Horse Racing
Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa has acquired a half-interest in 2024 Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) in a deal which includes former NFL star Marshawn Lynch, according to a press release from the farm. Trained by Kenny McPeek, who selected her as a yearling, she is one of only seven distaffers in the history of the American turf and only the second 3-year-old filly, along with the fabulous Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia d'Oro), to claim the coveted title. A six-time Grade I winner with victories in the GI...
Mike Renfro caught 28 touchdowns during his eleven seasons in the NFL playing for the Houston Oilers and the Dallas Cowboys. Like most athletes, even after all these years, he misses those Sunday afternoons, the camaraderie with his teammates and the thrill of competition. But what would fill the void when he walked off the field for the last time in 1988? To Renfro, that's a very easy question to answer. He discovered horse racing. Thirty-seven years later, Renfro is part of the CJ Thoroughbreds ownership group, which has its...
Off his late heroics in the GI Whitney Stakes at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 2, Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) once again cracked the LONGINES World's Best Racehorse Rankings. Owned by Peter Brant, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg and Brook Smith, last year's Eclipse Champion 3-year-old rolled from the back of the pack as is his style to take the Whitney by a length. The Chad Brown trainee is now rated 120 on the 2025 list. Topping the chart at 127 is still a three-way tie between Field...
During this year's Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, Len and Jon Green's D.J. Stable will offer a curated reduction of its bloodstock portfolio consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, the auction house said in a press release on Thursday. While their reduction represents a meaningful milestone, the Greens remain as committed as ever to the sport. D.J. Stable will continue to be active in racing and at future sales, with plans to invest in new opportunities and further grow their presence in the sport. "This is a one-time offering--strategic and...
SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY -- Hindered at the start and helped at the end, when it counted the most, Quiet Street (Street Boss) launched her career Wednesday with a victory in the finale at Saratoga Race Course. The chart shows that the Godolphin homebred trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott won the $100,000 maiden special weight for 2-year-old fillies by a neck over Lit Ship (Midshipman). She completed the 5 1/2 furlongs on the Mellon Turf Course in 1:03.72 and paid $15.60. Getting to the wire first was an adventure....
9th-Saratoga, $100,000, Msw, 8-13, 2yo, f, 5 1/2fT, 1:03.72, fm, neck. QUIET STREET (f, 2, Street Boss--Serene, by Tapit) overcame a rough start to win the Wednesday nightcap for the Sovereignty connections. A sneaky-live 6-1 from an 8-1 morning line, the homebred was pinched back from between horses at the break and was forced to travel from the rear, but was allowed to settle and was not ridden off her feet by Junior Alvarado. Last, but under a hold on the turn, Quiet Street swung into action seven or eight...
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert is sending a strong contingent to Saratoga Race Course for Travers Day next Saturday. But he won't have a runner in the marquee event, the GI DraftKings Travers Stakes. Baffert said Wednesday that he is keeping 'TDN Rising Star' Goal Oriented (Not This Time) in California. He had originally been planning on shipping the lightly raced colt East but nixed that idea after Goal Oriented worked at Del Mar on Friday. He went seven furlongs in a 1:23.80 (1/2). "He...
Tickets will go on sale Friday, Aug. 15, at 11 a.m. PT for Santa Anita Park's upcoming Autumn Meet, according to a release from 1/ST on Wednesday. Passes will be available through Ticketmaster as the track opens its 16-day stand on Friday, Sept. 26, with free parking and general admission plus an all-day Happy Hour every Friday. Opening weekend will be showcased by Breeders' Cup Challenge Weekend which includes four "Win and You're In" stakes. Three of the track's promotions--Oktoberfest, Pumpkin Patch and Fall Festival and the Japan Family Weekend--anchor...
3rd-Saratoga, $90,000, (S), Msw, 8-13, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 1:45.16, fm, 6 lengths. SHE'S COUNTRY (f, 2, Combatant--Lunar Affair, by Malibu Moon) became the second winner overall and first on this circuit for her sire (by Scat Daddy), who sadly left behind just one crop after succumbing to colic while on dual-hemisphere duties in Chile in 2022. Sold for $80,000 at this year's OBS April sale after breezing an eighth of a mile in :10 1/5, the Mar. 20 foal bounced neatly from gate four and took up a spot...
John and Leona Velazquez were publicly recognized for their longstanding commitment to the backstretch community at Saratoga, Belmont and Aqueduct on Wednesday when they received the Marylou Whitney and John Hendrickson Award from the New York Race Track Chaplaincy at the 18th annual fundraising brunch at the Saratoga National Golf Club, the non-profit said in a press release on Wednesday afternoon. On hand to assist with the award presentation was Marylou's Whitney's daughter, Heather Mabee. The brunch set a new record for fundraising. "Anyone who has spent much time around...
The Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (PTHA) will present the 2025 Owners and Trainers Appreciation Day on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, at Parx Racing, the organization said via a Wednesday press release. The event features 12 races with purses totaling over $650,000, with a first post of 12:40 p.m. ET. A total of 163 horses were entered on the card, including 153 in the body of the races. This will be the first day back for live racing after the annual Parx summer break. That same day, horsemen will be treated...
Tickets for Keeneland's 2025 Fall Meet, to be held Oct. 3-25, will go on sale Tuesday, Aug. 19 at 9 a.m. ET., according to a press release from the track on Wednesday. Fans attending October racing will be among the first to experience the initial phase of Keeneland's new construction enhancements. Officials have said that ticketed dining for the newly-constructed Paddock Building will open to race-day guests at a later time. "At Keeneland, we approach each project deliberately, always striving to create meaningful experiences for our fans and horsemen," Keeneland...