standardbred racing

A lawsuit filed in a Kentucky court Wednesday over a disputed Standardbred auction figures to be closely watched by the Thoroughbred industry because of allegations that a Lexington Selected Yearling Sales Company (LSYS) auctioneer belatedly realized he had dropped the hammer on a $15,000 sale without respecting a $45,000 reserve price that should have been in effect. According to the civil complaint initiated by the New Jersey-based Val D'Or Farms, which thought it had rightfully purchased the filly, named Philly's Sting, for $15,000 via proxy bid, the auctioneer purportedly tried...

Five days after the Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI) subsidiary that operates the advance-deposit wagering (ADW) platform TwinSpires sued the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) in federal court, claiming that the Interstate Horseracing Act (IHA) pre-empts a state law that ADW providers be linked to a licensed racetrack, the executive director of the MGCB sued TwinSpires, alleging that the ADW's "blatant defiance" of a suspension order "constitutes an imminent threat to the public health, safety and welfare." The dueling lawsuits stem from the fact that Michigan's law requiring ADWs to partner...

The Antonacci family, which breeds and races under the name of Lindy Farm, has purchased Bryan Station Farm in Lexington and plans to convert it to a multi-purpose, multi-breed farm that will help in the growth of the Lindy operation. Lindy has been a major name in harness racing going back to the late sixties and has recently turned its attention toward building a thoroughbred operation. The new farm will be named Lindy Farms at Bryan Station. Lindy will also retain its farm in Somers, CT. Philip Antonacci trains the...

Under the shadow of Arlington Park potentially going dark forever after Sept. 25, the Illinois Racing Board (IRB) on Thursday unanimously approved a 2022 race dates package that shifts the burden of hosting all Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing in the Chicago area to Hawthorne Race Course. And while horsemen's groups for both breeds expressed gratitude for Hawthorne stepping up to implement a crammed-and-jammed, year-long race calendar that will be unprecedented in Illinois racing, representatives of the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (ITHA) said during the Sept. 23 meeting that the new...

One of the favorites for Standardbred racing's ultimate prize has significant connections to the Thoroughbred world. Ready For Moni, the 3-1 morning line second choice in Saturday afternoon's $1 million Hambletonian at the Meadowlands, was bred by the Moni Maker Stable's Frank Antonacci and David Reid, the principals behind Thoroughbred racing's Ice Wine Stable that has campaigned such stars at No Nay Never, now standing at Coolmore Stud in Ireland, and this year's promising 2-year-old Fauci (Malibu Moon). Reid is also the owner of Preferred Equine Marketing, a dual-breed sales...

Harness trainer Richard Banca has become the 28th person identified in the horse doping scandal that yielded indictments against some of the biggest names in Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing. Banca's name was not among those listed when indictments were announced Monday by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. He was arrested Monday and released after posting a $200,000 personal recognizance bond. That another name has surfaced fuels speculation that the investigation launched by the FBI and the Department of Justice will yield more names, perhaps...