It's been another devastating month for horse racing. Even the most hardened racetrackers needed a few minutes to gather themselves when Maple Leaf Mel, steps away from a first Grade I, broke down in the Test at Saratoga on the Whitney undercard. It was a similar story on Saturday when the unbeaten New York Thunder, [...]

From the TDN Look Take the man-made structures from most cities and what's left is a meadow and, maybe, a pretty confluence of rivers. Take them from Rio de Janeiro, and you have one of the most picturesque places on Earth. Soaring granite peaks…verdant jungles…wide, pristine beaches and an eponymous ocean current that keeps the [...]

To call Structor (Palace Malice) a full-circle horse for Mike Ryan doesn't quite do the story justice. From his pinhooking of Structor's sire Palace Malice to his role developing the colt's female family, Ryan's influence here could be called multifaceted or, if you haven't had your first cup of coffee, convoluted. But really, if there's [...]

Several of the nation's leading racing organizations joined together Tuesday to announce the launch of the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition, an industry-led effort to unify and enhance existing protections and to develop new reforms to ensure the safety of the sport's equine and human athletes. The group seeks to create and implement a series of significant [...]

Think the local industry can easily shrug off the loss of California racing? Think again. That was one of the key takeaways during Tuesday evening's June membership meeting of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Managers' Club. The KTFMC invited executives from the National Thoroughbred Racing Association to review of the response to the current crisis in [...]

When Country House (Lookin at Lucky) was put up in the Kentucky Derby, it was not only a success story for Guinness McFadden's Blackwood Stables, who raised the colt, but for McFadden's family. Owner-breeder Joseph Shields, who passed away in October, was McFadden's uncle. His aunt, Maury Shields, with whom he remains very close, celebrated [...]

On Feb. 10, Scott Coles, a 34-year-old futures trader from suburban Chicago, took down the most prestigious handicapping tournament in the country, the NTRA's 20th National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas. It was an unlikely result. In a room full of seasoned tournament pros and lifelong handicappers–many of whom started playing well before Coles was [...]

If a Derby favorite emerged from the pack this past weekend in the form of the GII Risen Star winner, Gary Barber's War of Will (War Front), the race did more than propel a new potential superstar to the front of the pack: it also demonstrated the bond and unique working relationship between Mark and [...]

When WinStar Farm's Paynter got off to a slow start with his first crop in 2017, some reasoned his offspring would just need time to develop. That made sense. He himself didn't break his maiden until a first-out win in February of his 3-year-old year, and progeny by his sire, Awesome Again, typically need time [...]

With five different leaders in the final round, it was a fast-and-furious finish to the 20th NTRA National Horseplayers Championship (NHC), presented by Racetrack Television Network, STATS Race Lens and Treasure Island Las Vegas. In the end, the 34-year-old, first-time qualifier Scott Coles picked an 11-1 winner in the penultimate race of the tournament that [...]

With the mandatory races done and just a few optionals remaining, Robert Gilbert held a commanding advantage on the leaderboard at the 20th NTRA National Horseplayers Championship, presented by Racetrack Television Network, STATS Race Lens and Treasure Island Las Vegas. Gilbert had a bankroll of $289, well ahead of runner-up Chris Littlemore's $241 tally. Littlemore [...]

The great thing about Vegas is the options afforded to you each night. I expected to spend Friday evening in the hotel room, handicapping. Instead, due to some last-minute maneuvering by my friend Jim Mulvihill, formerly of the NTRA and now of TwinSpires, I saw Van Morrison in concert, ate one of the better meals [...]