Today's Edition:  Record-Setting $1.4M Justify Filly Leads The Way at OBS  ·  Baeza Set for Summer Showdown  ·  Royal Ascot Coverage

Horse Racing

Battle of Normandy Caps Giant Day for West Point in River City

 Battle of Normandy (City of Light) put the final touches on a spectacular Saturday for West Point Thoroughbreds and partners with a stalk-and-pounce success in the GIII River City Stakes as night fell across Churchill Downs on Saturday. The partnership also campaigns Saturday's GIII Hill Prince Stakes runner-up Cugino (Twirling Candy) as well as GII Red Smith Stakes winner Integration (Quality Road). All three West Point gallopers are by Lane's End stallions. While Masteroffoxhounds (War Front) and Hades (Awesome Slew) were off slowly, Wonderful Justice (GB) (Justify) left there cleanly...

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Woodbine Cancels Final Two Races, Autumn Stakes To Run Nov. 16

The final two races on Saturday's live racing program at Woodbine outside of Toronto, including the GIII Autumn Stakes, were cancelled "in the best interest of equine safety," according to a release from Woodbine Entertainment Group. The decision was taken following consultation with the local Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, the Jockeys' Guild and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). The track successfully staged two of the three graded events carded for Saturday, the GIII Maple Leaf Stakes and the GIII Bessarabian Stakes. The Autumn Stakes will not...

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Racing At Turf Paradise Confirmed To Begin Nov. 11

Following an inspection of the track surfaces by officials from the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA), the Arizona Horse Racing Commission has notified Turf Paradise that the 2024-2025 live meeting can begin Monday, Nov. 11. Turf Paradise General Manager Vince Francia said, "Thanks to our horsemen and the AzHBPA for helping us establish the new season. Our track maintenance crews did stellar work. We are excited to bring our fans another great season of racing." The racing calendar will run through May 3. This year's schedule includes live racing...

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The Chosen Vron On Turn-Out, Expected To Return in 2025

Fan favorite The Chosen Vron (Vronsky), scratched from the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint last weekend, will be turned out for several months after an issue was detected in his ankle. "We'll take it one step at a time," trainer J. Eric Kruljac said. "We'll give him four months off and then bring him back. I feel pretty good that he'll come back the same horse." California's reigning Horse of the Year, the 6-year-old has won 19 of his 25 career trips to the post to date and, after finishing fifth...

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'Rising Star' Deterministic Delivers In the Hill Prince

Impressive winner of the GIII Gotham Stakes over the local main track to begin the season, 'TDN Rising Star' Deterministic  (Liam's Map) has found his footing on the grass during the second half of the campaign and won for second time at the graded level over the surface, validating 7-4 favoritism in Saturday's GIII Hill Prince Stakes at Aqueduct. Victorious in the GIII Virginia Derby ahead of a game runner-up effort in the GIII Jockey Club Derby Invitational Stakes over a mile and three furlongs last time, the $625,000 Keeneland...

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Shamrocks In The Bluegrass: Ken Donworth

"We bought the bar with a credit card," recalls Ken Donworth. "Forty thousand bucks, credit card debt at 20 percent. And we paid it off in three or four months." He shakes his head. "That was 1998. I don't think I'd do it now. So we did take risks, no doubt. But we didn't get caught on any of those slippery slopes." On the contrary. In a college town like Lexington, Donworth and his partners soon figured that policing their customers' age was more trouble than it was worth. So...

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OwnerView Webinar Covers State Incentive Programs, Addresses Declining Foal Crop

The ninth installment in the 2024 OwnerView webinar series was held on Nov. 5 and discussion covered the various ways state incentive programs approach supporting the equine industry, especially when it comes to a declining foal crop, according to a Friday Jockey Club press release. The panel consisted of Cricket Goodall, executive director of the Maryland Horse Breeders Association Inc., the Maryland Million Ltd., and the Maryland Horse Foundation; Roger Heitzmann, secretary and executive director of the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association; Steve Koch, the associate vice president of operations for...

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Vet And Three Trainers At Penn National Suspended By State Racing Commission, Investigation Ongoing

In the midst of what is an ongoing investigation at Penn National Race Course, private veterinarian Dr. Allen Post Bonnell, and three trainers, Kimberly A. Graci, Marlin Arthur "Joe" Miller and Michael S. Zalalas, were summarily suspended by the Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission (PSHRC) this week according to rulings by the board of stewards posted on the Commission's portal. After appearing before the board Nov. 5, Dr. Allen Bonnell was suspended after being found under section 185.2 to have engaged in inappropriate, illegal or unethical conduct at Penn National...

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Mill Ridge To Hold Week-Long Open House

Mill Ridge Farm extends an invitation to join them starting on Thursday, Nov. 7 through Nov. 14, for their stallion open house from 12:00 to 2 p.m. ET daily, the farm said via a press release on Thursday. The three horse roster on display features MGISW Oscar Performance (by Kitten's Joy), whose stud fee is listed at $45,000 LF. The third-crop sire stands alongside millionaire GI Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Aloha West (by Hard Spun), who is listed at $8,500 LF. Newly-added to the slate this year is four-time Grade...

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Medina Spirit Half-Sister Down To Debut at Fukushima

In this continuing series, Alan Carasso takes 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 Tokyo and Fukushima Racecourses: Saturday, November 9, 2024 4th-TOK, ¥10,480,000 ($68k), Maiden, 2yo, 1600m GOLDEN KITE (c, 2, Tapit--L' Age d'Or, by Medaglia d'Oro) sold to Steven Venosa's SGV Thoroughbreds for $200,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale and...

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Authority Tells Supreme Court That Of Three HISA Constitutionality Cases, Fifth Circuit Dispute Should Take Precedence

With three separate requests involving three different federal appeals court cases pending before the Supreme Court of the United States to take up the question of whether or not the Horseracing and Safety Integrity Act (HISA) is constitutional, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority on Wednesday told the nation's highest court that the one involving a lawsuit spearheaded by the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA) is the one that should take precedence. In two separate legal filings Nov. 6, the Authority made its case for the Supreme Court...

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Keeneland Supplements 10 To November Horses Of Racing Age Sale

Keeneland has supplemented 10 horses to its Horses of Racing Age Sale scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 14, the sales company said in a Thursday press release. A total of 234 horses have been cataloged to the single-session auction, which will begin at noon ET. Additional supplements will be considered until the day of the sale. Trained by Kevin Attard and owned by X-Men Racing, Madaket and SF Racing, Tripolina is a 3-year-old by Constitution. The filly won the Display Stakes and was the runner-up in the GIII Mazarine Stakes to...

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