Kentucky

It's clear that Stuart Angus touched the lives of many. A one of a kind human being, I don't think he knew a stranger. I met Stu in November of 2016, probably by complete happenstance, but like many others we met because of horses. I had finished working that summer at Presque Isle Downs and had decided to go back into healthcare. In the grand scheme of things, I had minimal knowledge and no idea what I was getting myself into when I came to Kentucky to work a November...

When I moved to Kentucky in 2019 to work for Taylor Made, I didn't know a single person, I didn't know the first thing about the racehorse industry, I had never seen anything like a Lexington horse sale, and I certainly didn't drink bourbon. With no real guidance except to watch, absorb, and help where I could, my first day on the job was the Keeneland January sale. Everyone was polite but busy - clients to help, horses to show - and I mostly stayed out of the way. But...

Saffie Joseph Jr. is easy to pick out. It's got to be the hair. He talks about the long locks he has on his head and what it would take for him to cut it off. He talks about Skippylongstocking going for his third straight win in the Charles Town Classic. He compares the weather of Saratoga to Florida. And, it might surprise you what actor he picks to play himself if ever there was a movie made about his life. He sat down with the TDN's Tim Wilkin to...

Ellis Park has canceled their Sunday and Monday race cards citing forecasted excessive heat in the Henderson, KY area. In a statement, the track said, "Due to forecasted extreme heat, Ellis Park has canceled live racing Sunday and Monday. Sunday's full card has been rescheduled for this Friday, Aug. 1, while Monday's races will be offered back as extras and an additional day of racing will be added Friday, Aug. 8." Heat index values are forecasted to top 106 degrees both days and the area is under a Heat Advisory...

Helping to create what he now calls "a monster" weighs heavily with Dr. Chris Cahill. Actually, he has a way to put it back in the cage. But let's not get ahead of ourselves; let's first remind ourselves how it all happened. Cahill came to Lexington from Texas for the 1974 breeding season as a $75-a-week rookie veterinarian at Hagyard-Davidson-McGee. One of his main duties was as standby in the Gainesway breeding shed. Albeit then standing "only" 14 stallions, John Gaines was still ahead of the curve in requiring a...

The Breeders' Cup will be held at Keeneland Race Course and the new Belmont Park for the 2026 and 2027 Breeders' Cup World Championships, the company announced in a joint statement with NYRA and Keeneland Wednesday. The Breeders' Cup at Keeneland will take place Oct. 30-31, 2026, while the Belmont Park edition will be held Oct. 29-30, 2027, pending approval by the host tracks' respective states. "The Breeders' Cup, Keeneland, and Belmont Park share many core values, including a steadfast commitment to excellence and Thoroughbred racing, and there is no...

The preliminary schedule for the 2025 Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) educational clinics has been released, the group revealed Monday. The events will feature an assortment of topics for prospective, new, and established Thoroughbred owners and breeders. A breeding clinic will be hosted May 30-31 in Lexington with host farms including Airdrie Stud and Shamrock Glen in Woodford County. Additional farms and veterinary clinics will be announced in coming weeks. Events in the fall will include a pedigree and conformation clinic held in conjunction with Fasig-Tipton's Kentucky October Yearlings...

Edited Press Release WinStar Farm will host an Open House for breeders each day from Jan. 12-15, between 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The open houses will be held at the farm's stallion complex on Paynes Mill Road in Versailles. Visitors are welcome without an appointment during those times to view the WinStar roster for the 2025 season, led by Constitution and Life Is Good. Breeders will also be able to see WinStar's newest additions for the breeding season: Eclipse Award finalist for Champion Male Sprinter Cogburn (Not This Time),...

The catalogue for the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Mixed Sale, to be held Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, at the company's Newtown Paddocks complex, is now online. Bidding for the single-session auction will begin at 10 a.m. ET. A total of 348 horses have been catalogued for the sale, including broodmares in and out of foal, short yearlings and horses of racing age. Covering sires represented include Arabian Lion, Arcangelo, Constitution, Corniche, Elite Power, Forte, Girvin, Gunite, Hard Spun, Jackie's Warrior, Mage, McKinzie, Nyquist, Olympiad, Oscar Performance, Upstart, Volatile, and Yaupon. Yearling sires...

Obviously this is too wide a category, at $60,000 and upwards, to be always comparing like with like. And really those at the very apex have earned their monster fees by excellence too blatant for contention. Most of that will instead be reserved for those sires that remain somewhat more accessible, relatively speaking--especially given the Uncle Mo-sized hole that has tragically appeared in this sector. La creme de la creme is divided between a trio in the evening of their careers--Into Mischief, Curlin, Tapit--and those aiming to supplant them, led...

This year's Breeders' Cup had a touch of deja vu all over again thanks to a series of veterinary scratches in the lead up to the event, some of which didn't exactly sit well with connections. The one that perhaps garnered the most attention is Californian flag-bearer The Chosen Vron's (Vronsky) removal from the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint on official veterinary advice. The horse's connections initially disputed the scratch, arguing he was 100% sound. It later transpired The Chosen Vron had a small ankle problem that necessitated a few months...

Maria Borell, known for training Eclipse Champion Sprinter Runhappy (Super Saver) in the lead up to his win the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint, has been issued a trainer's license in the state of California. The Daily Racing Form first reported the news Friday. In 2016, Borell and her father, Charles, were charged in Kentucky with 43 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty. The charges against her were dropped last year and the DRF noted that Borell plans to train for several clients in California. According to CHRB spokesperson Mike Marten, Borell...