thoroughbreds

The GI Breeders' Cup NetJets Juvenile Fillies winner and leading candidate for Eclipse 2-year-old filly honors, Immersive (Nyquist--Gap Year, by Bernardini), will be given some time off due to bone bruising, according to a Thursday post on Godolphin's website. The homebred and Brad Cox trainee--who also won the GI Spinaway Stakes and GI Darley Alcibiades Stakes--will likely be off until summer. Godolphin's Director of Bloodstock, Michael Banahan, said, "Brad [Cox] wasn't happy with the way she was moving so she came home for diagnostics that confirmed the issue. While obviously...

Jockey Terry "T.D." Houghton on Wednesday was suspended 30 days by the stewards at Mahoning Valley Race Course for failing "to use his utmost exertion to obtain a winning performance by standing up and appear[ing] to have stopped riding before the wire." The alleged lapse of judgment occurred in the second race Jan. 6, when Houghton had cleared the field by 1 1/2 lengths inside the eighth pole aboard the 5-2 third choice, Grace in Excess (Connect), in a $5,000 NW2L claimer over 1 mile 70 yards. The Equibase chart...

The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) raised over $230,000 during their month of December 2024 Holiday Giving Campaign, which directly supports thousands of horses cared for by 83 accredited organizations across North America, the nonprofit said in a release on Wednesday. The drive highlighted a different match sponsor each day, offering single day sponsorships ranging from $500 to $15,000. The list of 2024 match sponsors included: Mike Rogers, StarLadies Racing, Denali Stud, Donato Lanni, Madaket Stables, Frank & Dino's Restaurant, Simon Bray, Dr. Stuart Brown & Jen Roytz, Jack Damico, Donna...

Wildfires propelled by unusually strong Santa Ana winds swept across Los Angeles Tuesday and into the night, breaking out near several densely populated neighborhoods including Altadena, Pasadena and portions of the San Gabriel Mountains that serve as a backdrop to Santa Anita Park. According to Cal Fire, that particular fire--coined the Eaton Fire--had spread to more than 10,600 acres by Noon Wednesday. Los Angeles woke Wednesday morning to apocalyptic images. Thousands have fled their homes. Large swaths have lost power. At least five people have reportedly died thus far. Winds...

Amplify Horse Racing, which promotes education and career opportunities in the Thoroughbred industry for youth and young adults, is accepting applications for the spring 2025 intake of its mentorship program through Tuesday, Jan. 28, the nonprofit said in a release early Wednesday morning. The program offers an introductory step for young people interested in learning more about the Thoroughbred industry by pairing them with experienced professionals who provide valuable career guidance. The spring session will run from Mar. 1 through May 31. The suggested age range for mentee candidates is...

Through an international exchange program, Cody Watkins, a steward of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), will serve as The Jockey Club-appointed steward at the New York Racing Association (NYRA) racetracks beginning in early January 2025, according to a Wednesday press release from The Jockey Club of America. "This is an exciting opportunity for Thoroughbred racing in the U.S. and abroad," said Stuart S. Janney III, chairman of The Jockey Club. "Racing is an international sport, and sharing ideas and information through programs such as this can only make the sport...

A son of multiple leading sire Gun Runner and the G1 Golden Slipper heroine Estijaab (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) consigned by Emirates Park went for AU$500,000 (US$310,135) as Lot 369 to PR Thoroughbreds on the second day of the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in Australia. "He has a great walk, a great attitude, and has that rich chestnut color," Mark Player told The Thoroughbred Report AusNZ. Player represented PR Thoroughbreds alongside Rob Roulston. "We saw him several times and he just did everything beautifully and kept on improving. We...

Prep season for the GI Kentucky Derby is still in its earliest stages, but a couple of races over the weekend gave us some things to get excited about. It appears, in GII San Vicente Stakes winner Barnes (Into Mischief), we have an early Derby favorite that could give Bob Baffert his first official Derby win since Authentic (Into Mischief) in 2020 in what would be his return to America's most famous race after the Churchill ban. Sold for $3.2 million at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga, this could be a special horse....

Turfway Park has moved its Wednesday, Jan. 8 racing card to Sunday, Jan. 12 with a 1:00 p.m. ET. first post, in response to a National Weather Service forecast predicting a significant winter storm followed by nighttime wind chills in the single digits, the track said in a press release Saturday. The card will not be redrawn and run in its entirety on Sunday. Officials will continue to monitor the weather forecast throughout the week and provide updates if necessary for any changes regarding Thursday through Saturday's cards. Click here...

Last year, the Santa Ynez Stakes was issued a downgrade from its grade III status and tabbed as a listed race for 3-year-old fillies in 2025. However, Kentucky Oaks points remain on the table--10 will be deposited in the winner's account--when the bell rings at Santa Anita on Sunday. The Santa Ynez is now part of 1/ST Racing's 3-Year-Old Filly Series, which is sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. Made the morning-line favorite at 5-2 is Hronis Racing's A.Z. Wildcat (Munnings). The chestnut stalked the pace nicely and ended up breaking her maiden...

The two-day California Thoroughbred Breeders Association's 2025 Stallion Season Online Auction will start at 8:00 a.m. PT on Monday, Jan. 6, exclusively on www.Salering.net, the organization said in a press release on Friday, Jan. 3. Set to conclude at 8:00 p.m. PT on Tuesday, Jan. 7, the auction features seasons to 29 California stallions, including perennial leading Golden State sire Stay Thirsty. All seasons listed are being sold with no guarantee. The proceeds from the event benefit the CTBA's Political Action Committee Fund, which works in support of legislation to...

In what is becoming a familiar trend for the sport of horse racing in North America, betting in 2024 declined by 3.35%. According to figures released Friday by Equibase, $11,265,210,514 was the all-sources yearly handle for 2024 for U.S. racing, down from 2023's total of $11,655,726,020. Handle was last up in 2021, but that was an outlier because those numbers were going up against 2020 figures when the pandemic shut down much of the sport. Prior to that, the last handle increase was in 2018. The more alarming trend is...