In an exhibition of pure sprinting prowess, Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum's Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) brought all his power to bear on his rivals on Friday to register back-to-back successes in Goodwood's G2 King George Qatar S. Despite the contrasting ground conditions to the easy turf he encountered 12 months ago and the obvious questions posed by defeat in the June 19 G1 King's Stand S. at Royal Ascot, the bay attracted heavy support as the 8-11 favourite and was in front before he had raced two...
The 17th edition of the Claiming Crown, held Saturday at Gulfstream Park, generated total handle of $10,118,000--up 0.57% from 2014 despite rainy conditions which caused four races to be taken off the turf. Gulfstream was hosting the event for the fourth year. "We're extremely pleased with the success of Saturday's Claiming Crown," said P.J. Campo, General Manager of Gulfstream Park and Vice President of Racing for The Stronach Group. "We had big fields and tremendous participation from horsemen throughout North America. We're confident the numbers would have been even more...
The 2026 start of turf racing at Aqueduct Racetrack will be moved back two weeks due to the impact of heavy snowfall in January and February paired with continued cold overnight temperatures in March, according to The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) release Sunday. Turf racing was initially slated to begin on Friday, Apr. 3, but the launch of the 2026 grass campaign on the NYRA circuit will move to Thursday, Apr. 16. The Listed $150,000 Plenty of Grace Stakes, which was slated to be the first turf stakes...
A new partnership has been announced between Chester Racecourse and The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA), creating an international pathway from the Boodles May Festival to some of the most prestigious Graded races in America. Under the initiative, the winner of the G3 Ladbrokes Ormonde Stakes (Thursday, May 7) at Chester's May Festival will receive automatic entry and travel incentives to compete in the GII Belmont Gold Cup (Thursday, June 4), worth $250,000. The Belmont Gold Cup has been hosted at Saratoga Race Course since 2024 while the new...
The New York Race Track Chaplaincy will honor Marc Holliday, a Thoroughbred owner, breeder and chairman of The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA), and his wife Sheree, an avid and competitive equestrian, with the John Hendrickson and Marylou Whitney Award for their generous support of the New York backstretch community at its 19th Annual Fundraising Brunch to be held on Wednesday, Aug. 12, at the Saratoga National Golf Club in Saratoga Springs, New York, the non-profit said in a release on Wednesday. Additional information, including tickets and sponsorships for...
I have been reading the opinions of many respected people who have invested greatly in the racing industry and have been involved in it for decades. Many of their observations about the state of the sport and the organizations that are supposed to lead it are correct. I would like to share what I have discovered over the past few years. I have been involved in breeding and racing Thoroughbreds for more than 40 years, and I care deeply about the future of this industry. Like many others, I have...
Ticket and hospitality on-sale dates for the 2026 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course, which will open on Friday, July 3, and continue through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7, were announced by the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) Wednesday. Season tickets will go on sale on Thursday, Mar. 12, for the 46-day summer meet and include reserved seating in the Clubhouse, Grandstand and Michelob Ultra Stretch. A season pass, which provides general admission for all 46 days, is available as a mobile ticket for $94 or a traditional physical...
Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine has commenced a comprehensive three-year study to improve detection of Thoroughbred racehorse injuries with data provided by horses seen by Ruffian Equine Specialists, which is located next to Belmont Park, the New York Gaming Commission said through a Tuesday press release. The study, funded by New York State and The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA), will build on previous international research and the ongoing industry goal to prevent fatal musculoskeletal injuries. State-of-the-art standing computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET) machines will...
The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) and Woodbine Entertainment have joined forces to create the Empire Trillium Series, a 14-race program of stakes races restricted to horses foaled in New York or Canada worth $3.2 million in total purses, the pair announced Tuesday. The Empire Trillium Series will begin at the new and reimagined Belmont Park with eight stakes to be contested between December 2026 and February 2027 on the one-mile Tapeta course. "NYRA looks forward to partnering with Woodbine Entertainment in this unique venture to create additional black...
By T.D. Thornton With the only business voted upon at Wednesday’s New York Racing Association Reorganization Board of Directors meeting being rubber-stamp unanimous approvals certifying the slate of NYRA officers and the roster of peace officers, the talk among board members touched on topics related to bolstering big days on the circuit and whether or not Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) could be incentivized to compete in the GI Travers S. at Saratoga Race Course. "We are trying our best," said NYRA chief executive officer and president...