In an exhibition of pure sprinting prowess, Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum's Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) brought all his power to bear on his rivals on Friday to register back-to-back successes in Goodwood's G2 King George Qatar S. Despite the contrasting ground conditions to the easy turf he encountered 12 months ago and the obvious questions posed by defeat in the June 19 G1 King's Stand S. at Royal Ascot, the bay attracted heavy support as the 8-11 favourite and was in front before he had raced two...
The 17th edition of the Claiming Crown, held Saturday at Gulfstream Park, generated total handle of $10,118,000--up 0.57% from 2014 despite rainy conditions which caused four races to be taken off the turf. Gulfstream was hosting the event for the fourth year. "We're extremely pleased with the success of Saturday's Claiming Crown," said P.J. Campo, General Manager of Gulfstream Park and Vice President of Racing for The Stronach Group. "We had big fields and tremendous participation from horsemen throughout North America. We're confident the numbers would have been even more...
We've gotten ourselves into a pickle--and we're heading for a far bigger one, if the possibility of discussion is taken off the table. The trouble with most altercations and misunderstandings is a lack of knowledge and communication at the onset. What we're currently witnessing between Mike Repole, Louis Masry, Aron Wellman, and the The Jockey Club isn't just an altercation. It's a clash of cultures: the old traditional "club" model that has governed racing, versus the modern, results-driven mindset of 21st-century investors. Historically, the sport has been shaped by a...
Kentucky's potentially landmark fixed-odds bill has been voted out the state House with an easy 79-15 margin and now heads to the state Senate. Some of the key elements in the revised version this sweeping bill include a new mandate establishing a minimum amount of at least $1,000 that a bettor can win through fixed-odds wagering, language to essentially decouple wagering providers from the prediction market (which is the ability for bettors to make speculative bets on the outcomes of future events), and language barring a cap being placed on...
Cygames will sponsor the Listed Surrey Stakes during the 2026 Betfred Derby Festival at Epsom Downs, marking the Japanese-based company's first sponsorship agreement in the United Kingdom. The sponsorship sees Cygames further expand its international racing portfolio, having already sponsored Group 1 races in France and America. The Cygames Surrey Stakes will be run on Friday, June 5, the first day of the Betfred Derby Festival. Matthew Woolston, Assistant Racing and International Director at The Jockey Club, said, "The Jockey Club are delighted to play our part in the long...
The 12th Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit will be hosted by Keeneland on Monday, June 29, from 8:30 - 5:00, and Tuesday, June 30, from 8:30 - 12:00, according to a Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation release. Both days of the event will be free and open to the public in the Keeneland Sales Pavilion and will be livestreamed. Jessica Paquette, track announcer at Parx Racing, will be the emcee. Topics for the summit include a presentation by Dr. Tim Parkin on the latest statistics from the Equine Injury...
The Jockey Club, the largest commercial group in British horseracing, has agreed an exclusive new 20-year deal with Levy, the sports and entertainment division of Compass Group UK & Ireland. The partnership will enable The Jockey Club to make a capital investment of £100 million to revolutionise the spectator experience across its UK racecourses, funded by a payment from Compass as part of the new deal. The Jockey Club's investment plans include a significant revamp of the main entrance to Epsom Downs Racecourse, home to the Betfred Derby Festival. A...
Our existing industry "members," for lack of a better encompassing term, need to come together and agree on a unifying mission statement. This could happen around The Jockey Club Chairman Everett Dobson's "big table". Why not a mission statement similar to the Breeders' Cup for our industry, like this: "To provide safe, healthy, fair, and high-integrity environments for our horses and fans, and owners and bettors to compete in, at all levels, of our sports entertainment industry." Why be similar to the Breeders' Cup? The Breeders' Cup is not only...
A floor amendment has been added to HB 904--a sweeping piece of legislation seeking to legalize fixed-odds wagering in Kentucky--that is designed to essentially ensure no limit can be imposed on the number of mares bred to a stallion in the state. It requires that the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation select and use an entity to act as "a registrar of Thoroughbreds" in the state, meaning it could choose an organization other than The Jockey Club, which is the current breed registry for the U.S., Canada and Puerto...
Everett Dobson, chairman of The Jockey Club, pledged to collaborate with horsemen to find solutions to racing's many challenges and ways to grow the sport while delivering the keynote address at the National Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association Conference at Oaklawn Park Wednesday. Dobson acknowledged some of the divisions between The Jockey Club and the National HBPA, including The Jockey Club's support of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, the constitutionality of which the National HBPA is challenging in court. But Dobson stressed the common goals shared by the two...
In the age of social media, I realize that I'm writing this at my own peril. And I'm probably once again spitting in the wind. However, I feel like someone needs to speak up on a few things concerning our latest self-inflicted crisis regarding our lack of unity and dysfunction as an industry. To say that as an industry we continue to be "The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight" is an understatement. We have been that way for the 40-plus years I've been involved in horse racing. Hence, the reason...
When the Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit opens Wednesday at the Keeneland Association sales pavilion in Lexington, it will mark the first time that the summit will be held in consecutive years since the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation and The Jockey Club began the event in 2006. Considering the expanded emphasis on equine safety within the racing industry over the past decade, the switch seems both appropriate and warranted. "When you turn, it’s like turning the Titanic," said Jamie Haydon, the manager of industry initiatives for The Jockey...