Wandering Eyes

The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF) will host an online 'Stallions for Second Chances Halter Auction' beginning Saturday, July 27 at 8:30 p.m. ET and concluding the evening of Saturday, Aug. 3. The halters of four stallions have been donated by their respective farms: Gun Runner (Three Chimneys); Into Mischief (Spendthrift); Tapit (Gainesway); and Uncle Mo (Coolmore America). Each halter is accompanied by a handcrafted shadowbox made by artisan Matt Martinez of Martinez Woodworks in Lexington, Ky. All proceeds will benefit The TRF Second Chances program, which gives incarcerated individuals the opportunity to participate in vocational training while learning how to care for horses. Over 400 horses are in the program. Visit trfinc.org for more information. The direct link for bidding can be found here. TRF will host a second auction from Aug. 19-25 featuring halters from Arcangelo, Constitution, Flightline, Munnings, Not This Time, and Oscar Performance. The post TRF Holds ‘Stallions for Second Chances Halter Auction’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Trainer Chad Brown has long stated that a victory in the GI Travers S., not far from home in Mechanicville, would be one of the crowning moments of what will be a Hall of Fame career. 'TDN Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) is the barn's main hope for the centerpiece of the Saratoga meeting and he can take one giant step towards fulfilling his trainer's dream as the likely favorite in Saturday's GII Jim Dandy Stakes. The colt, who topped the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale not far from the main entrance to the track, has done little wrong in his career, yet is still very much a work in progress. So impressive in winning the GII Risen Star Stakes and GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, wayward stretch antics arguably cost him the victory in the GI Kentucky Derby two starts back. The GI Belmont Stakes was there for the taking as well, but even with Flavien Prat replacing Tyler Gaffalione, he was up to his old tricks–to be fair, a sluggish start didn't aid his cause either–and could do no better than third in the final leg of the Triple Crown held locally June 8. After breezing in company up to the Belmont, Sierra Leone has been going on his own of late, and Brown is bullish on what he's seen. “For right now, at this point of his campaign, it's working for him taking him out of company for a little bit,” said the trainer, who has also never won the Jim Dandy. “He's very fit and I'm just looking to bring him to the race healthy and focused.” The enigmatic Eclipse Award-winning 'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light) looks to give Repole Stable and Todd Pletcher back-to-back scores in the race, after champion Forte (Violence) saluted 12 months ago. And connections will be hoping that his in-and-out pattern means an 'A' effort is in the offing after Fierceness weakened to 15th in the Derby. An effort approximating that which he turned in to take the GI Curlin Florida Derby will likely see him get his picture taken, but with Fierceness, there really are no guarantees. “We are happy with him,” Pletcher said. “We gave him plenty of time after the Kentucky Derby, and I think it has done him well. He has put on some weight and has trained really well.” Seize the Grey (Arrogate) looks to become the first winner of the GI Preakness Stakes to double up in the Jim Dandy since Bernardini (A.P. Indy) in 2006. The only other member of the field to have earned a triple-digit Beyer, the grey colt was one of the first beaten in the Belmont, tiring to finish a distant seventh. Trainer Wayne Lukas last won the Jim Dandy in 2001 with Scorpion (Seattle Slew). Juddmonte's Batten Down (Tapit), whose full-brother Tacitus nearly won the 2019 Jim Dandy, was under consideration for the Belmont, but shipped to Thistledown instead and proved an easy, all-the-way winner of the GIII Ohio Derby, besting Gould's Gold (Goldencents) by a length and three-quarters. Pony Express (Gun Runner), a nine-length maiden winner at Santa Anita June 15, completes the field. Grade I Sprints On Either Coast The nominal feature on Saturday's program at the Spa is the GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap, which has drawn a field of six. Skelly (Practical Joke) is the 6-5 favorite on the morning line and has not missed a beat this season after tasting defeat just once in seven outings last term. Winner of the King Cotton Stakes at Oaklawn Feb. 3, he ran with credit to be runner-up in the G3 Riyadh Dirt Sprint in Saudi Arabia just three weeks later. Just short of eight weeks hence, the dark bay defended his title in the GIII Count Fleet Sprint Handicap and added a repeat success in the May 4 Lake Hamilton Stakes in Hot Springs, but he could not overcome a slow start when second in the Aristides Stakes at Churchill June 1. Nakatomi (Firing Line) was an allowance winner at this meeting last summer and also traveled to the desert earlier this year, finishing a meritorious third with some trouble in the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen at Meydan Mar. 30. Baby Yoda (Prospective) earned a career-best 114 Beyer in a first-level allowance at this venue back in 2021 and broke through with a six-length romp in the GII True North Stakes on the Belmont undercard June 8. Subrogate (Arrogate) was an allowance winner on that same program and popped a 106 Beyer for a June 29 allowance tally at Aqueduct. Saturday's GI Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar offers the winner a fees-paid berth into the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint over the same course and distance come November. Cal-bred sensation The Chosen Vron (Vronsky) had an eight-race winning streak snapped when fifth in last year's Sprint, but he has since won five on the trot, each at long odds-on, including the May 25 Thors Echo Stakes at Santa Anita. He's strictly the one they'll have to beat on Saturday, but it hardly looks a walkover on paper, as the opposition includes Happy Jack (Oxbow), a 4 1/2-length romper in the GII Triple Bend Stakes June 1, and Kentucky raider Closethegame Sugar (Girvin), who defeated the aforementioned Skelly in the Aristides and proved it was no fluke with a success in the June 29 Kellys Landing Stakes in Louisville. Jackstown (Speightstown) returned from a 22-month absence to thrash Santa Anita allowance rivals by 3 1/2 lengths June 14, and that Bob Baffert is letting him take his chance in Grade I company at career start number three is an endorsement of his talent. Arabian Knight Back In Action In San Diego 'TDN Rising Star' Arabian Knight (Uncle Mo), last seen finishing a very good fourth behind White Abarrio (Race Day) in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic Nov. 4, makes a much-anticipated return to action as the 124-pound topweight in Saturday's GII San Diego Handicap at Del Mar. The 8 1/2-furlong contest serves as a prep for the GI Pacific Classic, won in front-running fashion last year by Arabian Knight. Express Train (Union Rags), who won this race as a 4-year-old in 2021, makes his second start off a lengthy absence and should strip fitter for a third to The Chosen Vron in the Apr. 27 Kona Gold Stakes in Arcadia. Four-time graded winner Newgrange (Violence) leaves from the widest gate in the field of five, while Dr. Venkman (Ghostzapper) tries a route of ground for the first time, having finished second to Happy Jack last time in the Triple Bend. Arabian Knight winning the Pacific Classic | Horsephotos Gun Song Drops In Class For Monmouth Oaks Lee Lewis's Gun Song (Gun Runner) has faced the best competition among the eight horses signed on for Saturday's GIII Monmouth Oaks and should find smoother sailing here as a short-priced favorite. Fractionally disappointing when only fourth in the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks Mar. 30, the chestnut proved a convincing winner of the GII Black-Eyed Susan S. at Pimlico May 17. Connections elected to swing for the fences in the GI Acorn Stakes at Saratoga June 7, and Gun Song was a forward factor for about six furlongs before retreating to eighth behind divisional leader Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna). Little Jamie (Collected) was chinned on the line to just miss in the GIII Indiana Oaks July 6 and is a candidate to pick up some more graded black-type here, while Chilled (Frosted) can also get a slice if running back to her eight-length graduation at Churchill June 22. The post Three Grade I Winners Among ‘Dandy’ Half-Dozen appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

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Eight individual owners, trainers and other Thoroughbred industry licensees in Oklahoma on July 24 filed what is now the sixth federal lawsuit in three years to try and get the Horseracing and Safety Integrity Act (HISA) declared unconstitutional. As in previous lawsuits that have similarly targeted the HISA Authority and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) as defendants, the Oklahoma horsemen want declaratory judgments, injunctions, and restraining orders imposed that would invalidate HISA rules and prohibit the HISA Authority, the FTC, and the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) from enforcing the regulations that govern the sport. “As with other litigation making similar claims, we will vigorously defend our ability to implement HISA's safety and integrity rules,” a spokesperson for the Authority stated Friday in an emailed response to TDN's request for comment on the new lawsuit. Even though the two counts in the Oklahoma horsemen's civil complaint-alleged violations of the Constitutional non-delegation doctrine and the Administrative Procedure Act (APA)-are familiar planks whose angles have been argued in some of the other lawsuits, this new one filed Wednesday in United States District Court of Oklahoma (Western District) hits on the fact that there are now two conflicting opinions in federal appeals courts about whether or not HISA is constitutional. Although the lawsuit does not specifically mention that the question over HISA's constitutionality could be headed for the U.S. Supreme Court to resolve the conflicting appeals courts' opinions, the plaintiffs did make sure to underscore that the Fifth Circuit, on July 5, 2024, issued a ruling stating that HISA's enforcement provisions are facially unconstitutional. That opinion was a departure from the Sixth Circuit's ruling from Mar. 3, 2023, which stated that a change of language in the HISA law at the end of 2022 was sufficient to alleviate any concerns over the act's constitutionality. The plaintiffs in this new case are Joe Offolter, Danny Caldwell, Elizabeth Butler, Randy Blair, Bryan Hawk, Scott Young, Boyd Caster and Michael Major. The complaint describes most of them as licensed participants for the upcoming Thoroughbred meet at Remington Park in Oklahoma City that starts Aug. 16. Their lawsuit stated the following: “The Act gives the Authority investigatory powers and the right to enforce alleged rule violations with fines, suspensions, and civil enforcement actions, asserting the power of the federal government… “After an APA challenge, a federal district court in Louisiana held that the FTC's implementation of the rules violated the APA and enjoined their enforcement (in certain states, and for certain parties)… “In a challenge involving Oklahoma, the Sixth Circuit found that Congress's amendment cured the facial constitutional defect by placing the Authority subordinate to the FTC. Pertinent here, the Sixth Circuit evaluated the challenge to the Act's enforcement provisions as a facial challenge, not an as-applied challenge to an individual enforcement action… “A few weeks ago, the Fifth Circuit, on another look at HISA, disagreed with the Sixth Circuit, holding that HISA's enforcement provisions, on its face, unconstitutionally delegates federal executive power to a private entity… “The Court should declare certain HISA provisions and concomitant regulations unconstitutional and preliminarily and permanently enjoin Defendants (or any of its associates or agents) from implementing and enforcing the same in Oklahoma and/or grant Plaintiffs alternative relief under the APA or other federal law.” Beyond the Fifth Circuit case, whose lead plaintiff is the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA), and the Sixth Circuit case, led by the states of Oklahoma, West Virginia and Louisiana, another case at the federal appeals court level is awaiting judgment in the Eighth Circuit. That case involves leaders of the HBPA affiliates in Arkansas and Iowa seeking to reverse a lower court's denial of a preliminary injunction that sought to halt HISA and its Anti-Doping and Medication Control program. Yet another federal lawsuit, in which both HISA and the FTC are defendants in a 2022 complaint initiated by the states of Louisiana and West Virginia, is listed on the docket as being “administratively stayed” pending the ruling by the Fifth Circuit that came out three weeks ago. That's the lawsuit that, exactly two years ago, on July 26, 2022, put in place a preliminary injunction that is currently prohibiting HISA rules from being implemented in the states of Louisiana and West Virginia. A sixth anti-HISA federal lawsuit filed in Texas in 2022 by a consortium of present, past, and aspirational pari-mutuel track operators in that state was ordered in 2023 to be condensed into the HBPA's lawsuit that also originated in Texas, which is the one that ended up going to the Fifth Circuit appeals court. The post Yet Another Horsemen-vs.-HISA Federal Lawsuit Hits at Alleged Unconstitutionality appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

In a deal brokered by Matt Bowling of Bowling Bloodstock and J.P. Sullivan of Sullivan Bloodstock, GI Preakness winner Rombauer (by Twirling Candy), who stood his first season this year at War Horse Place in Lexington, Kentucky, will be shuttling to Chile, according to a press release from Bowling Bloodstock on Friday. The John Fradkin homebred broke his maiden at first asking at Del Mar during the summer of 2020 and was the runner-up in the GI American Pharoah Stakes at Santa Anita in late September. As a 3-year-old, Rombauer was third in GII Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland before conquering the second leg of the Triple Crown at double-digit odds. Now a six-year-old, the son of Twirling Candy–who stood his first season in 2024 for an advertised fee of $6,000 LFSN–will take up residence at Haras Porta Pia in Chile. The post Preakness Champ Rombauer Will Shuttle To Chile appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The July 27 Bing Crosby Stakes (G1) is a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series event and provides a start over the host track for the World Championships.View the full article

Prairie Meadows Racetrack in Altoona, Iowa, will hold a mandatory payout of the Pick 5 jackpot July 29.View the full article

Jayson Werth enjoyed a 15-year career in major league baseball. Such an experience would seem difficult to top, but Werth says he has found something to match those baseball highlights: being one of the owners of dual grade 1 winner Dornoch.View the full article

It has been the season of all seasons for the ever-young Dark Angel (Ire). So much so that Gay O'Callaghan has agreed to go in front of the camera to talk about the horse he describes as “part of the family”. The master of Yeomanstown Stud speaks about Dark Angel like a father of his favourite son. But when the 19-year-old stallion comes up trumps year after year with genuine top-notchers like Baattash (Ire), Harry Angel (Ire) and now Charyn (Ire), it's hard not to dote over the loveable grey. Speaking from his sitting room underneath a Peter Curling-commissioned painting of Dark Angel, who leads the likes of Dubawi (Ire), Kingman (GB), Galileo (Ire) and Sea The Stars (Ire) in the British and Irish Sires' Championship, O'Callaghan says, “To get a horse like Dark Angel-it's a miracle. You don't buy them, you don't find them, they just happen to you.” This year's Royal Ascot meeting propelled Dark Angel into another stratosphere. Charyn lit the touch paper for what would turn out to be a memorable week for the stallion when winning the G1 Queen Anne Stakes over a mile before Khaadem (Ire) laned back-to-back runnings of the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes over 6f. Those big-race victories contributed to Dark Angel being over €560,000 clear of Dubawi in terms of prize-money earned for his offspring this season. But there is much more than just two horses doing the business on the big stage for him. The Owen Burrows-trained Alflaila (GB) ran a perfectly respectable comeback race when fourth behind Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the G1 Prince Of Wales's Stakes at the royal meeting and is a leading fancy in Saturday's G2 Sky Bet York Stakes. All told, Dark Angel has had 64 winners to runners in Britain and Ireland this season, a success rate that has only been bettered by Kingman. He is also operating at a 30% strike-rate and has five winners at stakes level. Reflecting on that momentous week at Royal Ascot, O'Callaghan said, “It was wonderful. Guy and David [sons] bred Charyn and he's a wonderful horse-a very successful horse. He goes to France for the Jacques le Marois and hopefully he can strike in another Group 1. His owner's [Nurlan Bizakov] farm is in France and he is going to stand there [at Sumbe]. And obviously Khaadem showed what a high-class sprinter he is for the second year running in the Queen Elizabeth.” He continued, “But really, the man who really loved Dark Angel was Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum. He really had wonderful success with him. From Battaash on, Sheikh Hamdan had a lot of good horses through his hands by Dark Angel. Sheikh Hamdan's support was immeasurable for that horse and hopefully Shadwell will have another big-race winner at York on Saturday with Alflaila.” Dark Angel speaks to the fabric of Yeomanstown Stud. Having been bred by the O'Callaghan family, he was offered as a yearling by the outfit at the Doncaster St Leger Sale in 2006, where he was knocked down to BBA Ireland for 61,000gns. A spellbinding juvenile campaign for Barry Hills, that featured Group 1 success in the Middle Park Stakes, sealed his place at stud where he has been something of an instant hit. Gay explained, “He was a very nice yearling and from the first crop of Acclamation (GB), who we tried to buy. We sent Acclamation three mares and this fella was one of the foals born. From the day he was born, he was a really good foal-strong, solid, well-made and good action. We took him to Doncaster and Barry Hills bought him for 61,000gns, which wasn't a bad price at the time. I suppose the rest is history.” Asked at what point was it where O'Callaghan realised he had unearthed something special, he replied, “Well you never can know that. Once his runners started to come out, they were winning from the word go. I think he had 33 winners in his first year, which is a really good number. From May onwards, everything that was running was winning. It just became very exciting from there.” That excitement burns bright to this day with Dark Angel, who became a Classic-producing stallion in 2022 when Mangoustine (Fr) landed the French 1,000 Guineas, and can end the year as the Champion Sire in Britain and Ireland. “Well, he had a very good Ascot and is leading it at the moment but every week that goes by, he needs to keep topping it up or else he won't stay there,” O'Callaghan commented on the sire of 15 individual Group/Grade I winners to date, “It's as simple as that. By the end of the year, it could change again but we'd think it would continue for most of the year anyway. It's great to have him up there at any stage. I'm not going to say that we will be there [on top] at the end of the year but we'd love to be there at the end of the year.” He added, “This horse is like family. He means everything to us and is just a special horse to have around the place. As an individual, he's such a kind horse. He's half human-just a very kind horse and it's very easy to do anything with him. He's been a horse of a lifetime but hopefully we might have time to get one more in!” The post Gay O’Callaghan: ‘Dark Angel Is Like Family – He Means Everything To Us’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

World Record (c, 3, Gun Runner–Marwa {GB}, by Exceed And Excel {Aus}) added blinkers and never gave the field a chance in the GII Amsterdam Stakes. A frontrunning winner at second asking May 27, and third last out June 30 in the Maxfield Stakes, both at Churchill Downs, the bay sped through a first quarter in :21.56 and a half in :44.64 as 4-5 favorite Jefferson Street (Street Sense) gave pursuit. Turning for home, it looked like the latter would briefly mount a rally but ultimately the winner proved too much for his rivals, winning with air to spare. Valentine Candy (Justify) ran third. World Record (6-1) doesn't set one in GII Amsterdam but the 3-year-old runs pretty darned good, winning by 6 3/4 lengths for Flavien Prat and @BrissetRodolphe. Owned by @WinStarFarm and @SienaFarmKY. 1-4-5-2 pic.twitter.com/FVaMmHfdXU — Tim Wilkin (@tjwilkin) July 26, 2024 Sales history: $410,000 Wlg '21 KEENOV. O-Siena Farm LLC and WinStar Farm LLC; B-Runnymede Farm LLC, Fairguieres Bloodstock, Gestut Zur Kuste AG, et al.; T-Rudolphe Brisset. The post World Record Runs Them Off Their Feet in Amsterdam appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Julie Krone, who appeared in Friday's TDN in a photo by photograher Sarah Andrew riding TDN Rising Star Knightsbridge (Nyquist), accompanied by Bill Mott on his pony, is not back in Saratoga for any serious riding, she reported Friday morning. Instead, Krone is in town working on the documentary of her life which is being produced by Sports Illustrated Studios and Spyglass Media Group. The documentary will cover Krone's racing career and on-track successes, as well as the injuries and struggles she faced. “We were going to be in Saratoga filming for the documentary and I was just riding in Canada at the Flying Cross Jockey School,” she said of her appearance on Knightsbridge. “I'm really fit and we all know nothing is as fun as riding racehorses. I put these together and ended up on the extremely beautiful Bill Mott horse, Knightsbridge. I was all blissed out. Racehorses are so special. It gave me a lot of joy. I was walking on air after.” Krone said that she will be in town through the Hall of Fame ceremonies next Friday, August 2, and doesn't have firm plans to do any additional riding while she's there. “We only jogged, and cantered the wrong way with the pony,” she said. “Still, though, she said it did make her wonder what if. “How fun would it be to be riding him, in front or stalking with his ears up just asking to run. He was so beautiful. So Godolphin.” Knightsbridge has won his only two starts, a maiden race Nov. 4 at Chruchill Downs and an allowance March 28 at Gulfstream. The post Krone In Saratoga To Work on Documentary appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A 2024 Second Quarter Metrics Report released by HISA, covering racing from April 1-June 30, exhibits a continued downward trajectory of the rate of racing-related equine fatalities in the industry since the HISA became fully operational.View the full article

Graham Motion has two potential targets in mind for grade 1 winner Trikari while his other trainee The Grey Wizard prepares for a fall campaign potentially ending in the Melbourne Cup (G1).View the full article

Dual Group 1 winner Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) has been supplemented at a cost of £40,000 to the G1 Qatar Nassau Stakes at Goodwood on Aug. 1. Her addition brings the field to 12, with her rivals including both John and Thady Gosden stablemate Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}), and trainer Aidan O'Brien's Group 1 winner Opera Singer (Justify). Second in the G1 Oaks at three, the daughter of Hidden Brief (GB) (Barathea {Ire}) would go on to take the G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes later that year, and added the G1 Coronation Cup at four. In three 2024 starts, the mare was fifth in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan in March, before running fourth in her Coronation Cup defense in May. Her latest appearance was a good second in the G1 Pretty Polly Stakes at the end of June. The aforementioned Inspiral, a homebred for Cheveley Park Stud, is one of Emily Upjohn's biggest rivals. “It will be Goodwood or the Jacques le Marois and we can't do both, so we're just keeping all options open,” said Cheveley Park's managing director Chris Richardson of the Breeders' Cup winner. “We will see what happens and we're just going to keep our options open and try and get it right this time and know where we are going. But she seems in good form and she looks great.” Other notable entrants in the Nassau include G1 1000 Guineas heroine Elmalka (GB) (Kingman {GB}), G1 Prix de Diane victress Sparkling Plenty (Fr) (Kingman {GB}), and G1 Irish Oaks third Purple Lily (Ire) (Calyx {GB}). The post Emily Upjohn Supplemented To Nassau appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The second quarter of 2024 (Apr. 1-June 30) continued the downward trajectory of the rate of racing-related equine fatalities in the industry, according to the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA)'s 2024 Second Quarter Metrics Report. The report provides an in-depth analysis of key performance indicators related to the safety and integrity of Thoroughbred racing in the United States. Since the implementation of the Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program on May 22, 2023, which represents the point in time when HISA became fully operational, the fatality rate has declined for four consecutive quarters, including an approximate 49% decrease year over year in the second quarter of 2024. Racetracks operating under HISA's rules and running races in the second quarter reported 0.76 racing-related equine fatalities per 1,000 starts, compared to 1.48 racing-related equine fatalities per 1,000 starts in the second quarter of 2023. “Thoroughbred racing is consistently getting safer with HISA's involvement and the commitment of our racing stakeholders, especially the horsemen and veterinarians who work so diligently under HISA to keep horses safe,” said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. “Today's metrics release shows tremendous progress towards preserving and improving a cherished sport, and all participating stakeholders should be proud of the progress we have made by working together. Collaboration is essential to maintaining this positive trend, and we continue to actively work with the horse racing community to elevate Thoroughbred racing to new, and safer, heights.” Second Quarter 2024 Highlights: Equine Fatalities: Racetracks operating under HISA's rules that were open for racing reported 0.76 racing-related equine fatalities per 1,000 starts during the second quarter of 2024 as compared to 1.48 racing-related equine fatalities per 1,000 starts during the first quarter of 2023, a decrease of approximately 49% year over year. The report also sets forth the racing-related fatalities by state and individual racetrack, including racetracks outside of HISA's purview in Louisiana, Texas and West Virginia. Beginning with HISA's 2024 Annual Metrics Report, to be published during the first quarter of 2025, HISA will provide training-related fatalities for the full year and each quarter of 2024 on an aggregate and per-track basis. Racetrack Accreditation: As of June 30, 2024, HISA has completed accreditation visits at 31 tracks, seven of which occurred during the second quarter of this year: Oaklawn Park in Arkansas, FanDuel Sportsbook and Horse Racing and Hawthorne in Illinois, Pimlico in Maryland, Canterbury Park in Minnesota and Aqueduct and Saratoga Race Course in New York. Racing Participant Registration: As of June 30, 2024, approximately 35,000 Covered Persons, 65,000 Covered Horses and 1,000 veterinarians were registered with HISA. Veterinary Treatment Records: On average, HISA received approximately 6,500 veterinary treatment records each day during the second quarter of 2024, and, as of June 30, 2024, approximately 3.2 million veterinary treatment records had been uploaded to the HISA Portal since the inception of the Racetrack Safety Program on July 1, 2022. You may access the full report by clicking here. The Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit will also release a separate quarterly report detailing metrics from the Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program. The post ‘Downward Trajectory of the Rate of Racing-Related Equine Fatalities Continues’ — HISA Publishes 2024 Second Quarter Metrics Report appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

ASCOT, UK — Far from the madding crowd of the royal meeting, the exploits of those five heady days were still being celebrated at Ascot on Friday. And rightly so, for this was the day of the annual Royal Ascot winning breeders' lunch, a lovely touch from the racecourse to recognise those who make this great sport happen. There's no one-upmanship here. Every breeder will tell you how much they need the owners – most of them are also owners themselves – and all the various participants in racing matter, from those sitting up through those cold winter nights to others having a bet at the bookies on a Saturday afternoon. But it all starts with the breeders, and their rewards can often be decades in the making. There was a good turn out from the European breeding world. From France, by way of Sweden, came Team Hogdala, otherwise known as Jan and Maya Sundstrom, accompanied by their granddaughter Lillie, who had been allowed a day off from yearling prep by her mother Anna. “The stress levels are going up a bit at home,” admitted Lillie of the impending Arqana August Sale. “All I know is that, at the moment, if mum asks me to do something, I'm going to do it and not argue.” She'll go far, that Lillie. Her grandparents will go down in the thoroughbred hall of fame as the breeders of Classic winner Le Havre (Ire) and they were at Ascot in support of their friend and client Ulf Sjoberg, breeder of Copper Horse Handicap winner Belloccio (Fr) (Belardo {Ire}), the winner of the Copper Horse Handicap. There was strong representation from Ireland. Annemarie and Ana O'Brien bred two winners at Royal Ascot under their Whisperview banner: the G1 Coronation Stakes winner Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio) and G2 Ribblesdale Stakes winner Port Fairy (Ire) (Australia {GB}). They sat alongside Paul and Marie McCartan, who supplied for Ballydoyle the G3 Albany Stakes winner Fairy Godmother (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}). It is easy to imagine that she will soon be added to the Ballyphilip Stud Group 1 roll of honour. The last time the McCartans were represented by a Royal Ascot winner was the year of Battaash's G1 King's Stand Stakes win in 2020. Just for good measure, they also owned the G2 Coventry Stakes winner Nando Parrado (GB) (Kodaic {GB}). Covid scuppered their chances of an Ascot lunch that year but they were here to celebrate this time around and further celebrations could be in store on Saturday as Battaash's half-brother Al Misbar (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) – a 1.5 million-guinea Book 1 yearling – makes his debut for Godolphin in the fiercely competitive British EBF Crocker Bulteel Maiden. Arguably holding the greatest bragging rights of all the Irish visitors were the brothers Guy and Robert O'Callaghan, respectively representing Grangemore Stud and Yeomanstown Stud. Charyn (Ire) and repeat winner Khaadem (Ire) provided the family with a Group 1 double to bookend the royal meeting, in the Queen Anne Stakes and Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, but both brothers admitted there was only one name who could take the credit. “We owe it all to Dark Angel really,” said Guy, who had been too nervous to travel over to watch Charyn land his first Group 1 victory for Nurlan Bizakov but could enjoy a relaxed day in good company on Friday. He added, “Now we just hope that Khaadem can do it for a third time.” The action kept coming down on the track of course. In a warm-up day for the Saturday showstopper that is the King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, a double strike in the handicaps led Andrew Balding to the doorstep of a major milestone of 2,000 British Flat winners. Tactician (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) snuck up the far rail to land the Brown Jack for Denford Stud and later, arguably the most important breeder in Balding's yard, his mother Emma, provided his 1,999th success in this country when Mount Atlas (GB) (Masar {Ire}) ran home determinedly to win for the second time for the Kingsclere Racing Club. “Lady Flora is running tonight at Chepstow so it would be rather nice if she could be the 2,000th,” said Emma Balding of the Masar half-sister to Group 1 winner Elm Park (GB) (Phoenix Reach {GB}) and to Mount Atlas's dam, Highland Pass (GB) (Passing Glance {GB}). By the time you read this, perhaps she will have obliged. It was a day for breeders after all, and there are few cannier at that particular job than the first lady of Kingsclere. The post Hurrah for the Breeders as Royal Ascot Winners Celebrated appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

KHK Racing's multiple Group 1 winner Vandeek (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) is “extremely well” after his G1 July Cup third and will head to the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest next month, co-trainer Ed Crisford confirmed on Friday. “He's come out of the July Cup extremely well, we're really pleased with him,” said Crisford, who trains with his father Simon. “It's all systems go at the moment for the Prix Maurice de Gheest. He wasn't really right that first day on that heavy ground at Haydock, the July Cup was his first proper test and he ran with huge credit, but he's only going to improve mentally and fitness-wise.” Vandeek won his first four starts–all at two–including the G2 Richmond Stakes, G1 Prix Morny, and the G1 Middle Park Stakes in succession. He lost his unbeaten tag when third to subsequent G1 Commonwealth Cup hero Inisherin (GB) (Shamardal) in the G2 Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock in May. Removed from Royal Ascot consideration with well-publicised poor blood work, the grey was an encouraging third to Mill Stream (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) in Newmarket on July 13. The younger Crisford added, “He just needed to get out and get racing really and get going for the second half of the season. Haydock didn't really go to plan, then he missed Ascot and then he had to have a bit of time after those bad bloods, and then we had to bring him back. “You're going into a championship race in the July Cup and you've got to be 120%. He was great going to the July Cup, but the more racing any athlete gets they're going to improve from it. “We're going to kick on to France and see where we go from there. I expect it'll be a very good field again, but he's won at Deauville before and six-and-a-half (furlongs) shouldn't be an issue for him.” The post “All Systems Go”: Vandeek Primed For Prix Maurice De Gheest appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

7th-SAR, $100k, Msw, 2yo, 6 1/2f, post time: 3:54 p.m. ET INVICTUS (Into Mischief), the first foal from 2019 GI Kentucky Oaks and 2020 GI Ballerina Stakes winner Serengeti Empress (Alternation), cost China Horse Club, Siena Farm and WinStar Farm $1.2 million at last year's Keeneland September Sale, and the Jan. 29 produce carries the WinStar colors for this first go. The bay, bred on similar cross to this sire's Grade I winners Life Is Good and Practical Joke, has been made the 3-1 choice on the morning line for trainer Brad Cox and jockey Florent Geroux. Bidding on behalf of the Saudi-based KAS Stables, agent Pedro Lanz went to $650,000 for Tharhom at this year's OBS April Sale, the most expensive of 42 first-crop juveniles by Global Campaign (Curlin) reported as sold this season. The bay, purchased in utero for $30,000 at OBS January in 2022, made $82,000 as a short yearling at OBS in the winter of 2023 and fetched $150,000 at OBS October from Eddie Woods. Chancer McPatrick (McKinzie) was knocked down for $725,000 at OBS April, his first-crop sire (by Street Sense)'s second-dearest juvenile from 39 sold. Dam Bernadreamy (Bernardini) is a daughter of GI Darley Alcibiades Stakes winner Dream Empress (Bernstein). American Promise (Justify), a half-brother to Grade II-winning juvenile filly Hoosier Philly (Into Mischief), was scooped up by BC Stables for $750,000 at KEESEP last fall. TJCIS PPs Back when he was just a fuzzy yearling at @TaylorMadeSales The first foal out GI Kentucky Oaks winner Serengeti Empress, an Into Mischief colt named INVICTUS, makes his debut as a 2-year-old this Saturday in the seventh race at Saratoga.@beebuckphoto pic.twitter.com/lkz7Kl0Yav — Sara Gordon (@SaraChristineG) July 25, 2024 1st-SAR, $100k, Msw, 2yo, 1 1/16mT, 12:35 p.m. ET Peter Brant debuts his homebred ATOMIC AGE (Justify), the first foal out of his $925,000 KEESEP purchase American West (Curlin), runner-up in the 2020 Tempted Stakes. She is a daughter of fellow Tempted–then a Grade III–winner Jacaranda (Congrats), the dam of GISP Be You (Curlin). Third dam Baffled (Distorted Humor) produced five winners from seven to race, including MGISW sire Constitution (Tapit) and English Group 2 winner Boynton (More Than Ready). Barricade (Quality Road) was sold to Repole Stable for $725,000 at KEESEP last fall and is out of the stakes-winning Great Sister Dame (Will Take Charge). The deeper female family includes GSW 'TDN Rising Star' Ocho Ocho Ocho (Street Sense) and the legendary Personal Ensign. Bestfriend Rocket (Curlin) was bought back for $170,000 at KEESEP last fall before selling to Frank Fletcher for $575,000 at this year's OBS April Sale. A son of the stakes-winning Noble and a Beauty (Noble Causeway), he descends from the family of leading sire Tapit (Pulpit). TJCIS PPs 4th-SAR, $110k, Alw, 3yo/up, 6f, 2:13 p.m. SPEAK EASY (Constitution) makes a much-anticipated second career start for Siena Farm and breeder WinStar Farm. A son of 2016 GIII Schuylerville Stakes runner-up and GI Darley Alcibiades Stakes third Fun (Harlan's Holiday), the bay was a bit friendless in the markets at better than 8-1 for his Pegasus Day debut at Gulfstream Park Jan. 27, but he attended the pace after breaking alertly from the inside stall and battled his way past the very well-meant New York-bred firster Victory Avenue (Arrogate) to graduate by 1 3/4 lengths, good for a 100 Beyer Speed Figure (video). Irad Ortiz, Jr. has the return call for trainer Todd Pletcher. TJCIS PPs 8th-SAR, $100k, Msw, 3yo/up, f/m, 5 1/2fT, 4:29 p.m. Summer Wind Equine's TIPPLE (Constitution) is the lone first-timer in the main body of this field and has pedigree claims at starting odds likely to be well shy of her 12-1 morning line. The dark bay filly is a half-sister to Hootenanny (Quality Road), winner of the 2014 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, and Jane Lyon's operation acquired dam More Hennessy (Hennessy) for $1.5 million in foal to Galileo (Ire) at the 2015 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. The mare, a half-sister to 2009 GI Prioress Stakes winner and GI Test Stakes runner-up Cat Moves (Tale of the Cat), has since produced SW/GSP Ryder Ryder Ryder (Quality Road). TJCIS PPs 1st-DMR, $75k, Msw, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 5:00 p.m. ET Spendthrift Farm unveils its homebred MCKECHNIE (Into Mischief), the first foal from Mother Mother (Pioneerof the Nile), a two-time listed winner and three times Grade I-placed who was purchased by Spendthrift for $1.8 million at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. The cross of Into Mischief over Pioneerof the Nile's sire Empire Maker has been wildly successful, accounting for 'TDN Rising Star' and GI Kentucky Derby winner Mandaloun and this year's G1 Dubai World Cup hero Laurel River, among others. A New York-bred like her freshman sire (by Constitution), Usha (Tiz the Law) sold for $30,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred sale, but flourished in the intervening months and made $600,000 from the Three Amigos at OBS April. The May foal is out of the stakes-placed Animal Appeal (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}). TJCIS PPs 5th-DMR, $75k, Msw, 2yo, 1mT, 7:08 p.m. ET BRUMMELL (Not This Time) kicks off his career in the silks of Talla Racing, who campaigns the Virginia-bred colt in partnership with St Elias Stable and West Point Thoroughbreds, et al. The dark bay was a $375,000 Keeneland November weanling purchase in the fall of 2022–the top price of his boom sire's 20 foals that changed hands at auction–and was the second-priciest of his yearlings when hammering for $1.05 million at KEESEP. Audley Farm Equine acquired the colt's dam Foreign Affair (Exchange Rate), a half-sister to MGSW & MG1SP So Perfect (Scat Daddy), for $385,000 in foal to Justify at FTKNOV in 2019. TJCIS PPs Brummell | Keeneland photo The post Serengeti Empress’s First Foal Tops Loaded Spa Maiden appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The July 27 Bing Crosby Stakes (G1) is a Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" contest and provides a start over the host track for the World Championships.View the full article

A trio of authors have been selected as finalists for the 19th annual Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award with the winner being selected on Thursday, Nov. 7 at Castleton Lyons near Lexington, Kentucky, the farm said in a Friday morning release. This year's finalists are: Isaac Murphy: The Rise and Fall of a Black Jockey by Katherine C. Mooney Lexington: The Extraordinary Life and Turbulent Times of America's Legendary Racehorse by Kim Wickens The Turcottes: The Remarkable Story of a Horse Racing Dynasty by Curtis Stock The winner will receive a $10,000 prize with $1,000 going to each runner-up. Tipperary crystal trophies will also be presented to the trio. The judges for 2023 competition were Kay Coyte, Caton Bredar and Diane White. The post Finalists Named For 2023 Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The new reality of Computer Assisted Wagering's escalating presence in racetrack's pools and the emergence of horse racing as a fixed-odds betting product on sportsbooks were the focus of Thursday's second day of the three-day National HBPA Conference at Prairie Meadows. Discussing fixed odds on horse racing as a new betting product has become a fixture at the National HBPA Conference, led by industry consultant Michele Fischer, who also is vice president of SIS Content Services, a subsidiary of the largest horse-racing content supplier to global bookmakers/sportsbooks. But this time the panel had the added twist of having actually launched fixed odds on horse racing on a sportsbook in Colorado in February after years of talking about it. Fischer called it “a monumental first step,” saying that racing is attractive to sportsbooks globally and should be part of the U.S. offering. “Sportsbooks want quality 24/7 content with good margins. Horse racing provides it and more,” she said. The panel featured Louisiana HBPA executive director Ed Fenasci; Kim Oliver, president of the Colorado Horse Racing Association, and Dan Hartman, associate partner for regulatory and government affairs at GMA Consulting. Hartman previously held leadership positions with the Colorado Department of Revenue, including serving as Director of Gaming, where he played a pivotal role in establishing Colorado's sports-betting program. Both Bally's Arapahoe Park Horse Track and its horsemen receive source-market fees from all sports betting on horse racing in Colorado. Colorado is the second state to begin offering fixed odds on horse racing and the first to make it part of a sportsbook, currently only on bet365. Colorado sports bettors, through bet365, now have 155 racetracks distributed by SIS on which they can wager via fixed odds. bet365 is a leading global betting brand that offers racing on its sportsbooks around the world. Additional operators in Colorado are expected to include horse racing by the end of the year. Fixed odds wagering at Monmouth Park | Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO New Jersey's pioneering venture is much more limited, currently offered only at Monmouth Park and a separate website, but it is not as yet part of a sportsbook offering. Colorado's Division of Gaming does not yet break out the betting figured on fixed-odds on horse racing at this time. However, Colorado racing stakeholders have indicated that they are pleased with the growth from the launch in February. Tracks and their horsemen have to weigh the benefits of adding horse racing to a jurisdiction's sports-betting products with the possible cannibalization of its pari-mutuel wagering versus introducing horse racing to a massive number of sports bettors who may have never been exposed to the sport. In the case of Colorado, it was an easy decision, with Oliver saying they were struggling just to keep horse racing alive. “We are small and really didn't have anything to lose,” she said. The advantage of fixed odds is that players lock into odds on a horse race, just as they do betting football, basketball or, in Colorado, a myriad of sports that include table tennis, on which $10 million a month is bet. Fixed odds do not depend on pool liquidity like pari-mutuel wagering, with allows smaller racetracks with competitive fields to be attractive to bettors. Fenasci has been working for several years to bring it to Louisiana, where a portion of every bet placed on other sports goes to racehorse purses and the breeding fund. “Why do I get so excited about fixed odds, sports wagering on horse racing?” Fenasci said. “Why am I so optimist? One, it generates revenue for the tracks and purse money for my horsemen directly from the exciting product that is horse racing. There are people doing sports wagering on ping pong–and at a pretty good volume. A horse race is 100 times more exciting, in my opinion.” Also, Fenasci said, “It's directly tied to our product. At some point you're always worried that a legislative body might feel why are we giving them all this other gaming money that has nothing to do with horse racing. It's a constant battle to reinforce that it's important to keep our industry strong and moving forward.” The panelists expressed hope that if fixed odds on horse racing expands, it will get some committed sports-betting enthusiasts interested in racing. “They're bringing it to a new set of demographics,” Hartman said. Thirty-eight states and the District of Columbia now offer betting on sports since the Supreme Court in 2018 overturned the federal law banning it everywhere except for Nevada and Atlantic City. “There are aspects of parimutuel that are more attractive for certain types of wagers than with fixed odds for an expanded wagering product,” Fenasci said. “But if a certain trainer has five horses in, and you want to bet he's going to win three or more of his races, you can do that with fixed odds…. It gets our exciting horse-racing product in front of a much larger customer base and in new and innovative ways. If you have a product and you want to sell it, do you just want to be in the mom and pop store around the corner? Or do you want to be on Amazon and Walmart? That's what we get when we get our product on FanDuel, DraftKings and all the other big operations that are actively promoting, actively seeking customers.” Computer-Assisted Wagering (CAW) Panel The Computer Assisted Wagering (CAW) panel at the National HBPA Conference proved an especially lively session with the assembled experts not shy about challenging one another. Thoroughbred Daily News writer Dan Ross, who has written extensively on the subject, moderated the panel at Prairie Meadows. Pat Cummings, executive director of prominent horse owner Mike Repole's National Thoroughbred Alliance, started off the conversation by telling the audience of horsemen and their representatives that the acronym CAW refers to “a very small number of horseplayers who are using some sort of automated programs to place bets. Pat Cummings | HBPA “They develop finely honed systems, algorithms that sense vast amounts of data and place their bets in very quick fashion, oftentimes right before the race begins,” he said. “They are able to batch bets. My research [indicates] that there are 10 or 12 top-tier players in America who are using this approach to wager on horse racing. Those 10 to 12 players probably represent somewhere between $2-3 billion of U.S. thoroughbred racing's $11.6 billion wagered last year. “… So in a race here tomorrow night, there may be $4,000 in the win pool at one minute to post. And when the race goes off, there may be $10,000 in the win pool. In the last one or two tote cycles, a chunk of that money has come in from these players betting in an automated fashion. Their program may say to them, 'bet $125 on the 5, $272 on the 4 and $357 on the 6.' And of course, they're betting exactas and trifectas, every pool they're allowed to bet.” The criticism of CAWs is that they can discourage ordinary horseplayers because of how they can influence the odds– which might not show up until the race becomes official. In addition, the biggest players can get substantial rebates back from the track operators. On the other hand, horsemen's purse accounts could take a huge hit if the CAWs went away because they account for such a large percentage of overall betting. Some racetracks have gotten into CAW ownership, with the Stronach Group and the New York Racing Association buying into Elite Turf Club and Churchill Downs Inc. owning Velocity. “These CAW customers have vast teams working for them doing various forms of analytics,” Cummings said. “They're betting pretty much every race, every track, every pool, every day. They are your biggest customers. The story that emerges is what effect does that have on the average horseplayer who is engaging with your product.” Jack Jeziorski, president of NYRA Content Management Solutions, assured the audience that “these bets aren't put in automatically. There's somebody there physically hitting the key to put those bets in. And part of that is because most racetracks don't go off at post time, so you can't set it to go off automatically. A typical time is the first horse going into the gate, they'll place the first batch of bets, then maybe a batch or two after that. “… We're not looking to take advantage of players or have them have a bad experience. But at the end of the day, not a lot of people make money in this game…. (CAWs) have vast amounts of data and are always looking for another piece of data to add to the model.” And with online wagering, he said, “we all have the ability to get that bet in at the last minute. “The true difference is that these guys get the best rebates, and the speed in which they can get those bets in.” Dave Basler, executive director of the Ohio HBPA, said “close to 40 percent” of the wagering on his state's three tracks comes from CAW. He said what directly impacts both the Ohio horsemen and tracks' bottom lines from betting are the host fee charged to each outlet for a track's signal. “The other part of the equation that sometimes doesn't get enough consideration, I think enough, is the volume that they do,” he said. “There's a tipping point. The CAW players are very cost sensitive. Depending on what your takeout is and your host fee is, that can get to a point where your handle becomes less. The CAW players are unquestionably your biggest customers. I don't care which track you're at.” Basler acknowledged that negotiations have become more difficult when track ownership also is an investor in a betting platform catering to CAW players. Jeziorski said less than 20 percent of NYRA's betting come from CAW players. “What you really should be looking at is how much are these guys taking out of the pool vs. how much they're paying the track and the horsemen's in host fees,” he said. “If that ratio is out of whack, then you need to be looking at how to adjust it. The easiest way to adjust it is the host fee being charged.” Jack Jeziorski | HBPA Cummings said that with so much purse money now generated by other forms of gaming, tracks lose sight of “the importance of wagering connecting with customers on a day in and day out basis. It is not as important to the corporate interests that are involved. “I'd really like to challenge the horsemen's groups to spend more time focused on how do you exercise your rights as horsemen to ensure that mass-market customers, ordinary bettors stay engaged in the sport you cherish.” Cummings and Jeziorski disagreed on just what percent of overall wagering comes from CAW players. But they agreed racing has not done a good job trying to keep and grow its “retail” players. “The real problem right now is not the computer guys,” Jeziorski said. “… The problem is we don't have enough retail players, and we're not doing enough to get retail players. Part of the problem is we don't have a compelling betting product on a day to day basis. I think the number put out (Wednesday) is our field size nationwide is 7.4. It needs to be eight, really 10 – and then takeout doesn't matter as much. “The computer guys are not the problem. We know how to manage it. We know how to maximize our revenue out of it. It is not what's killing the game.” Cummings said that he's not against CAWs. “Horse racing needs all of its customers,” he said. “It is the negative effect that one group of customers cause another…. When you adjust for inflation over the last 20 years, the non-CAW play is down more than two-thirds. We have seen an erosion of our mass market customer base. That's really bad.” Basler spoke from the perspective of an accomplished handicapper who has qualified for the National Horseplayers Championship six times. But, he said, “I'm not in the same stratosphere as the computer-assisted wagering players. They are so much above anybody who picks up and reads the Daily Racing Form in terms of the hours they put in, every aspect of it. “… The best players are going to win, and I can't level that out, no matter what I do. I can't make the guy who comes in and bets the 7 horse in every race be on the same level as the guy who spends $7 million in programmers looking at every facet there is to look at in horse racing. They are extremely smart men and women. They put as much time and money into this game as anyone. So I don't begrudge them winning. “Overall for the industry, losing retail customers is a huge deal. I don't think it's directly related to CAW players. Sports betting obviously is part of that equation. There's a lot more entertainment, more options for people's dollars than 30 years ago.” The post Sportsbooks, CAW Wagering Take Center Stage At National HBPA Conference appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The anniversary is right around the corner, a gruesome tragedy that nobody that was at Saratoga that day will ever forget. It was among the darkest days in the long history of racing upstate. But nobody had it worse than trainer Melanie Giddings, who, in a fraction of second, saw Maple Leaf Mel (Cross Traffic) go from the sure winner of the GI Test Stakes to a horse who broke down inches before the wire and could not be saved. Her business is doing fine. She has 42 horses and hopes to win a handful of races at Saratoga. But that won't be nearly enough to erase when happened on Aug. 5 of last year. “I don't think you'll ever get over something like that” Giddings said. “She was a pretty special filly but even if she were just a $5,000 claimer it would also have been a tragic thing. We are in this sport because we love the horse and we don't want to see any of them get hurt.” Owned by retired NFL Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells, Maple Leaf Mel served notice well before the Test that she was one of the fastest 3-year-old fillies in training. She was 5-for-5 coming into the race with wins in the GIII Victory Ride Stakes and the GIII Miss Preakness Stakes. For all but the last four or five steps, it looked like the Test was going to be a coronation. She had the race won until suffering a catastrophic injury to her right front leg. “It was pretty much a feeling of shock,” said the 40-year-old trainer. “I took a filly into a race that I thought was going to win. It went from a real high, to, literally, rock bottom and I couldn't believe that it actually happened.” She said that Parcells, who named the filly after her, was also deeply disappointed and upset. “For Bill Parcells it was obviously hard for him,” Giddings said. “He spent a lot of time and money in this business looking for a special horse. We were really enjoying having her. It would have been his first Grade I win and he was looking to have a real big summer here in Saratoga and the rest of the year and then looking forward to Breeders' Cup.” With the breakdown, the race was officially won by the Brendan Walsh-trained Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief). In a series of classy and magnanimous gestures, Walsh would not allow a winner's circle picture taken of his horse and the following day he gifted the blanket of flowers to Giddings. “It was really nice of him to do that,” she said. “Brendan is a good-hearted person himself. I've know him for a while, back when he was working with Eddie Kenneally. He takes great care of his horses and I know it was hard for him to see that as well. None of us ever want to see that. At end of the day we are competitors, but we are all doing it for the same reason and when something like that happens it affects everybody.” Giddings wouldn't talk about the race in the days immediately following it, but has grown comfortable telling her story. She said one of the harder days over the last year was when she attended the awards ceremony for New York-breds. “It was hard when I had to go to the New York-bred ceremony and they honored her and she won all sorts of awards,” Giddings said. “But it just shows you how good she really was.” Giddings has a lot to look forward to at this year's Saratoga meet. She finished second with Leon Blue (Mo Town) in a July 24 maiden race and had a runner-up with first-time starter Elemiah (Rowayton). She said she has other horses she is high on that will run before the meet is over. But another Maple Leaf Mel? She can't see that happening. “She was just pretty special all around,” she said. “You knew she was special from the start and those horses are very rare. She's a once-in-a-lifetime horse, to be honest with you.” The post A Year After Maple Leaf Mel Broke Down, Melanie Giddings Still Trying To Deal With Her Emotions appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

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Remedial work at Pioneer Park has not been completed in time thus forcing the Alice Springs Turf Club to abandon its final meeting of the 2023/24 season on Sunday The Alice Springs Turf Club’s final race meeting of the season, scheduled for Sunday, has been abandoned due to the condition of the Pioneer Park surface. After remedial work on the dirt surface, which took place a day after the last meeting on July 14, the track has not recovered in time thus forcing the meeting to be called off. As a consequence, trainer Terry Gillett and jockey Paul Denton have topped the charts in the Alice Springs and Provincial premierships for the 2023/24 season. With 25 wins, Gillett finished ahead of Paul Gardner (23), Kerry Petrick (19.5), Greg Connor (18) and Lisa Whittle (18). Denton (24 wins) finished ahead of Sonja Logan (19.5), who won the title last season, Stan Tsaikos (18), apprentice Dakota Gillett (16) and Jessie Philpot (15). “Unfortunately, the track didn’t recover in time, and the decision was made to abandon the meeting,” Thoroughbred Racing Northern Territory chief executive Andrew O’Toole said. “It’s pretty disappointing, but hopefully they will be back racing in Alice Springs on August 10.” David Westover, Chairman of Stewards in Alice Springs, inspected the track on Monday and deemed it unsafe for racing this Sunday. Westover had previously inspected the track last Saturday, and although there had been vast improvement by Monday, it was still considered unfit for racing. It is believed that following the grading process, stones covered a major portion of the track that would not have been removed in time. There was also a lack of oil on the track, with some sections showing no oil where the new sand had been laid, particularly from the 600m and continuing past the winning post. The lack of oil does not provide horse and rider with a safe racing surface, as there is no cushion in the track for a horse at full gallop. There has been slow track work at Pioneer Park for the past three to four days and oil will be applied on Saturday. “Hopefully, the meeting will go ahead on August 10, the program might have to be amended though,” O’Toole said. “Perhaps add a race and shorten a couple of distances because horses won’t be ready to go 1400m and 1600m. “We’ve then got the Truckies Day meeting on August 25, one of the big days outside Carnival, which will see the running of the $40,000 Red Centre Winter Series Final.” Horse racing news View the full article

Kana did her bit for raising money for Cure Kids at the second annual Red Nose Raceday at Riccarton Synthetic on Friday. The Peter Didham-trained mare carried the red-and-white spotted Cure Kids silks to victory in the Prezzy Card Rating 75 (1200m), raising $1,000 for the charity, with LOVERACING.NZ dedicated to donating that sum for every winner donning the colours on the day. Didham said it was a great cause and he and his owners were happy to do their part in raising funds for Cure Kids. “Anything to support a charity is a good thing,” Didham said. “My owners were happy to do that for them (use the red nose day colours).” The victory also fulfilled the first part of Kana’s southern venture, with the Palmerston North mare having trekked south to try and qualify for the $100,000 special conditions 1200m race at Riccarton’s Synthetic meeting over the Grand National Festival of Racing next month. “It is a plan that we have had for a while, so it was good that it paid off and it was a great ride,” Didham said. “I just felt we had to win another one on the dirt to get in (to the $100,000 race) because I think she will need at least two (wins) and we still might miss it. There have been a lot of dirt races in Christchurch, and a lot of winners, so it depends on who pays up. It would be a shame if she missed out, but she has had two wins and a third, so she is a chance.” Didham is hoping Kana is also in for a strong spring, with the Awapuni conditioner planning to give his charge a freshen-up following her southern venture. “I think she is a better mare in the spring,” he said. “We saw a bit of brilliance from her last spring and that has always been the plan, to have a go at the $100,000 race, she can then come back home, have a couple of weeks off and then come back for the spring.” Closer to home on Sunday, Didham will head to Waverley where he will line-up three runners, including Reprobate in the Pioneer Brand Products (1400m), Korolova in the Sandfords Rural Carriers (1200m), and Fabian Hawk in the Sportz Bar Wanganui – MRN Contracting (2200m). “They are all working well and have all got chances,” Didham said. “The disappointing one has been Fabian Hawke. His work has been outstanding and he has thrown in two really poor runs. We have checked him out all over and can’t find a thing wrong. This week his work has been the best out of my whole team, so I am expecting a bit better from him.” View the full article