Rudy Rodriguez

Aqueduct saw a fleet of prep races for major spring targets Friday, and the connections of those winners have largely reported good prognoses for their stars as they chart out future targets. Upset winner of the Withers Stakes Talk to Me Jimmy (Modernist) has reportedly come out of his 11-length tour-de-force in good form despite grabbing his front right quarter at some point during the contest. Trainer Rudy Rodriguez reports the colt was in good spirits Saturday morning but that a vet would look at it as a precaution. "Thank...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and trainer Rudy Rodriguez have reached an agreement that will end Rodriguez's provisional suspension and allow him to return to training, HISA and Rodriguez announced jointly in a statement released Tuesday. His suspension will officially end on Wednesday. Rodriguez has not started a horse since Dec.  13. Rodriguez's problems began in November when HISA alleged that the NYRA-based trainer had violated rules related to "cruelty, mistreatment, neglect or abuse" of Thoroughbreds. At that time, HISA served Rodriguez with a "notice of violation and...

A hearing officer assigned by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has cleared the way for that regulatory body to provisionally suspend New York-based trainer Rudy Rodriguez while a final adjudication plays out stemming from a series of alleged rule violations related to "cruelty, mistreatment, neglect or abuse" of Thoroughbreds. The decision, dated Monday, Dec. 15, and made public Tuesday, Dec. 16, was written up following a Friday, Dec. 12, hearing at which Rodriguez testified that "all [of his] horses were well cared for." His legal team also presented...

It was another banner weekend for trainer Brad Cox. His trainee, Further Ado (Gun Runner), passed a big test when winning the GII Kentucky Club Stakes at Churchill Downs. On the same card, he unveiled an impressive maiden winner in Cannoneer (Into Mischief), who romped by 7 1/4 lengths. Cox, who joined this week's TDN Writers' Room Podcast presented by Keeneland, will try to keep his streak going Saturday at Aqueduct, where he will send out Bishops Bay (Uncle Mo), who is 8-for-12 lifetime, in the GII Cigar Mile Handicap....

Citing a series of alleged rule violations related to "cruelty, mistreatment, neglect or abuse" of Thoroughbreds, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has served Rudy Rodriguez with a "notice of violation and show cause" that could result in a potential provisional suspension and perhaps more serious penalties for the 53-year-old former jockey who has consistently ranked near the top of the New York trainer standings for the past 15 years. The HISA notice, which was served upon Rodriguez Nov. 21, 2025, and made public on Nov. 26, stated that...

SARATOGA SPRINGS - After seven weeks of going back and forth, Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse has made his decision. When Sandman (Tapit) runs in the GII Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on July 26, he will be wearing a hood. The popular gray, owned by D. J. Stable LLC, St. Elias Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds and CJ Stables, looked striking Saturday morning when he hit the main track wearing black blinkers. Sandman worked five furlongs in :59.40 (1/9) and Casse is comfortable saying that Sandman will...

Barn 28 on the Belmont Park backstretch has been placed under a precautionary 14-day quarantine by the New York Racing Association (NYRA) and New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) until further notice due to a positive case of strangles in the barn. NYRA, the New York State Department of Agriculture and the NYSCG remain in contact should the need arise for further precautionary measures. Barn 28 houses horses trained by George Weaver, Todd Pletcher and Rudy Rodrigruez and the quarantine is effective immediately. The Weaver-conditioned 2-year-old gelding Mo Curls was...

Linda Rice led all trainers and owners at the Aqueduct winter meet, which began Jan. 1, and Manny Franco topped the leading riders list as the circuit swaps over to the spring meeting starting Thursday, NYRA announced Sunday afternoon. Rice claimed 51 wins as a trainer to capture the title for the third consecutive year since the 2023 meet, and secured her fifth winter title overall. Her record of 217-51-38-29 was good for a win rate of 23.5% and an in-the-money strike rate of 54.38%. Meet highlights included Sand Devil...

Globe-trotting jockey Frankie Dettori was unseated from his mount at the starting gate prior to the start of the ninth race at Aqueduct Thursday and has been taken to Jamaica Hospital for further evaluation. NYRA publicity also reported that he was able to walk himself over to the ambulance. His mount, the 2-year-old filly Pretty Liza (Kantharos), was scratched and ponied back to the barn area. She is trained by Rudy Rodriguez. The race, a six-furlong maiden special weight on grass, was won by the Mike Maker-trained first-time starter Miriam's...

Gokhan Kocakaya understood that this would be a challenge. In his native Turkey, he has won 2,910 races, was the leading rider for four straight years starting in 2019. He was riding in all of the major races and making a good living. But here he was on a chilly Monday morning galloping horses at Belmont Park, some 5,000 miles from home and in a place where almost nobody knows who he is. "I am new here," the 37-year-old jockey said through an interpreter. "I am not expecting to ride...

Regarding the Great White Way fiasco: The stewards made a huge mistake! We all make them. It happens in football all the time! When it happens there are no calls to remove the Commissioner. As in this situation, there should be no calls to remove Jockey Club leadership. What is needed is to look at the Stewards box. Stewards involved should be interviewed, past decisions reviewed and what we need is industry-wide implementation to improve the process. Possibly a fourth person "in the booth" might help when a foul occurs....

Following the controversial disqualification of Brick Ambush (Laoban), who crossed the wire second in Saturday's $500,000 Great White Way division of the New York Stallion Series at Aqueduct, owner Dean Reeves said he will appeal the decision of the stewards. In a roughly run race, there was an incident at the quarter-pole where Big Torpedo (Big Brown) and Solo's Fury (Solomini) both checked sharply. Big Torpedo finished fourth and Solo's Fury was last of 12. A strong case can be made that Antonio of Venice (Laoban), the race winner with...