Horse Racing

Sagamore Racing, the Maryland-based breeding and racing operation founded 14 years ago by Under Armour chief executive Kevin Plank, is getting out of the sport. Its horses have been in the gradual process of being sold off, and the historic 530-acre Sagamore Farm in Glyndon will transition into supplying rye, corn and limestone-filtered spring water to support a Plank-backed whiskey distillery. Sagamore led all breeders of Maryland-breds by earnings in 2019, and at its peak during Plank's tenure the farm housed 100 horses. The news comes 10 years to the...

Princess Secret (Khozan), winner of the Susan's Girl S. and My Dear Girl S. for owner and trainer Daniel Pita, was denied entry into Friday's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies after testing positive for a banned substance. An Oct. 26 blood test administered by the Breeders' Cup Out-Of-Competition program turned up the presence of Stanozolol, an anabolic steroid expressly prohibited by Breeders' Cup under its conditions of entry. According to Breeders' Cup constructs, any horse that tests positive for anabolic steroids or any ARCI-prohibited substances in any out-of-competition sample within...

Alan Foreman, chairman of the Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, and Dr. Scott Palmer, the Equine Medical Director for the New York State Gaming Commission, will offer a progress report on the Mid-Atlantic Strategic Plan to Reduce Equine Fatalities Wednesday, Nov. 11. Foreman and Palmer, the architects of the plan, will provide background and report on the progress of reforms that have been undertaken in the seven states that host racing in the Mid-Atlantic region: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. The Plan, adopted in 2019, is...

Sackatoga Stables' GI Belmont S. winner and GI Kentucky Derby runner-up Tiz the Law (Constitution) capped off his serious work ahead of next Saturday's GI Breeders' Cup Classic with a five-furlong breeze at Keeneland Saturday morning. With his regular work rider Heather Smullen in the irons, the New York-bred drilled five furlongs in :59.20 and galloped out an extra eighth of a mile in 1:12.20 (video). "I saw just what I wanted. He went perfectly," said trainer Barclay Tagg who will send out his 11th Breeders' Cup starter next weekend....

A trio of Brad Cox-trained juveniles headed towards the 'Future Stars Friday' Breeders' Cup program at Keeneland Nov. 6, got in their final major moves at soggy Churchill Downs Friday morning. The first of the threesome at 9 a.m. was Godolphin's 'TDN Rising Star' Essential Quality (Tapit), who figures the second choice in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile on the strength of his 3 1/4-length victory in the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland Oct. 3. The hombred son of Grade III-placed Delightful Quality (Elusive Quality) worked five furlongs outside...

With the objective of improving the accuracy of tracking and timing data, officials at Del Mar have re-surveyed the track's turf course with a GPS system that will be in use beginning with the start of the Bing Crosby Meet Oct. 31. In August, the track acknowledged a rash of timing inconsistencies and reported that turf races would be hand timed over the last two weeks of the summer meeting. In conjunction with Equibase and its timing partner Gmax, Del Mar has re-surveyed its seven-furlong turf oval for the different...

Representatives of the Arizona Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (AZHBPA) and the management of Turf Paradise in north Phoenix have signed an agreement that will allow for 84 days of live racing at the track beginning Jan. 1, 2020 and running through May 4, 2021. The Arizona Racing Commission was to meet in special session Oct. 30 to approve the dates after a disagreement in the wording of the agreement between the two parties led to a 24-hour delay in submitting the plan to the ARC. The Commission will also...

5th-Laurel, $46,000, Msw, 10-29, 2yo, f, 1m (off turf), 1:41.41, sy, 5 1/2 lengths. GHERARDINI (f, 2, Bernardini--Brush Hour, by Broad Brush) was sent off the 3-2 choice in this maiden rained off the grass and onto a Zeta-affected main track at Laurel and sustained a rally for the better part of 3 1/2 furlongs to graduate by an impressive 5 1/2 lengths. Away clearly last beneath Sheldon Russell, the $150,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase was ridden quietly from about third last before being asked to improve a long way...

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 Saturday running at Kyoto and Tokyo Racecourses. Former Horse of the Year Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) makes her first start since June in defense of her title in the G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn), a race connections will use as a springboard...

Eclipse Award winner Maximum Security (New Year's Day), GI Kentucky Derby hero Authentic (Into Mischief), GI Belmont S. victor Tiz the Law (Constitution), Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil), who beat the boys in the GI Preakness S. and European star mare Magical (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) are among the over 200 horses entered for the Breeders' Cup World Championships to be held at Keeneland Race Course Friday and Saturday, Nov. 6 and 7. Maximum Security makes his first appearance at the Breeders' Cup and is one of an imposing trio in the $6-million...

A total of 162 nominations from 10 racing jurisdictions, including no fewer than 61 Group 1/Grade I winners, have been received by the Hong Kong Jockey Club for the HK$95-million Longines Hong Kong International Races at Sha Tin Racecourse Dec. 13. "We are delighted to have such strong nominations for our four Group 1 races in December," said Andrew Harding, Executive Director, Racing for the HKJC. "Considering the current climate in regard to the COVID-19 situation, it just reiterates that the Longines Hong Kong International Races are recognised the world...

Juddmonte Farms homebred Mandaloun (Into Mischief) took the lion's share of the pari-mutuel activity at 11-10 and the bay managed to overcome an eventful trip to graduate at first asking in the Saturday finale from Keeneland, good for the 'TDN Rising Star' designation. Away in good order from the middle of the gate, Mandaloun raced in and among rivals down the backstretch, never looking entirely comfortable in transit and lost several spots into the turn. Under a ride fully 3 1/2 furlongs from home, the colt was taken hold of...