thoroughbreds

As part of a larger $32 million improvement plan, Santa Anita's training track should re-open in mid-January after it was closed for construction Nov. 12, as it changes from a sand-based surface to an all-weather synthetic one, the track said in a release Friday afternoon. Constructed by Tapeta Footings, the new surface is designed to improve safety while also helping to limit weather-related training disruptions. "The main thing is having synthetic will alleviate a complete stoppage of training because of weather," said Jason Egan, Santa Anita Director of Racing and...

The final leg of the $1,000,000 Pennsylvania-Sired/Bred Stallion Series is set for Wednesday, Dec. 27th at Parx Racing with the Miss Behaviour S. and the Wait for It S.--both purses are $200,000. Initially, four races were carded for the inaugural series in 2022, while this year saw the expansion to six. Following the conclusion of the Stallion Series, a $50,000 trainer's bonus will be split among the conditioners of the horses who accumulated the first, second and third highest number of points over the six series races. The first leg...

The New York Gaming Commission issued a statement Friday regarding the controversial disqualification of Brick Ambush (Laoban) in the Dec. 16 Great White Way S. at Aqueduct that was meant to bolster the argument that the stewards made the right call, but it included a photo that could be construed as doing the exact opposite. The TDN and other news outlets received an email from New York Gaming Commission Director of Communications Brad Maione that included six screen shots from the race taken at the point where there was contact...

The Midwestern sage, Mark Twain espoused, "The secret of getting ahead is getting started." Nothing could be more apropos when considering joining a Thoroughbred racehorse partnership. Getting started is the hardest part for most prospective owners. The world of Thoroughbred racing can seem as inaccessible as the Churchill Downs Turf Club on Derby Day. The good news is joining a partnership makes getting started easier. In the first part of this series, we provided basic information such as investment levels, tax considerations and the entertainment value partnerships offer. In Part...

The 19th season of horse racing at Zia Park was a record setting one on several fronts with new standards set for average daily handle, purses and safety during the 30-day mixed Quarter Horse/Thoroughbred meet, the PENN Entertainment-owned track said in a release Thursday afternoon. An average daily handle of $830,371 was up 72% from the 48-date meet in 2022 to set a new track record and was the highest daily handle recorded by a racetrack in the state of New Mexico since 2010. Live handle was up an equally...

Stable Recovery is a rehabilitation program in Lexington, Kentucky that provides a safe living environment and a peer-driven, therapeutic community for men in the early stages of recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. Along with going to 12-step meetings and support groups, residents attend the School of Horsemanship at Taylor Made Farm to learn a new vocation in the Thoroughbred industry. The School of Horsemanship is a project that was created by Taylor Made two years ago and has since seen over 100 men go through the program. Many of...

Henry Argueta, formerly the assistant to the now-imprisoned trainer Jason Servis, was sentenced to a prison term of "time served" and two years of supervised release after working out a cooperative plea bargain with prosecutors in the wide-ranging 2020 racehorse doping conspiracy case that has already netted several dozen convictions. The sentencing paperwork filed Dec. 21 for Argueta's final judgment in United States District Court (Southern District of New York) stated that he pleaded guilty to three felony charges listed in a superseding information document in exchange for other charges...

A longtime racetrack employee and the current Clerk of Scales at Churchill Downs Inc.-owned Presque Isle Downs in Erie, Pennsylvania was suspended by the Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission's Bureau of Thoroughbred Horse Racing for 30 days beginning Jan. 8. Danny Hamilton was found by the stewards to have neglected to weigh-out jockeys before the eighth race Oct. 11. Director of Enforcement Jason Klouser, who led the investigation, said, "The Racing Commission's investigators observed Danny Hamilton failing to weigh-out the jockeys for race 8, which is a violation of numerous...

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....

Pleasant Acres Stallions welcomed to its roster GISP Simplification (Not This Time), who will stand the 2024 season for $6,500, the Florida farm said in a release Thursday. "We are pleased to bring a talented son of Not this Time into our stallion barn at Pleasant Acres Stallions," said Director of Stallion Services Christine Jones. "Simplification is a hometown hero for all of us in Florida and we are certain breeders will benefit from breeding to this Champion Horse-of-the-Year, Florida-bred, graded stakes winner." Bred by France and Irwin Weiner and...

Shelley Mann will be stepping down from her role as Executive Director of the Lexington-based Secretariat Center effective Dec. 29, the non-profit said in a release late Wednesday. Mann joined the organization in 2020 and has played a pivotal role in advancing the organization's mission to prepare off-track Thoroughbreds for successful post-track careers. During Mann's tenure, the organization experienced growth in both reach and impact. Outgoing president of the board Dr. Holly Schmitt said, "We are immensely grateful for the tremendous impact Shelley has had on The Secretariat Center. Her...

As 2023 draws to a close, the TDN is asking industry members to name their favorite moment of the year. Send yours to suefinley@thetdn.com Echo Zulu winning the GI Ballerina S. She put on an impressive performance. I've always been a fan of hers. She's a hell of a horse. Exceptionally fast and a generational defining talent. --Clay Scherer, Bloodstock Agent