This Saturday at Santa Anita could prove something of a watershed moment in North American horse racing–the carding of two handicaps built upon a new national ratings system. One race, a $35,000 handicap over six furlongs for dirt horses rated between 70 and 79, has drawn seven entries. The next race on the card, a [...]

Most with a story to tell regale audience and bystander around the dinner table or the campfire or at the bar. More disciplined souls sit at the typewriter to memorialize it in print. But what possesses someone to then take that memoir and distill it into a screenplay, fundraise a small retirement account for a [...]

Earlier this month, the Association for Racing Commissioners International (ARCI) issued a 28-page report assessing the effectiveness of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) after three years of operations. The report covers a lot of ground, including the federal authority's approach to collecting and calculating its equine fatality statistics. In this regard, the ARCI [...]

Texas Racing Commission (TXRC) chairman Robert Pate reportedly announced that Amy Cook, the commission's executive director and chief law enforcer, is leaving her position “by year's end,” according to two individuals who witnessed Wednesday's commission meeting. No successor was named during the meeting, nor were any reasons given for Cook leaving her position, according to [...]

Every week, the TDN posts a round-up of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. The following rulings were reported on HISA's “rulings” portal and through the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit's (HIWU) “pending” and “resolved” cases portals. Among this week's rulings, trainer Juan Munoz Cano has been [...]

One bill designed to restore the gambling losses tax deduction to 100% is languishing in committee and has, for all intents and purposes, politically flat-lined. The giant tax and spending bill signed into law by President Donald Trump in July caps gambling loss deductions to 90% of winnings (from 100%)–a provision set to go into [...]

Earlier this week, Carlo Vaccarezza reported to the BloodHorse that his trainer son, Nick, had been denied stalls at Gulfstream Park for horses owned by his father. Additionally, Carlo Vaccarreza claimed that despite taking steps to remove his name from the stable's limited liability ownership company–effectively shifting ownership of the horses to his son, Michael–track [...]

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act's proposed 2026 budget has been out for its mandatory public comment period and is now before the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The topline comes out to just over $78.4 million. If credits to the industry are fully applied, then the cost to the industry is around $60.4 million. HISA [...]

Chanel Minnifield is not typically one for tempered expectations. She moved to Los Angeles from Kentucky with actorly aspirations, and last year appeared in the Oscar-nominated movie, “Rustin.” Minnifield started riding when she was a child and now, as a professional showjumper, has her sights set on competing at the 2028 Olympic Games. She has [...]

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. The following rulings were reported on HISA's “rulings” portal and through the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit's (HIWU) “pending” and “resolved” cases portals. Resolved ADMC Violations Date: 09/08/2025 Licensee: George Papaprodromou, trainer Penalty: 7-day period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, [...]

Just over 20 minutes had passed when Darren Filkins dislodged the irritant in his craw concerning the future of Harris Farms without its eponymous captain, John, who passed this July. “People were talking dispersal,” said Filkins, about Fasig-Tipton's recent digital sale of around 90 Harris homebreds. “I even corrected people yesterday. 'Oh, I heard you're [...]

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA)-related rulings from around the country. The following rulings were reported on HISA's “rulings” portal and through the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU)'s “pending” and “resolved” cases portals. Among this week's rulings, trainer Shivananda Parbhoo has been banned two [...]