thoroughbreds

3rd-TAM, $53K, Msw, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:50 p.m. ET. MEURSAULT (Tapit) is set for her first start under the care of trainer Chad Brown for Alpha Delta. A $700,000 Keeneland September buy, the filly is out of unraced Lasy W (War Front), who claims one other foal--a yearling filly by Quality Road. The first-time starter's second dam, GI Acorn Stakes heroine Zaftig (Gone West), is also responsible for MGSP Spinoff (Hard Spun). Joining Meursault at the barrier is homebred Smoothly (Nyquist). Godolphin also campaigned her dam Via Strata (Street Cry...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority ("HISA") and its prohibited substance enforcement unit, the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit ("HIWU"), are to be commended for withdrawing the TCO2 charges against numerous trainers with respect to a rash of positives in Pennsylvania, which, by inference, they allege are caused by so-called "milkshaking." "Milkshaking" is the practice of pumping baking soda into a horse's stomach, which is believed to prevent or slow lactic acid buildup in horses and allow them to run faster and for longer periods. The numerous positives coming out...

With an economic impact of more than $3.2 billion to the state, the importance of the Thoroughbred industry in Marion County, and Florida as a whole, cannot be overstated. Any action that threatens the viability of our racing and breeding operations is deeply troubling and unacceptable. Ocala Breeders' Sales Company, Inc. (OBS) is proud to be the leading seller of two-year-olds in training in the world and while the sales attract a broad group of domestic and international buyers, it is critical that OBS along with the Florida horsemen and...

I read with interest and a certain amount of confusion, Sue Finley's TDN article about the woes of Kentucky stallion studs. On the one hand, everyone is agreed that it is difficult to fill stallion books, and on the other, the idea of any book being full has long been consigned to the history books. When I worked at Ashford in the mid-90s, Woodman topped the active sires list ('96 or '97) and the size of his book caused scandalized conversation in some quarters. One breeder even told me it...

Keeneland will open ticket sales for its 2025 Spring Meet, to be held Apr. 4-25, on Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 9 a.m. ET, according to a press release from the track on Wednesday. A variety of options for Dining, Grandstand reserved seating and General Admission will be available. All tickets must be purchased in advance via Keeneland's Official Online Ticket Office. The 15-day Spring Meet features racing Wednesdays through Sundays with a daily first post of 1 p.m. ET, except closing day, Friday, Apr. 25, when the first race is...

With the 2025 breeding season upon us, the TDN staff is once again sitting down with leading breeders to find out what stallions they have chosen for their mares, and why. Susan Anderson is involved in every aspect of the industry as an owner, breeder, and trainer. She runs Point Of View Farm in Ohio, where she bred 'TDN Rising Star' GSW Jonathan's Way (Vekoma), who currently sits in eighth on the 'Road to the Kentucky Derby' leaderboard with 15 points. Anderson shares her 2025 mating plans, including for her...

3rd-Tampa Bay Downs, $32,000, Msw, 2-8, 3yo, f, 6 1/2f, 1:16.07, ft, head. CASSIAR (f, 3, City of Light--Nellie Cashman {GSW, $349,839}, by Mineshaft), one of four first timers who made the gate, the filly proved best when it mattered most. Overlooked as a 12-1 shot here, the longshot exited the outside gate and was up near the pace rolling towards the far turn. Salted (Tapit) assumed control around the far turn, but the 3-year-old was moving within striking distance. In the shadow of the wire, Cassiar poked her head...

Looking to make a statement after a more-than-solid start to his career at the Big A last summer when he ran a game second to GSW Mentee (City of Light), Colloquial (Vekoma-- Terminology, by Bernardini) graduated over the same strip on Friday afternoon and earned himself a 'TDN Rising Star' in the process. TDN's Racing Editor Steve Sherack highlighted the initial effort by Colloquial in his 'Second Chances' series in December. In the seventh race at Aqueduct June 15, Mentee looked in firm control at the quarter pole, but the...

The U.S. Virgin Islands's Department of Sports, Parks, & Recreation Department has formally closed the Clinton E. Phipps Racetrack on the island of St. Thomas until further notice after at least seven horses were euthanized last year, according to a press release from the agency on Friday. In an article on Thursday, Jan. 30, the TDN reported that breakdowns occurred starting in May, but the St. Thomas/St. John Horse Racing Commission (STT/STJ HRC) was regulating cards without anti-doping laws in effect nor had the surface undergone professional testing. Alongside these...

Officiated by 1/ST Racing under a new deal which was struck last year with the Maryland Racetrack Operating Authority, this year's 150th running of the GI Preakness Stakes is featured alongside 15 stakes--seven of them graded races--which will be worth $4.3 million in purse money on Friday, May 16 and Saturday, May 17 at Pimlico Race Course, the Stronach Group said via a Thursday release. The second oldest of the Triple Crown races, the Preakness will anchor a May 17 program of 10 stakes worth $3.25 million in purses including...

A total of 46 stakes races will be conducted with purse money topping $5.24 million, during what will be the 23rd season at Horseshoe Indianapolis Racing & Casino which opens Apr. 15, according to a press release from the track on Thursday afternoon. "Having a strong premier racing schedule highlighted by our two Graded Stakes, the Indiana Derby and the Indiana Oaks, is a great way to showcase our racing program," said Vice President and General Manager of Racing Eric Halstrom. "We are excited to extend those events in 2025...

by Bill Finley and Dan Ross Throughout his campaign, President Donald Trump vowed to crack down on illegal immigrants, a promise he has kept during the first few weeks of his new administration. That has created much uncertainly on the backstretches of the nation's racetracks and at the horse farms spread across the country, both of which rely heavily on foreign labor. Should the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) set its sights on racing and start deporting backstretch employees that would mean a major crisis for a sport. A former...