Horse Racing

This week saw the final horses stabled at Turf Paradise leave the premises as the facility closes its doors for the summer beneath an array of question marks dangling over the industry in the state. For one, the horses weren't the only Turf Paradise residents to vacate the facility this week. At the beginning of May, track management sent the Arizona Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA) a letter giving the organization 30 days to "remove its belongings" from its Turf Paradise office and to "remove the trailer (medical trailer)...

Celebrity chef, noted owner/breeder and Breeders' Cup Ambassador Bobby Flay and the National Hockey League's Erik Johnson are the featured guests on a 'Pucks, Ponies and Pasta' edition of 'Cocktails and Conversation,' scheduled for 6 p.m. ET across Breeders' Cup platforms at Twitter, YouTube and Facebook. Nick Luck and Britney Eurton host the recurring virtual happy hour series, which is helping to raise funds for horse racing and service industry COVID-19 relief efforts. Click here to learn more, donate and view past editions of Cocktails and Conversation. This week's featured...

The Churchill Downs main track was opened for training Wednesday morning for the first time since last fall, with horses such as the Greg Foley-trained Major Fed (Ghostzapper) and others conditioned by Steve Asmussen, Phil Bauer, Buff Bradley, Bret Calhoun, Mark Casse, Brad Cox, Neil Howard, Michelle Lovell and Dallas Stewart all stepping onto the surface just after 5:30 a.m. (video) "It's a relief to be home," said Lovell, who shipped her horses from the Fair Grounds to Ashbrook Farm in Lexington and made the trip across Interstate 64 each...

Dispatched the 13-10 favorite for Saturday's featured Sunshine Forever S. at Gulfstream Park, Halladay (War Front) enjoyed a fairly soft time of things from the front beneath Luis Saez and proved not for catching, reporting home a 1 1/4-length winner from Aquaphobia (Giant's Causeway). Social Paranoia (Street Boss), last-out winner of the GIII Appleton H. Mar. 28, completed a 1-3 finish for the Todd Pletcher barn. Halladay hit the ground running and took some token pressure from a hard-held El Tormenta (Stormy Atlantic) and a three-wide Admission Office (Point of...

Officials at Breeders' Cup Limited and the Japan Racing Association have announced that the $2.1-million G1 Victoria Mile, to be held next Sunday, May 17, at Tokyo Racecourse, has been added to the 2020 Breeders' Cup Challenge series and will offer the winner a fees-paid berth into the GI Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Keeneland Nov. 7. A total of 19 horses have been nominated to the 1600-meter event, led by 2018 Japanese Horse of the Year Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}), who is scheduled...

Two-time Hong Kong Horse of the Year Beauty Generation (NZ) (Road to Rock {Aus}), a latest second when looking for the three-peat in the G1 FWD Champions Mile, will remain in training for an 8-year-old season, owner Patrick Kwok tweeted May 7. "BEAUTY GENERATION will stay on in training in Hong Kong next season. With the retirement of his legendary trainer John Moore, our champ BG will move to David Hayes in 2020/21," the Beauty Stable tweeted Thursday. The former Montaigne, Group 1-placed in Australia under the care of Anthony...

2nd-GP, $65K, Msw, 2yo, 4 1/2f, post time: 1:35p.m. ET Known for his prowess with early 2-year-olds, trainer Wesley Ward sends out the first runner by champion and GI Kentucky Derby hero Nyquist in BREAKTHROUGH. Purchased for $330,000 at FTKJUL, the dark bay is a half-brother to SW & MGISP Red Vine (Candy Ride {Arg}) and his dam is a half to MGSW Fort Prado (El Prado {Ire}). Scratched from a similar spot Friday, he enters this unveiling off a bullet three panels on the turf at Palm Meadows in...

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 Kyoto Racecourse, where Unsaid Vow (Giant's Causeway) steps into group company for Saturday's G2 Kyoto Shimbun Hai: Saturday, May 9, 2020 11th-KYO, Kyoto Shimbun Hai-G2, ¥103,500,000 ($973k), 3yo, 2200mT UNSAID VOW (c, 3, Giant's Causeway--Country Cafe, by Lion Heart) dips...

While eager to see the return of live racing at Laurel, Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association President Tim Keefe knows that the belt-tightening may not end any time soon. Casino revenues account for a large portion of the purse money for the Maryland tracks and its likely that the state's casinos will be closed for several more months. "It certainly is a concern and something on our minds," Keefe said. "Nearly70% of our purse revenues are derived from the casinos. With them being closed down, obviously it is a big concern...

Today TDN launches the first installment in a multi-part series highlighting racetrack photographers. We'll be profiling the unique relationships between cameras and Thoroughbreds, asking about the most memorable horses, races and people they've viewed through the lens, and talking about how the craft of equine imagery has evolved. Each time that we profile a photographer, TDN will also be featuring their hand-selected favorite shots in multiple editions throughout the week. First up is Harold Roth. A 1973 racetrack photojournalism assignment for his Queens College student newspaper led to Roth's eventual...

The Thoroughbred Safety Coalition launched a new online tool to mark the progress its members have made in implementing and advocating for a uniform set of reforms to make racing safer. The new "Accountability Tracker" details the status of individual tracks' efforts to implement the Coalition's reform platform, which is made up of a series of increased medication restrictions, enhanced reporting and transparency requirements and other operational safety and integrity protocols to ensure equine athletes are fit to train and race. "Protecting our athletes requires an industry-wide effort that touches...

Mozu Ascot (Frankel {GB}), winner on turf of the G1 Yasuda Kinen in 2018, returns to the dirt for the first time since winning the G1 February S. in Tuesday's ¥102 million (US$955k) Kashiwa Kinen (1600m) at Funabashi Racecourse. Bred by Summer Wind Farm, the 6-year-old son of MGSW India (Hennessy) was winless in eight starts following the Yasuda Kinen, but put pay to that streak when defeating the smart Copano Kicking (Spring At Last) at odds of 8-1 in the G3 Negishi S. (1400m) at Tokyo Feb. 2. The...