On stage in the Treasure Island ballroom, Canadian Chris Littlemore breathed a literal sigh of relief yesterday as War Heroine (Lonhro {Aus}) dug in to take the Sweet Life S. at Santa Anita. The longtime leader, Littlemore had watched his advantage steadily dwindle during the final day of the National Horseplayers Championship in Las Vegas. [...]

Retired autoworker Chris Littlemore was in control with two mandatory races left in Saturday's 19th National Horseplayers Championship in Las Vegas. Littlemore leapfrogged Keith Fenton mid-afternoon and booked his ticket to Sunday's semifinal round with a string of solid scores. He led with 273.10 cumulative points to Fenton's 241.50. Daniel Hart, Mike Yurczyk and Earnest [...]

With two mandatory races to go at Day 1 of the 19th annual National Horseplayers Championship, Jonathan Zvara had put some distance between himself and the rest of the field on the official leaderboard. Zvara had 146.80 points when the TDN went to press, well ahead of second-place John Farrar at 131.00 points, and over [...]

Nearly $3 million will be up for grabs this weekend in Las Vegas as the 19th National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) begins its three-day run Friday. An estimated field of 700 entries will assemble at Treasure Island to take aim at a projected pot of $2.96 million–the largest purse in handicapping tournament history. The winner will [...]

Lane's End introduced two of its new stallions, Connect (Curlin) and Unified (Candy Ride {Arg}), to a press-only function at the Versailles nursery Wednesday. The former represents a new partnership between Lane's End and Three Chimneys Farm, which took an ownership interest in the Grade I winner. “We bought into him when he was still [...]

Before the Hammer is a series presented by Keeneland that spotlights consignors, their stories of success and their featured offerings at the upcoming Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. It could be a big Breeders' Cup weekend for Craig and Holly Bandoroff's Denali Stud. Not only will they root on yearling grad Bolt d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro) [...]

Before the Hammer is a series presented by Keeneland that spotlights consignors, their stories of success and their featured offerings at the upcoming Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. With three sale toppers on the ledger, John G. Sikura's Hill 'n' Dale Sales has made a habit of trading in excellence at the Keeneland November Breeding [...]

Before the Hammer is a series presented by Keeneland that spotlights consignors, their stories of success and their featured offerings at the upcoming Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. Bedouin Bloodstock's Conor Doyle and Neal Clarke have generally flown under the radar in recent years. That's right in line with their affable, low-key demeanors. But if [...]

It's possible that the biggest story in horse racing in 2017 won't have occurred at the track or on a breeding farm. Instead, it may have happened Monday afternoon at the Treasury Department in Washington, DC. That's when Treasury and IRS officials finally signed off a long-desired goal of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and [...]

A cocktail party and fundraising event sponsored by LNJ Foxwoods in Saratoga on Sunday night raised more than $85,000 for the Horses First Fund. The event was held at the restaurant Salt & Char, and featured several items and packages up for auction. The top-priced auction item was an oil painting by Andre Pater that [...]

On a warm spring morning in April, Closing Ahead, a 4-year-old colt by Closing Argument, strides out of his stall. Big by any standard, Closing Ahead is new to this small farm on the outskirts of Louisville. It is, in fact, his first day under tack since arriving, and the colt, feeling good but sensible, [...]

LAS VEGAS — Ray Arsenault took an early lead at the $2.44-million National Handicapping Championship 18 and never looked back, securing a clear-cut victory in the nation's richest handicapping tournament. The 64-year-old from Thornhill, Ontario is one of the most popular players on the NHC Tour and was swarmed with well wishers after the final [...]