Churchill Downs

Social media influencer Griffin Johnson and XBTV analyst and host Zoe Cadman will co-host Thoroughbred Charities of America's Bash at the Breeders' Cup presented by Churchill Downs Incorporated Oct. 31 at the Del Mar Hilton. The evening will offer savory bites, handcrafted cocktails, live music, and a live auction to benefit the TCA. Tickets to the event are availabe here. Live auction items to be offered will include a Del Mar racing package, a box at the Whitney Stakes in Saratoga, a box at the Blue Grass Stakes, a stay...

Reigning Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Bill Mott has been named recipient of the 2025 Warner L. Jones Jr. Horseman of the Year Award, the Louisville-based Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners (KTO) announced Wednesday. Mott will be honored at the KTO's annual awards dinner Saturday, November 22 at the Kentucky Derby Museum. The Warner Jones Award recognizes individuals for outstanding contributions to Kentucky racing and sharing the passion exemplified by Jones, who spent 50 years on the Churchill Downs board, including eight as chairman during the iconic track's initial resurgence. Jones was the inaugural...

5. CRISIS MANAGER, CD, 9/25, 1 1/16 miles (VIDEO) Beyer Speed Figure- 81 (4th) (c, 3, by Liam's Map--Wilburnmoney, by Wilburn) O-Highlander Training Center. B-The Elkstone Group (Md). T-Tom Amoss. J-Irad Ortiz, Jr. You know it's a slow week for fast maidens when one race produces four of the top five, but fourth-place Crisis Manager gave a list-worthy performance when ground loss is considered: from his No. 12 post, he was marooned four-wide on both turns. Using data from Equibase's GPS charts (because it's the only game in town for...

The weekend stakes featured plenty of outcomes with Breeders' Cup implications. But while top-level races in California, Kentucky and New York yielded headline horses bound for the big Saturday of championship weekend, an ungraded $125,000 grass route for 2-year-old fillies in Maryland produced one of the more intriguing, under-the-radar candidates for Future Stars Friday. Ultimate Love is now 3-for-3 after her stylish, four-length, going-away score in the Selima Stakes at Laurel Park, and the chestnut daughter of Curlin could be bound for the GI Juvenile Fillies Turf. A homebred from...

Just like he did beneath the Twin Spires on the first Saturday in May in 2024, GI Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan (Goldencents) shot up the rail once again to a dramatic victory in Saturday's GII Lukas Classic at Churchill Downs. With jockey Francisco Arrieta subbing for the sidelined Brian Hernandez, Jr., Mystik Dan raced in an inside fourth through an opening quarter in :23.45. Awaiting racing room on the far turn as 'TDN Rising Star' Disarm (Gun Runner) made a bold sweep for the lead, Mystik Dan finally found...

5th-Churchill Downs, $120,000, Msw, 9-27, 2yo, f, 1m, 1:37.31, ft, 3/4 length. AMERICATHEGREAT (f, 2, Curlin--America {GSW & MGISP, $580,532}, by A.P. Indy) started her career at this venue May 15 and finished second to 'TDN Rising Star' Color Comin' In (Rock Your World). She would see that familiar face June 29 in the Debuntante Stakes and the fillies would finish third and fourth with the 'Rising Star' getting the better placing. She made a third effort to break her maiden Aug. 29, this time at Saratoga, but would come...

Stella Thayer, the president of Tampa Bay Downs and the President of the National Museum of Racing from 2005 through 2014, came across a book of historical European racetracks during her travels. Sensing that there was a void in the U.S. where no such book existed, she set out to create one. The timing was perfect as 2025 coincided with the 75-year anniversary of the museum's founding. Brien Bouyea, Communications Director of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, and renowned racing writer Jay Hovdey were given the...

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 has already responded to nine public comments posted to the federal register. Its response, however, doesn't include those subsequently submitted by Churchill Downs Incorporated's (CDI) CEO, Bill Carstanjen. CDI is hardly an impartial voice in...

Thoroughbred Aftercare Day on Saturday, honoring organizations and individuals dedicated to retired racehorses, will be staged at Churchill Downs Saturday, Sept. 27, according to a Churchill Downs release. Nine aftercare organizations will be on-site, including Friends of Ferdinand Inc., Kentucky Equine Adoption Center, New Vocations, Old Friends, Second Stride, The Secretariat Center, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, Thoroughbred Charities of America and Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation. Each organization has shared a special Thoroughbred Aftercare Day ticket link on their social media channels. A portion of each ticket purchased through those links will be...

5. DISCLAIMER, BAQ, 9/20, 1 mile (turf) (VIDEO) Beyer Speed Figure- 82 (3rd) (c, 3, by Caracaro--Tara Road, by Quality Road) O-Curragh Stables. B-Joe Jr., John and Karen Mulholland (Ky). T-John Terranova. J-Luis Rivera. As the slight 5/2 favorite after his solid 3rd at Saratoga, he ran his race on numbers but may be better than this. He and runnerup Wicked Improbable (see below) exchanged a bump at the start that appeared minor, yet both wound up farther back than expected. Next-last by 8 lengths down the backstretch, he followed...

There's never a good time for a spill, but the one Sunday at Churchill Downs that landed Brian Hernandez Jr. in the intensive care unit at the University of Louisville Hospital could not have come at a worse time. Hernandez sustained seven broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a liver laceration that was treated by a minor surgical procedure. The doctors have told Hernandez he should expect to be out six to eight weeks. That means he will not be able to ride Mystik Dan (Goldencents) in Saturday's GII Lukas...

For C R K Stable, owned by Lee and Susan Searing of Claremont, Calif., the celebration actually started the day before the GI Pennsylvania Derby won by Baeza (McKinzie). The Searings own Baeza, who is trained by John Shirreffs, in partnership with Grandview Equine. His victory came just 27 1/2 hours after the stable unveiled a horse who could potentially be better than Baeza. Yes, 'TDN Rising Star' Englishman (Maxfield) was that impressive. The son of a first crop sire, he annihilated a field of maidens at Churchill Downs winning...