Horse Racing

Officiated by 1/ST Racing under a new deal which was struck last year with the Maryland Racetrack Operating Authority, this year's 150th running of the GI Preakness Stakes is featured alongside 15 stakes--seven of them graded races--which will be worth $4.3 million in purse money on Friday, May 16 and Saturday, May 17 at Pimlico Race Course, the Stronach Group said via a Thursday release. The second oldest of the Triple Crown races, the Preakness will anchor a May 17 program of 10 stakes worth $3.25 million in purses including...

A total of 46 stakes races will be conducted with purse money topping $5.24 million, during what will be the 23rd season at Horseshoe Indianapolis Racing & Casino which opens Apr. 15, according to a press release from the track on Thursday afternoon. "Having a strong premier racing schedule highlighted by our two Graded Stakes, the Indiana Derby and the Indiana Oaks, is a great way to showcase our racing program," said Vice President and General Manager of Racing Eric Halstrom. "We are excited to extend those events in 2025...

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are four sophomore fillies of interest for this weekend running at Tokyo and Kyoto Racecourses, with American-breds nicely represented at stakes level: Saturday, February 8, 2025 3rd-KYO, ¥11,850,000 ($78k), Newcomers, 3yo, 1400m RENENET (f, 3, American Pharoah--Family Meeting, by Sky Mesa), a $325,000 Keeneland September acquisition by Dr. Masatake Iida,...

Michael Willman, a former publicity director who worked at Santa Anita Park for nearly two decades, has sued the racetrack, its ownership, and several management executives, alleging that he was fired in March 2024 under the pretext of using inappropriate language when making an off-color joke to a subordinate, but that the "real reason" he was terminated was for refusing to participate in a purported cover-up of alleged mismanagement following a series of highly publicized horse fatalities that occurred at Santa Anita in 2019. According to the civil complaint filed...

Lou Hodges, Jr., a second-generation photographer who has captured horse racing images at the Fair Grounds since 1976, has announced his retirement. Hodges, Jr., who took over the family business in 1978, will now hand the reins over to his daughter, Amanda Hodges Weir. "Fair Grounds has been lucky to have Lou Hodges," Senior Director of Racing Jason Boulet said. "Our racetrack, our horses, and our horsemen have come to life through the fantastic photos he has taken. We are very grateful for everything he and his family has given...

A Letter To The Industry from Damon Thayer The Florida State Legislature is facing a crossroads similar to what we in Kentucky's General Assembly faced in early 2021. At stake, as it was in Kentucky, is the future of the labor-intensive horseracing and breeding industry in that state. With strong support from horsemen whose livelihoods were at risk, Kentucky lawmakers passed legislation that allowed the racing industry to invest in itself by protecting tracks' ability to conduct and benefit from another parimutuel product known as historical horse racing (HHR). Today,...

There were no secrets heading into the GIII Las Virgenes Stakes at Santa Anita Sunday afternoon. Carded early in the program, the short three-horse field was a headed by a pair of pricey Bob Baffert runners--GI Del Mar Debutante winner Tenma (Nyquist), campaigned by Boama Corp. and Speedway Stables' Cipriani (Bernardini), named a TDN Rising Star following an 8 1/4-length victory in Arcadia last October. When the dust had settled, it was the hotly-backed 2-5 choice Tenma that proved best on the day. The win earned Tenma 20 additional qualifying...

Eclipse Award-winning sprinter Straight No Chaser (Speightster) and a pair of important 3-year-old colts were the star turns on the Santa Anita worktab Saturday morning. Last seen sewing up championship honors when taking out the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint over Bentornato (Valiant Minister) at Del Mar Nov. 2, Straight No Chaser turned in his second consecutive bullet work, going five furlongs in :59.20 (1/72) in advance of his expected appearance in the G2 Riyadh Dirt Sprint on the Saudi Cup undercard Feb. 22. There the 6-year-old is expected to face...

Following the announcement that the California Authority of Racing Fairs (CARF) will not apply for 2025 race dates and that CARF and Alameda County Fair have decided to end Pleasanton stabling Mar. 25, stakeholders in southern California will now intensify efforts to develop a single circuit to create a positive platform for Thoroughbred racing at Santa Anita, Del Mar and Los Alamitos, the Southern California Stabling and Vanning Committee said in a press release late on Thursday. The new version of California Thoroughbred racing will continue to offer suitable racing...

Racing last year for the first time since a pair of 2017 hurricanes decimated St. Thomas's Clinton E. Phipps Racetrack in the U.S. Virgin Islands, at least six Thoroughbreds were euthanized over the course of three carded days at the track. Another horse suffered a breakdown during a workout, bringing the total to seven. Those are just some of several major issues plaguing the St. Thomas/St. John Horse Racing Commission (STT/STJ HRC), who is charged with the responsibility of regulating racing on the island. Compounding horses dying on the track,...

Pegasus Day at Gulfstream is one of my most enjoyable days at the races. The melding of great entertainment, world-class horses, and a great vibe shows racing at its best. It is expensive to put on and showcases our sport in the highest light. It is also the most ironic considering the recent announcement regarding the closing of Gulfstream and seeking development absent horse racing. I was perplexed to listen to Belinda Stronach on Pegasus Day speak of the non-compatibility of racing in an urban environment, despite all of the...

I was feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness May 7, 1984. It was my first day at Daily Racing Form, hired to report on the breeding industry, farm news, and horse sales. At the time, the paper's Midwest offices were located at Keeneland, in fact on the ground floor of the clubhouse in what were some of the original stalls when the track first opened in 1936. I was not long removed from having earned a degree in Journalism from the University of Kentucky, where I was a rare...