner and his connections.
At the midpoint of 2015, an exciting competition is underway for the title of LONGINES WORLD’S BEST JOCKEY. Leading the standings are Victor Espinoza and James McDonald, but several other riders are not far behind with plenty of racing yet to take place.
UPDATE: Congratulations to Adena Springs, Trainer Brian Lynch, and jockey Rafael Hernandez on winning the 156th Queen's Plate with Shaman Ghost! 
Some might consider activities involving horses as being only for those with strong arms and legs. After all, these animals are large and the movies suggest that a John Wayne or Clint Eastwood type is required to control them.Ahmed Zayat, the owner of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, has confirmed that his 3-year-old colt will run next in the $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on Aug. 2.
SACRAMENTO, CA – California is introducing the strictest regulation in the country governing the use of riding crops in horse racing. Enforcement of the new rule begins Wednesday, July 1.
After three weeks off following his Triple Crown sweep, Zayat Stables' American Pharoah returned to work June 29 with a three-furlong drill in :36 2/5, according to clockers at Santa Anita Park.
"Worked like the champ he is," Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert said in a text message. "Cruised three-eighths."
Santa Anita’s Park’s 39-day Spring Meeting, which began on April 24, ended on Sunday with the track showing gains in both on-track attendance and overall pari-mutuel handle. Combined with its 68-day Winter Meet that ran from Dec. 26 through April 19, on-track attendance was up seven percent, overall mutuel handle was up three percent and total handle exceeded $1 billion for the second year in a row.
Those of us fortunate enough to have horses in our lives know that these majestic animals can have a profound and lasting impact on us as people and especially on our health.
If anyone has any doubt about horse racing being a sport, listen to this video from our Racing Future vault.
This week on Twitter. Andy Benoit, an NFL analyst for Sports Illustrated questioned whether NASCAR is truly a sport. After receiving a variety of responses, he went on to say
At Racing Future we certainly do not agree with this comment and will follow up shortly with a more indepth response. In the meantime, you can read the dozens of tweets he received after that including
Outlining the success of the 2015 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival presented by DraftKings as well as the New York Racing Association's continued investment within the backstretch areas of Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course, Chief Executive Officer and President Christopher Kay delivered a far-reaching, comprehensive report at this afternoon's Reorganization Board of Directors meeting. The meeting was open to the public and streamed live on NYRA.com.
The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) today publishes details of a new Horseracing Bettors Forum, which will allow people who bet on British Racing to provide the BHA with constructive suggestions about how the sport can develop and change, for the benefit of the betting public.
The New York Racing Association is proud to serve as the steward of Saratoga Race Course, which, by all arguable metrics, is far more robust and sound today than at any time in recent memory. This proposition is not based on opinion, but is rooted in fact.
Consider the following numbers which are derived from a recent independent economic impact study commissioned by the Saratoga County Industrial Development Agency:
Be in the best seat in the house as jockey Frankie Dettori rides Undrafted, owned by NFL player Wes Welker, to victory in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Currently a free agent after playing for the Denver Broncos, Welker named his horse after the results of the 2004 NFL draft when he was not selected.
The helmet cam footage has a special ending: a Group 1 flying Frankie dismount!
Jockey Ryan Moore rode a record ninth winner of this year's Royal Ascot meeting on Friday on board Aloft in the Queen's Vase.
The Aidan O'Brien-trained 3-year-old was the 5-2 favorite and beat Tommy Docc by half a length.
I stood in the apron for the 79th running of the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie with my daughter. The sky was overcast and Ellie huddled close to me as we watched her favourite horse, Coltimus Prime, win the race in a very definite finish. It was exciting – we were jumping up and down as he crossed the finish line.
Against the backdrop of the Tygerberg Hills and fields of ripening vines and flowering plumbago, a chestnut mare and a Basotho mountain pony are being chased around a hay- covered paddock by a gleeful, shrieking horde of novice African cowboys.
Free Eagle wins the 2015 Prince of Wales Stakes at Royal Ascot despite great go by The Grey Gatsby.
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Horses and Human Health
Here's a story from England showing how horses can have a great impact on human health!
Coolmore and partners' dual Guineas winner Gleneagles unleashed a rousing burst of acceleration past rivals and won the St. James's Palace Stakes (Eng-I) June 16, opening day at Royal Ascot.As several international equine stars, including 2014 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner California Chrome, gear up for Royal Ascot, jockey John Reid takes us through the Prince of Wales Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Every week, GLAMOUR UK is interviewing an awesome woman in sport, as part of our Say No To Sexism In Sport campaign. Today, it's award-winning jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson. She has over 1,200 victories to her name - and was part of the first all-female team to take part in an international jockey's competition at Ascot.
Jockey Victor Espinoza plans to donate 100% of his earnings for the week beginning Aug. 10 at the Del Mar race meet to the California Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Foundation, to be used exclusively to assist Southern California racetrack grooms.
Alzheimer’s and Healing Horses
The breathtaking majesty of equine power and grace has given horses a storied place in the lives and legends of human beings. Now, a new study from Ohio State University has found that horses can also have a near-magical effect on people with Alzheimer’s disease.
Triple Crown winner American Pharoah
American Pharoah will be paraded during the June 13 "Downs After Dark" program at Churchill Downs.
Ogden Mills (Dinny) Phipps, who has served as the chairman of The Jockey Club for the past 32 years, announced today that he will resign his chairmanship, effective Saturday, August 8, 2015. The Jockey Club’s board of stewards will meet on that day, following the annual meeting of the membership.
Frankie Dettori says California Chrome will be a “great asset” for Royal Ascot having ridden the colt in a Racecourse gallop here on Thursday.
Crowned American Horse of the Year in 2014 after winning the Kentucky Derby and Group One Preakness Stakes – two thirds of the so-called American Triple Crown, Chrome is no stranger to the big occasion.
The New York Racing Association notes on Facebook that favoured American Pharoah drew the #5 post, which is the same spot #TripleCrown winners Omaha and Seattle Slew started from. What's your take? Do you think American Pharoah will be the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years?
The sun was certainly shining on Fort Erie Race Track for its 118th season opener on Tuesday, June 2nd. Perfect weather, great racing, strong support from racing fans and hard work by staff and horsepeople all combined to make this season’s opening day one for the record books.
Zayat Stables' Triple Crown hopeful American Pharoah completed his final pre-race work June 1 at Churchill Downs, breezing five furlongs in 1:00 1/5 under jockey Martin Garcia.
Having spent the last 15 years around horses and people who care for them, it is easy to see the high therapeutic value horses have.
Veterinary researchers at the University of California, Davis, are teaming up with their colleagues in human medicine to investigate a troubling disorder in newborn horses and are exploring possible connections to childhood autism. The common link, the researchers suggest, may be abnormal levels of naturally occurring neurosteroids.
In response to a request from the New York State Gaming Commission, the New York Racing Fan Advisory Council today issued recommendations to increase transparency and reform Steward practices to further underscore the integrity of New York’s world-class horse racing.
Qatar’s royal family is poised to announce details of what is claimed to be the biggest sponsorship deal so far for British horseracing.By Martha Beck
A cool coastal-California breeze settles in around us as Koelle Simpson and I, sitting side by side on an observation deck, gaze into a round pen below. Inside the pen, a woman named Avery* stands nervously beside a half-ton chocolate-colored horse named Ernie. She eyes him warily. Ernie eyes her back. Then Koelle gives Avery the deceptively casual, heavily loaded instruction, "Do whatever you want."
Triple Crown hopeful American Pharoah went out for his first gallop since winning the Preakness, covering 1 3/16 miles at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., on Friday.
Exercise rider Jorge Alvarez said the 3-year-old colt "didn’t seem like he was tired or anything" as he went about a mile.
Mike de Kock has secured the services of promising 23-year-old jockey Irad Oritz, jr. for Mubtaahij in the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park, New York, on June 6.
Originally from Trujillo Alto in Puerto Rico, Ortiz is a graduate of that country’s Escuela Vocacional Hípica, a school for prospective jockeys. His grandfather, also named Irad Ortiz, was a jockey, and so is his uncle, Ivan Ortiz.
By Tim Hayes, author of Riding Home: The Power of Horses To HealLEXINGTON, Ky. (Tuesday, May 19, 2015) – With a June 2 deadline looming, only 14 days away, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) is urging individuals to submit a comment to the U.S. Treasury Department in support of modernization of regulations relating to player withholding and reporting.
Coming up with a clever name for a thoroughbred can be a challenge — and not just creatively.The sharing of new foal photos online every winter signals that we are heading into another naming season. While Thoroughbred birthdays are easy -- January 1st is the standard birthday for all racehorses born in the Northern Hemisphere -- coming up with a meaningful name for each foal can prove challenging as my great friend, award-winning cinematographer Mike Boland outlines so well in the piece below.
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MIGHTY QUINN: A Name is a Name - or is it?
By Mike Boland
Eight years ago, after a car accident during a spring break trip while in college, doctors told Terri Pruitt's mother to prepare for the worst.
"When it all first happened," Karen Evans said, "they told me she wasn't going to live. There was nothing I could do. I needed to make preparations."
The jockey Gary Stevens was trying to find the right words — and wondering if words would do — to describe the experience of riding Firing Line as he dueled American Pharoah down the stretch in the Kentucky Derby.
Helen "Penny" Chenery is one of the most beloved figures in the storied history of U.S. Thoroughbred racing. With her father, Christopher Chenery, ailing, and her siblings interested in selling his Meadow Stable, Penny Chenery was determined to revive the operation as long as her father was alive. The Maryland Jockey Club announced today that Sagamore Racing will be the named sponsor of the $300,000 Pimlico Special Friday, May 15.
The Sagamore Racing Pimlico Special, contested May 15 for the 45th time, is for 3-year-olds and up at 1 3/16 miles. The race has a rich history of attracting some of Thoroughbred racing's biggest names, including Seabiscuit, Cigar, War Admiral, Invasor, Real Quiet, Skip Away, Criminal Type, Assault and Mineshaft.
The City of Toronto is looking for public input before making a decision on expanding gaming at Woodbine Racetrack. What do you want City Council to consider?
Public Meeting: Monday May 11, 2015
Please plan on attending our open house to learn more and speak about this issue. Displays, presentations and staff will provide information about the Woodbine Racetrack location, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation's (OLG) process for potential gaming sites, and this consultation. Staff will be on hand to answer your questions and record public remarks.
With the 2015 season opener at Fort Erie Race Track just around the corner, the Management team is proud to welcome a new voice to the 118 year old Border Oval. Shannon “Sugar” Doyle will assume the role of track announcer on Tuesday, June 2nd.
Mobile data came out of the gates running this year at the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby, setting a new peak-hour mobile data usage record at a sports venue.
From Opening Night to the thrill of the final 2-minute horse race, our customers were there to share all the Derby action with their friends and family. To make sure our customers had great coverage and could share their Derby hat selfies at Churchill Downs, we worked with Mobilitie to increase capacity to the Distributed Antenna System (DAS).
U.A.E. Derby (UAE-II) winner Mubtaahij, who was eighth in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) in his U.S. debut, will remain in the United States to aim for the Belmont Stakes (gr.
May 4, 2015 (Washington, PA) – The Maryland Jockey Club’s Pimlico Race Course and leading online wagering provider, Xpressbet, are excited to announce that Xpressbet will serve as the title spons
It was ideal weather for the 141st running of the $2 million Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands as a record 170,513 fans, the highest attendance in Derby history, watched American Pharoah take home the garland of roses in the final stretch. Prior attendance record of 165,307 was set in 2012 when I’ll Have Another won the 138th Kentucky Derby.
![Great photo from Twitter by Jose Paye of Jockey "Boo Boo" Clark after riding Lovely Maria to victory in the 2015 Kentucky Oaks](/sites/default/files/resize/Boo%20Boo%20Clark%20after%20riding%20Lovely%20Maria%20to%20win%202015%20Oaks-640x512.jpg "Great photo from Twitter by Jose Paye of Jockey "Boo Boo" Clark after riding Lovely</body></html>")
Ocho Ocho Ocho (Post position 1, morning line 50-1) – Jim Cassidy (trainer) – “It is what it is. It’s a tough spot but what are you going to do? My plan, to be honest with you, is still to take hold and sit in the second flight. I’ve got to think Carpe Diem and a couple of those others are going to go but I don’t want to go with them, or sit behind. That’s what I’m going to talk to Elvis [Trujillo] about.”
Through various sources, the Churchill Downs communications team has confirmed that 22 horses are known to have been entered in Saturday’s $2 million Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands.
If, as Dr Michele Travers says, "a veterinarian's best friend is an x-ray machine," Itzhoweeroll's best friends are the passionate and tech-savvy Ontario veterinarians in this video who, along with his original owners, help "Roller" move on from horse racing.
A great video to post in the lead up to the Triple Crown, showing just how well-designed horses are for galloping.
388 entries representing 10 countries have been received for the eight Group One races to be staged at Royal Ascot this year headlined by “America’s Horse,” California Chrome (Art Sherman) and the world’s best miler, Hong Kong’s Able Friend (John Moore). 
The Jockey Club today announced its annual results, which reveal that the largest commercial group in British horseracing grew its business to record leve
The new experience of shipping Gr1 Kentucky Derby contender Mubtaahij from Dubai to Kentucky has required improvising from trainer Mike de Kock—but when it comes to racing without raceday medication, the respected South African-based conditioner will not change the Dubawi colt’s routine.
Gary Barber's Lexie Lou was named Canada's 2014 Horse of the Year the evening of April 10 during Sovereign Award presentations at Woodbine near Toronto.
Aintree kicks off today with bookies expecting horse racing fans to splash out £200million in a huge betting bonanza on the nation’s favourite event.
More than 150,000 racegoers are expected to descend on Liverpool’s iconic course for the three day meet, kicking off with Grand Opening Day today.
In early March, 2013, after only 15 days in the Legislature, Premier Kathleen Wynne announced a new way forward for Ontario horse racing that included transitional funding and the committment to integrate horse racing into the provincial gaming strategy.
April 4th 2015 . . .Over the last few days, many elected officials and lobbyists have approached Racing Future for information about the sport of horse racing in Ontario. Consequently, we are re-posting the components of our advocacy, which began in 2012 during the closure of the Slots at Racetrack Program. We invite those legislators and lobbyists who are interested in backgrounders to read through these materials; we welcome all questions, comments, and ideas.
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In Canada, E.P. Taylor is known for his marketing and business acumen as well as his retailing genius which helped him create Argus Corporation, one of Canada’s largest conglomerates. In its day, Argus included, amongst many other entities, Canadian Breweries Limited (now part of Molson Coors), Standard Broadcasting (a current owner of Sirius Radio), and Dominion Stores (one of Canada’s largest national grocery chains, now part of Metro). That Mr.
FLORENCE, Ariz. - They are a symbol of the American West; wild horses, mustangs that roam over public lands in states like California, Nevada, and here in Arizona.
Those mustangs are rounded up several times a year because of swelling populations; now some of them are being put to work to patrol our country's borders.
The horses are broken by cowboys, but not the cowboys you might expect. They are inmates at the Department of Corrections prison in Florence.
GEORGETOWN, KY - MARCH 31, 2015 -- On April 1, the final hat in the six-month online charity auction "Hats off to the Horses: The Road to the Derby" will go the block, generating funds for Old Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement Facility in Georgetown, KY.
With a huge crowd at Meydan cheering and jubilantly throwing their racing programmes in the air, Godolphin’s Prince Bishop (IRE) unleashed the run of his eight-year-old life to defeat American challengers California Chrome (USA) and Lea (USA) in the 20th anniversary renewal of the Dubai World Cup sponsored by Emirates.
[On March 23rd] the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission approved a regulation that would permit the state's racetracks to card races that would prohibit the administration of furosemide, also known as Salix or Lasix, within 24 hours of post time. The vote was 8-4.
Horse of the Year California Chrome and 2014 Dubai World Cup (UAE-I) winner African Story headline the list of probable runners for this year's $10 million Dubai World Cup March 28 at Meydan.
The Dubai Racing Club March 18 announced prospective fields for all eight Thoroughbred races on the $30 million card.
[Australia's] Gai Waterhouse equalled the record of her late father Tommy Smith as Vancouver (Tommy Berry) led home stablemate English in the world's richest juvenile race.
LAUREL, MD– The Maryland Jockey Club announced today that approximately $7 million in improvements at Laurel Park – including new barns for 300 horses and a new washroom – could be completed within the next month.
Despite record low temperatures during the months of February and March, one of two 300-stall barns should be completed by the first week of April, according to Maryland Jockey Club General Manager Sal Sinatra.
"The true story of excellence is not a story of distinction over others, but a story of self improvement." -- Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
The official Championships for Flat jockeys and owners will run over the core premier Flat Racing period in 2015, starting at Newmarket's QIPCO Guineas Festival (Saturday 2 May) and concluding at Ascot on QIPCO British Champions Day (Saturday 17 October).
Isaiah Forte, 9, flashes a brilliant smile from the horse he’s riding. Diagnosed at 2 with autism, Forte for years had difficulty communicating and connecting with others.
ATLANTA, Ga. (March 13, 2015) – The Georgia Horse Racing Coalition ran out of time to bring SR 135, a Senate Resolution to allow for a constitutional amendment to allow Georgians to vote on the legalization of horse racing with pari-mutuel wagering and bring one of America’s oldest sports to Georgia.
Needing to secure just two more Senate votes to win the 38 votes required for a two-thirds majority in the Senate, time ran out to bring the resolution to the Senate floor by the March 13th crossover date.
How is this even possible?
It’s available through what is called a pick 6 wager and a “carryover” pool.
Arcadia, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - If ever there was a lock to win a horse race then Shared Belief was that horse in Saturday's $1 million Santa Anita Handicap.
Shared Belief, trained and co-owned by Jerry Hollendorfer, went off as the 3-10 favorite versus 12 rivals with Moreno a distant 9-1 second choice. The 4- year-old gelding, ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, further established himself as the best thoroughbred in training with a convincing victory in the 1 1/4-mile Big 'Cap.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y., March 6, 2015 - The annual summer meet at Saratoga Race Course generates $237 million in economic activity and nearly 2,600 jobs across the greater Capital Region, according to the findings of a study released today by the Saratoga County Industrial Development Agency (IDA).
The International Federation of Horseracing Authorities has published its annual top 100 Group 1 and Grade 1 races. The ranked list is compiled using the annual race ratings, an average of the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings ratings of the first four placed horses in each of the past three years. The top 100 Group 1 and Grade 1 races also serve as the base of an annual competition to recognize top jockeys throughout the world. The jockey who outperforms his or her peers in these races is honored with the Longines World’s Best Jockey Award.
A regulation on social media conduct for those involved in Australia's racing industry has been added to the Australian Rules of Racing, effective March 1. University of Arizona surgery professor, Dr Allan Hamilton is a talented horse trainer who owns the Rancho Bosque Equine Center. Realizing the important role non-verbal communication plays when training and interacting with horses, Hamilton developed the world's first program for medical students and professionals using equine-facilitated resources to improve their bedside manner for human patients.
The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) announced today that The Jockey Club Information Systems Inc. has purchased a majority ownership interest in Blood-Horse magazine. The purchase also includes related digital and custom printing properties of Blood-Horse, the Stallion Register, and Blood-Horse’s 50% interest in TrueNicks LLC.
The announcement was made jointly by Ogden Mills Phipps, chairman of The Jockey Club, and Peter S. Willmott, chairman of TOBA.
Carl Bouckaert, Chairman of the Georgia Horse Coalition and owner of Chattahoochee Hills Bouckaert Farm, has made a generous donation of $5,000 to Old Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement Facility in Georgetown, KY.
The Breeders’ Cup has today released detailed ticketing information for the 2015 Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Keeneland Race Course on October 30-31. Bringing the world-class racing event to one of the most prestigious tracks in the country, Breeders’ Cup’s 2015 event will mark the first time that the World Championships will be held at Keeneland, the iconic track located in the heart of the Bluegrass region in Lexington, Ky.
A group of prominent organizations involved in Thoroughbred breeding, racing and sales in North America today issued a statement in reaction to the British Horseracing Authority’s enhanced Equine Anti-Doping Rules, which were published earlier today after an extensive period of development. The rules, which include a zero-tolerance approach to anabolic steroids, will be implemented March 2, 2015.
There are plenty of ways to earn a paycheck on horseback but few as unique as former jockey Donna Barton Brothers’ gig. As a cantering commentator, Brothers reports from Thoroughbred racing’s most prestigious events, including the Kentucky Derby, for NBC.
After an extensive review, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has published new anti-doping rules, which will be fully implemented on March 2nd 2015.
The BHA has been contacing everyone who may be effected by the new rules, both in the UK and internationally, to ensure that there is awareness across world racing. Part of this awareness programme includes a comprehensive Guide, which explains what must be done to be in compliance with the rules.
A pioneering project is currently being trialled in Newmarket which could see the development of a world leading centre providing equine therapy, using racehorses, for humans.
The two-year pilot project from town-based charity Racing Welfare aims to investigate the use of equine assisted therapy as a means of enhancing the wellbeing of people working in racing.
Click here for more Racing Future's Horses and Human Health Stories
![Prime Minister David Cameron celebrates the "massive success" of British horse racing](/sites/default/files/David%20Cameron.jpg "Prime Minister David Cameron celebrates the "massive success" of British horse racing")
Prime Minister David Cameron lauded British horseracing as "a massive success story" when he made an unexpected visit to Newmarket's gallops on Friday morning.
BALTIMORE, MD. 02/18/15---Pimlico Race Course announced today a spring schedule featuring 21 stakes races, including eight graded on Preakness Weekend May 15-16, and two unique bonuses for owners and trainers.
STAMFORD, Conn. – Feb. 17, 2015 – NBC Sports Group, the home of horse racing, will provide live radio coverage of all three Triple Crown races for the first time on NBC Sports Radio, it was announced today. NBC Sports Group in 2015 will present live, exclusive coverage of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes on NBC and NBCSN; on desktops, tablets and mobile devices through NBC Sports Live Extra, NBC Sports Group’s live-streaming product; and on NBC Sports Radio.
Growing up in Fort Erie, Ontario Mike Rogers never imagined that, after sneaking into the track to watch his first race as a 12 year old, he would build such a successful career in horseracing. Yet, his love of the sport and the horses is palpable. “If you had told me in 
university that the job I have existed I would have said you're crazy there's no such job.
Yoga, which is speculated to have originated in India, is gaining widespread popularity in the West and in the Arab world as well.
Friday, February 13th, 2015 -- The Kentucky Senate passed SB74 today, a bill that would enable a lottery game based on the results of live horse racing, by a margin of 22 – 9 today in a morning session at the State Capitol in Frankfort, Kentucky. The bill creates a new designation called a shared lottery game that builds off of KRS 154A.065 titled “Contests involving horses may be basis of a lottery.”
Great British Racing International (GBRI) has extended its efforts to bring overseas investment to the British racing and breeding industries with today’s announcement of a partnership with British Polo Day.
Legislation that would permit the Kentucky General Assembly to approve a new game linking Thoroughbred racing and the state lottery unanimously cleared a Senate committee Feb. 10.
The Senate Licensing, Occupations, and Administrative Regulations Committee passed the bill on a 9-0 vote. The legislation builds off the original law that established the Kentucky Lottery.
ATLANTA, Ga. (February 10, 2015) – Two well-respected equine veterinarians who have strong ties to the University of Georgia have been named to the board of the Georgia Horse Racing Coalition.
Brad Cummings, EquiLottery CEO and inventor of the patented lottery game with the same name, will be testifying on behalf of SB74 in Frankfort, Kentucky on Tuesday, Feb. 10. The bill, which supports a lottery game like EquiLottery based on the outcome of live horse racing, will be heard in front of the Senate Licensing, Occupations and Administrative Regulations Committee at 10 am in Room 169 of the Capitol Annex and is open to the general public.
By Tom La Marra, The Bloodhorse
The Stronach Group remains optimistic about the future of the horse racing industry in North America and will continue to push for what it believes are fundamental structural changes needed to move the business forward.
Toronto, ON— Planning for Ontario’s 2015 Thoroughbred Improvement Program (TIP) is complete, following approval of the budget by the Board of the Ontario Racing Commission. The successful 2014 TIP Program structure will be maintained in 2015 with a full season of restricted and stakes racing as well as substantial awards for breeders and stallion owners. For those racing at Fort Erie, $300,000 for overnight restricted races will be reallocated to $300,000 for a 20% purse bonus for Ontario Sired horses in open races.*
Horse racing is one of the world's oldest sports that offers a great social experience everyone can enjoy. DatingFactory.com helps horse lovers and horse racing fans connect with the introduction of the Racing Future Inc. online dating site, WinnersCircleDating.com.
Fort Erie Race Track has received approval from the Ontario Racing Commission to extend its racing season by two weeks resulting in a 40 day meet for 2015.
A miniature therapy horse named Valor is joining the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to “heal hearts and bring smiles to hurting people” who have suffered traumatic incidents, officials said.
The horse with the ideal name has become the perfect ambassador for California Thoroughbred breeding.
As the Official Partner and Watch of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities, Longines is proud to have presented the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Ceremony for the second year, following the inaugural event held in December 2013 during the gala dinner of the Longines Hong Kong International Races.
By Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, CEO, Hong Kong Jockey Club
Horse of the Year
California Chrome
Voting: California Chrome, 143; Main Sequence, 53; Bayern, 36; Shared Belief, 12; Untapable, 11; Wise Dan, 6; Adelaide (IRE), 1; Take Charge Brandi, 1. Voter Abstentions, 2.
3-year-old male
California Chrome
The Jockey Club and FOX Sports 1 today announced that The Jockey Club Tour on FOX Sports 1 will kick off its 2015 season with the $500,000 Donn Handicap from Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Fla., and the $500,000 San Antonio Stakes from Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., on Saturday, February 7, from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. EST.
Heart transplant recipient Kathy Ritvo, the first female to train a Breeders’ Cup Classic winner, will be the keynote speaker Friday morning at the ThoroFan Awards Breakfast in Gulfstream Park’s Ten Palms Restaurant.
TREE House of Greater St. Louis – formerly Therapeutic Horsemanship – provides hippotherapy (horse therapy) for patients with a variety of disabilities including veterans, autism, Down syndrome and stroke.
TREE stands for therapy, recreation, education, exploration. Located in St. Charles County south of Wentzville, the facility provides occupation, physical and speech therapy all centered around horses.
They've locked horns on the racetrack for the past year, now Hong Kong's two top jockeys, Zac Purton and Joao Moreira, will take their rivalry to another level when they compete in a sideshow at February's Longines Hong Kong Masters showjumping event.
A new campaign has been launched to bring more women into the world of competitive horse racing – and it is working. The initiative, run by the Gold Coast's prestigious Magic Millions race, provides $500,000 in extra prize money for the top four female-owned horses in the competition. Regardless of where each horse finishes in the race, the fastest four horses owned and trained by women will receive a share of the $500,000 prize.
Less than four hours after superstar California Chrome worked six furlongs in 1:11.60 at Los Alamitos on Saturday, his connections were on-hand at Santa Anita to participate in a poster signing as anticipation builds for “Chrome’s” 4-year-old debut in the Grade II, $500,000 San Antonio Stakes at Santa Anita on Feb. 7.
Over a billion people in China and millions around the world will celebrate the first day of the Chinese New Year on February 18-19, 2015, which marks the end to The Year of The Horse and the start of The Year of The Sheep.
According to the Courier-Journal, legislation was filed Thursday in the Kentucky State Senate by Sen. Julie Raque Adams (R-Louisville) that clarifies the statutory foundation for EquiLottery, a new lottery game based on the excitement of live horse racing.
Gentildonna is a double winner in the Japan Racing Association Awards for 2014. Gentildonna won both the Japan Racing Association's Horse of the Year for 2014 and Best Older Filly or Mare award. Gentildonna dominated the voting for the Horse of the Year award with 231 votes out of 285.
For a second consecutive year, Kenneth L. Ramsey & Sarah K. Ramsey topped the individual breeders list in North America in 2014 with $10,412,411 in earnings, according to statistics released today by The Jockey Club Information Systems Inc.
LEXINGTON, Ky.
LEXINGTON, Ky.
Racing Future was founded with the goal of inspiring a new generation of fans to participate in horse racing.
The Eclipse Awards will be presented at Gulfstream Park on Saturday, January 17th 2015. Finalists will be announced on HRTV on January 7th.
In the largest sponsorship deal in British racing history, Qatar has created a new 10-year partnership with Goodwood Racecourse. Starting in the 2015 season, this partnership will create the Qatar Goodwood Festival which will see over £2 million going into prize money for eight key races.The establishment of a new Racecourse Capital Development Fund of over €100 million, an increase of €5 million in prize-money next year, enhanced integrity funding and further reductions in owners’ and trainers’ administrative costs were the key features of Horse Racing Ireland’s 2015 budget, which was approved by the Board at their meeting on Thursday December 18th.
EquiLottery and AmTote are announcing a newly formed strategic relationship that will make AmTote the preferred tote provider for EquiLottery moving forward. This agreement gives lottery companies and vendors a fully ready implementer to allow seamless integration into racetrack pools essential to the EquiLottery gameplay structure.
A very shy boy spent time petting a very patient horse on Friday, and even read a book to his new friend.
It all was all part of a pet therapy program for junior high students with autism, being run at Gary Millar’s farm near Fort Saskatchewan.
While many people are likely familiar with the idea of therapy dogs or even therapy cats, it may come as a surprise that horses are also being increasingly used to help children with disabilities.
Gary Millar runs a horse therapy program for children, including those with autism, at his farm near Fort Saskatchewan.
Ever wonder which horse was the greatest of its foal crop - which horse earned the most, won the most races, or had the most stakes wins among its foal crop?
The answers to these questions, plus easy access to much more data of this type, is now available with the introduction of leaders’ lists by foal crop in the Stats Central section on equibase.com.
British jockey Ryan Moore was honoured as the inaugural recipient of the Longines World’s Best Jockey Award during a ceremony at the gala dinner of the Longines Hong Kong International Races, held 12 December 2014 at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre.
With the 40-day summer meet at historic Saratoga Race Course as its glittering centerpiece, the New York Racing Association has released its racing calendar for 2015, which calls for 251 days of live thoroughbred action at Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park, and Saratoga.
The Saratoga meet, anchored by the Grade 1 Whitney on Saturday, August 8 and the 146th edition of the Grade 1 Travers on August 29, will begin on Friday, July 24 and conclude on Labor Day, Monday, September 7, with racing conducted six days a week, Wednesday through Monday.
The UK’s golden decade of sport continued to captivate the nation in 2014, with attendances of over 67m at professional sports events, according to analysis by the Deloitte Sports Business Group.
Barrier draws are complete for the Longines Hong Kong International Races, which are set to run on Sunday, December 14th at Sha Tin Racecourse.
The 41st Global Symposium on Racing & Gaming got underway on Tuesday at the Westin La Paloma in Tucson with a full day of sessions covering a wide variety of topics.
The impact of small fields in races was the subject of the first two panel discussions and speakers detailed how a decline in foaling rates resulted in declines in horses competing at the track.
TORONTO, December 9 - Track announcer Dan Loiselle, the voice of Canadian horse racing, announced today that he will call his last race at Woodbine Racetrack on May 31, 2015, bringing a 29-year career as thoroughbred race caller to a close.
By Dave Williams, Betmix
Analyzing the data is the key to solving the puzzle
Sole Power was honoured with the coveted Horse of the Year crown at the 12th Horse Racing Ireland Awards staged at Leopardstown.
Handle during Gulfstream Park's Claiming Crown Day was up 36 percent on-track and 13.1 percent overall over last year's event.
Just over $10m was wagered on Saturday's Claiming Crown program compared to $8.8 million in 2013-2014.
Nowadays, thoroughbreds just fly.
By Katie Lamb
When the curtain comes down on the 2014 thoroughbred-racing season at Woodbine Racetrack on Sunday evening, capping off a year filled with many highs, it will be Lexie Lou who stole the show.
CHICAGO -- Though it may sound like one, this is no joke: Two miniature horses trotted into a hospital.
The New York Racing Association will conclude the year with its first operating budget surplus in 13 years, Chief Executive Officer and President Christopher Kay announced at the most recent public Board of Directors meeting in Midtown Manhattan.
Global private equity and investment advisory firm, CVC Capital Partners (CVC), has agreed to acquire a controlling stake in Sky Betting & Gaming (Sky Bet), from Sky Plc (Sky) in a transaction that values Sky Bet at £800 million. The price represents a multiple of approximately 15x EBITDA for the 12 months ended 30 June 2014, reflecting Sky Bet's record of strong growth and high cash generation.
Trainer Tom Hogan reports Gordon Lord Byron in "tip-top" shape ahead of his fourth appearance at Sha Tin on Sunday week.
In three previous visits to the track the well-travelled six-year-old has finished fourth in the Hong Kong Mile at this meeting in 2012 and 2013 and was seventh in this year's Champions Mile back in May.
Another chapter in the BHA's history has begun with the unveiling of six new directors - some of whom will be relatively unknown in the sport - who will sit on the board of British racing's governing body as it implements changes to the way the sport is run.
While the BHA described the appointments as evolution rather than revolution, they mark a fundamental shift in approach for the organisation and follow the recruitment of Ladbrokes' Nick Rust as chief executive.
As the Woodbine meet enters its final week, Steve Koch, vice president of Thoroughbred racing for Woodbine Entertainment Group, said an analysis of the main-track surface is ongoing, and a decision on a potential surface change likely won’t be made until March.
“It’s still an open case,” he said. “All avenues are under full consideration.”
Between April 2013 and March 2014, the British gambling industry generated a gross gambling yield of £6.8 billion or approximately US$10.6 billion. The greatest growth was in the remote betting market, which grew by 22%.
Beginning today, offshore gambling operators that offer their products to the UK market are required to register with Customs and Excise and will be subject to taxation.
The 4-year-old Epiphaneia, racing under the No. 4 saddle cloth, scored the biggest victory of his career and did it with a 4-length margin when he blew away one of the strongest fields in the Japan Cup ever.
Trained by Mark Casse, the talented Sligo Bay filly has notched four wins from seven sophomore starts taking the Woodbine Oaks, presented by Budweiser, and $1-million Queen's Plate on the 'Poly', while also capturing the grassy Wonder Where Stakes over Woodbine's E.P. Taylor Turf Course and, most recently, the Grade 3 Autumn Miss on the Santa Anita Turf.
Dubai Racing Channel presenter Laura King pays a visit to the Irish National Stud, home to top stallion Invincible Spirit, and finds out how they juggle breeding top horses with being one of Ireland's top visitor attractions.
At a recent Parliamentary Reception, British Horseracing unveiled a major new engagement project designed to help communities across the country. “Racing Together” will see all of the industry’s community activity brought together under one banner.
British Racing invests £6.6 million a year in community engagement activities, while members of its 22,000 strong workforce donate 6,000 hours of their time each year towards charitable activity.
Numerous equine stars from around the world are beginning to arrive in Hong Kong in advance of the Longines Hong Kong International Races on December 14th. Millions in prize money is available to be won in this series of four races all set on the turf at Sha Tin Racecourse.
A Winsloe couple is using horse therapy to help them deal with difficult issues in their lives.
DEL MAR — As California Chrome took his first strides ever on a turf course early Sunday morning at Del Mar, trainer Art Sherman noticed his colt was acting a bit strange at his introduction to grass.
“It’s only natural for him to start looking around because he’s never been on the grass before,” Sherman said as he watched California Chrome’s half-mile work that drew an estimated 500 fans.
Chairman, Mr John Messara AM and Chief Executive, Mr Peter V’landys AM on behalf of Racing NSW, today released the Strategic Plan for the NSW Thoroughbred Racing Industry for the next three years.
Chairman John Messara said the plan represents a blueprint for the reinvigoration of the NSW Racing Industry into the future.
Racing Future believes that a lottery, such as EquiLottery, offers a great way for horse racing to be integrated into the provincial gaming strategy. Many questions have been asked about this particular gaming product and how it will actually function.
As a first step, EquiLottery players will go to a regular lottery counter at a convenience store, gas station or wherever lottery products are sold, and request a quick pick ticket on the next featured horse race.
Kildare, Ireland – 20th November 2014: Irish Thoroughbred Marketing (ITM) has launched a new initiative called the “The ITM Irish Stallion Trail” which will see some of the best Irish stud farms open their doors in January for breeders and visitors to view stallions.
Two of the three foreign-based horses en route to the Nov. 30 Japan Cup (G1, 2,400 meters) at Tokyo Racecourse touched down safely in Japan earlier this week. Arriving were the 4-year-old colt Up With the Birds, Canada’s Horse of the Year for 2013 trained by Malcolm Pierce and Irish Derby champion Trading Leather, also a 4-year-old colt and based at the stable of Irish trainer James Bolger.
Thousands more visitors are to enticed to Newmarket every year via a new initiative just launched at event held at the Jockey Club Rooms.
DEL MAR — Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner California Chrome likely will race at Del Mar on Nov. 29, according to his trainer Art Sherman, in a race that could affect the outcome of Eclipse Award voting for Horse of the Year and top 3-year-old.
Iraq war veteran Matthew Drake's life changed the moment his vehicle was hit by a suicide bomber.
The outstanding three-year-old miler Kingman was named the Cartier Horse of the Year on Tuesday evening at the 24th annual Cartier Racing Awards, European horseracing’s equivalent of the Oscars. The Cartier Racing Awards were presented before an invited audience of 315 at the Dorchester Hotel, London, England
She rounds a bend, a tiny figure in a green jacket perched atop a thundering horse. Standing in her stirrups, she leans into the cold dawn. The only sounds are thudding hooves, panting horses and the low roar of jets from nearby Pearson airport.
Alone in the grandstand, Mike Luider watches the horses and riders rush past on their training runs.
“That’s Emma,” he says proudly of the jockey in green. “She’s the alpha female of the track.”
On Thursday, November 6th Wounded Warriors Canada received a $120,000 donation from Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch during a charitable presentation at the Royal Canadian Military Institute (RCMI) in Toronto, Ontario.
A Gulf War veteran has become the first former soldier in Scotland to receive horse therapy to deal with his mental trauma.
Vince Davidson, who lived in his shed for 15 years, has been given an advance trial of the treatment.
Mr Davidson, 49, from Coldstream, Berwickshire, fought with the King’s Own Scottish Borderers in Kuwait.
Meydan Racecourse ushers in a new era tomorrow (Thursday) with the opening of its newly-installed dirt track for the first meeting of the 2014-15 Meydan racing season.
A racecourse trial was held at the new track on Tuesday evening, with horses successfully galloping over 1400m and 1600m under race conditions. Following the trial, Dubai Racing Club Executive Director - Racing, Frank Gabriel said: “We were very pleased with tonight’s trials. The feedback from trainers and jockeys has been positive and we are excited about the new season.
Pegasus, the largest bronze equine statue in the world, is nearing completion at Gulfstream Park. Catie Staszak talks to project manager Gunter Czasny and chief engineer Michael Stark about the 110-foot statue and the work being done.
Click here to check out the live feed for the Pegasus site.
Racing Future is continuing to research and curate the best ideas for marketing horse racing and growing our sport's fanbase around the world. We received a lot of great feedback and ideas for re-building the sport, which you can read by clicking here. As part of this ongoing project, we have been collecting what we believe are some of the best horse racing commercials from around the world. Do you have a favourite horse racing commercial to add to our collection?
Every day, police officers put their lives on the line, but in recent years more officers are dying by suicide that at the hands of criminals. More than 30 RCMP officers have died by suicide since 2006.
That has prompted an equine therapy program in Alberta to expand to include RCMP officers suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome.
Now it is operating a similar program to help RCMP members and their spouses in hopes of intervening before it’s too late.
Japanese top weight Admire Rakti remains favourite to win today's Melbourne Cup which was reduced to 22 runners after English galloper Cavalryman was scratched this morning.
With a tremendous two-day Breeders’ Cup on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, Santa Anita’s 25-day Autumn Meet finished with a flourish on Sunday, enabling the track to post increases in pari-mutuel handle. All sources handle for the meet was up four percent, while on-track handle showed a three percent increase over last year.
1. Admire Rakti (JPN) (Tomoyuki Umeda) Z Purton
2. Cavalryman (GB) (Saeed Bin Suroor) C Williams
3. Fawkner (Robert Hickmott) N Hall
4. Red Cadeaux (GB) (Ed Dunlop) G M Mosse
5. Protectionist (GER) (Andreas Wohler) R Moore
6. Sea Moon (GB) (Robert Hickmott) T Berry (Scratched)
7. Seismos (IRE) (Marco Botti) C Newitt
8. Junoob (GB) (Chris Waller) H Bowman
9. Royal Diamond (IRE) (Johnny Murtagh) S W Arnold
10. Gatewood (GB) (John Gosden) W Buick
There’s a lot on the line for morning-line favorite Shared Belief in Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita Park.
For starters, there is the Candy Ride’s gelding’s perfect record of seven wins from seven lifetime starts, dating back to Oct. 19, 2013. If he stays unbeaten, Shared Belief is a shoo-in for 3-year-old male champion and Horse of the Year.
Then there’s the winner’s share of the Classic’s $5-million purse that would put his career earnings over $5 million.
Thn there’s the Bolton Challenge.
What … you haven’t heard of the Bolton Challenge?
STAMFORD, Conn. – October 30, 2014 - The Breeders’ Cup and the NBC Sports Group today announced an unprecedented 10-year media rights partnership extension that will keep the Breeders’ Cup on NBC and NBCSN through 2025. The agreement was announced by Craig Fravel, President and CEO, Breeders’ Cup Limited, and Jon Miller, President of Programming, NBC Sports and NBCSN.
Horseracing is now a truly international sport with horses flying all over the world to compete on different continents for big prizes. So how do you look after a primed equine athlete on a plane, and how do the horses take travelling?
Churchill Downs Racetrack plans to enhance the experience for owners that start horses in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands and the Longines Kentucky Oaks through a $4.2 million capital improvement project that includes the construction of 20 private, open-air, all-inclusive Winner’s Circle Suites in a premium location under the Twin Spires between the sixteenth pole and finish line.
Debuting $3.5 million in new technological advancements and capital improvements, opening day at Aqueduct Racetrack reflects $14 million in recent capital investment by the New York Racing Association designed to further enhance the guest experience and improve the quality of racing. First post today is at 1 p.m.
Following the historic win by Adelaide (IRE) in the G1 Sportingbet Cox Plate at Moonee Valley in Australia, Ryan Moore has climbed to the top of the LONGINES WORLD’S BEST JOCKEY Standings with 82 total points. Mr Moore is followed closely by Christophe Soumillon at 76 points and Joseph O'Brien at 72 points.
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More than 150 veterans have found health and healing by going through the Saratoga WarHorse program.
Some things are written in the stars, and as Noble Mission, trained by the late Sir Henry Cecil’s wife, Lady Cecil, battled all the way to claim the Champion Stakes at Ascot by a neck you can’t help but feel this was one of those moments.
Emulating his more famous full brother, Frankel, by winning this race, Noble Mission has cemented his place in history after an epic battle with the Roger Charlton-trained Al Kazeem, who was the most courageous of runners-up after returning from stud half way through the flat season.
Coltimus Prime, one of the top Canadian 3-year-olds this year, will take on older horses for the first time Saturday in the $200,000 Fayette Stakes at Keeneland.
Trained by Justin Nixon, Coltimus Prime will be the only 3-year-old among the eight-horse field going 1 1/8 miles on Keeneland's new dirt main track. Local jockey James Graham will be aboard the colt for the first time and start from post 4.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 22, 2014) — Keeneland Association and The Red Mile today said they plan to jointly develop a $30 million project at The Red Mile in Lexington to house a 1,000-terminal “historic racing” video betting parlor rather than create separate competing facilities.
The Jockey Club today released Report of Mares Bred (RMB) statistics for the 2014 breeding season. Based on RMBs received through October 13, 2014, The Jockey Club reports that 1,547 stallions covered 34,540 mares in North America during 2014.
The annual statistics represent approximately 92% of the mares that eventually will be reported as bred in 2014. According to historical trends, The Jockey Club expects to receive RMBs representing an additional 2,000 to 3,000 mares bred during the 2014 breeding season.
If you have ever wondered what it would be like to be an owner of a Melbourne Cup winner, you should read Peter Wilmot's interview of John Bongiorno and Ross Herron. Their horse, Fiorente, trained by Gai Waterhouse, won "the Race that Stops a Nation" in 2013.
The anticipated duel between British-breds Brown Panther and Hillstar never materialized Sunday, making for a rather bizarre 77th running of the $1-million Pattison Canadian International.Feet in the stirrups, hands on the reins, Karen Souza closes her eyes as a quarter horse named Rio carries her to a tranquil, peaceful place she has rarely visited.
Trained by Tomoyuki Umeda, Admire Rakti was Japan's second horse entered in the Caulfield Cup after Japan's early favourite Bande was forced to scratch. ABC News reported that winning trainer Tomoyuki Umeda was concerned with Admire Rakti's 58kg weight.
"I wasn't sure about it,” Umeda said. “But he clearly likes Australia.”
"If everything goes well, hopefully his luck keeps going to the Melbourne Cup."
Utilizing the latest, most-cutting edge technology to further enhance the overall experience for horseplayers and racing fans alike, the New York Racing Association announced that starting tomorrow morning, visitors to NYRA.com will be offered a special, two-day sneak preview of new, HD video capabilities.
This first-of-its-kind industry-offering will enable NYRA.com viewers to utilize a variety of unique camera angles from on and off the track. These include:
Recent news has Brown Panther, the British-bred six-year-old arriving at Woodbine Racetrack on Tuesday evening ahead of the $1-million Pattison Canadian International this weekend. Assistant trainer Christopher Ely said the early 2-1 favourite has shown no ill effects from the trip, which isn't good news for the remaining nine horses in the field for the 1 1/2-mile turf event.
The trainer of Cirrus Des Aigles has revealed the gelding is "at his peak" ahead of lucrative Champions Day at Royal Ascot on Saturday.
Jockey Joseph O'Brien will replace Frankie Dettori on the 2013 Derby winner Ruler Of The World in the Champion Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.
Dettori had ridden the horse in his last two races, including a fine victory at Longchamp in September.
Some aspects of Thoroughbred ownership, from buying a horse at auction to knowing how to select and deal with a trainer, can be daunting.
Jockey Club Live has expanded its music portfolio after agreeing a new partnership with respected live music promoters, AEG Live, who will book artists to appear at Jockey Club Live music events from 2015 and add to the venture’s live music promotion expertise.
Racing Future Purpose
Racing Future's principle purpose or "raison d'etre" and entire marketing and communications thrust is to motivate and inspire a new generation of fans to get involved in and support horse racing - the Sport of Hope.
After our outside panel of experts decided on the winning entry for our Ideas Contest, I was happy to bring Mike Caggiano in as part owner of our filly Oroluce. Prior to winning the contest I didn't know Mike who owns a small business and resides in Florida. He had also never been a Thoroughbred owner. Our journey together with Oroluce proves what we at Racing Future have been saying for a long time: owning even a fraction of a horse for a limited time gives horse racing fans a life-changing experience and creates loyal, life-long promoters of our sport.
Toronado has joined the growing list of absentees from Qipco Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday.
The prospect of testing going has prompted trainer Richard Hannon and owner Sheik Joaan Al Thani to switch the colt's target from the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes to the Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita in California on November 1.
In a rare Tuesday session, the state Senate today approved a bill that writes into law an action that Gov. Chris Christie’s administration has already taken, to allow sports betting in New Jersey.
After federal courts struck down New Jersey’s attempt to legalize sports betting and the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the state’s appeal, Acting Attorney General John Hoffman issued authorities a directive not to prosecute sports betting at casinos and horse-racing tracks.
SASKATOON – Researchers from the University of Saskatchewan and University of Regina say horses can play a large role in treating First Nations youth who are struggling with drug addictions.
“The horse is a very spiritual and important part of some First Nations, and culture is important to healing, it’s foundational,” said Coleen Dell, the research chair in substance abuse at the University of Saskatchewan.
By Lindsay S Buchanan
TIMMONSVILLE, S.C. — For wounded Army National Guard veteran Sgt. Matthew Smith, the timing could not have been more perfect when he was connected this March to Bethlehem Therapeutic Riding Stables, and the feeling is mutual.
Gwendolyn Maddrix, founder and director of the horse therapy program run out of Tally Ho Equestrian Center in Timmonsville, said when she met Smith, she had no idea working with her first wounded veteran would turn into a huge part of her life.
The healing power of horses will be used to help people with special needs, with a riding centre opening its doors next year in the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) capital, Abu Dhabi.
The director of the centre, which is to be run by the Zayed Higher Organisation for Humanitarian Care and Special Needs (ZHO), believes that horses can help people with conditions such as autism communicate more easily.
Two-time Horse of the Year and Breeders'Cup champion Wise Dan will not run in the 2014 Mile. His owner Morton Fink provided the following statement to the Breeders's Cup:
“As you know, Wise Dan has been preparing to run in the Breeders’ Cup Mile.
Trained by Andreas Wohler, the Monsun colt was only fourth - beaten a length - in the Group Two Herbert Power Stakes at Caulfield but that performance was sufficent to shoot him to the top of the market for next month's feature contest.
Criquette Head-Maarek's outstanding filly had been set to retire to become a broodmare after she brilliantly claimed a second consecutive Arc last Sunday.
Australia, the brilliant winner of three Group 1 races, has been retired after a hoof injury cut short his career on the track.
The state government is set to announce nearly $300,000 in funding for the state-of-the-art Hawk-Eye technology to be used for horseracing in Victoria.
Hawk-Eye, embraced by many sports worldwide, is looked upon as one of the biggest breakthroughs in racing technology in years.
The financing of Hawk-Eye - to be rolled out at Caulfield on Saturday - is a joint venture with the state government and Racing Victoria.
The funding will enable Racing Victoria to fit out three broadcast bands with the hardware and software required for the Hawk-Eye system.
A total of 72 horses remain in contention to run in the $6.2 million Emirates Melbourne Cup on November 4 after first acceptances for Australia’s richest race were taken today.
EquiLottery CEO Brad Cummings has been invited to present his new horse racing lottery game to the Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission on Oct. 16 at 11:30 am EST at Parx Racing in Bensalem, PA.
The results from the 2014 racing season at historic Fort Erie Race Track have proven encouraging, demonstrating once again that thoroughbred horse racing in the Niagara region is “Alive and Kicking.”
On the eve of the Leaders Sport Business Summit in London, The Jockey Club today unveiled a new venture, Jockey Club Services, created to provide organisations in British sport with a range of business services in which it has particular expertise, scale and the ability to provide cost savings and quality results.
UPDATED STATEMENT: October 4, 2014
Dear friends and fellow horse lovers,
Three things.
Number one… Most importantly.
A few weeks ago, Apple presented its latest innovations, including a smart watch and a new way of paying for goods and services. In a short time, the company has literally changed the world with its innovations. The investment necessary to create and deliver such innovations is driven by a profit motive.
By Matt Majendie
Twice she has been felled by life-threatening illnesses -- a brain tumor and then cancer -- and twice Criquette Head-Maarek has recovered.
For her, the secret to recovering full health is simple -- a love of horses.
Outlining the ongoing reforms which are transforming the New York Racing Association into a more accountable, efficient and sustainable racing leader, Chief Executive Officer and President Christopher K. Kay offered a positive, upbeat report at today's Board of Directors meeting in midtown Manhattan.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – When Keeneland announced April 2 that it would tear up its synthetic track surface after the spring meet and replace it with dirt, trainer Charlie LoPresti was among those openly questioning the switch back.
Lexington, KY, September 30th 2014 - Keeneland’s commitment to providing fans with technology to enhance and share their experiences at the track continues during the 17-day Fall Meet, which opens Friday. Efforts include an expanded #ILoveKeeneland social media campaign and an enhanced Keeneland Race Day App.
ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) _ Shared Belief was all over the track, leaving Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith ticked off by the tactics of his fellow riders.
Whether the opposition deliberately tried to derail Shared Belief, it didn’t work.
It took 90 years for Thea Murphy to get on a horse, but about 30 seconds to fall in love.
Everyone can enjoy the sport of horse racing and have on-track horse racing experiences virtually anywhere in the world today. How many of these racecourses have you visited? What do you enjoy most about your favourite track? Share your stories and photos with the Racing Future community.
EquiLottery President & CEO Brad Cummings presented his vision for a lottery game based on the results of live horse races to the California Horse Racing Board on Sept. 24 and after an extensive question and answer session was met with unanimous support to move forward with his efforts in the state. A letter to both the California Lottery and Gov. Brown’s office will be sent out in the coming days to reflect this support.
FRANKLIN, Ky. (Sept. 25, 2014) – Kentucky Downs closed out its 2014 live racing season on Wednesday, and the track established new records for wagering handle and starters per race during the five-day season.
A total of $15,880,755 was wagered on the Kentucky Downs races during the 2014 meeting, shattering the previous record of $12,814,967, established in 2013, by 23.9%. Field size was an impressive 10.2 starters per race.
Fort Erie, Wednesday, September 24th…Years of uncertainly have come to an end for the employees and horse people of Fort Erie Race Track. Today, the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Jeff Leal, reiterated the government’s commitment to the continuation of live thoroughbred racing at the historic site.
Two-time reigning Horse of the Year Wise Dan worked on Keeneland’s turf course Tuesday morning as he prepares for his next start in the $1 million Shadwell Turf Mile (G1) on Oct. 4.
Clockers caught Wise Dan, with regular exercise rider Damien Rock aboard, in five furlongs around the dogs on the course labeled firm in 1:01.20.
Monday, September 22, 2014
Members of the press, employees of Fort Erie Race Track and horse people are invited to attend a press conference/reception on Wednesday, September 24th at 2:45 pm in the main Clubhouse area of the Fort Erie Race Track.
This media event will focus on the future of the historic racetrack with regards to the 2015 racing season and beyond.
Join Jeff Leal, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and Mayor Doug Martin who will be available for questions and comments from those attending the session.
The International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), LONGINES, and the Hong Kong Jockey Club announced today that the jockey with the best performance in the world’s highest-rated races will be honored at the inaugural LONGINES WORLD’S BEST JOCKEY award ceremony at the gala dinner of the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races, which is scheduled for 12 December 2014 at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre.
If you have ever wondered how Thoroughbred race horses and other horses travel around the world, watch this short video documenting horses arriving in Los Angeles after travelling from Belgium for the Longines Masters Grand Slam indoor show jumping event.
Related
They have been a missing ingredient in Melbourne’s Spring Racing Carnival since 2010 but the presence of Japanese gallopers in this year’s Crown Golden Ale Caulfield Cup (2400m) and Emirates Melbourne Cup (3200m) became a reality on Saturday when four horses arrived safely in Melbourne.
Game On Dude, the only horse ever to win three runnings of the Santa Anita Handicap, has been retired after compiling earnings of nearly $6.5 million, trainer Bob Baffert announced Sept. 18.
Because of his two inexplicably poor efforts in the Breeders' Cup Classic, Game On Dude, despite his numerous historic achievements, has been one of racing's most under-appreciated horses.
Jockey Club Editor’s Note: The Jockey Club believes that horses should compete only when they are free from the influence of medication. The following essay, written by Matt Iuliano, the executive vice president and executive director of The Jockey Club, provides insights into a recent study pertaining to exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) and long-term racing performance.
By Matt Iuliano
On the heels of successful public presentations in Kentucky, New York, and New Mexico, EquiLottery President and CEO Brad Cummings will be presenting this new lottery game based on the results of live horse races to the California Horse Racing Board Wednesday, September 24. The meeting, being held at Los Alamitos Race Course at 9:30 am, is open to the public and audio will be made available live at chrb.ca.gov under webcasts (click here for a direct link) and in the archives afterwards.
By Ray Paulick
Stephen Koch is vice president of racing, stables and grounds for the Woodbine Entertainment Group, which this year is operating nine months of Thoroughbred racing at Woodbine racetrack in Toronto, ON., from April 12-Dec. 7. This is the first of a five-year deal over which time the Ontario government is supporting racing with a $500-million investment, in the wake of the termination of the slots-at-racetracks program operated in partnership with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp.
Street Cry, one of the world’s most successful stallions and a cornerstone of Sheikh Mohammed’s racing and breeding operations for the past 14 years, has been put to sleep at the age of 16 after succumbing to complications relating to a neurological condition.
"The Therapist" follows Brent Applegate, a physical therapist who specializes in hippotherapy, which is centered on using horses to provide therapy for many health conditions. Applegate is the owner of MyHeroes, which he named in honour of therapy horses. His company has two locations: Fort Collins, Colorado and Atlanta, Georgia.
Only one Japanese horse, Tokai Trick in 2010, has contested the $6.2 million Melbourne Cup since Delta Blues and Pop Rock scored a memorable one-two for Japan in the 2006 edition.
Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG) has announced “Woodbine Cares Week,” a celebration of valuable Woodbine-supported community organizations and causes that contribute so much to the life, health and vibrancy of Toronto.
A growing list of leading farms in Kentucky have expressed their support for EquiLottery, a new lottery game based on the results of live horse races. This announcement comes one day before EquiLottery President & CEO Brad Cummings introduces the game to the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s Licensing and Occupations Committee at Keeneland on September 12.
Three weeks ago I decided to take my 12 year old daughter Ellie to watch the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown at Fort Erie Race Track in Fort Erie. Although I work for Racing Future and am a horse person, I really wanted to go un-announced so I could experience racing at Fort Erie the way any regular fan would.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s new marketing initiatives for 2014-2015 season are as follows:
New digital experience – selected examples:
As part of a special equine-focused session of the Licensing and Occupations Committee, EquiLottery President & CEO Brad Cummings has been invited to present the product structure and fiscal benefits of his new lottery game based on the results of live horse races. The open meeting, usually held at the Capitol Annex Building in Frankfort, will take place at the Old Clubhouse at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington at 10:00 am.
Readying for his return to racing later in two weeks in Pennsylvania, dual classic winner California Chrome worked a strong six furlongs between races Sept. 6 at Los Alamitos Race Course—his home track—in front of an enthusiastic and appreciative crowd.Dogwood Stable is announcing the retirement of Palace Malice. A deep bone bruise in his left hind leg was revealed after an examination at Rood & Riddle Veterinary Hospital in Lexington Thursday, Cot Campbell, Dogwood Stable president said.
By Natalie Voss
By Press Release from German Racing Review
Several different cultures around the world have depended on horses for thousands of years. There are many different theories that suggest horses may have begun being domesticated around 4,500-2,000 BC. Horses have been used for battle, to gather food, for comfort, and to discover new lands. For several decades in America, horses have been used as therapy for suffers of autism, trauma, cerebral palsy, post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and other ailments.
HEROIC war horse Warrior, dubbed the horse the Germans could not kill, will today be awarded an honorary PDSA Dickin Medal on behalf of the millions of animals that served with the armed forces during the First World War.
By Press Release from Texas Thoroughbred Association
Texas horsemen are pleased and grateful that the Texas Racing Commission today took a step towards saving the Texas horse industry. With a vote of 7 in favor, 1 against and 1 abstention, the Texas Racing Commission approved rules authorizing pari-mutuel wagering on historical races.
Commission staff reported that over 13,000 comments on the subject had been received during the public comment period, with about three-quarters in support of the measure.
Wise Dan is particularly special for South African racing and breeding enthusiasts, as the big chestnut is by Wiseman’s Ferry out of a Wolf Power mare called Lisa Danielle.
A consultation on modernising the horserace betting levy has been published, UK Sports Minister Helen Grant announced August 27th 2014.
The Levy is collected from the profits of betting on horseracing and is used to improve the sport and the breeds of horses as well as funding veterinary research and education.
The current system has been criticised in recent years for being out-of-date and in need of reform.
The $500,000 Los Alamitos Futurity (Grade I) has been added to the list of races that comprise the 2014-15 “Road to the Kentucky Derby.” The series of 35 select races – 19 “Prep Season” races and 16 “Championship Series” races – will determine which horses qualify to the 141st running of the $2 million guaranteed Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (Grade I) on Saturday, May 2, 2015.
Britain's popular flagship Saturday bet the Totescoop6 is set to undergo a radical makeover in a bid to create more millionaires.
The three-year-old was a brilliant winner of the UAE Derby at Meydan earlier in the year, but after three months off the track, Toast Of New York ran below expectations when only sixth, albeit not disgraced, in last month's Belmont Derby.
ARCADIA, Calif. (Aug. 25, 2014)—Under the direction of Track Superintendent Dennis Moore, Santa Anita’s one mile main track has been totally renovated and its original sand and clay mix has been replaced by a single-source natural material known as El Segundo Sand. The track, which has been closed to training since July 11, will reopen for use on Sept 2, in advance of Santa Anita’s 2014 Autumn Meet, which begins Sept. 26.
When Marianne was introduced to Tranquil Acres, a therapeutic equestrian centre in Vars, the primary focus was on her 16 year-old autistic son Adrian. Dealing with anxiety issues of her own, she was scared of horses with no desire to ride. Yet after a year of interacting with a big, strong animal on the ground, Marianne noticed an improvement in her ability to assert boundaries and was less fearful to the point where she is now learning to ride Dory, a Pinto mare that she has bonded with.
The countdown to the 20th Dubai World Cup has begun with Dubai Racing Club’s announcement of the 2015 Dubai World Cup Carnival programme at Meydan Racecourse.
Saturday, August 23rd sees the 145th running of the Travers Stakes at Saratoga where top 3 year olds run 1 ¼ miles on the dirt track for a purse of $1,250,000. Live coverage of the Travers will be part of NBC Sports Network's national telecast from 4:30 to 6 p.m. (EDT). The Travers has a scheduled post time of 5:46 p.m. Post positions:
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The TVG Pacific Classic will be the 10th of 11 races on card at Del Mar on Sunday, August 24th. Post time is scheduled for 5:46 pm (Pacific) and the race will be broadhcast live on the NBC Sports Network starting at 5:00 pm.
The eleven-horse field features 2013 Pacific Classic winner Game On Dude going up against UAE Derby winner Toast of New York and Eclipse 2 yr old Champion Shared Belief. Post positions have been drawn:
We're collecting the best horse racing marketing ideas from around the world. Questions, contributions, thoughts? Please feel free to comment below or get in touch at dennismills@racingfuture.com or by using our contact page.
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When I was a kid growing up in Brooklyn, I would tag along to the horse races with my older brother, Frank. And when I was a minor leaguer with the Louisville Colonels in 1961, I went over to Churchill Downs one afternoon. But it wasn’t until Don Zimmer brought me $600 that I became hooked on the sport.
Ten years ago in an Op/Ed written for The Blood-Horse, I suggested that only an independent agency like USADA (United States Anti-Doping Association) was capable of bringing order to our sport by cleaning it up, as it had done with Track & Field and subsequently with Cycling.
Those of us that care and are determined to help re-build the fan base for the sport of horse racing have a new product to champion: EquiLottery. This "Greatest $2 in Sports" is the best idea I've seen in ten years for implementing Premier Kathleen Wynne's commitment of fully integrating horse racing with the province's overall gaming strategy.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The installation of a new dirt track at Keeneland Race Course has reached the finish line.
Horse therapy is the latest weapon being used in the fight against dementia and loneliness.
Care home owner Neil Robson admits, however, he was initially horrified at the idea that a horse had been booked to visit residents.
Noting that the "reforms and initiatives that we have collectively implemented are beginning to generate real, tangible results", The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) CEO and President Chris Kay delivered a positive and forward-looking report at this morning's Board of Directors meeting. The meeting was open to the public, and broadcast live on NYRA.com
The QIPCO Champions Stakes list of current entries shows that this will be a great race for fans who will have the chance to see some of the finest and fastest horses in the world compete on Saturday, October 18th at Ascot Racecourse.
Sabrina McCoy is looking forward to walking down the aisle Aug. 16 and marrying her sweetheart, Tyler Farella. Her stroll may take a bit longer than most brides, but each step is a victory in its own right.
Thanks in part to a bump in wagering from a Triple Crown being on the line this year in the Belmont Stakes (gr. I), the Belmont Park spring-summer meet saw improved total all-sources handle numbers compared with 2013 despite running two fewer dates this year.
All-sources handle on NYRA races was $592 million, up 3.9% from $569.6 million in 2013. On-track handle, which includes NYRA Rewards account wagering and simulcast action from Aqueduct on Belmont races was $84.6 million, up 7.7% from $78.5 million in 2013.
Treve enjoyed a beneficial workout for the first time on turf since her bruising Royal Ascot experience when she covered a mile on the Chantilly gallops on Tuesday morning.
* Includes worldwide commingled wagering on U.S. races.
Contact: Rhonda Norby-Ballard, Marketing and Communications Manager, (859) 224-2856
Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) today became the 24th racetrack entity in the United States to commit to making a contribution to the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC).
This commitment is part of the RMTC’s annual track fundraising campaign, in which it hopes to raise at least $200,000 in contributions from tracks across the country.
Bill Carstanjen, CDI President and Chief Operating Officer, linked CDI’s contribution to the RMTC’s continuing efforts in drug research and equine advocacy.
Equibase Company LLC today announced the launch of a redesigned equibase.com website that features a multi-homepage concept with user-chosen pathways for new/casual fans, regular visitors, and seasoned players / expert handicappers. The new site is more tablet-friendly and offers several new features within a clean, more modern look.
TSN brings horse racing fans the second jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown series, the Prince of Wales Stakes. Live coverage Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET on TSN, as the 79th running of the race unfolds at Fort Erie Racetrack in Fort Erie, Ont.
TSN subscribers can watch live streaming and on demand coverage of the Prince of Wales Stakes via TSN GO.
Raven Rock Ranch is just a few miles from the suburban communities of Woodinville and Redmond, but it’s a world of peace and tranquility. It’s the perfect setting to rescue horses and help children and adults recover from traumatic events through equine-facilitated psychotherapy.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 23, 2014) – The Breeders’ Cup announced the final composition of its Board of Directors upon the completion of runoff voting by the 45 Breeders’ Cup Members. William S. Farish, Jr. will serve a four-year term and Bobby Flay will serve a one-year term on the Board, while Antony Beck received the most votes to fill the remaining one-year term. At the Annual Meeting last week, Barbara Banke and Dan Pride were elected to the Board, and Elliott Walden was re-elected. All three will serve four-year terms.
Del Mar began its 75th summer season on a Thursday this year, but just as it has for the better part of two decades, the shore track broke running with “up” numbers proving boss despite the opening day shift.
Whereas the seaside oval bypassed its normal Wednesday beginning in order to have an extra day to ready itself following an extended San Diego Fair season, the opening four days of the session proved solid on its ledgers even though it lost a day and a total of five races in the first of seven weeks that comprise the 2014 meeting.
The New York Racing Association, Inc. will host Latino-American Day at Saratoga Race Course on Wednesday, July 23. The event is the first installment in the inaugural International Heritage Series, a weekly celebration of global culture and heritage during the 2014 summer meet.
The day-long festivities will feature Latino music, dance, entertainment, crafts and food from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Saratoga Pavilion located inside the Reserved Seats Box Office entrance.
The Irish horseracing industry statistics for the first half of 2014 showed improvement across many important areas with year-on-year increases in bloodstock sales, racecourse attendances, new owners, Tote turnover and prize-money. However, the number of active owners remains a concern.
Bloodstock sales at public auction grew for the fifth consecutive year with turnover up by 41.9% from €25.8m to €36.6m year-on-year, which is the highest level it has reached since the first half of 2007.
WALLKILL N.Y. — Some racehorses remain immortalized in history for their accomplishments — Man o’ War, Secretariat, and Seabiscuit, to name a few. But others live out the remainder of their lives in less auspicious ways, though their contributions to inspiring and helping others are no less significant.
On a perfect summer afternoon, Saratoga Race Course played host to 25,612 guests as it opened its 2014 meeting with Fashion Alert taking a heart-pounding edition of the Grade 3 Schuylerville Stakes and international riding sensation Frankie Dettori capturing two races on his first-ever visit to the Spa.
Horse racing will be on FOX television when the broadcaster showcases opening weekend at two the most popular horse racing venues in the United States: Saratoga Race Course in New York and Del Mar Racetrack in California.
Sapporo Racecourse, which has undergone massive renovations to the tune of 1.4 billion yen, will reopen after a hiatus of 21 months and present its spanking new face to the public for the first time on Saturday, July 26. The day also marks the start of the venue's summer meet, which lasts through Sept.
The nominations for the second jewel in Canada’s Triple Crown of horseracing closed Tuesday, July 15th with 11 possible entrants for the Prince of Wales Stakes to be run at Fort Erie Race Track.
Lexie Lou, the filly who captured the Queen’s Plate at Woodbine on July 6th was not made eligible to compete by her connections making the race a wide open event for a $500,000 purse.
Run at one mile and three sixteenths, the Prince of Wales is the only race in the Canadian Triple Crown Series that is run on a traditional dirt surface.
With the announcement last week that EquiLottery--a new lottery game melding the traditional lottery with horse racing--was available to states and provinces, the TDN sat down with EquiLottery President and CEO Brad Cummings to learn more about this unique potential revenue stream for the horse racing and lottery industries.
TDN: EquiLottery seems to be a win/win situation for horse racing. Is it as much of a win for the lottery? If so, why?
July 15, 2014 (Washington, PA) – Xpressbet is excited to announce that it will sponsor leading North American rider, Javier Castellano, in Turkey’s International Jockey Challenge. The Challenge, which takes place on Wednesday, July 16, 2014 at Istanbul’s Veliefendi Racecourse, brings a team of international riding superstars, including Castellano, Frankie Dettori (United Kingdom), Maxime Guyon (France), Yuichi Fukunaga (Japan) and Craig Williams (Australia) to Turkey to take on 5 leading local riders in a 4 race contest.
Brian Rolapp, the executive vice president of NFL Media and the president and CEO of the NFL Network, will share insights into the National Football League’s wide ranging media strategies and Denis Egan, the chief executive of the Irish Turf Club, will provide an update on jockey safety and welfare initiatives when The Jockey Club hosts its 62nd Annual Round Table Conference on Matters Pertaining to Racing on Sunday, August 10, at the Gideon Putnam Resort in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Paris, KY--Reigning Breeders’ Cup Classic Champion Mucho Macho Man has been retired from racing, and will enter stud at Frank Stronach’s Adena Springs Farm in Paris, KY. A fee for the 6-year-old earner of $5.6 million will be announced at a later date.
By Trent Owen
Connections of the once-in-a-lifetime superstar have asked not to be told the sex of her first foal, which is due in late September.
Part-owner Neil Werrett told AAP that the pregnancy has been going to plan and the mighty mare has settled in well to her slower-paced lifestyle as a broodmare.
The New York Racing Association is hoping less will be more when the Saratoga race meeting opens on Friday for the 146th time.
Coming off a season where total handle and attendance were down, NYRA intends to run fewer races this season compared to the record 420 races run in 2013, including nine steeplechase races.
By Doug Robertson
Punters bet more than a billion Hong Kong dollars – or $A137.6 million – and 12,000 people flock to night racing at Happy Valley Racecourse each Wednesday.
Trainer Charlie LoPresti says he is pleased with Wise Dan's first breeze since colic surgery two months ago. Ridden by Damien Rock, Wise Dan covered a half-mile in :50.40 and galloped out five furlongs in 1:02.40 on the turf course.
Media Release - TORONTO: Lexie Lou charmed many racing fans and produced countless new ones with her win at the 155th edition of the Queen’s Plate at Woodbine on Sunday.
On the business side, Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG) also considers this year’s event a terrific success.
A total of $9,079,520 million was wagered on the 13-race card, the second highest handle recorded in Queen’s Plate history. A record $3,074,410, including $653,423 on the Jackpot Hi-5, was bet on the Queen’s Plate race itself.
By Matt Majendie
Every morning before riding, Gary Stevens has to walk four miles.
Press Release - July 8th 2014 -- The Breeders’ Cup and Equibase Company LLC today announced the launch of the 2014 Virtual Stable “Road to the Breeders’ Cup” notification service, which provides a once daily e-mail of workouts, entries and results for the top contenders for all 13 World Championships races. The service is free through breederscup.com and equibase.com.
The Epsom Derby (Eng-I) could be moved to Saturday evenings in the future in an effort to stem declining television viewership.
The “most remarkable and notable season in our 130-year history,” was how the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, summed up the 2013/2014 campaign, which concluded today (6 July) with record total turnover of HK$101.838 billion.
Post positions with morning line odds for the 155th running of The Queen's Plate at Woodbine Racetrack on Sunday, July 6th 2014.
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With more than 50,000 fans on course and millions worldwide watching South Africa's Vodacom Durban July on Saturday, the biggest winner will be the KwaZulu-Natal economy, which is set to receive massive exposure along with a cash injection of around R425-million.
Hong Kong will stage 10 International Group 1 races for the first time next season. Mr Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Chief Executive Officer, revealed during a press briefing at Sha Tin today (2 July) that the Asian Pattern Committee has sanctioned the promotion of four local contests currently classified as Hong Kong Group 1 events.
Press Release - Leading online wagering provider, Xpressbet, is excited to announce it has partnered with the Hong Kong Jockey Club to bring live, commingled wagering on Hong Kong races to Xpressbet’s platform in the United States. Xpressbet customers can wager on the races from Hong Kong beginning July 1, 2014. Hong Kong racing is famous for offering the world’s largest pools, which currently average more than $17 million per race, and the highest prize money per race worldwide, as well as world-class racing at its two premier racing venues, Sha Tin and Happy Valley.
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Ami's Holiday |
Josie Carroll |
Ivan Dalos |
Luis Contreras |
Toronto, ON – From London, Ontario to London, England, from the thoroughbred Melbourne Cup to the standardbred North American Cup - horse racing is truly an international sport -- and one of the most regulated sports in the world. Equine athletes are tested more than most human athletes.
While Ontario has rigid standards locally, illegitimate operators have crossed jurisdictional borders easily through the internet and negatively impacted the fairness of the sport.
On March 25th 2014, in his blog "Hangin' with Haskin," Steve Haskin posted: In light of the Steve Asmussen-Scott Blasi furor, my daughter has addressed the subject much better than I ever could, and through eyes a lot more innocent than mine. She wrote it just for me to read, but I feel it is something that needs to be shared:
By Mandy Haskin
Front running Game On Dude, No 3 in the LONGINES World's Best Racehorse Rankings, and two-time winner of the Hollywood Gold Cup in 2012 & 2013, seeks his third lifetime win in the prestigious mile and a quarter fixture on Saturday, June 28th , as the Grade I, $500,000 Gold Cup at
On a recent Friday visit to Tampa General Hospital, Scooby Boo and Bidwell visited with Doday Rivera Rodriquez, a 17-year-old Chamberlain High student with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
“He’s a little too small to ride but perfect to visit,” Doday said.
By: Bill Lambdin
Prison officials marked a major anniversary today at Wallkill Correctional Facility.
For 30 years they've been rescuing thoroughbred horses and helping inmates develop better attitudes with a unique horse therapy program.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 24, 2014) – The Breeders’ Cup, one of Thoroughbred racing’s most prestigious international events, has today announced Keeneland Race Course, in Lexington, Ky., as the host site of the 2015 Breeders’ Cup World Championships. This is the first time that Keeneland, one of the most iconic tracks in the country, will play host to the Breeders’ Cup. The event will be held on October 30-31, 2015.
By Paul Post, The Saratogian
SARATOGA SPRINGS >> Higher purses, nearly $2 million in capital upgrades and numerous special promotions are among the strategies planned to boost Saratoga Race Course attendance, which dipped slightly a year ago despite the large 150th anniversary of Saratoga racing celebration.
New York Racing Association executives discussed all aspects of the 2014 meet, which opens July 18, during a Monday news conference at the Fasig-Tipton Sales Pavilion on East Avenue.
Saratoga Race Course will be prominently featured on television in 2014, with NBC, the NBC Sports Network, Fox Sports 1, and MSG+ all signed on to present live coverage of many of the historic track’s most prestigious races.
TREVE has been ruled out of all the midsummer middle-distance highlights by pulled muscles and is not expected to be seen on a racecourse until September.Sport of Horse Racing
Horse racing is one of the world's oldest sports which, historically, was enjoyed by a broad spectrum of fans and participants. Times have changed from the heyday of racing when 1000s would flock to the racetrack to take part in the excitement particularly if it was for a big race.
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL - When Alexandra Jara traveled to South Florida in 2007 and watched her older brother Fernando win Gulfstream Parks’s Donn Handicap (G1) aboard Horse of the Year Invasor, the teenager dreamed of someday doing the same.
Now, she has the opportunity.
The Asian-African Tote Association (AATA) was officially formed and held its first Executive Committee meeting among tote operators in the regions in May 2014, aiming to strengthen ties between leading wagering operators in the world.
In the meeting, Executive Director of Customer and Marketing of The Hong Kong Jockey Club, Richard Cheung, was elected as AATA's inaugural President and Brendan Parnell, Chief Operating Officer of Tabcorp’s Media and International business was elected Vice President.
Esteemed sportsmen Edward R. Bradley and Edward P. Taylor have been elected to the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame as Pillars of the Turf.
Ryan Goldberg, New York Times special report on Royal Ascot
TORONTO - Lexie Lou will get a shot at winning Canada's most prestigious horse race.
The LONGINES World's Best Racehorse Rankings is horseracing's equivalent to World Rankings by other major sporting organizations such as ATP Tennis Rankings, World Golf Rankings, FIFA World Rankings for soccer and IRB Rugby World Rankings.
by Natalie Voss, Paulick Report
Bradley Weisbord is the American advisor for Al Shaqab Racing and is also an independent bloodstock agent. Weisbord, whose father is Thoroughbred Daily News president and co-publisher Barry Weisbord, has previously served as marketing manager for TDN and the racing/business manager for Ahmed Zayat. He became the COO for Team Valor International in 2011. Weisbord holds a bachelor of science degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in real estate and urban land economics.
Cirrus des Aigles won the 2014 Investec Coronation Cup at Epsom Racecourse and is now having some well-deserved rest. The media caught up with his Trainer Corine Barande-Barbe who discusses his post-race xrays and future plans for one of the world's best race horses.
On June 10th 2014, the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society acknowledged support of Minister of Agriculture and Premier of Ontario Kathleen Wynne for Ontario Thoroughbred breeders via a new program funded by Ontario Racing Commission. This 5 year, $2,000,000 a year commitment by Kathleen Wynne’s government is an additional enhancement to the current breeders’ awards program. In addition, the agreement includes an additional $2,000,000 immediate payment to further motivate those within the province who have participated in the breeding of 2013 Registered Ontario Thoroughbreds.
Longines and the International Federation of Horse Racing Authorities (IFHA) honoured ORFEVRE as the co-third highest-rated horse in the world for 2013
A 1 mile 2 ½ furlong gallop to glory, the Prix de Diane Longines is a Group I race which crowns the year's best three-year-old filly and attracts more than 40,000 spectators each year. The race is scheduled for June 15, 2014.
California Chrome’s quest to become Thoroughbred racing’s 12th Triple Crown winner helped drive unprecedented traffic across all Equibase electronic platforms on Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes days. For those three days, Equibase reported a record total of 11.5 million pageviews on equibase.com, the Today’s Racing app and mobile.equibase.com, according to Google Analytics, a 28% percent increase over the 9 million pageviews during the comparable three days in 2013.
Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner California Chrome returned to Los Alamitos Race Course on Sunday night, June 8, 2014. As always, he was accompanied by his groom Raul Rodriguez.
Los Alamitos Race Course congratulates the outstanding horse California Chrome for his victories in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and his courageous effort in the Belmont Stakes.
Thank for a thrilling ride in the Triple Crown series and so many unforgettable memories.
With a Triple Crown bid on the line and 10 outstanding stakes races on the card, this year's Belmont Stakes Day proved to be a smashing hit, with the on-track handle of $19,105,877 and all-sources handle of $150,249,399 easily setting all-time NYRA records.
The on-track handle figure includes money wagered at Belmont Park, at Aqueduct Racetrack, and through NYRA Rewards.
Bloomberg’s Eric Chemi reports on the factors that affect the odds in horse racing. He speaks on Bloomberg Television’s “Bloomberg Surveillance.”
Victor says he's the boss when they're racing, but does California Chrome agree?
By Bob Kerr
When Carol Morris pulls her car alongside the fence at Black Walnut Farm in North Kingstown, her 1,800-pound friend, Brenda Lee, moseys over and sticks her nose through the car window.
By Gerald Ensley, Tallahassee Democrat
I’ve never been comfortable with horses.
The first time I rode one, I was 6 and attending summer day camp. They put me on a horse named Gerald, which the counselor obviously thought was very clever. It was soon apparent Gerald — the horse — was too rambunctious for small children. As soon as I was seated, he sprinted off to catch another horse, whom he tried to mount, with much bucking, rearing and snorting.
California Chrome will be the toast of the horse racing world if he wins the Belmont Stakes on June 7 and becomes the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed, some 36 years ago.
But the equine industry itself is riding through a rough patch, according to a recently released census from the United States Department of Agriculture.
The U.S. horse population decreased about 10 percent between 2007 and 2012, the USDA said. So too have the number of farms and ranches raising them—with a 12 percent decline over the same time period.
The quest for the elusive Triple Crown by California Chrome has resulted in the NBC Sports Group doubling the number of hours it will devote to the 146th Belmont Stakes (gr. I).
Triple Crown hopeful California Chrome on Wednesday picked back up where he left off the previous day, showing the same eagerness he displayed a day earlier when galloping his customary two-mile circuit on an overcast morning at Belmont Park.
The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today announced the addition of two executives to its senior management team, naming Lynn LaRocca to the newly created position of Chief Experience Office and Joseph Lambert as its General Counsel.
Anyone driving along Butler Road or Shawan Road east of Glyndon knows this is horse country.
Most prominent is the vast thoroughbred spread known as Sagamore Farm, restored to its prior glory by Under Armour founder Kevin Plank.
Recently, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Sovereign-award winning Trainer, Gerry Belanger. I asked him about his 40 years in the sport of horse racing in Canada. His response was to share the following (unedited) personal story of E P Taylor and his vision for Woodbine and Canadian horse racing -- Dennis Mills
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“Horses will be racing at Woodbine forever.”
On August 15th, 1958 a Canadian entrepreneur with a passion for horse racing made a momentous decision: he spent $35,000 on a yearling filly at the annual Saratoga sale. The horse he bought did not have a long and stellar racing career, only racing 7 times before a bone chip in her knee forced her retirement. However, her purchase was a fortuitous one for horse racing because this horse was Natalma, the dam of one of – if not the – greatest Thoroughbred stallions in history, Northern Dancer. The man who made the purchase decision was E.P. Taylor.
The British horse racing industry is aiming to treble international investment in the sport with plans to attract tens of millions of pounds worth of overseas funding per year.
Steve Harman, chairman of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), said that British horse racing is renowned worldwide and, as the second most popular spectator sport in the UK, has the potential to attract massive investment.
“Britain overall has been attracting more foreign investment because people have enjoyed the jubilee, the Olympics, they like the pound, they love Britain.
A study from Washington State University, published last month (28 April), claims to be the first evidence-based research investigating the interaction between horses and children, and its effect on levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
Triple Crown candidate California Chrome "trained like a monster" the morning of May 25 as he continued his preparations for the upcoming $1.5 million Belmont Stakes (gr. I).
California Chrome was greeted with clear blue skies and a bright morning sun for the first time since his arrival at Belmont Park May 20.
Saratoga WarHorse is a confidential, peer-to-peer, equine assisted experience that goes beyond therapy and beyond horsemanship to create a natural release for the emotional turmoil veterans are left to deal with.
HALLANDALE BEACH, FLA. — It's a horseplayer's dream: Take two dimes, pick six winners, win millions.
Farfetched, but not impossible.
After months building an already-enormous pot, the "Rainbow 6" betting pool at Gulfstream Park will be paid out in full Monday with track officials estimating that $16 million — potentially a record for a Pick 6 at any North American track — could be up for grabs. To win, players need to pick six straight winners, starting with the fifth race on the card, and the minimum bet is a mere 20 cents.
HAYDOCK, Catterick and Goodwood will host the six legs of the record-breaking £16 million Scoop6 on Saturday it was revealed on Friday.
A total of 88 runners have been declared for the six races starting with the 16-runner 6f Betfred Scoop6 £15 Million Today Handicap at Haydock (2.05).
The bet will feature two 7f handicaps at Catterick, a 7f handicap from Goodwood plus a 6f handicap at Haydock before finishing with the fiercely competitive 1m Betfred Mobile Casino Silver Bowl Stakes (3.45) at Haydock.
Michael Tabor has acquired ownership of the BetVictor group for an undisclosed sum following a restructuring of the Gibraltar-based operation's holding company, it has been announced.
Victor Chandler, who has led the group since its incorporation, is to step down as chairman but will continue to serve as a consultant.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will host a weekly celebration of global culture and heritage with its inaugural International Heritage Series at Saratoga Race Course during the 2014 summer meet.
The day-long festive events will feature traditional music, dance, entertainment, crafts and food each Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Saratoga Pavilion located inside the Reserved Seats Box Office entrance. Musical and dance performances will also take place near the Saratoga bandstand and gazebo throughout each afternoon.
2012 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winning Trainer of I'll Have Another, Doug O'Neill, explains how nasal strips work on race horses and talks about the journey of California Chrome and Art Sherman. "It's awesome," says O'Neill. "We're huge fans of Art. Art Sherman is one of the nicest people you could ever meet and on top of that he's an amazing horseman. . .
LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 20, 2014) – Keeneland on Monday began the conversion of its main race track from a synthetic Polytrack material to a state-of-the-art dirt surface, with a drainage system that will be the first of its kind in North America.
If you watched the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, you would have seen horse racing star, California Chrome, win the second leg of the Triple Crown. What you would not have seen is the behind-the-scenes effort, meticulous care, and genuine love that goes into the making of such a champion.
From New York Racing Association
A large, competitive contingent of challengers is expected to face California Chrome when he attempts to become thoroughbred racing's 12th Triple Crown winner in the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes on June 7 at Belmont Park.
Commanding Curve, second in the Kentucky Derby, and Ride On Curlin, runner-up in the Preakness, are slated to take on California Chrome again in the Belmont Stakes.
By Teresa Woodard
WYLIE — She can't say a word, yet Haley certainly seems to speak... and teach.
There used to be a time when any winning wager that delivered a windfall of thousands of dollars would send a bettor dancing in the streets.
Those were quaint times, indeed.
The Board of Directors of the Meydan Group have decided that the synthetic racing surface, installed for the opening of the racecourse in 2010, will be replaced with a traditional dirt track. The track will be ready for the opening of the 2014-15 racing season.
Ron Sanchez's roots in horse racing go deep into his childhood in Caracas, Venezuela, where his maternal grandmother took him to the races every weekend at La Rinconada, the country's largest and oldest track.
"I was five years old and we'd walk all the way to the track, it's like two miles," Sanchez recalled Monday at Pimlico. "I fall in love [with horse racing]. Once you get here [to the race track], it's impossible to get out."
Aidan O'Brien has hailed favourite Australia as a ‘Derby horse we have not had the like of before.’
An Oregon State University-Cascades Campus professor has received a grant to study how horses can be used to treat trauma survivors.
Numerous studies have shown that physical, emotional and cognitive therapy involving domestic animals can be very therapeutic, and new research from The Ohio State University has found that interactive therapy with horses can bring relief to people with Alzheimer’s disease.
In this series of interviews recorded in early May 2014, Dennis Mills speaks with 3* FEI Reining Judge, professional horseman and educator, John Snobelen.
BALTIMORE, 05-04-14---Kentucky Derby (G1) winner California Chrome is headed to the 139th running of the Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico Race Course on Saturday, May 17, bringing trainer Art Sherman back to Maryland for the first time in 55 years.
ATLANTA, May 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – Sportech Racing and Digital, a division of Sportech PLC, (LSE: SPO), will feature the latest technologies for digital pari-mutuel wagering at the 35th Asian Racing Conference in Hong Kong. During this global racing forum organized by the Asian Racing Federation, Sportech will showcase new wagering products designed to significantly improve the consumer experience and allow licensed racing operators to expand distribution and offer new wagering content.
Starting on April 30, the Canadian Museum of History will present Breeding Champions – E.P. Taylor and Windfields Farm, a special display featuring trophies, photographs and archival material from the Museum’s E.P. Taylor – Windfields Farm Collection. This unique and historic collection documents the rise of Windfields Farm to international prominence in Thoroughbred racing and breeding and is a testament to the vision and acumen of Windfields Farm owner Edward Plunket (E.P.) Taylor (1901–1989), one of Canada’s most successful and influential businessmen.
By Greg Kocher
Fifty years ago, a record was set in the Kentucky Derby.
The horse that blazed that record was foaled not amid the green pastures of Central Kentucky, but in the cooler clime of Ontario, Canada.
The 2014 edition Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe will be worth €5 million (£4.1m) after French racing's governing body announced a €200,000 increase to the total prize fund on Monday.
The increase means that Europe's richest race is now worth €1m more than when Solemia defeated Orfevre just 18 months ago.
DESIGNS ON ROME (John Moore/Tommy Berry) staked a strong bid for Horse of the Year honours by defeating the reigning titleholder and stable companion Military Attack in a pulsating Audemars Piguet QEII Cup on Sunday.
Spectacular racing, unique special events and the return of warm, sunny weather combined to produce an exceptional Keeneland Spring Meet, which closed Friday with record 15-day meet attendance and gains in on-track wagering.
On-track attendance for the Spring Meet, held April 4-25, totaled 270,093, besting the previous 15-day meet record of 269,292 posted during the 2012 Spring Meet, and just behind last spring’s record 278,415 for 16 days of racing
New research from Washington State University reveals how youth who work with horses experience a substantial reduction in stress -- and the evidence lies in kids' saliva.
The results are published in the American Psychological Association's Human-Animal Interaction Bulletin this month.
By Media Release
TORONTO – The Government of Ontario, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), and the Ontario Racing Commission (ORC), through its newly formed Ontario Horse Racing (OHR) division, are partnering to build a sustainable future for the Ontario horse racing industry.
“OLG is pleased to partner with the government, ORC and OHR to build stability in the horse racing industry,” said Philip Olsson, OLG’s Chair of the Board. “Together, we are making progress bringing horse racing into the provincial gaming strategy.”
Last week Frank Stronach, chairman and founder of The Stronach Group, proposed introducing an on-track pharmacy as part of a 10-point plan to control racehorse medication use and abuse at his six racetracks—Santa Anita Park and Golden Gate Fields in California, Gulfstream Park in Florida, Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park in Maryland, and Portland Meadows in Oregon.
By Natalie Voss
“Believe big.”
That’s the tagline on all the promotional materials for Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, and the philosophy paid off with Danza. Although he was a shocker in the Arkansas Derby with odds of 41-1, Eclipse president Aron Wellman had been hoping the colt would be the ownership group’s ticket to the Kentucky Derby since 2012.
Japan has sent two horses to Hong Kong for this year's Queen Elizabeth II Cup. Kikuka Sho winner Epiphaneia and Uncoiled will take on the US$1.8-million top-level race to be run this Sunday, April 27, at Sha Tin Racecourse. The race also features defending champion and Hong Kong's reigning Horse of the Year Military Attack, his stablemate Hong Kong Derby winner Designs On Rome, Derby third-place finisher Dibayani, and South African runners Vercingetorix and Sanshaawes.
The Hong Kong-trained winners of both Group One sprints on Dubai World Cup night, Sterling City and Amber Sky, are expected to head the early betting markets for the Diamond Jubilee and King's Stand Stakes respectively.
Sterling City is set to take in the KrisFlyer Sprint in Singapore before a final decision is made on Royal Ascot but if successful there, he would be racing for the US$ 1 million bonus at Royal Ascot, having already won Dubai's leg of the Global Sprint Challenge.
The principal players on this sunny April afternoon are a curious trio: A 4-year-old boy and a dark-bay pony, 20 years his senior, plodding along under the watchful gaze of a retired police investigator.
As mismatched as they seem, they are hard at work making sense of all five senses.
Santa Anita Derby winner California Chrome, who stamped himself as the favorite for the 140th Kentucky Derby on May 3 by virtue of his authoritative 5 ¼ length victory in the Grade I, $1 million Santa Anita Derby on April 5, was a unanimous choice as Horse of the Meet in Santa Anita’s Winter Meet Media Poll.
Media Release -- NEW YORK (April 21, 2014) – Breeders’ Cup, Thoroughbred racing’s most prestigious global racing event, announced today a new marketing platform that will feature 18 of the best Breeders’ Cup Challenge races from top race tracks in the U.S. All races will be broadcast by NBC Sports Group and will be supported by an integrated marketing campaign that will run across NBCUniversal properties as well as Time Inc. properties Sports Illustrated and People.com.
![Canada's Northern Dancer: Global dominance from "the biggest little horse"](/sites/default/files/resize/ND%20by%20Tony%20Leonard-655x585.jpg "Canada's Northern Dancer: Global dominance from "the biggest little horse"")
Eight years ago, Lisa Carter had the idea to create a “therapy ranch”, helping hurting children and horses at the same time. The result was H.U.G.S. Ranch, which is modeled after a ranch in Oregon, called Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch.
The ranch strives to provide a “faith-based, non-threatening, peaceful environment where children with a variety of needs and rescued horses can help heal each other.”
Carter told FOX 17 News the programs, which service children ages 5-17, are completely free.
By Liane Crossley
In a different era, Rosie Napravnik would have been a novelty in her trade. Today she maneuvers seamlessly as a woman competing in the male-dominated jockey world.
Aurora, Ontario -- The Stronach Group has always been committed to ensuring that our horse racing businesses operate with integrity and concern for the health and safety of the horses and the people who work with them. Now, more than ever, we as track operators, horsemen and regulators must come together to do everything we can to prevent any abuse of our thoroughbred athletes. We must also work diligently to ban any individuals engaged in fraudulent or harmful activities from participating in our sport.
By Jennie Rees
So you love going to the track, but you always feel a little left out of the racing chatter. Does everybody in your box have a Derby pick but you? Does the program look like hieroglyphics?
Don't turn an enjoyable day into a stressful situation.
By Marcus Townend
He is an untested bundle of energy and exciting raw potential and he is ours... and yours.
During the QIPCO Guineas Festival and the three-day Spring Meeting next month, an exhibition of photographs and personal artefacts from the champion trainer’s home at Warren Place in Newmarket will be on display in front of the Millennium Grandstand on the Rowley Mile.
“What we’ve got is the horse. When someone gets exposed to the beauty of the horse they want to get involved." - Joe Taylor, Taylor Made Sales Agency
Related
Thanks to the horses, 7-year-old Noah Martinez can play soccer.
Thanks to the horses, his 3-year-old sister, Charleigh, will speak.
Teddy Dieterman sat tall in the saddle Thursday as he rode one of Sunnyside Equestrian Center’s horses through an obstacle course in a Lincroft paddock.
Dieterman, a seventh-grader from Hillsborough who has autism, and a group of his classmates from Collier Middle School in the Wickatunk section of Marlboro spent the sunny morning watching and riding the horses as part of Sunnyside’s Equine Environment for Learning. The program provides horse-based therapies for children with disabilities.
ARCADIA, Calif. (April 13, 2014)—Two-time Eclipse Award Champion filly Beholder towers over six older fillies and mares in next Sunday’s $75,000 Santa Lucia Stakes at 1 1/16 miles, her first start since winning the Grade I, $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Santa Anita on Nov. 1.
Johannesburg - After several years of shrinking market share following the boom of casinos and the lottery, horse racing was growing again in South Africa, gaming and leisure company Phumelela said on Friday.
UPDATE: Wise Dan wins his second consecutive Makers 46 Mile.
Earlier today . . .
Lexington, KY - Two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan will make his 2014 racing debut today at Keeneland as he attempts to defend his victory in last year's $300,000 Maker's 46 Mile.
One of the few remaining races where horses can accumulate points along the road to the Kentucky Derby runs at Oaklawn Park on Saturday, April 12th: The Arkansas Derby. There are 9 horses set to run for the $1m purse in the 1 1/8th mile race. Post time is scheduled for 6:07 pm Eastern.
1. Danza (Joe Bravo)
2. Knock Em Flat (Luis S Quinones)
3. Tapiture (Joel Roasario)
4. Ride on Curlin (Jon Kenton Court)
5. Thundergram (Norberto Arroyo Jr)
6. Commissioner (Mike Smith)
7. Conquest Titan (Calvin Borel)
8. Bayern (Gary Stevens)
A significant Kentucky Derby race will be run tomorrow (Saturday April 12th) at Keeneland: The Toyota Blue Grass Stakes. A full field of fourteen 3-year-olds will race in the $750,000 Grade I race, which is set for a 5:45 p.m. post time and will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1.
1. Asserting Bear (Emma-Jayne Wilson)
2. Extrasexyhippzster (Julian Pimentel)
3. Pablo Del Monte (Victor Espinoza)
4. Harry's Holiday (Rosie Napravnik)
5. Bobby's Kitten (Javier Castellano)
6. Coltimus Prime (Alan Garcia)
7. Casiguapo (Rajiv Maragh)
By Natalie Voss
Brian Spencer just completed a season as a racing analyst at Fair Grounds’ winter meet. A graduate of Portland State University, Spencer has worked for Horse Player NOW, Arlington Park, Hoosier Park, and America’s Best Racing. Spencer’s focus in each endeavor has been on handicapping and new fan education.
How did you get involved in racing?
Press Release - Approximately 25 retired and active female jockeys, including those who were first allowed to ride in 1969 and some of the most accomplished members of their profession, will be honored at Keeneland on April 13 as part of Horses and Hope Pink Day.
The new Grandstand at Churchill Downs is coming along. Here's a quick peek of the progress to date.
Runaway UAE Derby winner Toast Of New York has been supplemented for the Investec Derby at a cost of £8,000 with a potential run in the Kentucky Derby having been ruled out.
The American-bred three-year-old was taking a huge step up in class at Meydan following a couple of admittedly impressive victories at Wolverhampton, but he justified trainer Jamie Osborne's faith with a scintillating display.
Having won on the Wolverhampton Polytrack and the Tapeta in Dubai, a switch to dirt for the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 3 was a possibility.
TREVE is proving terrific even before her return to action in the Group 1 Prix Ganay on April 27 after a glowing report from Frankie Dettori on last year's champion of Europe.
The unbeaten winner of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is Dettori's ride in his role as retained jockey to her Qatari owner Sheikh Joaan Al Thani, and he was bubbling about a recent workout on the filly who shared with Black Caviar the accolade of the world's best in 2013.
HORSING around is helping youngsters with autism to improve in leaps and bounds.
The equine-therapy programme at an inner-city stable block, which sits in the shadow of HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs in west London, is helping autistic children to overcome the issues of social interaction and communication that are so prevalent in the condition.
The 3-year-old colt is owned by Centennial Farms, whose president Don Little hails from Boston. Last year, when it was time to name the colt he’d purchased for $375,000, he wanted to honor the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings.
Although 11 winners of the Wood have gone on to take the Kentucky Derby, the most recent horse to follow up on the first Saturday in May after landing New York's principal trial was Fusaichi Pegasus back in 2000.
By far the most intriguing horse in this latest renewal of the $1m event is hype horse Social Inclusion (Manny Azpurua/Luis Contreras), who dusted Remsen Stakes winner Honor Code by ten lengths in track-record time in an allowance race at Gulfstream Park last month.
Saturday's Santa Anita Derby is an eight-horse race, but the kind of buzz that has accompanied California Chrome, ever since he blew the field away in the March 8 San Felipe, makes it difficult for the other contenders to get any attention.
Dubai: Emirati jockey Ahmad Ajtebi believes that Sunday’s Chengdu Dubai International Cup Raceday in China represents a big opportunity for him to enhance his reputation on the global stage.
Media Release - UAE based racehorse trainer Doug Watson and jockey Royston Ffrench met members of the local media at Jinma Racecourse in the Wenjiang District of the Garden City of Chengdu on Thursday morning, when both expressed their delight at the prospect of taking part in the groundbreaking China raceday on Sunday 6 April.
By Amanda Duckworth
Like millions of girls before her, Brittlan Wall can't remember when she fell in love with horses. If you force her to answer the question, she will tell you she was born loving them.
But unlike many girls who left horses behind for other pursuits, Wall never did. As a result, in a month, the now 22-year-old young woman will embark on a chance of a lifetime as part of the newest class of the Darley Flying Start program.
Tyler Stafford was typical of the students who file into Northern Racing College.
Expelled from school at 14, he could barely read or write but masked any feelings of inadequacy with bluff arrogance. Coming from a family of Durham travellers, horses had always been part of his life. He rode most days and thought he knew best.
By Fran Jurga
The emirate of Dubai is a tiny speck on the map, but it is growing into one of the world’s premier destinations for farriers and innovations in hoofcare. Saturday’s Dubai World Cup races in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) brought not just the world’s best horses and trainers and jockeys to the tiny desert nation; it brought farriers and some horses left with more interesting equipment on their hooves than when they arrived.
by C. Randy Duncan, Steve Critchley, and Jim Marland
LEXINGTON, KY (April 2, 2014) – Keeneland announced today that it is converting its main race track from synthetic Polytrack material to a state-of-the-art dirt surface, with a drainage system that will be the first of its kind in North America.
The conversion will take place over the summer, with construction scheduled to begin May 19 and be completed Aug. 15. The track will reopen for training Sept. 1. The Fall Meet begins Oct. 3.
Press Release - The five-year research program, headed by Wendy Wood, head of CSU’s highly ranked Department of Occupational Therapy, is funded by a donation from the Carl and Caroline Swanson Foundation. The $468,000 gift will allow two graduate students, a Ph.D. candidate and Wood to lead the research via a partnership with CSU’s world-renowned Equine Sciences Program.
In 2013, the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) and the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) announced the creation of a new partnership under the banner of the International Horse Sports Confederation (IHSC). This new organization met for the first time recently and confirmed that they share the same core values of protecting horse welfare and discussed in detail the different models under which both organisations operate.
An era of Asian dominance beckons. Hong Kong comprehensively dominated the sprint races at the Dubai World Cup meeting, while Japan had the world’s measure over middle distances.
Attracting horses from Australia, England, Ireland, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Germany, the United States and Qatar, the World Cup meeting lived up to its name with yet another spectacular showcase of international racing.
Australians who stayed up into the wee hours of Sunday morning were greeted with eight Group races, five of which were at Group 1 level.
Friday, March 28, 2014-- Following the allegations raised by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and reported on March 20, 2014, by The New York Times, many of us in the Thoroughbred industry are eagerly awaiting the final determination of these issues by the New York State Gaming Commission and the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.
It is my hope that these state bodies use all the prosecutorial powers available to determine if there is evidence of animal cruelty, medication violations — and cheating.
Dubai: More than one billion people have watched the Dubai World Cup in the last three years and that number will only continue to grow, according to the company responsible for producing the international programme for the event for the past 17 years.
Working with Dubai Racing Club and world feed broadcaster Dubai TV, Sunset+Vine syndicate to more than 23 broadcasters across 134 countries, penetrating 300 million-plus households last year.
It’s the job of Andrew Piller, Sunset+Vine’s commercial director and international managing director, to keep those figures rising.
Friday, 28 March, 2014
Akeed Mofeed (GB) -- Trainer Richard Gibson: “He is in very good shape. The preparation has gone well and he is in fantastic health. You need to be 100 per cent to win this race and I reckon that’s where he is.”
Arena Racing Company has signed a prize money agreement after previously declining to join up to the British Horseracing Authority-backed scheme.
The Horsemen's Group issued an angry response last October when ARC opted not to sign an agreement - a contract which covers a range of items including prize money contribution from each racecourse - with the operators instead agreeing terms with the BHA for their 2014 contribution.
In response to a growing demand for qualified attorneys to work in the nation’s $225-billion equine, racing, and gaming industries, and with several casinos in development stage across New York state, Albany Law School announced March 27 that it will offer a concentration in equine, racing, and gaming law—the only one of its kind in the nation—starting September 2014 for the incoming class of 2017.
Sheikh Joaan Al Thani's Al Shaqab Racing has purchased a 50% interest in the Coolmore-owned Ruler Of The World, last season's Epsom Derby winner.
The four-year-old Galileo colt will remain in training with Aidan O'Brien and will continue to be ridden by the Ballydoyle handler's son, Joseph.
Ruler Of The World is due to contest the Dubai World Cup at Meydan on Saturday but will now run in the colours Al Shaqab Racing.
Team British Racing will make its international debut with the British contenders for Dubai World Cup Night on Saturday 29th March at Meydan. The team is launching with international stars such as The Fugue, Red Cadeaux, Joshua Tree and a number of Britain’s other most successful thoroughbreds.
Akeed Mofeed (GB) -- Trainer Richard Gibson said: “I’ve just arrived in Dubai and I’m very happy to see him in such good order. He looks great. He was a bit fresh going cantering around the all-weather track as it was his first time, but I’d say that’s a good sign. His weight loss on the trip was standard and he’s where I’d want him to be. Douglas Whyte will ride him on the main track on Thursday, just a gentle blow doing something like 28 and 26 seconds for his final 800m.”
In guiding We Miss Artie to victory in the Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati Spiral Stakes (gr. III) March 22 at Turfway Park, Racing Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez became the first rider in history to reach $300 million in North American purse earnings.
Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s We Miss Artie secured $282,000 in purse earnings for his connections, which appropriately enough included multiple Eclipse Award-winning trainer Todd Pletcher. The Spiral marked the 353rd time Velazquez and Pletcher had teamed for a stakes win and 226th time they’d won a graded stakes together.
Thoroughbred horse racing's Group 1, 2000m Dubai World Cup with a total purse of $10m is set for March 29th. Five days out and here are some notes and updates on the likely runners. Post positions will be drawn on Wednesday, March 16th.
Akeed Mofeed (GB) -- “No problems from what I hear so far. He seems to be very happy in his new environment,” said trainer Richard Gibson from Hong Kong.
Recently, British horse racing organizations welcomed the Government 2014 Budget, which included good news for Britain's second largest sport.
In the Government statement, Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, announced that betting firms located offshore will now be subject to the Horserace Betting Levy, which is a critical funding mechanism for British horse racing.
The Japan Racing Association was honored March 14 at the Champs Elysees Theatre in Paris as recipient of the prestigious Cravache International Award, bestowed by the JRA's French counterpart France Galop at the 65th Cravache d'Or Awards.
Representing the JRA at the ceremony was Executive Director Masayuki Goto, who received the trophy of a golden whip in recognition of Japan racing's accomplishments, its influence on racing in France and around the globe, and its position as "world leader in terms of turnover."
The cast and filmmakers of 50 to 1, soon-to-be released story of 2009 Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird has started a cross-country tour to promote the major motion picture's release.
"50 to 1" is about a misfit group of New Mexico cowboys who find themselves on the journey of a lifetime when their crooked-footed racehorse qualifies for the Kentucky Derby. Based on the inspiring true story of Mine That Bird, the cowboys face a series of mishaps on their way to Churchill Downs, becoming the ultimate underdogs in a final showdown with the world's racing elite.
Dubai World Cup 2014: "With our horses we unite the world" shows how horses and our relationship with them has brought us together throughout history.
مرة أخرى مع خيلنا نوحد العالم، كأس دبي العالمي 2014
From Dubai Media Incorporated
Ilka Gansera-Lévêque trains from a yard in the famed Hamilton Road, Newmarket.
It was billed as a clash of two John Moore-trained titans and the HKG1 BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) did not disappoint. Designs On Rome and Able Friend delivered the epic duel everyone had hoped for at Sha Tin racecourse this afternoon, Sunday, 16 March, with the former emerging victorious.
If you are an Ontario thoroughbred breeder or owner you may want to attend the round table set for Wednesday, March 19th:
In this 50th anniversary year of Northern Dancer's champion season, we are calling upon all owners and breeders to attend the first in an ongoing series of round table discussions that will focus on growing our world class sport by drawing on Canada's enormous contributions to the global Thoroughbred breeding industry.
A recent tweet showcased one of the "exotic" wagers called the Super Hi 5. After placing a $24 wager at Santa Anita Park, one ticket holder won over $15,000 on one race.
How does a Super Hi 5 wager work?
To win this wager, you must pick 5 horses in the correct finishing order in the designated race.
The HK$ 16 million Hong Kong Derby runs on March 16th at Sha Tin. Sponsored by BMW, the Derby is one of Hong Kong’s most historic races, with the first race being run over 125 years ago in 1873 some 13 years before the official founding of the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
TORONTO, March 13 – One hundred and two stakes races, worth nearly $20 million in purses, will highlight Woodbine's 133-day Thoroughbred meet in 2014.
The Woodbine stakes schedule, unveiled today by the Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG), is highlighted by the 155th running of the Queen's Plate. The 1 1/4-mile classic, which carries a $1 million purse, is set for Sunday, July 6.
The inaugural staging of the Chengdu Dubai International Cup race day, a partnership between the Meydan Group and the Chengdu Municipal Government is scheduled for Sunday April 6, 2014.
The groundbreaking race meeting, which will be held at the Jinma Racecourse in the Garden City of Chengdu in Wenjiang District will consist of five turf races, highlighted by the 2200m Chengdu Dubai International Cup and the Wenjiang Meydan Classic over 1600m, both presented by Longines.
Emmeline Hill's family is steeped in the horse racing world, but her research into equine genetics saw her straddle tradition and science to revolutionalise the industry, writes Donal Lynch
It was a eureka moment that is burned forever in Emmeline Hill's memory. Late one night in 2009, in a hotel room in Colorado, she began receiving data relating to her research into horse DNA on her laptop. "I ran some analysis and at first I just didn't believe what I was seeing," she says.
Service and strength are two qualities veterans and horses share.
A program called Veterans Equine Therapy Services (VETS) is uniting veterans and horses together to bring out their best qualities.
"It [has] definitely changed my life," said veteran Darryl Hamilton.
"Time to Ride," an effort to expose 100,000 new people to horses over a 100-day period, has been launched by the American Horse Council in partnership with Thoroughbred interests represented by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Keeneland, and The Jockey Club.
The campaign was announced March 8 at the annual American Quarter Horse Association convention in New Orleans.
Experts thought Game On Dude had lost a step, but the gallant old gelding proved them wrong with a history-making third victory in the $750,000 Santa Anita Handicap (gr. I) March 8 at Santa Anita Park.
While the cheerless early morning gloom wrapped around Santa Anita Racetrack is decidedly un-Californian, there’s a touch of the Zen master about Gary Stevens that is as west coast as a Big Sur yoga retreat.
“I feel really good right now,” says Stevens, tapping a finger to his crown. “The biggest thing is staying flexible and the stretching really helps me. Touch wood, I feel good.”
By Jim Haug
At a ranch-style retreat for families dealing with the death of a loved one, white poster-board signs with the words ‘anger,’ ‘guilt’ and other emotions written on them were attached to tires and traffic cones along a ‘path of grief.’
New York Racing Association announced March 5 that it will invest $1.9 million at Saratoga Race Course for a series of capital improvements designed to enhance the customer experience during the 2014 summer meet, as well as $5.9 million in similar improvements at Aqueduct Racetrack and $680,000 at Belmont Park.
Bill Dwyer, LA TimesBy Press Release - The Victoria Racing Club (VRC) today revealed plans to build a $120 million grandstand at Flemington that will be a landmark destination and deliver experiences unsurpassed by any racecourse in the world.
John Moore has his eyes on racing's richest purse after Horse of the Year Military Attack was elevated into the Dubai World Cup field on Tuesday, giving Hong Kong two horses in the US$10 million race for the first time.
Military Attack was initially invited for the US$5 million Dubai Duty Free, but after a dominant last-start win and a request from trainer Moore, he will now face Richard Gibson's Akeed Mofeed at Meydan on March 29.
Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) has announced the full race programme for the 2014 Irish Champions Weekend, which places two iconic racing fixtures, the Irish Champion Stakes and the Irish St. Leger, back-to-back on September 13th and 14th at Leopardstown and the Curragh respectively.
Churchill Downs new track announcer Larry Collmus takes time to do a Q & A with Neil Benoit of Getting Out of the Gate answering questions about how he got started, how he prepares for each race, and his memories of different races and two decades at Monmouth Park.
How did you get interested in this line of work?
The Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation’s board of directors announced Feb. 27 that the foundation will fund a slate of 19 research projects worth $1,003,580 in 2014. The list includes 11 new projects and five that are in their second year, as well as three Storm Cat Career Development Awards.
The 2014 allocation brings the foundation’s total impact since 1983 to $20.9 million in funding for 310 projects at 41 universities.
Peter Aiello is the announcer and director of simulcasting at Hialeah Park, and was the announcer for Gulfstream Park’s summer meet this year. He graduated from the University of Arizona’s Racetrack Industry Program and interned for Horse Racing Alberta, and also took guest announcing stints at Rillito Park, Tampa Bay Downs, and the Arizona Fair Circuit. He has also served as the announcer at River Downs.
PR: What got you hooked on racing, and why?
Form is temporary, class is permanent. It's an old sporting adage that often is the case.
It was so again in the Australian Guineas when Cox Plate winner Shamus Award proved beyond doubt that his win in Australia's weight-for-age championship event last spring was no fluke with a convincing win in the 1600-metre group 1 classic at Flemington.
By Steve Davidowitz
When Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey left the Churchill Downs winner's circle last May, he took Kentucky Derby winner Orb to the Preakness in Baltimore as the only horse with a chance to sweep the elusive American Triple Crown.
Didn't happen.
"Sure, I was disappointed," McGaughey said. "But the letdown didn't last long. I still was feeling the excitement of having won the Derby and I knew that was something nobody would ever take away from me, or the horse."
Racing fans, however, were disappointed.
NBC and Churchill Downs have reached a 10-year agreement to extend the network’s exclusive rights to broadcast the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks.
The deal runs through 2025 and extends a partnership started in 2001.
While the Derby will continue airing on NBC, the Oaks and other Derby Day programming will be carried exclusively on NBC Sports Network, the cable channel.
Most forms of physical therapy take place indoors with machines, therapists and painful repetition.
But MANE, which stands for Montgomery Area Nontraditional Equestrians, takes a different approach, using horse therapy and the Pike Road outdoors to aid people with physical and emotional disabilities.
AP McCoy last night described Johnny Murtagh as one of the best jockeys he has ever seen, following the triple Epsom Derby winner's announcement that he is retiring from the saddle to concentrate on training.
THREE of Europe's major racing nations have formed a strategic alliance in a bid to attract worldwide investment into the European racing and bloodstock industry.
Irish Thoroughbred Marketing (ITM), Great British Racing International and the French Racing and Breeding Committee will work together to ensure European bloodstock is shown off in the best light, while continuing to promote their own regions.
Military Attack reasserted his authority over his domestic rivals this afternoon, Sunday, 23 February, with an imperious victory in the HKG1 Citibank Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m) that puts Hong Kong’s reigning Horse of the Year firmly on course for a date in Dubai at the end of March.
By Kerry-Ann Augustin
I BRAVE headache-inducing traffic on a sweltering Saturday afternoon and head to Sungai Besi, a township in Kuala Lumpur that the Selangor Turf Club has called home since it moved from its grounds in Jalan Ampang 21 years ago.
There’s a T-shirt that says: My therapist lives in a barn.
Richard Mosley isn’t wearing one, but he’s a believer.
His therapists are seven horses among the 90 that live at Buffalo Meadows Ranch in San Timoteo Canyon. The exercises he did with them over seven weeks late last year have been his salvation, he said.
Mosley, 45, has gone from being an angry, suicidal Iraq war veteran with post traumatic stress disorder and on the brink of divorce to a man who has found some peace with himself and is working to mend the family that he nearly shattered.
Press Release - Louis ROMANET, the Chairman of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), today announced the appointment of Phil SMITH, Head of Handicapping for the British Horseracing Authority, as co-chairman of the LONGINES World’s Best Racehorse Rankings Committee, replacing Garry O’GORMAN, Senior Flat Handicapper for the Irish Turf Club who has decided to stand down after serving six years in the position. Nigel GRAY, Head of Handicapping and Race Planning for The Hong Kong Jockey Club will remain in his current capacity as co-chairman.
Press Release - The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) is hosting a three day regional workshop for Asia, the Far East and Oceania, at Happy Valley Racecourse, Hong Kong. The event opened today, Tuesday 18 February.
The workshop is the first of its kind ever held in Asia, and is co-organised by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department of the Hong Kong Government (AFCD) and the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC).
EDMONTON - He’s not exactly D. Wayne Lukas, but even the legendary horse trainer got his start somewhere.
Growing up, Edmonton Oilers centre Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had two passions: hockey and thoroughbred racing.
Press Release - The B.C. Horse Racing Industry Management Committee today finalized a multi-year funding arrangement among the principal participants in the industry – track operator Great Canadian Gaming Corp., the Thoroughbred sector and the Standardbred sector.
By Steve Davidowitz
It's snowing in the east again.
It's ice cold in the midwest and they're even doing the Luge in a small Russian town hosting the current cold weather Olympics.
Add all that together and it can only mean one thing: Spring is in the air.
Yes, Spring! Want proof?
Legions of major league baseball players are reporting for spring training in Florida and Arizona. Dozens of the best 3-year-old Thoroughbred racehorses are revving up for the Kentucky Derby in prep races every weekend.
SEMINOLE — Katie Mazgaj sat tall atop her horse, Dexter, giving a slight tug on the reins to weave among a series of tightly placed cones.
(CNN) -- It's been a long time coming. A very long time. But S'manga Khumalo is proving that black jockeys can hold the whip hand in South Africa.
Whites may still dominate horse racing there, but it was the diminutive Khumalo who reigned supreme last year when he became the first black jockey to win the Durban July event in its 117-year history.
Things I thought I’d never say.
“Where would the Thoroughbred racing and breeding industry be today if it weren’t for The Jockey Club?”
By Lucie Bell
Research published in the journal Youth Studies Australia suggests that equine therapy is an effective way to help young people who are troubled or at-risk.
Catherine Waite, from the Rural Health Academic Centre at the University of Melbourne, spoke to 40 young people over 12 months.
"We interviewed people who are 14 to18 years old," Ms Waite said.
A brief video which captures the majesty of the horse in pictures and the enormous economic impact of the horse industry in words.
Related
Horse Racing Ireland 2013 Statistics, January 2014
The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) announced today that its 2014 Belmont Stakes card on Saturday, June 7 will offer total purses of $8 million and feature 10 stakes races. In 2013, only one card, Breeders' Cup Saturday at Santa Anita Park, had purses totaling more than $8 million.
By Ron Mason
Eliska Kubinova is living the American Dream, which, for her, means riding racehorses for a living.
LOS ANGELES, California February 04, 2014 - Singpoli Group has announced that Lou Raffetto, Jr. has been named President of YUP Racing, effective January 1, 2014. YUP Racing is a new company to provide the Chinese American community information about horse racing.
Mr. Raffetto has served throughout his career in several executive positions in the horse racing industry. Most recently, he was President of the Thoroughbred Owners of California. Previously, Raffetto served as President/Chief Operating Officer of the Maryland Jockey Club for seven years.
TALLAHASSEE, FLA.– At a Senate Gaming Committee hearing in Tallahassee Monday, members of the Florida horse industry unveiled impressive new economic impact figures from a just released statewide study. A coalition of Florida horse racing and breeding organizations retained Cummings Associates to develop a comprehensive estimate of the economic impacts of the horse racing industry in Florida.
Major findings of the study unveiled Monday included:
• The horse racing industry supports more than 12,000 jobs statewide.
A holiday crowd of 98,149 ensured a vibrant festival atmosphere as racegoers celebrated the Year of the Horse at Hong Kong’s traditional Chinese New Year raceday today, Sunday 2, February.
In the year that Arlington International celebrates the 25th anniversary of the rebuilding of racing’s most modern and customer-friendly facilities, the world renowned racetrack announced that the Festival of Racing will be on Saturday, Aug. 16. The International Festival features five stakes races including three Grade I events – the $1,000,000 Arlington Million for 3-year-olds & up; the $750,000 Beverly D. for fillies & mares, 3-year-olds & up; and the $500,000 Secretariat Stakes for 3-year-olds – as well as the third edition of $400,000 American St.
Swiss watch brand Longines has become an official partner for the Organización Latinoamericana de Fomento del Sangre Pura de Carrera (OSAF), a leading Latin American horse racing body.
As part of the agreement, Longines' Conquest Classic is named as the official watch of the annual Longines Gran Premio Latinoamericano horse race, which will be held on 15 March this year in Lima, Peru.
By Heather Meade
NORTH STAR - Being a female jockey isn’t an easy feat, as any who have managed it will concur, but with drive and determination, women can make it in a ‘man’s world’ of horse racing. Chelsey Keiser, a Versailles High School graduate, decided to follow her life-long dream, despite the odds, she said.
As the year of the horse gets underway, horse racing in Singapore is taking off.
The number of race horses in the city state has doubled since 2007 to 1,400 and the market is now starting to attract more international patrons, according to Wade Burridge, managing director of PremierRacingPartnerships.com.
2014 Superbowl ad from Budweiser captures the majesty of the horse perfectly!
Energetic, bright, warm-hearted, intelligent and able - the horse holds a special place in Chinese astrology and mysticism and those born in its year are said to carry some of the same characteristics of their zodiac symbol.
Thoroughbred Racing Associations president Scott Wells has seen first-hand how race fans, and potential new fans, connect with jockeys.
Wells, president of Lone Star Park and Remington Park, said a series of commercials featuring the Remington jockey colony have proven popular in Oklahoma City. The spots typically have run at the end of Remington Thoroughbred or Quarter Horse racing seasons, serving to promote the track's casino operation while keeping an emphasis on racing.
After more than 20 years in the financial-services rat race, Swiss banker Michael Reichstein packed it in and turned to horse racing for a living.
Christopher Tsui is gearing up for a strong year of mating.
The auspicious Year of the Horse is approaching, and the Hong Kong-based private investor sees the possibility for more interest in one of his long-term investment projects: a champion race horse with a potentially lucrative career in breeding.
By Steve Haskin, Bloodhorse.com
We’ve already seen some stress and low tolerance building in the camp of one of the leading Kentucky Derby hopefuls.
Following the Seahawks – Forty Niners game, we saw what can happen when the media probes a star player at a time when his emotions are still running high and the adrenaline is still flowing. There is no down time to gather one’s composure. It is, “What are you feeling right now?” The public wants to know.
Jose Arias of Bell Gardens near Los Angeles topped a field of 500 to win the 15th annual Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship Jan. 26 in Las Vegas.
Arias took home the $750,000 first-place prize and an Eclipse Award as "Handicapper of the Year" in this year's event presented by Racetrack Television Network, Sovereign Stable, and Treasure Island Las Vegas.
When John Velazquez rode the three-year-old Monopolize onto the track for the fourth race at Gulfstream Park, he was greeted by resounding cheers.
The shouts of well wishes rang out in honor of the Hall of Fame jockey’s first race in almost three months while recovering from injuries he sustained in a spill back in November. In the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Santa Anita Park, Velazquez’s mount Secret Compass tragically broke down. The filly was euthanized, while Velazquez underwent emergency surgery to remove his spleen and was hospitalized for several days.
By Mia Sheldon
“I never thought I would be a victim,” says Lauri Walker tearfully. “I thought I could do it on my own, but I couldn’t. I needed help.”
Living alone on 21 acres outside Owen Sound, Ont.,Walker cherishes nothing more than having a home and being around animals. But after a string of abusive relationships, Lauri says she was left defeated.
Horseracing, Britain's second biggest spectator sport, benefits the economy around Flat racing's 'headquarters' of Newmarket by more than £208m annually and is responsible for more than 8,500 jobs within a 25-mile radius, according to a new study by leading economic research provider, SQW.
By Julie Sarno
Rancho Santa Fe resident Christian Hellmers is a leading character in “Horseplayers,” a reality show that will air on Esquire television. The first episode of the 10-show horse racing series is scheduled to air at 10 p.m., on Tuesday, Jan. 21. The show is about the high-stakes world of professional handicapping. “Handicapping” is the process of analyzing data and selecting horses to bet money on.
The NFL’s Dilemma
By Brian Vellmure
The NFL faces an interesting dilemma. Popularity is at an all time high, but attendance has been steadily falling for the past several years. How could this be?
The summary answer is that the “experience” of watching from home has begun to rival and in some cases even surpass that of attending a live game.
The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) posted a 2.3 percent average daily total handle gain for 2013. The gain follows a 2012 season during which NYRA posted sizable gains in all handle categories.
Average daily handle wagered on races at NYRA's three racetracks - Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course - increased 2.3 percent in 2013 to $9,198,298, up from $8,990,691 in 2012. For the year, NYRA hosted 239 racing days, six fewer than in 2012, and fewer than any of the preceding four years.
FRANKFORT, KY. — A bill to expand a Kentucky thoroughbred purse supplement fund to include certain horses — eligible to be bought in a race — easily passed the state Senate on Thursday and now goes to the House of Representatives.
The 36-1 vote on Senate Bill 26, sponsored by Sen. John Schickel, R-Union, came with no discussion on the floor beyond the sponsor’s brief summation.
By Claire Novak
Three runners who delivered remarkably different campaigns in 2013 face off for Horse of the Year honors, highlighting the open-for-interpretation nature of the category.
Winners in the 17 horse and human categories will be announced at the 43rd annual Eclipse Awards dinner and ceremony Jan. 18 at Gulfstream Park Racing and Casino in Hallandale Beach, Fla. The ceremony will air live on HRTV.
BRITISH racegoers can look forward to a first glimpse of last year's joint-best horse as Treve's provisional programme includes a trip to Royal Ascot, connections revealed on Thursday.
Inside the stables at the historic Sagamore Farm, General Manager Tom Mullikin introduces us to a thoroughbred colt, otherwise known as Sagamore Racing’s horse with no name.
“Really cool demeanor, personality. When he’s out with the other colts, he’s the boss. He’s alpha; he’s in charge,” Mullikin said. “If I had to equate him to a current Baltimore Raven, he’s a Vonta Leach.”
BLACK CAVIAR, the winner of all her 25 races, and outstanding Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe heroine Treve have been announced as the world's best by the World Rankings Supervisory Committee on Thursday.
The deadly duo couldn't be split by the committee, who awarded both horses a rating of 130 as they topped the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings for 2013.
ASCOT’S King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, which has carried the Betfair name since 2009, will be sponsored by Qipco Holding as part of a five-year partnership with the racecourse.
While the value of the mid-season middle-distance showpiece remains unchanged at £1 million, it becomes the third race carrying a seven-figure purse to be run at the Berkshire track under the Qipco umbrella, joining the £1.3m Champion Stakes and £1m Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.
If you've ever wondered what it feels like to be a Champion Jockey and put a horse through a serious piece of exercise on the gallops, then now you have the chance.
By Matt Gardner
The other day The Jockey Club, along with NTRA Communications, re-upped the America's Best Racing Brand Ambassadors for the 2014 racing season. The marketing initiative was a result of an increased focus by the industry over the last couple of years to educate and attract new fans to the sport. From the press release from the Jockey Club:
Korean Derby and Oaks winner Speedy First and Minister’s Cup winner Major King are in the United States where they will be trained and raced for at least the first part of the year.
The pair, who between them won 3 of the 4 Korean Classic races in 2013, arrived at JFK Airport last week and are currently in quarantine. They are then expected to transfer to Laurel Park in Maryland to enter training.
SHE battled depression and dark thoughts – but now Zeb Nawaz is helping other people with their demons by offering them time with her horse.
Zeb, 35, from Gloucester, struggled with depression and anxiety earlier in her life and sought medical help.
She tried various anti-depressants prescribed to her but none of them helped.
By Tim Sullivan
Excluding an operation for a ruptured disc, and an insurance physical arranged to appease investors, D. Wayne Lukas has devoted his life to avoiding doctors.
“I shouldn’t say this,” the venerable thoroughbred horse trainer said, “and I don’t say it boastfully, but I haven’t been to a doctor in 50 years. I don’t get a checkup or nothing, which is not good. I don’t go to doctors (because) they might tell you something you don’t want to know.”
By Tom LaMarra, The Horse
A study on former racehorses transitioned to second career indicates a large percentage of them are acquired from their owners, not auctions.
The Retired Racehorse Training Project (RRTP) released the results of the study Jan. 9. It stemmed from a 2013 survey of the owners of 4,200 ex-racehorses in 47 states and Canada, the RRTP said.
What is it about a horse that helps people heal from various mental and emotional health problems? The answer to this question is multi-layered and involves the unique interplay of the horse’s qualities with the specific needs of humans that are related to connection, attachment, and trust. These human needs associated with social engagement and relationship are essential for all humans; however, problems with meeting these needs are most often at the root of mental and emotional health issues such as addictions, depression, anxiety, and other disorders.
Trainers Matt Cumani, Tony Gollan and Brent Stanley in Australia this week discussed the future of horse racing.
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. . ."With this next generation coming through, there's a wave coming and when it breaks on the beach we all want to make sure we're in the right place to catch it. It's coming at some point," Cumani says.
Read this article and let us know if this has been your racetrack experience.
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The New NYRA Customer Experience
By Dean Keppler
In an interview published on January 7th 2014, CEO of Great British Racing, Rod Street, comments on the challenges faced by British horse racing in recent years and the marketing efforts initiated to make the sport of horse racing relevant in the crowded world of leisure and entertainment options. Some key points made during the interview include the need:
- to have a dedicated promotion team in place
The Jockey Club, the largest commercial group in British horseracing and one of the largest music promoters in the UK, today launched a joint venture partnership, Jockey Club Live, to secure, promote and produce music and other forms of live entertainment at its 15 well-known racecourse venues nationwide.
On the heels of a successful debut in 2013, The Jockey Club announced today that it will continue the America’s Best Racing mobile marketing tour with a team of six brand ambassadors embedded in key racing markets throughout 2014 and 2015. The major racing events of the tour will be supported by the 2014 edition of the “ABRV,” a bus that will focus on hospitality and direct fan education.
TWO years into one of the world's most important racing jobs, Wagga man Paul Bittar is loving every minute of his role as chief executive of British Horseracing Authority.
Following in the footsteps of fellow Wagga racing administrator Greg Nichols, Bittar is enjoying the challenge of being the number one man in British racing.
From the Foreward:
British Racing has faced, and largely come through, a significant test. We were never going to be immune to the wider financial difficulties that still prevail, but can all be extremely proud of the scale of our sport’s continued contribution to the British economy. Core industry expenditure of over £1.1 billion and a total economic impact of £3.45 billion are just the headline demonstrations of British Racing’s importance.
By Shin Ji-hye
In recent years, Korea’s horse racing industry has gained the spotlight from the global market. The nation’s racehorses have been exported to other countries including Malaysia and Macau, and Korea also held its first international race with Japan last November.
The state-run Korea Racing Authority said it exported broadcasts of the race to Singapore for the first time in Korea last December. The KRA signed a deal with Singapore Turf Club to air the grand prize race at Seoul Racing Park.
The new “Big Board” under construction at Churchill Downs, the legendary home of the Kentucky Derby, will be the only video board in an outdoor stadium or arena capable of displaying the new and advanced 4K ultra-high definition technology.
The announcement was made by Panasonic Corporation of North America and Churchill Downs Racetrack on Monday in advance of the 2014 International Consumer Electronics Show, the world’s largest consumer electronics show that runs Jan. 7-10 in Las Vegas.
Cape Town - Equestrian champions, trainers and jockeys alike are gearing up for the Cape’s most elegant horse racing event, the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate, which holds its 153rd running on January 11, 2014 at Kenilworth Racecourse, with contenders competing for the coveted R1 million purse.
Irish researchers talk about what makes some Thoroughbred race horses faster than others and their efforts to find the "speed" gene. With the help of Dawn Approach and Trainer Jim Bolger.
Given his bloodlines, it was always a good bet that Tory Stevens would wind up with a career around horses.
His father, Gary Stevens, is a Hall of Fame jockey who is approaching 5,000 lifetime victories, including nine in the Triple Crown and 10 in the Breeders' Cup.
The New York Times has won the 2013 Media Eclipse Award in the audio/Internet category for "The Jockey," a profile of Hall of Fame jockey Russell Baze, which appeared online Aug. 13.
By Natalie Voss
Despite the recent economic recession and resulting shrinking of the Thoroughbred industry, some members of Generation Y are choosing to launch careers in racing. Each week, we will ask these young professionals what issues they’re most concerned about, and how they think they could be solved.
When Courtney Hernandez took to the track for her first start on December 7, she and mount Wildshoes for Me had tougher competition than the horse’s $5,000 claiming pricetag would suggest. Hernandez left the gate just two spots away from older brother Colby Hernandez.
“My brother rode at the side of me the whole time. I really wasn’t too, too nervous,” she recalled.
That’s probably because racing is in Hernandez’s blood.
The Senegal National Lottery (LONASE) has utilised its partnership with gaming technologies provider SENEJEUX to launch a new fixed-odds, 3D virtual horseracing game in app pari-mutuel urban (PMU) betting outlets in the African country.
The new high-frequency, random number generated virtual horseracing system offers races every five minutes and is capable of operating 24 hours a day.
If you’ve ever considered your horse to be your “better half,” you’re not alone. Norwegian and American researchers recently found that riders and horses can enter into a unique state of interspecies “co-being” with one other.
There was more than one winner when Sushi Empire rolled to a stylish 1 ¼-length victory in Wednesday’s Blue Norther Stakes.
The owner of the 3-year-old Empire Maker filly is George (Chip) McEwen III, racing as Wounded Warrior Stables, whose donations benefit members of the U.S. military injured in the line of duty, and other worthwhile causes.
McEwen’s patriotism is much more than skin deep. His silks listed in the program are described as, “Yellow, purple heart, purple hoop on sleeves, purple cap.”
As Fort Erie Racetrack makes The Niagara Review's list of newsmakers of the year, Racing Future continues to work through the Christmas-Ne
Orfevre, the horse that 5k Japanese fans followed to France for the Arc d'Triomphe ran his last race on Sunday - the Arima Kinen at Nakayama Racecourse. The Arima Kinen is Japan's Kentucky Derby with a twist; ten of the horses in the field are selected by fan vote.
Ryan Moore will ride Gold Ship in the Arima Kinen in Japan on Sunday as Orfevre has his final career start.
Moore has already won one of Japan's biggest races this year when landing the Japan Cup aboard the brilliant filly Gentildonna and he's now set to try and land another aboard the son of Stay Gold who won this prize last year as a three year old.
By Carolyn Grodinsky and Dianne Lashoones
The Jockey Club, the largest commercial group in British horseracing, which reinvests every penny it makes back into the sport, today revealed plans to make an industry record £19.5 million contribution to prize money in 2014 from its own resources, beating by more than £1 million its own previous record high of £18.4m it is contributing this year.
Since 2009, The Jockey Club has increased its annual contribution to prize money by £7.1m as a result of its commercial success.
Second Chances Farm is an unlikely partnership between horses and men that may be saving both.
Inside the Sykesville barn classical music hummed from a radio as the men milled about the horses' stalls.
Sportech PLC ("Sportech") is pleased to announce that it has signed an agreement with one of the governing bodies for horseracing in California, the Southern California Off Track Wagering, Inc. ("SCOTWinc"), for a license to allow Sportech to operate up to ten innovative retail venues offering customers the ability to bet on horseracing in a high-end sports bar and restaurant facility.
Racing Future is determined to inspire a new generation of fans to enjoy horse racing. We are proud to be a part of this process and are optimistic that our efforts, combined with the efforts of everyone in the horse racing community, can and will make the difference in reinvigorating the sport, which has a long and rich heritage and makes a significant economic impact throughout the province.
Jockey Javier Castellano put his name in the record books on Friday at Gulfstream Park, passing Ramon Dominguez to establish a new North American single-season record for purse earnings.
Castellano, 36, set the standard for riders after rallying on the far outside with I Ain’t Gonna Lie ($7.20) to win the third race by a nose over Currency Union for owner and trainer Herman Wilensky.
Racetracks may not have the wherewithal to build their own version of Angry Birds to create brand awareness, but they may be able to offer social games to keep fans on-site engaged—and hopefully return.
A panel discussion on social gaming Dec. 11 at the 40th annual Arizona Global Symposium on Racing & Gaming offered several ideas for tracks to engage digitally with younger fans. Among the ideas included offering online contests that reward people at the track for accomplishing simple tasks: buying a hot dog, placing two show bets, or even tweeting about their experience.
By R.J. DeLuke
The 2013 thoroughbred horse racing season - the 150th at the historic Saratoga Race Course - was a record-breaking economic boon for the city of Saratoga Springs and Saratoga County.
But officials were quick to point out that while the race track and Saratoga Performing Arts Center are key cogs in bringing people into the area during the summer, tourism is strong all seasons of the year and efforts are constantly ongoing to strengthen tourism through diversity of events and promotions.
Read more about this horse therapy program on Racing Future.
A nudge from the nose of a zebra or a towering 2500-pound Clydesdale horse might send others running.
But Lauren Burke, a graduate student at Ohio’s Case Western Reserve University’s school for social work, instead extends a curved hand to return the equine “hello”.
Burke, in her required social work field placement, has spent the last 18 months at Ohio’s Pebble Ledge Ranch in Novelty, Ohio, learning to communicate with horses, and a zebra, in its Spirit of Leadership program.
Horseracing is Britain's best value day out for sports fans, according to a new report published by the Racecourse Association.
The research, conducted by Deloitte, shows that racing consistently costs less than other major sports such as Twenty20 cricket, Football League games, a round of golf, domestic rugby and Premier League football and other competing leisure activities.
Japanese superstar Lord Kanaloa stamped himself as the best sprinter in the world with a dominant victory in the Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) at Sha Tin yesterday.
Sensational world-class sporting action played out before an enthusiastic crowd of close to 70,000 racegoers on course Sunday 8 December, and there was plenty for the home fans to cheer as three of the four Group 1 LONGINES Hong Kong International Races went the way of local heroes.
On Monday, December 16, 2013 the Ontario Racing Commission and the Ontario Ministries of Agriculture and Food and Rural Affairs are co-sponsoring the Horse Racing Innovation Summit.
Time: 9:30 – 3:00 pm
Location: Flamboro Downs Racetrack, 967 Highway #5 West Hamilton (Flamborough), ON L9H 5G1
Racing Future has partnered with Prime Advertising and Fort Erie Racetrack to develop a horse racing festival proposal centred on The Year of The Horse. The success of this project will have a tremendous impact not only for Fort Erie Racetrack and the surrounding community but also for the Province of Ontario. Among the many benefits, the proposal will:
- encourage citizens in Southern Ontario and Western New York to visit the Niagara Region with new and unique attractions;
LEXINGTON, Ky. – In an effort to “Pack the House” vs. No. 2 Duke in Rupp Arena on Sunday, Dec. 22, the Kentucky women’s basketball program has paired up with horse owner and prominent Lexington area veterinarian Dr. Stuart Brown to offer one lucky fan a one-of-a-kind horse racing experience.
The dozen riders competing in the four Championship races at Happy Valley had ridden in excess of 24,000 winners between them, with Richard Hughes, Ryan Moore and Christophe Soumillon also taking part.
Bloodhorse.com announced a new feature of the site today - an interactive map of North American racetracks.
OF ALL the unusual sources of inspiration for a football club, the Brisbane Lions are looking to draw hope from the deeds of champion horse Buffering ahead of the 2014 season.
Australia's best sprinter and the winner of three Group One races in the past six weeks, Buffering and trainer Rob Heathcote were signed up as Lions members on Monday morning.
It has only been in recent years that our society has recognized post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in combat military personnel returning home from war and anyone else exposed to an extreme traumatic event that has altered their life. Going back to World War I, this disorder was trivialized with the term shell shock.
Mary Mitzel kicked up a small cloud of dust as she weaved around a handful of people and raced up to a small milk chocolate-colored horse tethered to the wall.
“I have to say goodbye to Lena before I leave,” she said loudly before giving the horse a quick hug. “Goodbye, Lena.”
Richard Hughes was the winner of the 2013 World Super Jockeys Series in his first time taking part in this competition.
The WORLD SUPER JOCKEYS SERIES (WSJS), a popular annual event in Japan and throughout the world, is a championship that brings together fifteen outstanding jockeys from Europe, North America, Oceania, Asia and Japan.
By Sarah Ferguson
FORT ERIE - A grand festival may be galloping its way to Fort Erie.
If Premier Kathleen Wynne gives it the green light in the next few weeks, organizers will quickly solidify the details to host Fort Erie Celebrates the Year of the Horse Festival with live racing events in August as part of a province-wide celebration.
BLACK CAVIAR (AUS) [130] and TREVE (FR) [130], the joint top rated horses in the 2013 LONGINES World’s Best Racehorse Rankings, are to be recognized as such during the LONGINES WORLD’S BEST RACEHORSE CEREMONY at the gala dinner of the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races, which will be held on 6th December at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Ce
Ten Furlongs LLC, the company behind the movie “50 to 1,” the story of long-shot 2009 Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird, is finalizing plans to bring the film to Louisville in the spring.
The Victoria Racing Club (VRC) has delivered a record profit of nearly $7.5 million for the 2012/13 racing season, up from $2.4 million the previous year, strengthening its position to implement its ambitious Masterplan for Flemington.
The profit allowed the Club to fully repay its remaining $9 million bank debt. During the season the VRC invested over $10 million in racecourse improvements, and increased returns to owners, paying more than $36.4 million in prize money.
WILLIAM HILL have announced the launch of what they describe as a "major new technological ‘centre of excellence'" in Shoreditch, east London.
They have opened a 6,000 sq ft office on Scrutton Street at the heart of London's hub for technology companies which will initially house 40 staff and complement William Hill's international online operations in Leeds, London, Gibraltar, Tel Aviv, Sydney and Las Vegas.
William Hill Online managing director Andrew Lee said: "We see this as a hugely significant step in the history of William Hill and, indeed, our industry.
Reigning horse of the year Gentildonna became the first back-to-back winner of the Japan Cup with a historic photo-finish victory over Denim and Ruby on Sunday at Tokyo Racecourse.
The 4-year-old Gentildonna, in her first partnership with English jockey Ryan Moore and who hadn’t won yet in three previous starts this season, was declared the winner by a nose in Japan’s richest race with a purse of ¥521 million — ¥250 million of it going to the champion.
It was swift, violent and senseless.
Lucian Rodriguez doesn't remember anything about the 2002 incident that stole much of his future. A woman who looked out the peephole in her door called 911 to report the near-fatal beating of the Rutgers Newark student in an apartment complex on 14th Street in Manhattan, where he was left for dead.
THE European contingent of Joshua Tree, Simenon and Dunaden face a formidable challenge in Tokyo on Sunday when they attempt to unseat a strong domestic defence in the 33rd running of the Japan Cup.
Ryan Moore partners star Japanese filly Gentildonna (Sei Ishizaka) as she attempts to become the first back-to-back winner of the 521 million yen (£3.23m) contest. The four-year-old is vying for favouritism alongside the top-class Gold Ship (Naosuke Sugai/Hiroyuki Uchida), with the three visitors accorded relative longshot status.
Sports broadcaster and data supplier Satellite Information Services (SIS) is to offer coverage of Dubai horse racing for its online and retail customers, with the likes of Bet365, BetVictor, Paddy Power, Boylesports and Betfair to offer live streaming of race meets from the city.
The coverage, which follows a pilot scheme last year, will see SIS provide a regular stream of thoroughbred racing with 31 fixtures to be broadcast from the Jebel Ali and Meydan racecourses from November to March.
The Oklahoma Equine Alliance released a comprehensive study today showing the economic impact generated by the Oklahoma Equine Industry reached $3.6 billion in 2012, yielding roughly 35,070 full time equivalent jobs. The study was completed in 2013 and commissioned by members of the Oklahoma Equine Alliance.
Many pet owners and animal lovers know the feeling of coming home to an excited dog or cat and having the stress of the day seemingly melt away. They may not be able to explain why having an animal in their life has this impact on them, but pet lovers around the world swear by the positive affects of animals.
Chestermere High School is building off that feeling with their new six-week pilot project that relies on the assistance of horses to help build relationships and communication skills in students with behavioural, social and emotional issues.
Jockey John Velazquez, Chairman of the Jockeys’ Guild, continues to recover at his home in Long Island, New York. Velazquez was injured on November 2 at Santa Anita Racetrack when his mount, Secret Compass, broke down during the running of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.
Equine dentistry is the practice of dentistry in horses, involving the study, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and the adjacent and associated structures.
The practice of equine dentistry varies widely by jurisdiction, with procedures being performed by veterinary physicians (both in general and specialist practice), specialist professionals termed equine dental technicians or equine dentists, and by amateurs, such as horse owners, with varying levels of training.
A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of horses' hooves and the placing of shoes on their hooves, if necessary. A farrier combines some blacksmith's skills (fabricating, adapting, and adjusting metal shoes) with some veterinarian's skills (knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the lower limb) to care for horses' feet.
RESIDENTS at a Catterick Garrison care home were thrilled to receive a special equine visit for a pony therapy session.
Rosedale Nursing Home, a residential and nursing home which offers care to the elderly and to those with dementia, was visited by Wish, an American miniature horse as part of a pony therapy session at the home.
The animals and their carers from Country Durham-based K&L Pony Therapy were a huge hit with residents, according to Anna Masheter, the home manager at Rosedale Nursing Home.
by Andrew Hawkins
Champion American jockey Gary Stevens will cap off his remarkable comeback to the saddle when he returns to Hong Kong to ride in next month's Longines International Jockeys' Championship (IJC) at Happy Valley.
The December 4 series will see four past winners of the showpiece return once more - perennial Hong Kong champion Douglas Whyte (2002, 2007, 2008), France's leading rider Christophe Soumillon (dead-heat 2004), Epsom Derby winner Ryan Moore (dead-heat 2009, 2010) and Brazil's Joao Moreira (2012).
By Caryl Williamson
Sydney will reclaim autumn racing with a revamped and rebranded carnival aimed at attracting international runners to some of the richest races of their kind in the world.
The state government has kicked in $10 million for The Championships at Randwick in 2014 to be run on two consecutive Saturdays in April and culminating in the $4 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes, making it the richest 2000-metre turf race in the world.
Every twelve year cycle of the Chinese calendar is represented by an animal and, for horse lovers around the world, 2014 is a special year because it is the Year of the Horse.
The Horse has a strong, ethical character, and is very social and generous yet disciplined. While innovative, the Horse is also a practical problem-solver who never gives up.
By Mike Riopell
The effort by the Illinois horse racing industry and state lawmakers to save the summer season at Arlington International Racecourse and elsewhere is almost certain to come down to a photo finish.
When Illinois lawmakers left Springfield Thursday, they left without a new law to prevent Arlington's live racing season from being cut nearly in half to just 49 days next year.
By Kylene Scott
The battlefields of Iraq or Afghanistan have to be a stark difference from ranchlands of New Mexico. For some veterans it’s just the therapy they need.
Press Release
Toronto, ON – Elmer Buchanan has been appointed by the Government of Ontario as Chair of the Ontario Racing Commission (ORC) for a term of one year. Most recently, he served as a member of the Horse Racing Industry Transition Panel, which met with industry participants and worked to develop a vision for the industry's future.
Press Release
Dr. Allan Hamilton, a professor of surgery at the UA, also is a talented horse trainer and owns the Rancho Bosque Equine Center. Realizing the important role non-verbal communication plays when training and interacting with horses, Hamilton developed the world's first program for medical students and professionals using equine-facilitated resources to improve their bedside manner for human patients.
One lucky Victorian TAB punter correctly selected Fiorente, Red Cadeaux, Mount Athos and Simenon to be the first four horses over the line in the Melbourne Cup at Flemington yesterday.
He was one of the big winners on the race that stops a nation as punters wagered $90.6 million through the NSW and Victorian TABs on the Melbourne Cup.
After a thrilling nose victory by Mucho Macho Man in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I) at Santa Anita Park a day earlier, trainer Kathy Ritvo can finally face the disappointment of his close second-place finish behind Fort Larned in last year’s Classic.
By Lara O'Toole
Thousands of people flocked to the city today for the Melbourne Cup parade of the jockeys and trainers who hope their horse will take home Australia’s richest racing prize.
By Chris Webber
A MAN who is completely paralysed in one half of his body and had never been on a horse in his life until the beginning of the year has won a national award for horse-riding.
Paul Conway, 53, of Norton near Stockton, sat on a horse for the first time just ten months ago and before that spent at least 50 per cent of his waking hours in a wheelchair.
By Andrea Edde
Michael Fuentes is a 14-year-old boy with Cerebral Palsy, ADHD, developmental disabilities, autistic behaviors and a basically useless right hand. But that doesn’t stop him from holding Oreo, the horse, with both hands while in therapy at Good Hope Equestrian Training Center.
With only a couple of months of horse therapy, Andrea Fuentes, his mother, is pleased with the changes she has seen in Michael.
By Tom Pedulla
ARCADIA, Calif. — Princess of Sylmar’s pedigree changed with one well-placed kick, and her roots were not promising to begin with. She was born at Sylmar Farm in Pennsylvania, a state that is not known for producing high-caliber thoroughbreds. She made an inauspicious debut last October, when she took fourth at Penn National Race Course, off the beaten path in central Pennsylvania.
Great video from Paulick Report about the way in which horses have powerful impact on lives of those with various challenges.
By Mike Chiari
Although it isn't a Triple Crown event, the Breeders' Cup Classic is arguably the biggest competition in horse racing. With $5 million on the line, the best horses, jockeys and trainers will converge on Santa Anita Park in Arcadia,[California], on Saturday for a chance to be called the best in the world.
A small Arizona-based company called EquiSight is aiming to revitalize the fan experience in the of sport horse racing. 
Company founder, Kenleigh Hobby, is as confident in his product as he is passionate about horse racing.
“It’s very simple,” he says. “Horse racing cannot grab a younger demographic and the biggest issue is antiquated technology.”
UNIONTOWN, Ohio — For an entire year, Michael Kuhn visited the horses. Always alone, on Sundays.
A total of 68 international Group 1 winners are among the 241 horses nominated for the four LONGINES Hong Kong International Races, worth a total of HK$72 million, which are to be held at Sha Tin Racecourse on Sunday, 8 December.
FORTY years after the legendary Secretariat ended his career by winning the Canadian International, Joshua Tree (Ed Dunlop/Ryan Moore) created a small piece of racing history when he became the first horse to capture the $1 million contest three times.
The six-year-old kept at bay the late challenge of Hyper to claim Canada's most prestigious race by three-quarters of a length, with Germany's Seismos third.
By Ray Thomas
THE horse that wasn't supposed to get a start, the teenage apprentice riding in the race for the first time, and the trainer who never lost the faith.
This sums up the extraordinary story behind the most unlikely Cox Plate winner of them all - Shamus Award.
A maiden before yesterday's $3 million race at Moonee Valley, the Danny O'Brien-trained Shamus Award stunned a field containing some of the best weight-for-age horses in training with an all-the-way win under teenage apprentice Chad Schofield.
Arcadia, CA, October 23, 2013 -- HRTV (R), The Network for Horse Sports, will present comprehensive live coverage leading into, and continuing through, the 30th running of the Breeders' Cup, Thoroughbred racing's most prestigious global event, which will be held on Friday, Nov. 1, and Saturday, Nov. 2, at Santa Anita Park.
The Breeders' Cup consists of 14 races over the two days, with purses totaling more than $25 million.
STAMFORD, Conn. – October 24, 2013 – The 30th running of the Breeders’ Cup Classic will be broadcast live in primetime on Saturday, November 2, culminating 9½ hours of Breeders’ Cup World Championships coverage over two days by the NBC Sports Group from Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. All 14 Breeders’ Cup races will be televised live by NBC and NBCSN.
By Charley Lanyon
British entrepreneur Byron Constable is breaking all the rules to bring the sport of kings back to China.
While the mainland plays differently in many ways, it may still come as a surprise to learn that the venerable Shanghai Race Club (SRC), which he revived, operates without a clubhouse, without betting, without a racecourse and, believe it or not, without horses.
By Katie Lamb
In horse racing, there is a belief that a horse’s talent cannot be determined by pedigree or auction price; it is the racetrack that is the judge of good horses, and they can come from anywhere. The reigning horse of the year, Wise Dan, is one of those horses.
It's a popular hobby, a great form of exercise and certainly a lot of fun. But, horseback riding is much more than that, providing a much-needed therapy to kids, like 9-year-old Jessie Crider.
Jessie has autism. His entire life he's been in therapy. But, only one program has ever truly made a deep impact: the SMILES (Special Methods In Learning Equine Skills, Inc) organization, in Darien, provides a horse-assisted therapy for kids with special needs.
The best of the best will be on display at Santa Anita Park Nov. 1- 2, with the leading trainers in the United States and Europe pre-entering a star-studded array of talent for the Breeders' Cup World Championships.
After much debate and nearly no motion being made, Churchill Downs Racetrack received approval Tuesday from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission for a jackpot pick 6 wager beginning with the fall meet.
The bet will be a 50-cent minimum with 80 percent of the pot being returned to bettors daily. Twenty percent will be reserved for a rolling jackpot that can be claimed only if there’s one winning ticket. Under the rules, which Churchill will have to publicize, the jackpot won’t be paid if there’s only one winner who has two perfect tickets.
The Breeders' Cup announced the official race order, wagering menu and post times for the 30th Breeders' Cup World Championships, to be held on Friday, November 1 and Saturday, November 2 at Santa Anita Park. This year's wagering menu on the 14 Breeders' Cup races features an abundance of wagering opportunities including two Breeders' Cup Ultra Pick Sixes, 10-cent Superfectas, 50-cent Trifectas, Pick 3's and Pick 4's, a Breeders' Cup Distaff/Classic daily double and two Super High 5 wagers.
By Howard White
WHILE global figures for thoroughbred breeding continue to fall, the number of new countries lining up to join the stud book system is showing unprecedented growth.
Figures released to the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities annual conference in Paris this month confirmed falls in the number of stallions who covered mares in 2012 (by around 12 per cent), as well as the total number of mares bred (by 11 per cent) and foals born (by about four per cent).
Trainer Roger Attfield, one of only a handful of horsemen inducted into both the Canadian and U.S. Racing Hall of Fame, will send out two hopefuls for Sunday's Grade 1, C$1 million Canadian International.
Stella Perdomo's Forte Dei Marmi and Charles Fipke's Perfect Timber will try to give the 73-year-old conditioner his first Canadian International win. He's been second on three occasions -- with Steady Power in 1989, with Alywow in 1994 and with Spice Route in 2008.
By Press Release
Meydan is preparing to host some of the biggest names in horseracing this season with the release of the 2014 Dubai World Cup Carnival programme, worth more than US $37m in prize money.
The Dubai World Cup Carnival, which gets underway on Thursday January 9, 2014, features 11 high-class race meetings at Meydan Racecourse, including Super Saturday on March 8, 2014 and the season-ending $27.25m Dubai World Cup day on Saturday March 29, 2014.
ARCADIA, Calif. -- Conan O'Brien will be behind the mic on Friday, just not at his desk on the set of his late-night talk show.
The funny man will call a horse race at Santa Anita under the watchful eye of long-time track announcer Trevor Denman. O'Brien will describe the second race at the host track for next month's Breeders' Cup, the richest event in thoroughbred racing.
Denman says his advice to O'Brien will be "keep it simple and try and have fun with it."
By Press Release
“We’re pleased with the attendance which has matched our expectations,” said Rod Street, Chief Executive of British Champions Series Ltd.
“We all know that the Frankel factor has had an important bearing in the past, so this year’s attendance figures are very satisfactory for a Day that’s still very much in its infancy.
THE fragile Farhh proved he is talented too when he returned to action to triumph in Saturday's Qipco Champion Stakes at Ascot, his final race before retirement.
By James Hill
OLYMPIC GLORY showed his true ability in first-time blinkers as the Richard Hannon-trained three-year-old ran away with the big mile prize on Champions Day under a well-judged ride from Richard Hughes, winning by three and a quarter lengths.
The success was another big one for owner Sheikh Joaan Al Thani, following on from his victory with Treve in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
It would take a pretty big reason to make a famous football coach to fly home for a day or so while his team is training to compete in the Super Bowl.
Channel 4 is to use footage from a helmetcam worn by reigning champion jockey Richard Hughes at tomorrow's live broadcast of the QIPCO British Champions Day.
The view of Ascot Racecourse from the helmet has not been easy to achieve. The helmetcam had to be approved by the British Horseracing Authority and Hughes has needed time to get used to having the apparatus on his head while racing, wearing it all week in pre-race training.
The intention is to incorporate the footage within the Channel 4 post-race analysis.
Watch Treve come from the pack and win the 2013 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe by 5 lengths!
To help returning veterans deal with post-traumatic stress disorder and other stressors, the VA Hospital at Fort Harrison has introduced a program called equine-assisted psychotherapy.
Since June, about 30 veterans have come through the program and there is currently a waiting list.
Trained by Andreas Wohler, Novellist was denied the chance to run in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe when he spiked a temperature on the morning before the race.
He won three other Group Ones in an 11-race career and his owner Dr Christoph Berglar explained why he chose to sell him to Japan.
He told www.thoroughbreddailynews.com: "Since 2011, the centre of my breeding activities has been in Kentucky, where our family is running Stonereath Stud, and we contemplated standing him ourselves in the United States.
The Jockey Club today released Report of Mares Bred (RMB) statistics for the 2013 breeding season. Based on RMBs received through October 10, 2013, The Jockey Club reports that 1,698 stallions covered 34,174 mares in North America during 2013.
By Bill Finley
Ken Ramsey seems to be running an assembly line as much as a horse racing stable. He churns out these horses as if they're made in a factory somewhere, each one similarly named, each one with ability, so many of them stakes winners. Which horse named Kitten something or other will win what next?
For the year, 18 different Ramsey-owned sons or daughters of Kitten's Joy have combined to win 24 stakes races.
JOHN VELAZQUEZ has become North America's all-time leading money-earning jockey, eclipsing Pat Day’s record when taking his career earnings to $297,922,320 (£187,691,061) at Belmont Park on Sunday.
A second aboard Bit Bustin in the ninth race saw Velazquez, 41, overhaul Day, who retired in 2005 aged 51. Coincidentally Day celebrated his 60th birthday on Sunday.
“It’s something that happened to happen, and I’m glad it happened,” Velazquez told Daily Racing Form.
An ABC News report of the great therapeutic program attached to the platoon which honours American soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.
Horses are being used to soothe and provide calming therapy to disturbed teenage Paris Jackson. The daughter of Michael Jackson has been undergoing therapy since June of 2013 when she attempted to take her life. Her father died tragically and Jackson has been thrown into the limelight relentlessly since that time.
By Tom LaMarra
Horse racing's decades-old video production of live racing through the pan shot was panned–and otherwise described as unimaginative and inadequate when compared with other sporting events–during the International Simulcast Conference in Lexington Oct. 8.
By Tom LaMarra
Upgrading the on-site customer experience, be it for live horse racing or full-card simulcasts, is critical to the growth of the business, panelists said Oct. 7 on the first day of the International Simulcast Conference in Lexington.
Ever been that fan who spent the day at the Kentucky Oaks or Kentucky Derby but never saw a horse? That won’t be a problem starting with next year’s races as Churchill Downs gets the “Big Picture”.
Churchill Downs has teamed with Panasonic in a $12 million project to install a 15,224-square-foot, high-definition (HD) LED video board in time for the 2014 Longines Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands.
What a great video! Watch this and get a sense of what it will be like for jockeys and horses in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamps Racecourse in Paris, France on Sunday, October 6th.
By Matt Majendie
(CNN) -- Big in Japan. It's a phenomenon well known to generations of rock bands, elevated from relative obscurity at home to apparent god-like status in the Land of the Rising Sun.
Met at the airport by screaming fans, groups struggling to get in their own charts get an unexpected -- and often career-reviving -- taste of Beatlemania, Orient-style.
The 92nd running of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe will take place at Longchamps Racecourse in France on Sunday, October 6th. Horses 3 years and older run 2,400m on the turf. With prize money of €4.8million, the 2013 race now has a set field of 18 horses. Here are the results of the draw by gate or post position:
ALMOST six months into retirement, Black Caviars vast shadow still hovers above the racetrack.
The legendary mare was last night awarded her third straight Racehorse Of The Year title, matching Sunline’s three-peat from 2000-2002. Black Caviar, not surprisingly, was also voted champion sprinter.
The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe field is shaping up. If there are more than 20 entries on Friday morning, eliminations will take place. François Boulard, representing France Galop, explained the process: "Maximum runners for the Arc will be 20.
German trainer Andreas Wohler is confident Novellist will strip much fitter in Sunday's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe than when winning at Baden Baden last time out.
The four-year-old features among 21 horses to stand their ground for the Longchamp showpiece at the first forfeit stage, with all the leading ante-post hopes still in the mix.
Aidan O'Brien's six-times Group One winner had to be retired after suffering the leg injury on the gallops at Ballydoyle when being prepared for the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
A few days after surgery, the six-year-old contracted colic, and he had a further setback when it was discovered a steel weight-bearing pin in a cannon bone had broken.
The Horsemen's Group and the British Horseracing Authority expect a £5m rise in prize money contributions from 2014.
Philip Freedman, chairman of the Horsemen's Group, hopes it will start a new era of "collaboration and trust".
"These are landmark agreements for the sport and a first step towards improved returns," Freedman said.
By Sam Walker
When he was born he lay still and silent on the turf. The lifeless body was three weeks overdue and his carers could do nothing but rub and pray, rub and pray. In the end they stopped rubbing and just prayed.
In the same state, 300 miles to the south, Kathy Ritvo was in a bad way. Hooked up to a intravenous machine that kept her failing heart functioning, she would spend a further five months in the critical care unit before a donor could be found.
Ron the Greek, overlooked at 21-1 in a Jockey Club Gold Cup Invitational field of Grade 1 stars, barreled into the lead on the far turn and pulled clear to an overpowering 6 3/4-length triumph in the 95th edition of the Grade 1, $1 million race on Saturday at Belmont Park.
29th September 2013
Jockey Club Racecourses, the UK's largest racecourse group, today signed a landmark prize money agreement with The Horsemen's Group, which represents British racing's owners, breeders, trainers, jockeys and stable staff, committing to contribute into prize money at least 40% of its betting-related media growth for the next three years to ensure all parties enjoy a fair share of the sport’s commercial success.
Gatineau, Quebec, September 27, 2013 — The Canadian Museum of Civilization has acquired the E.P. Taylor – Windfields Farm Collection of archival materials, memorabilia and 97 racing trophies, many won by Northern Dancer, the greatest thoroughbred sire of the 20th century.
Champion Groupie Doll, some recent grade I-winning fillies, and Eblouissante, half sister to Horse of the Year Zenyatta, are among the 3,602 horses Keeneland has cataloged for its 2013 November breeding stock sale Nov. 5-14.
Catalogs will be available electronically via Keeneland's website, Keeneland.com, beginning Oct. 1. Print catalogs will be mailed the week of Oct. 14.
The category finalists for the 2013 Australian Racehorse of the Year Awards presented by Racing Victoria, Sky Racing World and TAB have been revealed today with a star-studded VOBIS Gold Champion Three-Year-Old Colt or Gelding category among the highlights.
Glamour colts All Too Hard and Pierro will square off with star Kiwi It’s A Dundeel and Group 1-winning duo Fiveandahalfstar and Super Cool in what is shaping as one of the most intriguing categories.
By James Adams
Back in the day, Windfields Farm was something – more than 600 hectares of bucolic rolling countryside near Oshawa, Ont., owned by business tycoon and thoroughbred horse-breeder E.P. Taylor (1901-1989).
By Steve Haskin
The $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park Sept. 28 will provide racing fans with a couple of intriguing angles: the battle for divisional honors in two categories and an unprecedented attempt at three consecutive Gold Cup victories since the distance was changed to 1 ¼ miles.
By Francesca Cumani
They say that delightful spa town of Baden-Baden in south west Germany is just so good that you have to say its name twice.
With its tree-lined avenues, beautiful canal and breathtaking gardens, it’s hard to disagree. In the mid-19th century the town became a favorite among the rich and famous as a holiday destination. They came for the spas, for the uber-elegant casino, the opulent hotels and, of course, the horse racing.
It feels like a place that has resisted the passage of time and still proudly clings to its tradition.
By Jay Cronley
Here's the way cheering at the horse races works: The more you cheer during a race, the more you're apt to celebrate if you win.
Cheering is not always an exercise in self-indulgence. Look at Seattle. The pro football stadium is like a horn of plenty. Sound goes where it is aimed, at the opposing quarterback's temples. This cheering epicenter of the sports world has redefined the home field advantage. Now it's a home frequency advantage that's worth five points.
By Alex Campbell
The Fort Erie Live Racing Consortium, which operates thoroughbred racing at Fort Erie Race Track, said it has submitted a proposal to the Ontario provincial government's Horse Racing Transition Panel to continue live racing at the track for at least the next three years.
By Michael Cox
The brilliant blue Inner Mongolian sky set off the ceremonial silk garb and elaborate hats of the local hostesses, which made for a brilliant contrast with the contemporary fashion that rolled into Hohhot for the China Race Club's inaugural race day.
Racing Future will be featuring past and present leaders in the sport of horse racing as a new and ongoing addition to our site. As we celebrate these great contributions to sustain and grow our sport, we are pleased to announce our first piece, featuring Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
We have chosen Sheikh Mohammed because of his positive commitment to horse racing on a global basis. As part of the series, we will feature other leaders, including E P Taylor and Frank Stronach.
Racing Future continues to celebrate those who have made and continue to make great contributions to the sport of horse racing.
I have had the pleasure of knowing Amy Zimmerman for many years. I have always found her dedication, knowledge, and experience of the game to be at the top of the field.
In this “Racing Future Celebrates” feature we showcase a behind-the-scenes talent who shares her thoughts on the sport and its future.
South Africa will be represented at the inaugural racemeeting of the China Horse Club at Hohhot, Inner Mongolia this Saturday. The 2013 China Equine Cultural Event will be held from 8 to 21 September.Well known Bloodstock specialist Robin Bruss is attending, together with SA Jockey Association Chairman Tex Lerena, and top South African jockeys S’manga Khumalo, Gavin Lerena and Kevin Shea.
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UK pay TV operator BSkyB has become the exclusive sales agent for horse racing broadcaster Racing UK’s commercial TV service on satellite that, alongside its existing At The Races coverage, makes Sky the principal source of horse racing coverage for pubs and clubs. The deal does not include Racing UK’s service for bookmakers.
By Jack Shinar
Wise Dan became the first two-time winner of the Ricoh Woodbine Mile when he romped to victory Sept. 15 in track-record time over the Toronto track's turf course as the shortest-priced favorite in the race's 17 renewals.
PARIS: Japan's hopes of landing Europe's most prestigious race, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, after 33 years of heartbreak received a huge boost when both Kizuna and Orfevre won their Arc trials in impressive fashion.
The Jockey Club today reported that 2,392 stallions covered 37,908 mares in North America during 2012, according to statistics compiled through Sept. 9, 2013. These breedings have resulted in 22,001 live foals of 2013 being reported to The Jockey Club on Live Foal Reports received as of Sept. 9, 2013.
Kentucky -- At the latest session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, five seven-figure yearlings were sold on Thursday, topped by a War Front colt which sold for $2.5 million to become the highest-priced purchase of the sale to date.
LEXINGTON, KY (Sept. 11, 2013) – The third session of Keeneland’s September Yearling Sale saw the continuation of a bullish market headlined by the sale of five seven-figure yearlings, led by the $2.2 million paid for a half-sister to Grade 1 winner and millionaire Take Charge Indy and Will Take Charge, winner of the 2013 Travers (G1).
By Ben Dorries
Jockeys Michael Cahill, Jim Byrne and Ryan Wiggins have accepted an invitation from the China Horse Club to ride at next week’s meeting in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, with prizemoney for each race of up to $US150,000.
The China Horse Club was a big player at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, combining with Coolmore Stud to splurge $4 million on two colts.
LEXINGTON, KY (Sept. 10, 2013) – The final horse through the ring during Tuesday’s second session of the 70th Keeneland September Yearling Sale sold for $1 million to become the fourth yearling of the day to bring seven figures. Through the first two sessions of this year’s sale, eight yearlings have been sold for seven figures, exceeding the seven sold during the entire sale last year.
Sept. 10, 2013
Mr. John Snobelen
Mr. John Wilkinson
Mr. Elmer Buchanan
Horse Racing Transition Panel
Ministry of Agriculture and Food
1 Stone Road West
Guelph, Ontario
N1G 4Y2
Dear John, Elmer & John:
By Alicia Wincze Hughes
The idea behind Keeneland spreading the select portion of its September yearling catalog out over four days this season was to let buyers determine quality for themselves instead of having a single catalog declare which offerings were worthy of the top of the market.
By Derek Harper
Atlantic City took a step closer Monday to having a special horse race on its beach, when the state Assembly, responding to a conditional veto by the governor, struck down a provision to also allow steeplechase racing around the state.
The bill now goes to the Senate, where a Thursday vote is likely. State Sen. Jim Whelan, D-Atlantic, said he thought it would likely pass.
Assemblyman John Amodeo, R-Atlantic, a sponsor who has promoted the idea of the American Palio in Atlantic City, said a final agreement is all but settled.
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By Mark Skully
The Victorian Racing Club wants to have free Wi-Fi operating at the Flemington racecourse during this year’s Melbourne Cup Carnival, in what is claimed to be a world-first for horse racing.
The VRC will deploy technology from the US company Cisco to give mobile and smartphone access to high-speed internet, putting it into the front rank of other Australian sporting venues on the technology front.
It was another day of records at Sha Tin racecourse today, Sunday 8 September, as Hong Kong’s racing season got off to “more than a dream start” beneath golden sunshine.
Hong Kong SAR Acting Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor struck the ceremonial gong to mark the start of the campaign, and for the second year in a row, record-breaking turnover was matched by an all-time high attendance for the day.
TORONTO, September 6, 2013 – Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG) is pleased to announce the appointment of Blake Tohana to its Board of Directors. Mr. Tohana was also appointed as a member of WEG’s Audit Committee.
As well, WEG announced that three long-serving directors – David S. Willmot, Mark R. Frostad and William D. Graham – are departing from the Board after many years of service.
Andrew Cohen, an award-winning legal analyst whose commentaries and reports have been featured on radio and television at CBS News for 15 years, is the first-ever legal analyst for “60 Minutes,” the network’s signature news magazine program. A racehorse owner and breeder, Cohen is a two-time O’Brien Award winner and two-time John Hervey Award winner for excellence in harness racing journalism.
Name: Andrew Cohen
What I do for a living: Journalist, writer and legal analyst