Horse Racing

For the first time in his 17-year stud career, Northview's Great Notion surpassed $6 million in progeny earnings in one year, joining Not For Love as the only other Maryland stallion to hit that mark when the farm's legendary sire did it back-to-back in 2008 and 2009, according to a press release on Thursday from Northview Stallion Station. Great Notion and Golden Lad, who is also on Northview's roster, ended 2024 as the Mid-Atlantic region's leading general sire and juvenile sire respectively. Both stallions hit career milestones last year. With...

A Grade III stakes race that is on the 'Road to the Kentucky Derby' isn't exactly the easiest place for a trainer to start his career, but that's what Nick Vaccarezza, 25, will be doing when he sends out Golden Afternoon (Goldencents) in Saturday's Lecomte Stakes at Fair Grounds. The 25-year-old trainer is in this position because his father, Carlo, has decided to step away from training to focus his attention on trying to save racing in South Florida. The situation could be dire because of the tenuous future of...

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 the horses of interest for this weekend running at Chukyo and Nakayama Racecourses: Saturday, January 18, 2025 3rd-CKO, ¥11,850,000 ($76k), Newcomers, 3yo, f, 1400m TEMPESTARII (JPN) (f, 3, Authentic--Flying Tipat, by Tapit) is the first Japanese-foaled produce for her dam, a stakes-placed full-sister to dual Grade I winner Tapitsfly....

A light work tab Thursday included the return of Grade I winner Speed Boat Beach (Bayern) for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert. The dark bay, who was last seen winning the 2023 edition of the GI Malibu at Santa Anita, drilled three furlongs on the main track in :36.40 seconds (1/4). It was his first work since Sept. 21. Owned by Michael Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman--the so-called 'Three Amigos'--Speed Boat Beach has four wins over seven starts and $498,000 in earnings. The Baffert trainee was a two-time...

White Abarrio (Race Day), a three-time Grade I winner for C2 Racing Stable, Prince Faisal bin Khaled bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud and Antonio Pagnano, put in his final breeze Thursday morning for the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational Jan. 25 at Gulfstream Park. In company with regular workmate Silver Moonlight (Liam's Map), White Abarrio went four furlongs in :48.34 seconds over Gulfstream's main track, ranking eighth of 27 horses (video). It was his second work of 2025 following a bullet half-mile move in :47.81 Jan. 9. "He worked well," said trainer...

Leading Horse of the Year candidate Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) has an early 2025 racing schedule that could include two races at Oaklawn or a trip to Dubai, trainer Kenny McPeek said Wednesday afternoon via a press release from the Hot Springs track. Thorpedo Anna's conditioner said the filly--nicknamed the 'Grizzly Bear' last season--is under consideration for the GII Azeri Stakes Mar. 8 and the GI Apple Blossom Handicap April 12. The Azeri is Oaklawn's final major prep for the Apple Blossom. McPeek said Thorpedo Anna might take on males...

Eoin Harty's world is chock full right now. For starters, his home is situated in the midst of one of the worst wildfires in California history, but somehow it has survived the nightmarish ordeal. Then, there is his role as the president of the California Thoroughbred Trainers, a position he has held since 2019. What that means is he is at the forefront of trying to turn around the declining fortunes of racing in the state, which he admits is no easy task. The good news is that he has...

Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) will hold their annual 'Off to the Races' online benefit auction featuring VIP racing experience packages beginning Thursday Jan. 23 at 10 a.m. ET and closing Friday, Jan. 31 at 10 p.m. ET, the aftercare organization said in a Wednesday press release. With the proceeds going directly to accredited aftercare, the online event provides a chance for the public to bid on 19 VIP racing experience packages. The auction items grant access to major race days at tracks across North America in 2025 and 2026. Each...

Legendary figures from the sport of horse racing are to be featured in a new podcast hosted by Ferrin Peterson. 'The Boundless Podcast' will feature interviews with Hall of Fame jockeys Steve Cauthen, Chris McCarron, Pat Day, and Sandy Hawley. Available on all recognized platforms, including Apple Podcast, Spotify, and YouTube, the series will kick off Jan. 16 with an hour-long interview with Cauthen, whose outstanding career in the saddle included a historic Triple Crown success on Affirmed in 1978, when he was just 18 years old, before he became...

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. The following rulings were reported on HISA's "rulings" portal and through the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit's (HIWU) "pending" and "resolved" cases portals. Resolved ADMC Violations Date: 01/10/2025 Licensee: John Thomas Toscano, trainer Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points....

He is 22 months into a two-year contract to train privately in Saudi Arabia for Prince Faisal bin Khalid Al Saud, a move that rejuvenated his career, but Jimmy Jerkens said he is ready to come home. Jerkens told the TDN that when his contract expires in March he will return to U.S. and resume his career at the NYRA tracks. It's not that Jerkens hasn't done well in Saudi Arabia. He's had 21 winners during his time there. And it's not that he doesn't have any quality horses. "We've...

Irad Ortiz Jr. has been handed a three-day stewards' suspension in the aftermath of his disqualification for interference in the Jan. 11 Pasco Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. Ortiz will sit Jan. 19, 22, 23, as per his agent, Steve Rushing. Dave Grening of Daily Racing Form was first to report this news via a posting on the X social media platform. Ortiz has led North America in victories in each of the last eight years and was voted the Eclipse Award for outstanding jockey in 2018-20 and 2022-23. He...