Spikezone

Damon Thayer, who served 22 years in the Kentucky General Assembly--will be the keynote speaker at the National HBPA Conference Feb. 25-27 in Safety Harbor, Florida. Thayer will address the conference on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at the Safety Harbor Resort and Spa on Tampa Bay. For a Q&A with Thayer, click here. The HBPA Conference features a full-day of panel discussions and presentations on Tuesday, Feb. 25 and a half-day on Wednesday, Feb. 26, after which an afternoon at Tampa Bay Downs is scheduled, courtesy of the racetrack. The full...

Spikezone (Speightster), whose 11 victories in 2024 trailed only the 13 recorded by Tennessee Moon (Ransom the Moon), has been named National Claiming Horse of the Year for 2024 by the National HBPA. "We're thrilled for him," said Mid-Atlantic-based trainer Jamie Ness, whose Jagger Inc. stable owns Spikezone with Troy Johnson and Charles Lo. "He deserves it." Said Lo: "I am so shocked. It just doesn't happen the way it has--maybe one time out of 100. It's crazy. I never had a horse that good." Johnson: "It's a dream, unreal."...