Santa Anita

California became the first state to opt into the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) enforcement structure on Thursday when the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) voted 7-0 to collect and remit fees on behalf of the new federal HISA Authority. For 2022, HISA has assessed California's portion of the Authority's budget to be $1.4 million, a figure that is based on starts and purses, and amounts to roughly 10% of the overall nationwide budget. It includes only the safety portion of the HISA program that will go into effect...

Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup of key official rulings from the primary tracks within the four major racing jurisdictions of California, New York, Florida and Kentucky. Here's a primer on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public (or not) and where. California Track: Santa Anita Date: 04/15/2022 Licensee: Ryan Curatolo, jockey Penalty: Four-day suspension Violation: Careless riding Explainer: Jockey Ryan Curatolo, who rode Silent Beauty in the ninth race at Santa Anita Park on April 10, 2022, is suspended for 4 racing days (April 30, May 1,...

By the beginning of April, there had been two fatal musculoskeletal injuries during the current Santa Anita meet. Wind the clock back to an identical window in 2019, there had been 22. During Aqueduct's benighted 2011-2012 Winter meet, 21 horses died, 18 of which were fractures sustained during racing. Over the next seven years, New York's four racetracks saw a 50% reduction in racing fatalities. What is the common denominator? Huge advances in identifying those horses at higher risk of sustaining fatal injuries in racing and training, and much tighter...

Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup of key official rulings from the primary tracks within the four major racing jurisdictions of California, New York, Florida and Kentucky. Here's a primer on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public (or not) and where. California Track: Santa Anita Date: 04/08/2022 Licensee: Ryan Curatolo, jockey Penalty: $1,000 fine Violation: Excessive use of the whip Explainer: Jockey Ryan Curatolo is fined $1,000.00 for violation of California Horse Racing Board rule #1688(b)(8)(d) (Use of Riding Crop - more than six times -...

The flag has already been planted midway through Santa Anita's current Winter-Spring meet, and prevailing headwinds are still driven by worries over field size. The following table is an analysis of the average field sizes during the first 15 weeks of the Santa Anita Winter meet--a timeframe excluding Santa Anita Derby weekend--over the past five years. In tandem with the above numbers, total handle for the meet thus far--including last weekend--decreased by 1% between last year and this, a number that comes out to nearly $8 million. That's with one...

MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm's multiple graded stakes-winning 3-year-old Forbidden Kingdom (American Pharoah), who retreated to finish last as the favorite in Saturday's GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby, will be taken off the GI Kentucky Derby trail with an epiglottis issue, trainer Richard Mandella told Horse Racing Nation Sunday. "We are going to look under his epiglottis to see if he has an ulcer," Mandella said. "But no Derby for sure." A runner-up in the GIII Bob Hope S. last fall at Del Mar, Forbidden Kingdom announced himself as a Derby...

Barring something unforeseen, they are both headed to Louisville in a month's time, but Saturday's GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby will make either Messier (Empire Maker) or Forbidden Kingdom (American Pharoah) the left coast's best chance at GI Kentucky Derby glory when they go head-to-head for the second time Saturday afternoon. Named a 'TDN Rising Star' when graduating by a space at second asking over a six-furlong trip that was always bound to be sharp, Messier easily handled Forbidden Kingdom in Del Mar's GIII Bob Hope S. over seven furlongs...

The progressive Lucky Girl (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) looks to make it three on the trot as the likely favorite in a competitive renewal of the GIII Providencia S. at Santa Anita. Third in a single European appearance at Ireland's Gowran Park for trainer Andrew Slattery, the bay was fractionally disappointing when off the board in each of her first three U.S. appaearances, including a troubled fifth in a one-mile maiden here Dec. 27. Connections nevertheless swung for the fences and gave their filly a try in the Jan....

Having her first start for trainer Tim Yakteen, Michael Lund Petersen's Adare Manor (Uncle Mo) tries to remain unbeaten around two turns as the prohibitive favorite in Saturday's GII Santa Anita Oaks at the Great Race Place. Second and fourth, respectively, in sprint maidens at this track on Halloween and at Del Mar the following month, the dark bay ran away from Micro Share (Upstart) by a dozen lengths when making her first start around two turns Jan. 7 and made light work of the GIII Las Virgenes S. last...

Barring something unforeseen, they are both headed to Louisville in a month's time, but Saturday's GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby will make either Messier (Empire Maker) or Forbidden Kingdom (American Pharoah) the left coast's best chance at GI Kentucky Derby glory when they go head-to-head for the second time Saturday afternoon. Named a 'TDN Rising Star' when graduating by a space at second asking over a six-furlong trip that was always bound to be sharp, Messier easily handled Forbidden Kingdom in Del Mar's GIII Bob Hope S. over seven furlongs...

Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup of key official rulings from the primary tracks within the four major racing jurisdictions of California, New York, Florida and Kentucky. Here's a primer on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public (or not) and where. CALIFORNIA Track: Santa Anita Date: 04/02/2022 Licensee: Bob Baffert, trainer Penalty: Ninety-day suspension Violation: Reciprocity of out-of-state medication violation penalty Explainer: Pursuant to California Horse Racing Board rule #1484 (Evidence of Unfitness for License) the following ruling is issued in reciprocity after...

Officials at 1/ST, the consumer-facing brand of The Stronach Group--parent company of a portfolio of several California racetracks and/or training facilities--have issued a statement in the aftermath of the 90-day suspension handed down to trainer Bob Baffert. The statement, in its entirety, reads: "The California Horse Racing Board announced on Saturday, Apr. 2 that "[trainer Bob Baffert is now suspended pursuant to CHRB Rule 1484]."  California has thus reciprocated the suspension against Bob Baffert imposed by the Kentucky Racing Commission, which will begin on Apr. 4, 2022. Because of the...