Two days after the stewards at Belterra Park imposed a $1,000 fine on the track's clerk of scales for failing to check the weight of an apprentice jockey prior to a May 2 race, an additional penalty carrying the same fine has been levied upon the rider, Summer Pauly. For TDN's original reporting on the [...]

The stewards at Belterra Park have imposed a $1,000 fine on that track's clerk of scales, Jose Sanchez, Jr., for failing to check the weight of apprentice jockey Summer Pauly before she rode the 3-2 favorite in the second race May 2. A ruling issued Thursday, described what happened: “During the post parade of race [...]

The field for the GI Kentucky Derby, ranked in “likeliest winner” order followed by program number. On Wednesday #13 Silent Tactic (Tacitus) scratched with a foot bruise, allowing #21 Great White (Volatile) to draw in off the also-eligible list. 1) #6 COMMANDMENT (c, Into Mischief–Sippican Harbor, by Orb) O-Wathnan Racing; B-Lee Pokoik (KY); T-Brad H. [...]

Plaintiff Chrissy Laughlin, the founder of an equine welfare organization that protects the rights and well-being of racehorses in the Caribbean, has filed a motion asking Puerto Rico's horse racing administrative tribunal to reverse a ruling it made earlier this month that denied her organization access to evidence related to a complaint about the demise [...]

The annual GI Kentucky Derby post-position draw isn't so much about landing a favorable gate assignment as avoiding a poor one. The task for the fast-closing Renegade got quite a bit tougher on Saturday when the flashy son of Into Mischief drew the historically unrewarding inside post for the May 2 Derby. Much of the [...]

Two days after Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI) announced its intent to acquire the intellectual property rights to the GI Preakness Stakes and the GII Black-Eyed Susan Stakes for $85 million, the firm's chief executive officer, Bill Carstanjen, said Thursday during a quarterly earnings conference call that the state of Maryland remains “in control” of the [...]

After closing in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and never reopening, local interests in Burns, Oregon are attempting to get Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing going again at the Harney County Fairgrounds in that rural, high-desert town, with the hope of regaining a three-date spot on the state's 2027 summer circuit. “The community is [...]

Several horses clustered near the bottom of the “Road to the GI Kentucky Derby” are eligible for the race based on points, but their connections have not committed to the Derby. So this list differs slightly from the official qualifying rankings with respect to a few horses who are currently outside the top 20 points [...]

The Supreme Court for the State of New York (New York County) on Thursday entered a summary judgment related to a lawsuit originally filed in 2022 that involves disputes dating to 2017 between performance-figure provider Thoro-Graph, Inc., and the New York Racing Association (NYRA). On Apr. 9, 2026, the judge in the case, Lyle Frank, [...]

The biggest news about the GI Kentucky Derby trail last week had nothing to do with the current crop of contenders, because with all of the points-awarding, nine-furlong preps having been run four weeks before America's most historic and important horse race, the lead-up to the Triple Crown season essentially goes into “sleep mode” for [...]

The final weekend of nine-furlong preps in New York, California and Kentucky didn't vault any unexpected new shooters to the top of the GI Kentucky Derby pecking order. Yet while the likely favorites look well established, none stands out as invincible, and there's an intriguing mix of mid-priced long shots deeper down the list. Next [...]

Purse levels for maiden special weight (MSW) races at Kentucky's two summer meets, Ellis Park and Kentucky Downs, are projected to remain level this year compared to 2025. At Ellis, that means $100,000 per MSW race over the course of a 25-date meet in July and August, and at Kentucky Downs, the MSW purses will [...]