Horse Racing

Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) will be onsite at Saratoga Race Course for Belmont Stakes weekend, according to a press release from the non-profit on Thursday. To highlight accredited aftercare, the New York Racing Association, Inc (NYRA) will honor the TAA with a named race on the undercard on Friday, June 6, and a presentation will be made to the winning connections, which includes a gift bag. TAA representatives will be present to host the winners of the VIP experience donated by NYRA that was auctioned off earlier in the year...

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 Racecourse: Saturday, May 31, 2025 3rd-KYO, ¥10,600,000 ($74k), Maiden, 3yo, 1800m BIG BAND BEAT (JPN) (c, 3, McKinzie--Cast in Silver, by City Zip) is a half-brother to the stakes-winning Guanare (Runhappy) and was purchased in utero for $80,000 at...

After a sizzling win in a May 23 maiden on the grass at Churchill Downs, Wesley Ward confirmed what he already knew. 'TDN Rising Star' Outfielder (Speightstown) is among the best 2-year-olds he has ever trained. So it's no surprise that the colt will soon be on his way to Royal Ascot to compete in the G2 Norfolk Stakes June 19. "I was nervous going into the race at Churchill, just because I was so excited and he's one of those colts who has so much ability, Ward said. "The...

Oaklawn Park is promoting Zack Gillham to Vice President of Racing & Wagering, while Jason Milligan will assume the role of Director of Racing, the track said via a press release on Thursday morning. In his expanded position, Gillham will oversee all aspects of Oaklawn's racing and sports wagering operations. A member of the Hot Springs team for over eight years, he most recently served as Executive Director of Wagering. Milligan, the former Vice President of Racing, has been with Oaklawn's equine operations for the past 28 years.

Pyrenees (Into Mischief--Our Khrysty, by Newfoundland), winner of the GIII Pimlico Special Stakes and runner-up in the GI Stephen Foster Stakes and GI Jockey Club Gold Cup in 2024, has been retired from racing, according to Adam Corndorf, who bred and raced the horse in partnership with his mother Bonnie Baskin under their Blue Heaven Farm banner. A homebred son of Grade III winner Our Khrysty, purchased by Blue Heaven for $600,000 in foal to Tiznow at the 2011 Fasig-Tipton November Sale, Pyrenees broke his maiden by 4 1/2 lengths...

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. The following rulings were reported on HISA's "rulings" portal and through the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit's (HIWU) "pending" and "resolved" cases portals. Resolved ADMC Violations Date: 05/28/2025 Licensee: Brad Cox, trainer Penalty: A fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Final decision by internal adjudication panel. Explainer: Vets' list medication violation for the presence of Phenylbutazone—a controlled substance (Class C)—in a sample taken from Nyquick on 3/19/25. Date: 05/27/2025 Licensee: Stephen Trevino, trainer...

The $200,000 Cape Henlopen Stakes, a mile-and-a-half turf event for older males, has been moved from its original date of Saturday, May 31 and will instead be run on the Saturday, June 14 program along with the GIII Delaware Oaks and Delaware Derby. The change was necessitated by heavy rainfall in the Midlantic region over the past week. Nominations to the Cape Henlopen will be re-opened with a new closing date of Wednesday, June 4. The June 14 program will be drawn Tuesday, June 10. The remaining seven races on...

Officials at the New York Racing Association (NYRA) have laid out guest policies for the upcoming Belmont Stakes Racing Festival (BSRF) at Saratoga Wednesday, June 4 through Sunday, June 8. Gates will open at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, with a first post scheduled for each program at 12:40 p.m. ET. Admission will begin at 10 a.m. on Friday (first post 11:40 a.m.) and at 9 a.m. on Belmont Day, with the first race set to jump at 10:45 a.m. ET. While the Saratoga main track will be...

7th-Mth, $47K, Msw, 3yo/up, 1 1/16mT, 3:56 p.m. ET. The holiday card by the Jersey Shore includes first-time starter DIRAND (Ire) (Sottsass {Fr}). Owned by Peter Brant and Tony Shafrazian, the 3-year-old is out of Unaided (GB) (Dansili {GB}), who White Birch acquired for €1,250,000 at the 2019 Arqana December Mixed Sale while in-foal to No Nay Never. This dam is also responsible for champion turf female & GI TVG Breeders' Cup Mile heroine Uni (GB) (Medaglia d'Oro). Dirand is trained by Chad Brown. From the same shedrow, Investment Mandate...

The Maryland Horse Breeders Association has tapped bloodstock agent David Ingordo to judge the 91st annual yearling show, which will be held on Sunday, June 29 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds Horse Show Ring in Timonium, the organization said on Friday in a press release. Born into a racing family, Ingordo has been connected throughout his career to the industry. He launched his professional career at Juddmonte and Walmac Farms before establishing his own bloodstock agency. The nearly endless list of top level runners Ingordo has been involved with include...

2nd-Churchill Downs, $114,600, Msw, 5-23, 2yo, 5f, :58.36, ft, 2 1/4 lengths. SPICE RUNNER (c, 2, Gun Runner--Simple Surprise {SW, $185,446}, by Cowboy Cal), a full-brother to Gunite, MGISW-USA, G1SP-UAE, GSP-KSA, $2,493,009, validated 1-4 favoritism with a comfortable debut success Friday afternoon. Drawn widest in a field scratched down from eight to just five juvenile colts, the homebred jumped away very sharply and it appeared that the colt could have made the running if his jockey chose to do so, but instead Jose Ortiz elected to take a hold of...

The two racetrack jobs that Crystal Conning currently has can be broken down simply. In one, her goal is to pick winners. In the other, it's to ride them. On Monday, her professional worlds will collide when the Monmouth Park paddock analyst rides Like a Saltshaker (Peace and Justice) in the second race at the Jersey Shore track in between TV appearances. "I think it's going to be cool to ride a race at Monmouth Park," said Conning, who hails from Melbourne, Australia. "I've been here three summers working and...