Industry News

The 2026 National Thoroughbred League season in Maryland with a Kentucky Derby weekend event at Laurel Park on Saturday, May 2, hosted by Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. The Laurel Park program is part of a two-day NTL Derby weekend celebration, which will begin Friday, May 1 at The Horse You Came In On Saloon before shifting to Laurel for Saturday's live racing event. The NTL operates as a team-based, season-long competition featuring city-affiliated teams that earn points based on race results at events held across the country. Horses compete...

Applications for The Jockey Club's Racing Regulatory Veterinarian Fellowship will open May 1 and are due by June 15 with the deadline for reference letters set June 26, the organization said in a release on Tuesday. The Jockey Club Racing Regulatory Veterinarian Fellowship, established in 2025, serves as a loan repayment program that awards up to $25,000 in veterinary school loan repayment to an employed racing regulatory veterinarian. To qualify for this program, an applicant must: Be employed at least half-time as a racing regulatory veterinarian in the U.S., Canada,...

New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program will host its 9th Annual Open Barn & BBQ, presented by Seidman Stables on Thursday, Apr. 23 from 4:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET at their Lexington facility at Mereworth Farm, the organization said in a Tuesday press release. Free and open to the public, the event--held concurrently with the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, taking place at the Kentucky Horse Park--will feature educational seminars along with the chance to meet adoptable horses while touring the facility. Click here for more information.

Second Stride plans to honor Mary Nixon with the Industry Champion Award, and Jan and Joan Carstanjen with the Volunteer Award, the non-profit said via a press release on Tuesday. Both will be presented at the organization's Champions Night at Valhalla Golf Club on Monday, Apr. 27. Mary Nixon has been named the third recipient of Second Stride's Industry Champion Award, an honor given to someone within the racing community who has shown distinguished support and transformative dedication to the horses of Second Stride. Additionally, Jan and Joan Carstanjen, parents...

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) presented the first-ever NTRA Statesman of the Year Award to Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Tuesday at its 4th Annual Kentucky Derby Kickoff Reception on Capitol Hill, the organization said in a press release on Friday. The award recognizes a lawmaker who has worked to improve the Thoroughbred racing industry. "The Senator from Kentucky has been a champion for our industry in Washington for over four decades," said NTRA President and CEO Tom Rooney. "He has helped make our sport safer and been a...

Applications for The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program's (T.I.P.) two annual awards, the Thoroughbred of the Year Award and the Young Rider of the Year Award, are due June 30, according to a press release from the organization on Thursday. The T.I.P. Thoroughbred of the Year Award recognizes a Thoroughbred that has excelled in a non-competitive career, such as equine-assisted services or police work, while the T.I.P. Young Rider of the Year Award recognizes young riders, 18 or under, as of Jan. 1, 2026, who own or lease a Thoroughbred...

The 2026 racing at Del Mar will feature 37 stakes races when it kicks off on Friday, July 17 and continues through Monday, Sept. 7 (Labor Day). Tickets for Opening Day and the Summer Racing Season go on sale on Friday, May 8 at 10 a.m. PST at www.dmtc.com/tickets. New this year, Del Mar is hosting a new VIP party in the Seabiscuit Skyroom on opening day. The ticketed event takes place in the opulent Seabiscuit Skyroom on the Grandstand's sixth floor. Refreshed Friday Programming: Fridays at Del Mar get...

The Belmont Park Mini Plans, a new membership program to begin in 2027 designed to provide flexible access to premium hospitality and preferred seating, was launched by The New York Racing Association, Inc. on Wednesday. A limited number of Mini Plans are currently available for the Triple Crown Loge Boxes. Located on the third floor of Belmont Park, the Triple Crown level will offer in-seat tablets for wagering and race viewing, along with lounge seating. The Triple Crown Mini Plan guarantees a loge box for 12 total race days including...

Community leaders and Thoroughbred racing executives gathered at Keeneland Race Course to officially welcome the return of the Breeders' Cup World Championships to central Kentucky, marking a highly anticipated homecoming for one of the sport's most prestigious global events, the organization said via a press release on Tuesday. Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton, Keeneland President & CEO Shannon Arvin, Breeders' Cup Limited President & CEO Drew Fleming, and Kip Cornett, Chair of the Breeders' Cup Festival, joined to commemorate the occasion and highlight the significance of hosting the 2026 Breeders' Cup...

Tickets for the 10th annual National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame's Kentucky Derby Party on Saturday, May 2 are now available for purchase. Set to begin at 4:00p.m. and run until 7:30p.m., the Derby-themed fundraiser will feature samplings of local brews and spirits as well as food from local restaurants in Saratoga Springs, New York. While exploring the Museum and its exhibits, guests will enjoy entertainment in the Hall of Fame before a live airing of the running of the Kentucky Derby. Guests are encouraged to dress in...

Woodbine Entertainment will offer a mandatory Power Pick 6 payout on opening day of the 2026 Thoroughbred racing season at Woodbine Racetrack Apr. 18, the company said in a press release on Friday. The Power Pick 6 was not paid out on the final day of the 2025 season due to a mid-card cancellation. The carryover for the mandatory payout on opening day is $61,064.99. The wager offers a $0.20 minimum and 15 percent takeout. The 2026 Thoroughbred racing season at Woodbine launches next Saturday, Apr. 18 with the first...

Keeneland Race Course and Maker's Mark have partnered for the third bottle in the "Greats of the Gate" 10-year commemorative bottle series celebrating Thoroughbred racing's most iconic horses. Proceeds from each year's limited-edition bottle benefit nonprofits that support Kentucky's horse racing industry and vibrant culture of hospitality and the arts. The 2026 beneficiaries include Kentucky Classic Arts, Kentucky Harvest, Kentucky Arts Center of the Bluegrass and Blue Grass Farms Charities. The limited-edition bottles will arrive on shelves April 16. Available exclusively at select Kentucky retailers that sell Maker's Mark, the...