Horse Racing

Tired of all the bad news? So were we. So, in our new series, we focus on the positive, asking people from non-horse racing families two questions: how they get hooked, and how they'll hook someone else on horse racing this year. LIZ CROW, BSW BLOODSTOCK & ELITE SALES What was the experience that made you fall in love with horse racing? I grew up in Washington, D.C. where both my parents worked in politics. Horse racing was far from anything I ran into on a day-to-day basis. My mom...

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 Kokura, Kyoto and Nakayama Racecourses: Saturday, January 25, 2020 1st-KOK, ¥9,680,000 ($88k), Maiden, 3yo, 1000m ISSHIN (c, 3, Take Charge Indy--Appealing Stella, by Closing Argument) made a favorable impression in his lone racetrack appearance to date, finishing third in a...

Owner Charles E. Fipke, who will be represented by his homebred Seeking the Soul (Perfect Soul {Ire}) in the GI Pegasus World Cup S., will receive the E.P. Taylor Award of Merit at the 2019 Sovereign Award ceremony to be held Thursday, Apr. 16, at Universal Eventspace in Vaughn, Ontario. Selected by Jockey Club of Canada stewards, the E.P. Taylor Award of Merit is given to those who have accomplished outstanding individual achievements and have made a significant contribution to the Thoroughbred industry in Canada. For nearly four decades, Fipke...

Irad Ortiz, Jr. rode four Breeders' Cup winners at the 2019 World Championships--including GI Longines Turf hero and Horse of the Year Bricks and Mortar (Giant's Causeway), who he was aboard for all six of his wins from six tries last term. Ortiz's other Breeders' Cup winners were GI Longines Classic winner Vino Rosso (Curlin), GI Big Ass Fans Dirt Mile victor Spun to Run (Hard Spun) and GII Juvenile Turf Sprint scorer Four Wheel Drive (American Pharoah). Ortiz won 35 graded stakes in 2019, including 11 at the highest...

Japanese-born, Woodbine-based Kazushi Kimura built on a strong first season of riding in 2018 (104 wins, $2,451,326 in earnings) in 2019, booting home 148 winners (17%) and racking up $4,746,556 in earnings. Those stats were good for third-best by wins and fourth-best by earnings at Woodbine's April to December meet. He lost his bug Oct. 26. Accepting the Award... "First, I want to say congratulations to everyone. I am proud of the Eclipse Award and to be nominated with so many great trainers, owners and jockeys. Let me say thank...

Maximum Security (New Year's Day)'s sophomore season had plenty of ups and downs, but, in the end, he proved he truly was the best of his generation. Dangled for a $16,000 tag when winning his debut in December of 2018, the homebred kicked off 2019 with a pair of dominant starter optional claiming scores at Gulfstream Jan. 24 and Feb. 20, respectively. The bay jumped right to the top of the class ladder after that and showed that he belonged there with a 3 1/2-length victory in the GI Xpressbet.com...

Dr. George Maylin, the director of the New York Equine Drug Testing Programs, has confirmed the presence of IOX-2, a small molecule synthetic doping agent and a threat to both human and equine sport, in a pair of Standardbred horses racing at Yonkers Raceway. IOX-2 is a blood and gene doping agent that Dr. Maylin warned attendees about at the annual ARCI conference in Arcadia, California. The New York horseracing lab is believed to be the first--either in horse racing or the worldwide WADA network of testing labs--to screen for...

Desert Party (Street Cry {Ire}--Sage Cat, by Tabasco Cat), who was standing at Irish Hill Century Farm in New York, is moving to Judith Barrett's Godstone Farm in Littletown, Pennsylvania, according to stallion Manager R. A. Brooks, Jr. He will stand for a fee of $2,500, with special consideration to Pennyslvania-foaling mares and multiple mare discounts available. A $425,000 Keeneland September yearling, Desert Party topped the 2008 Fasig-Tipton Calder sale on a bid of $2.1 million and was trained by Eoin Harty to win that year's GII Sanford S. at...

Tired of all the bad news? So were we. So, in our new series, we focus on the positive, asking people from non-horse racing families two questions: how they get hooked, and how they'll hook someone else on horse racing this year. JON GREEN, GENERAL MANAGER, DJ STABLES What was the experience that hooked you on the sport? I grew up in a family of accountants, and, in 1989, I attended my first auction "unchaperoned" by my parents--it was the New Sire Showcase portion of the Fasig-Tipton July sale. Back...

Enforceable (Tapit) earned 10 points towards a start in the GI Kentucky Derby with a late-rallying victory in the GIII Lecomte S. at Fair Grounds Saturday. It was the second straight win in this event for trainer Mark Casse, who captured last year's renewal with eventual GI Preakness S. victor War of Will (War Front). Bet down to 6-1 from a 15-1 morning-line quote, Enforceable was away well from post 10, but was in no hurry, settling near the back of the pack as longshots Bango (Congrats) and ShaShashakemeup (Shackleford)...

Finite had to fight for it, but her class saw her through on the day as she gutted out a narrow victory over pacesetting Ursula while earning 10 more qualifying points for the GI Kentucky Oaks. Three wide out of the stretch for the first time, the homebred filly continued to cover ground on the second turn and was three and four wide off the final corner. With Ricardo Santana, Jr., throwing everything he had at her, she eyeballed the longtime leader with a furlong to race and clawed that...

Sent off the lesser-preferred half of an uncoupled Steve Asmussen-trained entry at 13-1, Echo Town (Speightstown) was consigned to a three-wide, no-cover trip, but nonetheless went through his gears in a fast final quarter-mile to become the afternoon's second 'TDN Rising Star' in the Big Easy. Content to track from off the pace while monitoring the every move of his even-money stablemate Earner (Carpe Diem), a $425,000 Keeneland September graduate, Echo Town--himself a $100,000 purchase by the connections of GI Kentucky Derby runner-up Lookin At Lee (Lookin At Lucky)--ranged up...