West Point Thoroughbreds

The Association of Racing Commissioners International's (ARCI) annual Animal Welfare and Integrity Conference, which was hosted at Churchill Downs during the afternoon of Thursday, May 8, heard from a pair of panels that specifically delved into how social media can impact the industry, according to a Friday press release from the organization. The 'Thoroughbred Racing Roundtable' included West Point Thoroughbreds own Terry Finley along with Churchill Downs's Vice President and General Manager Mike Ziegler and Tina Bond, an owner-breeder who is president of both the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association...

America's Best Racing, a multimedia fan development and awareness platform initiated and funded by The Jockey Club, has received two 2025 Stevie Awards, presented by the 2025 American Business Awards, winning in the categories for Marketing Campaign of the Year--Entertainment & Sports and for Influencer Marketing Campaign of the Year. ABR has also been named a finalist in the 2025 Shorty Awards "Sports" category. All of the awards are for ABR's ground-breaking campaign, "A Stake in Stardom," which this week will be represented in the 2025 Kentucky Derby by social...

Griffin Johnson may not be well known within horse racing circles, but that doesn't mean he can't help the sport. For decades, racing has been fighting a losing battle when it comes to attracting a younger audience. That's where Johnson comes in. He is a social media influencer who has 9.7 million followers on TikTok and 2.6 million on Instagram. He's also a horse owner. Johnson is part of the West Point Thoroughbreds group that owns GI Arkansas Derby winner and GI Kentucky Derby contender Sandman (Tapit). He'll be at...

Griffin Johnson is one of the internet's most popular influencers, and as a 2.5% owner in Sandman, he has now turned his attention to the Kentucky Derby, where Sandman will go off as one of the favorites. He joins the TDN Writers' Room to talk about young people and horse racing.

6th-Gulfstream, $44,770, Msw, 4-19, 3yo, 1m, 1:38.45, ft, 9 3/4 lengths. VIBE (c, 3, Into Mischief--Nonna Mia {GISP, $127,150}, by Empire Maker) ran a disappointing and money-burning fourth on career debut over six furlongs of this main track Mar. 15. With the addition of blinkers here, the colt stretched out to the one-turn mile and put it all together en route to an easy victory at Gulfstream on Saturday afternoon. Away without incident, the 3-2 favorite took up a stalking position behind pacesetting Mahovlich (McKinzie). The leader posted an opening...

8th-Keeneland, $120,000, Alw, 4-17, (NW2L), 3yo, f, 6f, 1:12.66, ft, 1 length. MILA ROSE (f, 3, Vekoma--Lucky Lady Lawyer, by Lawyer Ron) was a 3 1/2-length winner in her first start at Turfway Park Mar. 6. Ready to prove that making the transition from the all-weather to the dirt would be no issue, the 7-5 favorite was shuffled towards the middle of the pack after the bell despite a promising start. The 3-year-old went on the hunt around the far turn and at the quarter pole Mila Rose kicked into...

To say that Integration (Quality Road) was facing some quality individuals in year's GI Maker's Mark Mile Stakes might be somewhat of an understatement. In that soggy renewal at Keeneland last April, the West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford Racing runner finished third behind Godolphin's Master of The Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who stole the show following wins in the GI Woodbine Mile and GI Breeders' Cup Mile the previous season. The runner up that day was another Godolphin representative, Group 2 scorer Naval Power (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}), who followed up...

HOT SPRINGS, Ark--With 100 points to be deposited into their 'Road to the Kentucky Derby' account if they had the grit to take the GI Arkansas Derby, Sandman (Tapit) got his zzzs early in the race, then emerged from his power nap, rested and ready to face the rush hour. A maiden-breaker at second asking back at the Spa in early August, the colt ran through the initial portion of the Derby Trail in the fall where he was fifth in the GIII Iroquois Stakes and then third in the...

During his 22 years serving in the Kentucky State Senate, Damon Thayer was known as a fierce advocate for the horse racing industry. Thayer decided not to run for re-election in 2024, but that doesn't mean that he stopped trying to help the sport, using his considerable political acumen to do so. Thayer has accepted the job as the senior advisor to the Thoroughbred Racing Initiative--a group formed to try to fight off efforts to decouple the racing and casino and card room licenses in Florida. To talk about his...

5th-Gulfstream, $54,000, (S), Alw (NW1X)/Opt. Clm ($50,000), 3-27, 3yo, 6f, 1:09.29, ft, 7 lengths. SORCERER'S SILVER (c, 3, Good Magic--Money Or Love {SW, $211,840}, by J Be K) ran off to score by 8 1/4 lengths while facing fellow Florida-breds going seven furlongs here Feb. 1 and was installed the heavy 1-5 choice to repeat this time. Sent to the front after a fast start, the $130,000 Fasig-Tipton May graduate allowed Aero Star (Cajun Breeze) to assume the helm through a :22.50 quarter. Re-taking the advantage through a :45.41 half,...

'TDN Rising Star' Sand Devil (Violence) had his first work back since a runner-up effort in the GIII Gotham Stakes Mar. 1, covering a half-mile in 49 seconds flat in company on Saturday over the Belmont Park dirt training track. Trained by Linda Rice, Sand Devil is targeting the nine-furlong GII Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack Apr. 5--a 100-50-25-15-10 qualifier for the GI Kentucky Derby. "He went nice, went out five-eighths in 1:01 and 2, galloped out three-quarters in 13 and 3--we were very happy," Rice said of the...

Making the journey from his Payson base in South Florida, Lion of Justice (Into Mischief--Ever So Clever, by Medaglia d'Oro) did not mind the new digs one iota as he graduated on debut over the blazing main strip at Colonial Downs on Saturday. Owned by St. Elias Stable, Talla Racing, West Point and C J Stable, the colt represented the pride well and took home a 'TDN Rising Star' for his effort. Bred by Clearsky Farms, the $1.1 million Keeneland September purchase was slammed at the windows to the tune...