Quarter Horse racing

The 2026 race dates for four Ontario racetracks--Woodbine Racetrack, Woodbine Mohawk Park, Fort Erie Race Track and Ajax Downs--have been approved by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), it was announced Wednesday. The number of racing days per track:   Woodbine Racetrack (Thoroughbred) - 128   Woodbine Mohawk Park (Standardbred) - 222 (for all of 2026 counting dates already allocated from Jan. 1 through Mar. 31, 2026.   Fort Erie Race Track (Thoroughbred) - 34   Ajax Downs (Quarter Horse)...

The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission (IRGC) approved a new three-year racing contract between Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino, the Iowa Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (IA HBPA) and the Iowa Quarter Horse Racing Association (IQHRA). The approved agreement establishes the framework for a 76-day mixed Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse race meet at Prairie Meadows, continuing a collaborative partnership among all three organizations. Under the terms of the agreement, the annual racing season will begin on Kentucky Derby Day and conclude on the final weekend of September. The mixed-meet format...

New Mexico's Ruidoso Downs, beleaguered by flooding the last two years, will be unable to host a live meet in 2026 at the facility due to the potential for "life threatening" flooding from even moderate rainfall, according to a press release posted on the track's website. The story was first reported by the Paulick Report. The somber statement details findings from JE Fuller, an engineering firm, and discussions with state officials. Ruidoso's 2026 racing schedule will be hosted at the Downs at Albuquerque as the track assesses its future, with...

For the fifth straight year, Horseshoe Indianapolis set a new record for all-time highest handle wagered on live racing. The 123-day meet, ending on Nov. 13, concluded with total handle surpassed $287 million in 2025. "We couldn't be prouder of our team and our season for the results we saw this year," said Vice President and General Manager of Racing Eric Halstrom. "We were going up against some pretty big numbers from 2024. Despite running 49 less races this year, we were still able to top last year's figures. Our...

Yet New Mexico Commission Asserts Neither Drug Allowed at State Level, Either by T.D. Thornton A federal lawsuit filed last month by a Sunland Park-based veterinarian against the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) is alleging anti-constitutionality claims similar to a number of other cases that have been swirling at various levels of the federal court system for the past four years. But the civil complaint initiated July 3 in United States District Court (District of New Mexico) by Jason Scott, DVM, does...

The Indiana Horse Racing Commission (IHRC) approved 123 days of live racing for the 2025 season at Horseshoe Indianapolis during its regular meeting at the track Thursday, Oct. 24. Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing will mirror the 2024 schedule. There will be six dates dedicated to Quarter Horses exclusively. Racing will begin Tuesday, Apr. 15 and run through Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, with first post set for 2:10 p.m. ET Monday through Thursday. The track's marquee events--the GIII Indiana Derby and GIII Indiana Oaks--are scheduled for Saturday, July 5, with...

Slated to be Kentucky's only Quarter Horse venue, Revolutionary Racing is pouring $10 million into Sandy Ridge Racetrack which is currently under construction in Ashland, the investor said via a Friday press release. Built on 182 acres behind Sandy's Racing & Gaming--a $75 million entertainment facility that Revolutionary opened 11 months ago--the developer plans to request 2026 race dates from the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation. "We are excited to begin this phase of our project, which will be unlike anything else in the state," said Larry Lucas, chairman...

Emilio Tapia, a Quarter Horse jockey at Ruidoso Downs, has been fined $500 by that track's stewards for punching his mount after the 2-year-old filly finished fifth in a maiden race. A stewards' ruling dated July 21 stated that Tapia was "acting in an unprofessional manner when returning to the unsaddling area with his mount Famous Long Eagle following the second race on July 14," and that his breach of conduct further included "striking horse in the belly with his fist in front of grandstand." The chart caller's notes for...

Steve Asmussen has indicated an interest in saddling a starter at the 2024 Sandy Ride at Red Mile Quarter Horse meet, according to stallionesearch.com. The Hall of Famer did not have a set number of confirmed runners, stall applications were due Thursday, Feb. 29, but Sandy Ridge racing manager Terry Oliver was reportedly instrumental in getting Asmussen back to his roots in Quarter Horse racing. His family had been involved in the industry in the early 1970s, originating with parents Marilyn and Keith Asmussen. It would be his first such...

Pierre Jean Amestoy Jr. has never been to the Kentucky Derby. Not even as a spectator. However, the 2023 renewal may very well change that fact after Practical Move (Practical Joke), who he owns in partnership with his wife Leslie and Roger Beasley, stamped himself a major Classic contender with a victory in last weekend's GII San Felipe S. at Santa Anita. "My wife and I were very emotional after the win," said Pierre Amestoy. "It was phenomenal. It was exhilarating. We're just elated." "I guess we're heading to the...

Horseshoe Indianapolis is proposing a 2023 mixed-meet racing schedule of 123 dates that pares four dates from the Thoroughbred portion of the calendar, down to 117 from the 121 Thoroughbred dates that had been granted this year. Pending approval at this Thursday's Indiana Horse Racing Commission (IHRC) meeting, the 2023 mixed meet will run Apr. 18-Nov. 17. That's roughly the same template that Horseshoe Indianapolis used this past season, although next year's meet is scheduled to end on the Friday before Thanksgiving instead of running into the holiday week and...

By unanimous voice vote after zero public discussion among commissioners at a "special" meeting, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) on Tuesday quickly approved a license awarding a Quarter Horse racino license for a track to be constructed in the northeastern part of the state. The license is the ninth and final of its kind to be awarded in Kentucky. Although the focus of press releases announcing the deal accentuated the rebirth of Quarter Horse racing in a state better known as the nation's Thoroughbred epicenter, the real prize for...