thoroughbreds

On the road to Oaklawn Park from his barn at Fair Grounds, Kenny McPeek seemed like a man without a care in the world when reached by phone in his car. And why should he? His Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) will begin her 4-year-old year in the GII Azeri Stakes at Oaklawn and since last seen in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff she has not missed a step. "If she's every bit as good as she was as a 3-year-old I think we'd be satisfied," McPeek...

According to the Encyclopedia Britanica, a self-fulfilling prophecy is the "process through which an originally false expectation leads to its own confirmation." Horse racing's self-fulfilling prophesy appears to be the belief that only a select few trainers are capable of eliciting from the sport's finest Thoroughbred athletes their optimum talent. This notion reached an absurd low last month when a commentator for the UK's Racing Post argued that owners in possession of the best steeplechasers in England and Ireland should essentially have their heads examined for sending their horses to...

Lexington, KY--The final day of the Organization of Racing Investigators (ORI) Training Conference at Keeneland escalated the focus on enforcement and how investigators can broaden their expertise. Though participants regularly receive training at home, the ORI sessions offer equine knowledge that is highly specialized which can be taken back to their own jurisdictions and applied. Mike Singletary, vice president of security for the Maryland Jockey Club, said when his team walks the shedrow at Pimlico or Laurel being cognizant of your surroundings takes time and effort to hone. "Information is...

Lexington, KY - With a view overlooking the massive renovation of the Keeneland paddock, professional equine investigators soaked up the latest techniques in the trade and engaged some of the most pressing issues across racing during the first day of the 29th annual Organization of Racing Investigators (ORI) Training Conference on Monday. The ORI is a member organization which is composed of investigators who hail from jurisdictions across the U.S. and includes an international cadre as well. The conference's purpose is to create a resource where these shoe leather detectives...

1st-GP, $94K, Msw, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m, 12:50 p.m. ET. FRIO TOWN (Curlin) is set to be unveiled for Mike Rutherford who went to $675,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale to acquire the filly. Sent to Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, the chestnut is out of the unraced full-sister of sire Frost Giant (Giant's Causeway). Also set for her first start is Protective Custody (Ghostzapper). The Stuart Janney homebred's dam, Hold Harmless (Blame), is responsible for SW & MGSP Limited Liability (Kitten's Joy), and her full-sister is GSW Onus....

1st-GP, $94K, Msw, 3yo, f, 7f, 11:30 p.m. ET. LA NEIGE (Frosted) makes her first start for Connie and Richard Snyder. The Riley Mott trainee is out of unraced French Passport (Elusive Quality) who was acquired by Cover Springs for $200,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November Sale. The first-time starter counts as a half-sister GI Alabama and GI Ogden Phipps heroine Randomized (Nyquist). French Passport is a herself a half-sister to MGSW Smooth Air (Smooth Jazz), GSW & sire Overdriven (Tale of the Cat), and the dam of MGISW Got...

Patrice Jacobs Wolfson, who, along with her husband Louis, owned 1978 Triple Crown winner Affirmed, and several other star horses, passed away Tuesday at her home in Bal Harbour, Florida. The Wolfsons operated Harbor View Farm. The news was confirmed in a posting on the website of Riverside Memorial Chapels. Steve Wolfson, Patrice's stepson, told the Blood-Horse that she had been in declining health the past few years. "Patrice and Penny Tweedy were the first ladies of Thoroughbred racing of their time," he said. "It was a different time. It...

The first mares bred to MGISW Muth (Good Magic) and MGSW Charge It (Tapit) have been checked in foal, Gainesway Farm said via dual press releases on Wednesday. Muth, a 2023 $2-million OBS March topper for Zedan Racing who became a 'TDN Rising Star' and won a pair of Grade Is, covered Indy Business (A.P. Indy). The mare is owned by Paul Pruett and boarded at Tracey & Clay Caudill's Watershed Equine. Muth stands for $35,000 LFSN at Gainesway. Visiting Charge It, Delovely (More than Ready) is a winning mare...

Strong gains in attendance and handle have bolstered Santa Anita Park's figures as the 90-year-old oval heads into the final six weeks of its Classic Meet, the track said in a release on Wednesday. On-track attendance is up over 9% from last season, hosting more than 203,000 visitors through last weekend. The handle bet on-track is up 4% from last year. Overall, the total all-sources handle to date is over $268-million, which is an increase from last year. The addition of horses from Northern California horses has been impactful, with...

The most recent shifts in Northern California horse racing have prompted The Big Fresno Fair Board of Directors and Fair Management to make the decision to postpone horse racing in 2025, according to a press release from the operator on Wednesday. Factors cited by the fair include, the uncertainty regarding the availability of horses, increased financial risk and the lack of a racing management collective for Northern California fairs. The decision allows for continued in-depth industry analysis to assess the viability of horse racing at the site before making any...

Bidding is now open on the Fasig-Tipton Digital platform for the "Soul of an Angel Flash Sale," a one-horse online auction of Eclipse Champion Female Sprinter Soul of an Angel (Atreides--Factor One, by The Factor), which will close Tuesday, Mar. 4, at 6 p.m. ET, the auction company said via a press release on Wednesday. Soul of an Angel clinched Eclipse Champion Female Sprinter honors after she won the GI PNC Bank Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Del Mar last fall. With a strong turn of foot, she...

Thoroughbred racing at Cherokee Casino Will Rogers Downs in Claremore, Oklahoma is set to open for its spring season after a tornado hit the track after last year's meet concluded, according to a press release from the organization on Wednesday. Will Rogers's barns were heavily damaged during the storm. New structures were completed back in January and the track reports that they are already at capacity for the season. "It's incredible to see the resiliency of this property and the hard work put in by the staff to build it...