thoroughbreds

During the running of the ninth race--the Mount Vernon Stakes--at Saratoga Race Course on Wednesday, the Todd Pletcher-trained SW Whatlovelookslike (English Channel) was pulled up and on Thursday the 6-year-old was humanely euthanized, according to a press release from NYRA VP of Communications Pat McKenna. The wearer of saddle cloth 10 was pulled up by jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. after sustaining an injury to the right hind. The mare was immediately attended to by on-track veterinarians, who stabilized the injury and transported the Barry Schwartz-owned runner to Rood & Riddle...

Kentucky Downs will debut a new sports book at The Mint Gaming Hall Kentucky Downs--the home of the historical racing entertainment complex, in Franklin, Kentucky, according to a press release from Circa Sports, the operators of the site. The new 21-and-over venue will feature an 80-foot-wide LED screen, a 31-foot-wide odds board and over 5,100 square feet of space. "After operating in Kentucky for a year, introducing a sports book of this caliber to the region marks a significant milestone for Circa Sports," said Derek Stevens, CEO of Circa Sports....

The number of race days was higher and so was wagering compared to a year ago in May, according to information released by Equibase on Thursday. Total wagering of $1,445,615,184 on races during the month represented a 2.97% increase over the same period from 2024, while available purses of over $122 million were lower by 1.56%. The figure of over $118 million for paid purses in May was also down by 1.45%. As for the total number of race days, they increased from 359 to 365 (+1.67%) and the number...

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. Among this week's rulings, trainer Efren Loza Jr. has been suspended an additional four years and fined a total of $38,000 (including arbitration costs) for a Clenbuterol positive stemming from last September, adding to an 18-month suspension he is already serving, again for a Clenbuterol...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.--The sting of missing the GI Kentucky Derby has faded. Ditto for the GI Preakness Stakes. Rodriguez (Authentic) is well rested, healthy and a ready to roll 'TDN Rising Star.' The colt, trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, will make his Triple Crown debut in Saturday's GI $2 million Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. Owned by SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Robert Masterson, Tom Ryan, Waves Edge Capital LLC and Catherine Donovan, Rodriguez turned heads earlier...

The most important asset the horse industry has are the brands of the Kentucky Derby and the Triple Crown. Nothing else comes close in our dying business. Nothing in Major League Baseball, the Indy 500 or the Masters can match the number of TV viewers every year for the Derby. Outside of the Super Bowl (115 million viewers) and the NBA Finals (17.8 million), one couldn't spend enough money to get 16 million TV viewers for a sporting event today in America. When a horse wins the Preakness and the...

The nomination period for the 2025 Bill Kraatz Thoroughbred Makeover Ambassador Award is now open, the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) announced Monday afternoon. Named in the memory of chief steward Bill Kraatz, the award recognizes a Makeover graduate horse who has gone on to serve as ambassador for the athleticism and trainability of retired racehorses beyond their racing careers. Eligible horses include any Thoroughbred Makeover graduate who was registered for the retraining competition--even if he or she ultimately did not compete--regardless of who now owns said horse. Nominations, which will...

Trainer Christophe Clement sadly passed away without being inducted into the National Museum of Racing's 2025 Hall of Fame class, and I freely admit that I did not cast a ballot for him again. Something is amiss because it feels like a failure on my part, the voters and by the system. When the envelope has arrived in the mail these past few years and I look down at the list of trainers it always fills my cup full of dread. Take your medicine, I tell myself, but it's so...

4th-Churchill Downs, $117,750, Msw, 6-1, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 1:04.32, ft, 2 1/4 lengths. COMPORT (c, 2, Collected--Bartlett Narrows, by Flatter) debuted as a 6-1 shot here, and got the jump on heavy favorite Cannoneer (Into Mischief). The chalk suddenly accelerated to seize the lead before the end of the backstretch, but Comport was not going to intimated. The pair battled into the lane, but the 2-year-old got the better of his rival and surged ahead to graduate by 2 1/4 lengths. 'Insight' runners like Password (Uncle Mo) came from the...

1st-Santa Anita, $63,600, Msw, 5-30, 2yo, f, 5fT, :58.31, fm, 2 1/4 lengths. QUEEN BAY (f, 2, Charlatan--Queen Medb {Ire} {SW, $147,062}, by Kodiac {GB}) wrapped up with a bow the second win for her freshman sire on Friday afternoon. Charlatan collected his inaugural score at Gulfstream Park May 2. Unveiled at 40 cents on the dollar here, the filly exited the gate cleanly, but appeared to take a misstep as a pair hooked up on the engine along the backstretch. The juvenile recovered easily and around the far turn...

In a federal court case involving the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) that is being closely watched because it involves a trainer's allegations of a wrongful denial of Seventh Amendment rights to a jury trial, a judge in Florida on Thursday denied conditioner Phil Serpe's request for preliminary injunction in a lawsuit initiated last October against the HISA and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The civil complaint involves "banned substance" sanctions stemming from the alleged detection of clenbuterol in an Aug. 10, 2024, Saratoga Race Course winner from the...

Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) will be onsite at Saratoga Race Course for Belmont Stakes weekend, according to a press release from the non-profit on Thursday. To highlight accredited aftercare, the New York Racing Association, Inc (NYRA) will honor the TAA with a named race on the undercard on Friday, June 6, and a presentation will be made to the winning connections, which includes a gift bag. TAA representatives will be present to host the winners of the VIP experience donated by NYRA that was auctioned off earlier in the year...