thoroughbreds

Lavin Family Launches $10K Matching Challenge For TRF Annual Appeal

The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF) has a launched a generous $10,000 matching challenge from the Lavin Family Foundation in support of the organization's 2026 Annual Appeal, the non-profit said via a press release on Thursday. Through June 30, every donation made to the Annual Appeal will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $10,000, effectively doubling the impact of each gift and helping provide dignified lifetime care for retired Thoroughbred racehorses. The matching challenge comes at a critical time as the TRF continues its mission of caring for retired racehorses while operating...

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Weekly National Rulings May 29-June 3

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. The following rulings were reported on HISA's "rulings" portal and through the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit's (HIWU) "pending" and "resolved" cases portals. Resolved ADMC Violations Dates: 06/01/2026 Licensee: Jesus Romero, trainer Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Explainer:...

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Jockey Club Launches Thoroughbred Data Hub Project

The Jockey Club and Equibase have launched the Thoroughbred Data Hub, a new platform designed to expand access to Thoroughbred racing and pedigree data and accelerate innovation across the sport, according to a press release issued Wednesday. The announcement came as part of The Jockey Club's inaugural industry newsletter, the first in what the organization said will be a regular series of updates from its Board of Stewards aimed at communicating openly and consistently with industry stakeholders. "This letter is the first in a new, regular series of updates from...

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Susan Casner, Accomplished Owner And Breeder, Dies

Susan Casner, a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, accomplished owner and breeder, and treasured member of the Thoroughbred community, passed away May 27 following a battle with Alzheimer's disease. She was surrounded by the love of the family and friends who defined her life. Born in Grand Island, Nebraska, Susan's journey in racing began at Aksarben Race Track in Omaha, Nebraska, where she worked as a mutuel clerk. It was there that she met the love of her life, Bill Casner, who made a habit of placing wagers at the window...

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Derby Winner Golden Tempo Puts In Final Breeze Before Shipping For Belmont On Sunday

'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard Golden Tempo (Curlin), the Keeneland-based winner of GI Kentucky Derby, on Saturday had his final work in preparation for the GI Belmont Stakes June 6 at Saratoga Race Course, the track said in a press release on Saturday morning. With jockey Jose Ortiz aboard for trainer Cherie DeVaux, the colt covered four furlongs on a fast track in :48.20. At 7:30 a.m. ET--after the first morning renovation period--Golden Tempo worked on the inside of 4-year-old stakes-placed winner So Sandy (Omaha Beach). Golden Tempo produced...

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Morgan Outlines Vision To FTBOA For Future Florida Racetrack

Billionaire attorney John Morgan met with the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association (FTBOA) leadership at their headquarters in Ocala on Thursday to outline his vision for the sustainable future of Florida Thoroughbred racing and breeding, the organization said in a Friday press release. Morgan has formed a Delaware corporation to advance the state's last remaining permit owned by Ocala Thoroughbred Racing, a wholly owned subsidiary of the FTBOA. The entity is working with third parties to identify business models that will anchor robust purses and awards in Marion County...

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With Guardrails In Place, CAW Play At NYRA Has Fallen

In a Zoom call with members of the racing media, NYRA lifted the curtain Friday regarding the drop in Computer Assisted Wagering play after the racing organization put certain "guardrails" in place intended to limit the wagers of the CAW players. In July 2021, NYRA became the first racing organization in the United States to establish a timing restriction for CAW activity, shutting off the win pool to CAW players with two minutes to post. A more significant step was taken in Dec. 2025 when CAW players were not allowed...

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NYRA Highlights Updated Policies For Belmont Stakes Racing Festival

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) has updated protocols to further enhance fan safety and security while supporting the longstanding cooler policy tradition at historic Saratoga Race Course, the track said via a press release on Friday. Fans bringing coolers to Saratoga Race Course will be required to ensure all ice is contained inside sealed bags upon arrival at the admission gates. The policy will take effect with the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, June 3-7, and will continue during the Saratoga summer meet, July 3-Sept. 7. The initiative is...

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Her Miss Mo Is Just A Dream

It was the most literal of dream scenarios. The thing is, it had happened before. From time to time, Valerie Mastromonaco will have a dream--always about a horse--and then something will happen to bring it to life. Nothing dramatic, most of the time. True, once she dreamed that a particular horse in the barn had a problem, and unfortunately turned out to be right. But she doesn't take the phenomenon too seriously, as a rule; nor expect anyone else to do so. "I've no theories," she says. "I just think...

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PTHA Claims “Extensive” Support For Trainers, Board Member Calls It “Misrepresentation Of Truth”

In the latest salvo amid an oftentimes confusing chain of events that have played out across Pennsylvania's racing industry the last couple of months, the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (PTHA) issued a statement Thursday denying allegations the organization had failed to provide adequate support for the nine trainers at Parx Racing who were told last month by track management they would be denied stalls at the track, but were given no reasons as to why. "The information that is being provided is one-sided and fails to reflect the immediate and...

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Manhattan Project: Walden's Off-Season Regimen Keys Rhetorical's Rise

For 60 days straight over the winter at Will Walden's Palm Meadows base in Florida, MGISW Rhetorical (Not This Time) underwent a different kind of training. Instead of being turned out for the off-season like so many horses, his trainer decided that it was time to unveil a new project where skills like dressage would be emphasized. The work that the gelding put in over those months has paid off and now the New York-bred Horse of the Year owned by Gary Barber, Cheyenne Stable and Wachtel Stable will point...

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Penn Mile A Competitive Turf Affair On Friday Night

Seven 3-year-old males have assembled to contest the annual renewal of the GIII Penn Mile Stakes over the turf on Friday evening. Look for D J Stable's MSW Alpyland (Vekoma) to garner quite a bit of interest by the betting public. Starting back in January, the gelding captured a pair of black-type wins when he took home the hardware in the Dania Beach Stakes at Gulfstream Park and in the Columbia Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. The Mark Casse trainee finished fourth in the GI American Turf Stakes on the...

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