Letter to the Editor

As we race into the fall championship season, there are 17 major Eclipse Award titles on the line (excluding the media categories). Whether it is Horse of the Year, leading trainer, or jockey--the final scripts are still unwritten. At the end of the calendar year, three finalists in each category are selected. The 200 or so voting members will then cast their ballots and a single winner in each category will receive the Eclipse Award. There is one significant exception to this process and that is the award for Horseplayer...

I met Stuart in 1994 when we worked together for Ben P. Walden Jr. at Vinery. Stuart was the broodmare manager, and I was selling seasons to the Vinery stallions. Stuart managed the 150-plus broodmare band which  encompassed multiple farms. Stuart was also a farrier; he trimmed all the broodmares which added another layer of responsibility. I quickly learned that Stuart was a tireless hard worker with these responsibilities. Over the years I followed Stuart's professional journey to Watercress, Payson Stud and Taylor Made admiring his accomplishments along the way....

As a former professional jockey, I reached a point where I had to step away from the sport and change professions to prioritize my mental health. Because I know what it feels like to be in that position, I never want another jockey to feel they are without support or options. September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month--a time to shine a light on mental health, share hope, and remind people that reaching out for help is a sign of strength. I've been working with the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority...

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...

As I begin my tenure as chair of The Jockey Club, I look to the future with optimism and gratitude for the work already done by so many in our sport. Together, we have elevated safety, strengthened aftercare, and built partnerships that once seemed unlikely. Now, we have the opportunity to take the next step: ending horse slaughter, so that the pipeline that undermines public trust and jeopardizes our horses is finally closed. Long before this conversation reached industry headlines, The Jockey Club was working with animal-welfare experts to raise...

Editor's note: Stuart Angus, a Senior Thoroughbred Advisor for Taylor Made, passed away Aug. 28 at the age of 60. His friend, Hunter Houlihan, is encouraging those he touched to submit `Stu stories' to the TDN. "There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man," is a quote attributed to Winston Churchill. I think we can all agree with that. If you had the chance to meet Stuart Angus, even once, you would undoubtedly agree that there was something about him...

I love the yearling sales. There is something that just feels electric from the moment you set foot on the grounds. It's not just the horses; it's the people, the familiar faces you reconnect with, and the new friendships you strike up. It's the stories shared under the shade of a tree while you wait for your turn to look at a horse. And of course, nothing beats the thrill of the hunt, the grind and the search for The One; that special horse that stops you in your tracks....

Public confidence isn't lost in a day. It erodes when we're silent, scattered, or slow to respond. That stops now. At Light Up Racing, we believe the future of this sport depends not just on how we react in moments of crisis, but on how we prepare for them. The Thoroughbred industry has an opportunity and a responsibility to lead with foresight, speak with clarity, and act with purpose before public trust is tested again. That's why Light Up Racing is launching a national pilot to strengthen the industry's crisis...

When the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association first started warning that the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act would flunk constitutional due diligence as a violation of the private nondelegation doctrine, its arguments were laughed off. The smart set scoffed that the private nondelegation doctrine was dead, a defunct relic of pre-New Deal "Lochner era" jurisprudence. The NHBPA pressed ahead anyway with the simple yet powerful point that in our constitutional system, a private entity cannot wield public powers like making and enforcing law. The Fifth Circuit agreed--twice--and now the...

A good many years ago now, aged about 20, I was lucky enough to live with the late John Hills in Davy Cormack's Ardagh House Hotel in Killenaule during his time in Edward O'Grady's. I can vividly remember the visits of his father Barry which invariably involved dinner in Bryan Murphy's in Adare with a host of other larger than life characters like Pat Hogan, Greville Starkey, Brian Taylor and Frank Barry. It was a privilege for me as a young man to spend time in Barry's company, always great...

The following is a note from Dauna Moths, the sister of the late D. Wayne Lukas, to TDN's Christina Bossinakis. I just watched the TDN tribute to Wayne. I wish I could talk with each of those who commented--I consider us all "family." Also, thank you for your recent comments on his life.  My heart overflows to read all the remembrances to him. I have been overwhelmed by calls and e-mails from my friends and I am still trying to accept this reality. My heartfelt wish is to thank those...