Wandering Eyes

Cody Cole will be watching his in-form mare Rareza from afar on Saturday in her quest for a stakes victory. The Matamata trainer is taking a well-earned break at Port Douglas in Queensland during a personal-best season of 34 winners and stable earnings of more than $1.2 million. Cole has received positive reports from his staff ahead of the Rareza’s bid to make it four consecutive victories when she runs in the Listed Team Wealleans Tauranga Classic (1400m). “She’s going well and has come through her last win nicely,” he said. “Obviously, it’s a step up to weight-for-age and it’s not going to be easy, but she deserves to be there and worked well on Thursday morning.” The daughter of Exosphere has fashioned the tidy record of four successes from nine outings and opened her latest winning sequence at Trentham in the spring before a break. She successfully resumed at Woodville at the end of April and struck again last month at Te Rapa. “When she stepped up last start, we decided we needed to look at black-type options,” Cole said. A daughter of four-time winner La Valeta, Rareza was co-bred by Cole’s mother Lou, who is part of the ownership group in the mare. “She’s a mare that comes from Mum’s family and goes back to For Love, who won the Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (Gr.2, 1400m) so more black type on the page would be valuable,” Cole said. “Rareza was a foal share with Mike O’Donnell of Fairhill Farm and went through the weanling sale, but she didn’t get a bid, so we syndicated her to race and here we are now.” She will again be ridden by Michael McNab at Tauranga and is then likely to head for a break. “I’ll probably give her a freshen-up and look toward the spring,” Cole said. “There are some nice options, she doesn’t want the firmer tracks, but she was good on a better surface at Te Rapa, so that was pretty encouraging.” Cole also has other winning chances on Saturday with Bradley in the A1 Homes Maiden (1600m), Oneira runs in the BOP Equine Vets (1200m) and Kai Moana in the Super Liquor Greerton (1600m). The former has been knocking on the door with runner-up finishes from his last two appearances. “Bradley thought he’d got the job done the other day and knocked off, the inside horse was too far away for him to chase,” Cole said. “On face value, Oneira looked a bit disappointing, but we rode her back and they ran home in 33s and she just doesn’t have that sort of turn of foot.” Placed in last season’s Gr.3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m), Oneira had led and finished runner-up at Ellerslie at her previous run while Kai Moana was also second two starts ago at Hawera before a fifth at Wanganui. “She just needs to lead, that’s her pattern, as she can’t really quicken,” Cole said. View the full article

Race 3 MANAWATU ITM MANAWATU HURDLES 2500M WEST COAST (S Fannin) – Trainer Mr. M Oulaghan reported to Stewards, WEST COAST underwent a veterinary examination which included blood tests, on Tuesday 10 June. An irregularity was detected, however, a subsequent blood test on Thursday 19 June showed no abnormalities. M. Oulaghan further advised that it is his intention to continue on with WEST COAST’S current preparation. The post Manawatu Racing Club @ Trentham, Saturday 7 June 2025 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

Race 2 FAIRVIEW MOTORS WAIKATO HURDLE 3200m TAIKA (J Kozaczek) – Co-trainer Ms. C McDougal reported to Stewards, the stable was satisfied with the post-race condition of TAIKA, and it is the stables intention to carry on with the gelding’s current preparation. The post Waikato Thoroughbred Racing @ Te Rapa, Saturday 14 June 2025 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

Mirroring contentious votes from two prior California Horse Racing Board meetings, the CHRB again chose during its monthly meeting June 19 not to award race dates this year in Northern California.View the full article

The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) on Thursday voted down two separate proposals to allocate 2025 race dates to entities at Ferndale and Fresno that wanted to keep Thoroughbred racing going on the now-nonexistent Northern California circuit. The 4-3 votes on each measure dashed what appeared to be the last remaining hopes for a 2025 resuscitation of the sport in a region of the state that as recently as two summers ago boasted a year-round rotation of racing anchored by one commercial track and five fair venues. The June 19 decisions by the CHRB marked the third straight month that supporters of NorCal racing had tried but failed to advance attempts to race at Ferndale. The April CHRB meeting resulted in a vote-down of racing at Pleasanton and a failure to garner enough votes for a decision either way on Ferndale. The May CHRB meeting ended with a 4-3 vote against awarding August and September dates to Ferndale. On June 13, Ferndale tried again but got rebuffed, even after switching its request to six dates over three weekends in October, which would be outside of when the county fair at that property would be operational. The Fresno request for seven dates in September and October, with only one date coinciding with when its fair would be in session, also didn't pass. The CHRB voting bloc hasn't budged on any of the NorCal proposals since May. Voting “no” for all versions of the NorCal meets (plus the simulcast-revenue privileges that would have gone with the dates allotment) were CHRB chairman Gregory Ferraro, DVM, plus commissioners Dennis Alfieri, Damascus Castellanos and Thomas Hudnut. Voting “yes” to keep NorCal alive were vice-chair Oscar Gonzales and commissioners Brenda Washington Davis and Peter Stern. The central arguments for and against a revival of NorCal racing haven't changed much over the past 60 days. Racing at Pleasanton | Vassar Photography But the emotional intensity over the difficult situation has noticeably ramped up, with stakeholders on both sides becoming increasingly argumentative and accusatory. In-person attendees at Thursday's meeting, as they have in the recent past, peppered some parts of the testimony with derisive interjections when the opposing side said something they didn't agree with. The votes on Thursday did nothing to close the chasm on the best path forward for California racing as a whole, increasing an existential North-vs.-South rift that opened nearly two years ago when The Stronach Group (TSG) announced plans to shutter Golden Gate Fields, the main commercial licensee in NorCal. TSG also owns Santa Anita Park, and that prominent SoCal track, along with Del Mar Thoroughbred Club and the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC), have lobbied hard for centralizing all of the state's racing and simulcast revenues in the South on a single circuit that also includes Los Alamitos Race Course. Those entities remain firm in their belief that concentrating all of California's racing in the South is in the best long-term interest of the state as a whole. Some representatives have asserted that the South would be “cannibalized” by what they characterize as unrealistic, not-well-organized, and tenuously financed attempts to make a go of race meets in the North with an allegedly too-thin horse population. NorCal interests, on the other hand, argue that they have both the horses and proper financial backing to pull off successful small meets, and they are firm in their belief that it's a mistake to concentrate the entirety of the state's racing in one, largely urban geographic area. The North proponents have articulated complaints that the TOC isn't representing their interests, and that the CHRB isn't extending support to smaller-scale racing outfits that cannot compete at Santa Anita or Del Mar. They also assert that if NorCal slides off the grid, so too will the state's quickly diminishing foal crop, because the North is where the bulk of the breeding farms are. Ferndale's management has consistently portrayed a loss of racing there as a severe blow to the local community, and operators of other fairs contend that without the attraction and revenue from racing and simulcasting, the county fairs themselves will be in danger of not being able to operate. All stakeholders seem to agree that a revenue infusion is needed for statewide racing to get on firmer footing, perhaps in the form of some type of slot-machine gaming being allowed at the tracks. But that type of gambling requires legislation at the state level that is beyond the CHRB's power to grant. Dr. Gregory Ferraro | courtesy of the CHRB Some commissioners, particularly Alfieri, have advocated for a cooling-off period of study so that the NorCal proposals can be better assembled for 2026. It remains fresh in the minds of commissioners that the CHRB okayed a venture by an entity called Golden State Racing that failed to conduct a financially viable meet last autumn at Pleasanton. Back at the April meeting, Ferraro described that decision last year by the CHRB as “unwise at best or disastrous at worst.” Ferraro had explained in April that those who were advocating for an approval of race dates at NorCal venues in 2025 should “not to expect the board to give the same leeway” because of the damage such a decision might do in terms of siphoning horses and simulcasting revenue from the SoCal tracks, which are also struggling but remain more viable than any entity in the North. On Thursday, Larry SwartzlanderBernal Park Racing, the director of racing for Bernal Park Racing, the group has been trying to financially back and operate this year's proposed meets at Pleasanton, Ferndale and Fresno, warned that NorCal racing is at a now-or-never inflection point. “If we don't race in 2025, if the fairs don't show that they want to continue on in this business, I think the door's closed” for the future, Swartzlander said. “I mean, we can sit here and then come back here in 2026 and give you another calendar. But if it's going to be the same criticisms, it's not going to work,” Swartzlander continued. “It's going to be worse, because we all know in this business once you close, it's difficult to reopen.” Del Mar president Josh Rubinstein was adamant that greenlighting racing in NorCal would be detrimental to the South. “I believe the business case has been made over the last several meetings that a pop-up race meet in the North is not in the best interest of the overall California ecosystem,” Rubinstein said. “And Del Mar has been very clear throughout this entire process that we will not compete with similar conditions if dates are awarded to the North during this time frame. California simply does not have the horse population to operate parallel race meets.” Bill Nader, the president and chief executive officer of the TOC, asked critics who claim that his organization doesn't represent all of California's owners to be mindful of the much larger picture. Bill Nader | Benoit “We're fighting–and we've said it many times at meetings before–a game here where we're dependent solely on pari-mutuel income. We don't have HHR [historical horse racing]. We don't have VLTs . We don't have any of the incremental revenue sources that competing states have,” Nader said. “So every move we make here, we have to do it responsibly, in a way that protects and preserves our foundation. And if we can get to the day when we have alternative revenue streams and we're in a better position, it's an entirely different discussion,” Nader said. The CHRB's Hudnut expressed his opinion this way during a break between the two votes that denied the NorCal dates: “I can imagine sitting in the audience and thinking that some of us cast our votes in a cavalier manner. But I just want to assure you that there isn't a commissioner up here who wouldn't like to see racing in the North, at the fairs, and in the South… “We, at the moment, have a problem with viability of horse racing in this state, regardless of where it is. [And] it's too bad, because we honestly would like [two circuits],” Hudnut said. “But in the final analysis, it's not about horses. Unfortunately, it's about money.” Following Hudnut's comments, vice chair Gonzales, who has voted differently than his colleague on all of the NorCal issues, weighed in. “I appreciate what you're saying, [but] I just think this board decided Ferndale didn't matter again,” Gonzales said. “So regardless of what we think–the complexities, the legislative remedies, all of these–it's really, 'Do communities matter?' And I just believe there are some [people, not only on] this board, but many in society, that have discounted rural areas. And really, the debate that's going on in this country is which communities matter [more than] others.” Gonzales summed up his point at a different juncture: “This is democracy at work. Sometimes governance works. Sometimes it doesn't. But I encourage people not to give up. Because this board, we're going to come and go. Horses have been around for a very long time. We all know that. And horses will outlast this board and many others. So I remain optimistic.” The post CHRB Again Votes Down NorCal Dates, Dashing Hopes For ’25 Racing At Fairs appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Appearing to lose all chance after a super-awkward start from the inside post, Meringue (Frosted) slowly reeled in her rivals over the course of Churchill's five-furlong turf test and was up just in time to earn 'TDN Rising Star' honors Thursday afternoon. Breaking from post 1, the grey was eased to the back of the field as 3-2 favorite Delightful Darling (Flameaway) went to the front, cutting out an opening quarter of :22.19 as Vibora (Hootenanny) pressed the issue in a close-up second. With those two fillies turned for home in tandem, Meringue was behind a wall of horses with several lengths left to make up on the leaders. Taken to the outside by Luan Machado for the stretch drive, the green but potent Rodolphe Brisset trainee filly closed with a sudden burst midstretch and swept to the front in the final strides to graduate by a neck over fellow-firsters Delightful Darling and Second City Saint (Raging Bull {Fr}), who was farther back in third. Vibora was fourth. Unplaced Catbrier, with this filly in utero, sold to Stephen and Denise Smith's Mesingw Farm for $32,000 at the Keeneland November Sale in 2022. Meringue, her first foal, was followed by a colt by Oscar Performance and a filly by Volatile this term. 1st-Churchill Downs, $118,987, Msw, 6-19, 2yo, f, 5fT, :56.98, fm, neck. MERINGUE, f, 2, by Frosted 1st Dam: Catbrier, by Street Sense 2nd Dam: Kiawah Cat, by Lemon Drop Kid 3rd Dam: Thunder Kitten, by Storm Cat *TDN Rising Star* Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $69,300. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. O-Elements Racing LLC; B-Mesingw Farm LLC (KY); T-Rodolphe Brisset. The post Frosted’s Meringue Closes From the Clouds to Earn ‘TDN Rising Stardom’ at Churchill Downs appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Signora has to be the starting point in the June 20 Albany Stakes (G3) at Ascot Racecourse, and the Aidan O'Brien-trained juveniles are flying this week. Everything points to her having all of the answers.View the full article

The National Thoroughbred League continued its record-breaking 2025 campaign with the June 15 Philadelphia Cup at Parx Racing, drawing more than 6,000 fans, an NTL record, and generating a $1.55 million handle.View the full article

Due to an extreme heat index forecast next week, Delaware Park has moved it's June 25 card to June 27, creating three consecutive days of racing from June 26-28.View the full article

The South American leg of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In continues June 22 with the Grande Premio Brasil (G1) in Brazil and the Gran Premio Pamplona (G1) in Peru. View the full article

Due to the extreme heat index forecasted for next week, live racing has been rescheduled for Thursday, June 26 through Saturday, June 28 at Delaware Park, the track said via a press release on Thursday. There will be no racing on Wednesday, June 25. Entries taken tomorrow, will be for the card rescheduled to Friday, June 27. Live racing is still planned for Saturday, June 21 with first race post time set for 12:35 p.m. ET. The post Heat Forces Delaware Park To Shift Next Week’s Schedule To Thursday-Saturday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

With France's Royal Ascot week having failed to lift off so far, all eyes will be on their darling Zarigana (Siyouni) to provide the rescue in Friday's G1 Coronation Stakes. As a granddaughter of Zarkava with a Classic under her belt, there should be very little for her to prove but the Aga Khan Studs representative has been edged out of both her big tests in photo finishes. Awarded a G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches that she may or may not have won had she not suffered interference, she could really do with a command performance here. Nemone Routh revealed that her handlers will have to keep a lid on her on her first foray overseas. “It is a competitive race and it's the first time she'll have to travel abroad and she can have moments where she gets quite worked up,” the Stud's racing manager said. “It looks like it's going to be very hot as well, but she's got to get through all that as part of the test of being a Group 1 filly.” “She's very consistent–she's won four of her starts and was beaten a nose in the other one. This is a big test for her and she's got to maintain that form and hold it all together in the preliminaries and have luck in running and everything else. If there is any weakness, it will be found out but we're happy with her preparation and while she goes on anything, she's probably better on fast ground.” If all goes well in the build-up and in the early stages of the race, Zarigana is very much the one to beat having covered the penultimate furlong of that ParisLongchamp Classic in a rapid :10.47 and her final three in a scintillating :32.50. It is up to Shadwell's Falakeyah (New Bay) to turn it on here, with stamina guaranteed having dazzled in Newmarket's Listed Pretty Polly Stakes. Angus Gold revealed that the decision to supplement was down largely to Jim Crowley's feedback. “To Jim's credit, he kept saying every time he sat on her that she had a lot of speed and his first words to me having got off her at Newmarket were 'she'd have killed them over a mile'. He thought she'd have gone close in the Guineas had she run in that, so I had to take notice,” he said. “Unfortunately we were going for the Prix de Diane, but then she had a hold-up and we ran out of time. They now feel she's back to her best,” he added. “It's only her third race so we're still learning and I couldn't put my hand on my heart and say she's definitely a miler, but she has plenty of speed and we felt after discussing it this was worth a try.” Ryan Moore has created a stir by picking Ballydoyle's January (Kingman) over Exactly (Frankel), with the former having gone under the radar after her G1 Fillies' Mile second. Coming off a return eighth in the Irish 1,000 Guineas, she is impossible to rule out given the stable's capacity to supercharge improvement into their runners race-to-race. According to the betting market, it seems that the 1,000 Guineas runner-up Flight (Siyouni) has been written off after running below expectations in the Curragh equivalent and is mysteriously much bigger than the Listed Michael Seely Memorial Stakes winner Kon Tiki (Night Of Thunder). Beyond A Shadow Of A Doubt? Friday's G1 Commonwealth Cup is deep, but it has a clear favourite in Godolphin's Shadow Of Light (Lope De Vega) who is one of those rarities that can pull off a Middle Park-Dewhurst double. Showing his dramatic acceleration when third in the 2,000 Guineas, he has a lot of the boxes ticked. “Shadow Of Light is in great order and I'm pleased with the draw,” Charlie Appleby said. “He ran a great race in the 2,000 Guineas and we are confident that the drop back to six furlongs is going to suit. I can't give any negatives and I'm hopeful he is the one to beat.” Juddmonte have yet to win this, but go to war with big guns this time in the G1 Phoenix Stakes winner Babouche (Kodiac) and the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains runner-up and fellow TDN Rising Star Jonquil (Lope De Vega). Babouche just enjoys beating up Ballydoyle's G1 Prix Morny winner Whistlejacket (No Nay Never) and will probably do so for the third time, with Colin Keane staying loyal and forsaking Jonquil. “Babouche is in good form and won the trial for this race in Ireland in good style. We would be hopeful of a good run, but we wouldn't be fussy which one won,” Barry Mahon said. “I think it would have been tough for Colin to get off Babouche, having ridden her in all her starts and his association with Ger, but both horses are in good form and ready to run well.” Of Jonquil, Juddmonte's European racing manager added, “Dropping back to six furlongs is a bit of an unknown, but he showed a lot of speed when winning the Greenham at Newbury and also showed plenty of speed in France and hit the front a furlong down. Oisin and Andrew both felt it was a good option for him.” The Aga Khan Stud homebred Rayevka (Blue Point) was electric in the Listed Prix Marchand d'Or last time and that could be a clear signal that she is the race's lurker. “It's a very tough race and a big field and a bit of a cavalry charge, but she's a three-year-old sprinting filly and if we'd waited we were going to have to run in a Group Three against older horses,” Nemone Routh explained. “She won a Listed race well last time and this was her last opportunity to run in a Group race against her own age group. It is a big ask and we'd be really chuffed if she was to run into a place. She's in good form, sprinting is her game and she is a top-of-the-ground horse.” All Set For The Ascot Derby The Aykroyds and Ralph Beckett may have missed out in the Derby, but Friday's G2 King Edward VII Stakes offers the opportunity for their unbeaten Listed Cocked Hat Stakes winner Amiloc (Postponed) to provide compensation. Ballydoyle's Listed Lingfield Derby Trial winner Puppet Master (Camelot) and the Aga Khan homebred Zahrann (Night Of Thunder) offer stern opposition from Ireland, with the latter a convincing winner of Leopardstown's Listed King George V Cup. The action begins with the G3 Albany Stakes, where Tony Bloom and Ian McAleavy's impressive Carlisle winner Venetian Sun (Starman) is one of several looking to halt Ballydoyle's momentum in the 2-year-old events this week. Good luck with that one, as the market is speaking strongly for Rosegreen's latest juvenile rifle Signora, Frankel's daughter of the Queen Mary winner Heartache who achieved as much on debut when third in Naas's G3 Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Blackbeard Fillies Sprint Stakes than most of these in their respective novices and maidens. Lazzat Heads All Star Cast In Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee International Clash Saturday's G1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes has a confirmed field of 16, with the big favourites set to represent four different countries in a fascinating edition of the six-furlong feature. Last year's G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest winner Lazzat (Territories) represents the Jerome Reynier stable and forms the spearhead of a strong French challenge alongside Topgear (Wootton Bassett), British hopes rest with last year's G1 Commonwealth Cup hero Inisherin (Shamardal) from the Kevin Ryan stable, Aidan O'Brien relies on his Australian import Storm Boy (Justify) and Japan is represented by the G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen winner Satono Reve (Lord Kanaloa). Also on Saturday is the G2 Hardwicke Stakes, where a dozen will line up without Juddmonte's Kalpana (Study Of Man) who has been ruled out due to the fast ground. They include Godolphin's high-class stalwart Rebel's Romance (Dubawi) and Amo Racing's £2million Goffs London acquisition Ghostwriter (Invincible Spirit), while the G3 Jersey Stakes features 15 with the current favourite being Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum's unbeaten Remmooz (Blue Point) from the Owen Burrows stable. The Listed Chesham Stakes sees Godolphin's TDN Rising Star Treanmor (Frankel) tackle Ballydoyle's filly Moments Of Joy (Justify). The post ‘If There Is Any Weakness, It Will Be Found Out’: Zarigana Faces Coronation Test appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Friday, Royal Ascot, post time: 16:20, THE CORONATION STAKES-G1, £725,750, 3yo, f, 7f 213yT Field: Cathedral (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}), Cercene (Ire) (Australia {GB}), Chantilly Lace (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Duty First (GB) (Showcasing {GB}), Exactly (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), Falakeyah (GB) (New Bay {GB}), Flight (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}), January (Ire) (Kingman {GB}), Kon Tiki (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Simmering (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}), Zarigana (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}). TDN Verdict: All connected with Zarigana will be hoping that the blueblood can finally shine at the top level after two narrow misses with the second resulting in a promotion by the stewards. There is no doubt that she was compromised by Shes Perfect's errant passage late on in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches without stating that she was definitely the better of the pair. What we do know is she is top-drawer material on the clock and she has a distinct edge over her chief rival Falakeyah in that regard, as for all that Shadwell's homebred was impressive in the Listed Pretty Polly Stakes it is one thing producing an excellent time performance over 10 furlongs and another to do it over a mile. Kon Tiki has it to do to get to this level despite her obvious promise and is currently a shorter price than Ballydoyle's Pouliches fourth Exactly, who has proven form in some important races and could prove an able deputy for Lake Victoria. [Tom Frary]. Friday, Royal Ascot, post time: 15:05, THE COMMONWEALTH CUP-G1, £725,750, 3yo, c/f, 6fT Field: Ain't Nobody (Ire) (Sands Of Mali {Fr}), Arabie (GB) (Dandy Man {Ire}), Arizona Blaze (GB) (Sergei Prokofiev), Berkshire Whisper (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), Big Mojo (Ire) (Mohaather {GB}), Diablo Rojo (Ire) (Pinatubo {Ire}), Ides Of March (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Jonquil (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Shadow Of Light (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Soldier's Heart (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), Strong Warrior (GB) (Mehmas {Ire}), Whistlejacket (Ire) (No Nay Never), Arabian Dusk (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), Babouche (GB) (Kodiac {GB}), Carla Ridge (Ire) (New Bay {GB}), Lady With The Lamp (Ire) (King Of Change {GB}), Leovanni (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}), Rayevka (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}), Sayidah Dariyan (Ire) (Dariyan {Fr}), Shisospicy (Mitole), Sky Majesty (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}), Time For Sandals (Ire) (Sands Of Mali {Fr}). TDN Verdict: This is as good a Commonwealth Cup as has been run so far and one of the best races of the meeting, such is the depth of quality. Shadow Of Light beat Whistlejacket hollow in the Middle Park and proved in the 2,000 Guineas that he has not taken one step backwards with a huge run in third. Babouche has also dealt with Whistlejacket in both the Phoenix Stakes and in Naas's G3 Lacken Stakes last month and if it wasn't for her below-par effort in the Cheveley Park would be hard to oppose, while Jonquil is may not be quite quick enough even allowing for the stiff nature of this sprint. Ballydoyle's second string Ides Of March retains promise despite his defeats this term, while Rayevka dazzled in Chantilly's Listed Prix Marchand d'Or and is very much a contender. Other Stakes-winning fillies Sky Majesty, Shisospicy, Arabian Dusk and Lady With The Lamp add considerable weight to the line-up. [Tom Frary]. Friday, Royal Ascot, post time: 17:35, THE KING EDWARD VII STAKES-G2, £250,000, 3yo, c/g, 11f 211yT Field: Amiloc (GB) (Postponed {Ire}), Convergent (Ire) (Fascinating Rock {Ire}), Galveston (GB) (Frankel {GB}), Green Storm (Ire) (Circus Maximus {Ire}), Minhad (GB) (Universal {Ire}), Nightwalker (GB) (Frankel {GB}), Opportunity (GB) (Frankel {GB}), Puppet Master (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), Regal Ulixes (GB) (Ulysses {Ire}), Wimbledon Hawkeye (GB) (Kameko), Zahrann (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}). TDN Verdict: Amiloc had to miss the Derby, as he is a gelding, so this is very much his Blue Riband and he has looked a formidable talent on the rise in his two starts at Goodwood this term. Given the quality of Aidan O'Brien's middle-distance colts, Puppet Master warrants maximum respect having been targeted at this since his Listed Lingfield Derby Trial win, while The Aga Khan Studs representative Zahrann is another live Irish contender having won Leopardstown's Listed King George V Cup in style. [Tom Frary]. Friday, Royal Ascot, post time: 14:30, THE ALBANY STAKES-G3, £125,000, 2yo, f, 6fT Field: Awaken (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), Balantina (Ire) (Ten Sovereigns {Ire}), Bibi Dahl (American Pharoah), Fairy Oak (GB) (A'Ali {Ire}), Fitzella (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}), Gold Digger (Ire) (Starman {GB}), Green Sense (Ire) (Starman {GB}), Indigo Dawn (Ire) (Nando Parrado {GB}), Ipanema Queen (Ire) (Sands Of Mali {Fr}), Magny Cours (Ire) (Awtaad {Ire}), Nandita (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}), Oh Cecelia (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), Senorita Vega (Ire) (Lucky Vega {Ire}), Signora (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), Spinning Lizzie (GB) (Kameko), Tahalel (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}), Venetian Sun (Ire) (Starman {GB}). TDN Verdict: This looks wide-open, but the money has spoken for the impressive Carlisle winner Venetian Sun and Ballydoyle's Signora who was third on debut behind Lady Iman in Naas's G3 Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Blackbeard Fillies Sprint Stakes. The latter is out of the 2017 Queen Mary winner Heartache, so has the genetics to succeed here and it is obviously expected that she has made significant enough progress from her first day at school to reverse form with that race's runner-up Green Sense. [Tom Frary]. Saturday, Ascot, post time: 15:40, THE QUEEN ELIZABETH II JUBILEE S.-G1, £1,000,000, 4yo/up, 6f 0y Field: Annaf (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}), Elite Status (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), Grand Grey (Ire) (Havana Grey {GB}), Iberian (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Inisherin (GB) (Shamardal), James's Delight (Ire) (Invincible Army {Ire}), Jasour (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), Lazzat (Fr) (Territories {Ire}), Run To Freedom (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}), Sajir (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}), Satono Reve (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}), Storm Boy (Aus) (Justify), Topgear (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Flora Of Bermuda (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), Great Generation (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), Nighteyes (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}). TDN Verdict: As competitive as it gets, this renewal has leading lights coming from multiple countries with last year's G1 Commonwealth Cup hero Inisherin battling to ward off overseas threats. He looked a sharper model on his return at York last month and this track is tailor-made for his style. Last year's G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest winner Lazzat is one of his chief rivals and has a lot to commend him on form and on the clock, while his compatriot Topgear drops back in trip and will be a threat to all if able to tighten up sufficiently. Whether Aidan O'Brien can turn Storm Boy around from his seasonal bow is open to question, but he seems to have his annual midas touch this week while the G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen winner Satono Reve shakes things up even more. [Tom Frary]. Saturday, Ascot, post time: 15:05, THE HARDWICKE S.-G2, £250,000, 4yo/up, 11f 211y Field: Al Aasy (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Al Riffa (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Bellum Justum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Burdett Road (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}), Candleford (Ire) (Kingman {GB}), Epic Poet (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Ghostwriter (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), Palladium (Ger) (Gleneagles {Ire}), Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Space Legend (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Sunway (Fr) (Galiway {GB}), Tabletalk (Ire) (Camelot {GB}). TDN Verdict: Rebel's Romance keeps going and going and there is no reason why he won't stamp his class on this. Ghostwriter may stay a mile and a half, but it is not a given and Al Riffa is probably the biggest threat to Godolphin's globetrotter with first-time blinkers. Candleford has won impressively on his seasonal bow at this meeting before and although that was a handicap, it is an interesting move by William Haggas to come here first time. [Tom Frary]. Saturday, Ascot, post time: 16:20, THE JERSEY S.-G3, £150,000, 3yo, Open, 7f 0y Field: Benevento (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Brian (Ire) (Shaman {Ire}), Caburn (Ire) (Twilight Son {GB}), Comanche Brave (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Dhitjari (GB) (Mehmas {Ire}), Marvelman (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), Noble Champion (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), One Smack Mac (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), Pellitory (GB) (Sergei Prokofiev), Remmooz (GB) (Blue Point {Ire}), Saracen (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), Seagulls Eleven (Ire) (Galileo Gold {GB}), Spy Chief (GB) (Kingman {GB}), Yah Mo Be There (GB) (Mohaather {GB}), California Dreamer (GB) (Mehmas {Ire}). TDN Verdict: Unbeaten and unexposed, Remmooz warrants maximum respect from Owen Burrows who always knows his onions. Second to Henri Matisse in Leopardstown's G3 Ballylinch Stud Stakes in March, Comanche Brave is back to seven furlongs having run fifth in the Irish 2,000 Guineas and gets the Ryan Moore treatment whichis probably worth two or three pounds in itself this week. Joseph takes on Donnacha with Saracen, who was third in a hot renewal of the G3 Greenham Stakes in April and is another unknown quantity. [Tom Frary]. Saturday, Ascot, post time: 14:30, THE CHESHAM S.-L, £110,000, 2yo, Open, 7f 0y Field: Brave Hunter (GB) (Universal {Ire}), Humidity (GB) (Ulysses {Ire}), Tailgunner Joe (Knicks Go), Thesecretadversary (Ire) (St Mark's Basilica {Fr}), Treanmor (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), Waterford Castle (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Zooter (GB) (Australia {GB}), Moments Of Joy (Justify), Venetian Lace (Ire). TDN Verdict: TDN Rising Star Treanmor puts his reputation on the line, having impressed with everything he did on debut at Newmarket. Ballydoyle will have something to say on the matter, with the filly Moments Of Joy the chosen one having opened her account at Leopardstown, while Humidity looked a smart prospect on debut at Newbury and can only improve over another furlong. [Tom Frary]. Click here for the complete fields. The post Black-Type Analysis: Zarigana Aiming For A Straightforward Coronation appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

GI Curlin Florida Derby winner Known Agenda (by Curlin) registered his first career winner in the form of five-length scorer Pure Eloquence at Gulfstream Park Thursday afternoon. First-time starter Pure Eloquence broke sharply and was encouraged to reach the front by jockey Edwin Gonzalez, leading the group of juvenile fillies through an opening quarter of :21.42. Chucky's Ride (Uncle Chuck) chased the leader up the backstretch and into the far turn, but as they turned for home, the pacesetter continued to widen her lead. While the winner was wrapped up under the wire, a distant Chucky's Ride held off Mischievous Scout (Girvin) for second. The winner is out of the unraced mare Lily Margaret, a daughter of stakes-placed So Stylish (Johannesburg), herself a half-sister to European Champion 2-year-old colt One Cool Cat (Storm Cat). A half-sister to GI Del Mar Futurity winner Gaming (Game Winner), Lily Margaret has a yearling filly by Nashville (Grand Opry) and was bred back to Buccero. 2nd-Gulfstream, $43,700, Msw, 6-19, 2yo, f, 5fT, :55.92, fm, 5 lengths. PURE ELOQUENCE (f, 2, Known Agenda–Lily Margaret, by Kitten's Joy) Sales History: $12,000 Ylg '24 KEEJAN; $95,000 2yo '25 OBSMAR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $24,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. O-David Grund and JWS Racing LLC; B-Titletown Racing Stables (Paul Farr) (KY); T-Jack Sisterson. The post Known Agenda’s Pure Eloquence Gives Freshman First Career Winner at Gulfstream appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Godolphin's Trawlerman blew away the field in the Gold Cup (G1) at Ascot Racecourse, winning by seven lengths in a course record time June 19 at Royal Ascot.View the full article

A contingent of U.S. racing investigators will take part in an intensive two-week tour of France and England beginning June 21 where they will visit their counterparts and exchange ideas about integrity issues. The inaugural trip last year included stops at Ballydoyle in Ireland and during Royal Ascot. The participants are members of the Organization of Racing Investigators and the schedule was put together by board member Jason Klouser of the Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission, and local hosts Samuel Fargeat in France and John Burgess in England. The itinerary begins in Paris where investigators will meet with officials from France Galop and Le Trot before touring stud farms like Haras de Beaumont and training centers located at Chantilly Racecourse. In the U.K., the group will see Epsom Downs and Windsor Racecourse, along with the British Horseracing Authority headquarters. Investigators attending: Kassandra Creed–Keeneland Anne Dillon–California Horseracing Regulatory Board Juan Carlos Estrada–Arizona Department of Gaming Mike Keyser–Keeneland Robert Martin–Parx Racing Mike Singletary–The Maryland Jockey Club Kara Vesci–New Jersey Racing Commission Sponsorship of the program comes from Breeders Cup, Hanover Shoe Farms, Keeneland, Parx Racing, Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, The Maryland Jockey Club and the Racing Officials Accreditation Program. The post Second Annual Investigator Exchange Heads To France Then England appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Victory aboard Garden of Eden in the Ribblesdale Stakes (G2) at Ascot Racecourse June 19 gave Ryan Moore his 2,594th winner in Britain, placing him in the top 10 all time among flat jockeys.View the full article

Two Thousand Guineas also-rans Shadow of Light and Jonquil deserve to be the prices they are based on their class edge, but Juddmonte's Babouche is the clear pick of the out-and-out sprinters in the six-furlong Commonwealth (G1) June 20 at Ascot.View the full article

There are no hiding places at Royal Ascot and Falakeyah is set to have her star quality tested when she steps up to the highest level against French One Thousand Guineas (G1) winner Zarigana in the June 20 Coronation Stakes (G1). View the full article

2021 Florida Derby (G1) winner and Spendthrift Farm stallion Known Agenda recorded his first winner as a sire June 19 when Pure Eloquence dominated a five-furlong maiden race on the Gulfstream Park turf.View the full article

ASCOT, UK — If the wait had been a while for Golden Horn to have his first Group 1 winner on the Flat, for the coterie of folk involved with his son Trawlerman it had been a worthwhile one. “He's just like his father – very brave,” said John Gosden as he assessed the performance of Trawlerman in the Gold Cup, Thursday's showpiece event. “When they go wire to wire like that, it takes a bit of doing.” It was something the old warhorse had attempted last year, when still a mere stripling of a six-year-old, only to be headed in the final furlong by Kyprios. With that old foe now permanently off the scene, the way was paved for Trawlerman to add to a tremendous week for the Gosdens' Clarehaven Stables, where his sire, too, was trained to win the Derby and the Arc. As Trawlerman was led back in after his record-lowering effort – the fifth Royal Ascot winner in three days for John and Thady Gosden and the second in the Godolphin blue – Golden Horn's former rider Frankie Dettori was on hand to congratulate William Buick. Though Dettori couldn't cajole him into a flying dismount, Buick was flamboyant in his urging of the crowd's roar for his most valiant of partners. Over the last decade or so, the Gold Cup has often been passed back and forth between Ballydoyle and Clarehaven, with Stradivarius claiming it three times, Kyprios twice, and then Courage Mon Ami handing Wathnan Racing and the partnership of John and Thady Gosden a first victory in the week's most celebrated race. “If anyone is going to go by him they'll know that they've been in a race,” Gosden Sr added of the Godolphin-bred Trawlerman. “With Kyprios not here he deserves that, to come back and show that he's a proper horse. “We like the Cup races – you can have a cup of tea or coffee and a chat halfway through – but also it's so important to have those lovely staying horses for the future of racing in England, Ireland and France.” Casting his mind back to the 1970s and to the turn of foot of treble Gold Cup winner Sagaro, he added, “That is what I like – horses than can go the distance – and then go.” Gosden has gone the distance himself and, at 74, shows no sign of slowing up, especially with a new sprint kick added to the training partnership from his youngest son, Thady. In Westminster on Monday Gosden was one of only two trainers, along with Jim Boyle, to attend a presentation of the report to government from the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Racing and Bloodstock on the looming threat of betting duty harmonisation. There he spoke eloquently, as usual, on the lure of British racing for the major international owners-breeders before bouncing on to Ascot to pick up a Group 1 prize per day. Yesterday he chatted with the future king after Ombudsman won the Prince of Wales's Stakes, and then with the King and Queen following Trawlerman's triumph – and if anyone from government was taking notes, those Group 1s have come for the two biggest patrons of the British turf of the last half-century in Juddmonte and Godolphin. It has been a decade since Golden Horn's great Classic season and he has had quite the year in celebration of that landmark. In many ways this was the perfect race in which to break his Group 1 duck. Trawlerman ran half a mile less than Golden Ace had to when winning the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham, but then she had the small matter of eight flights to jump. Their sire will struggle for popularity with breeders of a commercial mind but he is nevertheless an important crossover sire to have on this isle – one who could get you a Gold Cup winner of either variety. His owner Jayne McGivern is of course his most passionate supporter and took obvious delight in Trawlerman's success. She said, “He throughly deserved this and I do hope this is the first of many races where people recognise the value of a middle-distance, staying stallion like Golden Horn. I worry that we are losing that in Britain.” Garden Comes Up Roses for Breeder Hanly At the other end of the scale for both age and distance, Coolmore's grip on the two-year-old races continued, with No Nay Never's Charles Darwin bossing the Norfolk Stakes, just as True Love, by the same sire, had done the day before in Queen Mary. Aidan O'Brien later landed the Ribblesdale with Garden Of Eden, providing a dream result for breeder Mark Hanly, who produced the daughter of Saxon Warrior with his mother Stephanie. He said, “It doesn't get much better than this. It's gobsmacking. She's incredible, I just didn't see it coming.” Hanly, who is married to the broadcaster Sally Ann Grassick, travelled to Spain to buy Garden Of Eden's dam Komedy (Kodiac) after her full-sister On Her Toes was Listed-placed for Cheveley Park Stud and was quick to credit agent Barry Lynch for his assistance in finding the mare. He continued, “I flew down there, I got a call that there was a filly and these fillies don't hang around. I was in Newmarket and I flew to Madrid straight away to buy her privately. Then I had all the vultures ringing me to try to buy her after her sister won her Listed race, but we sent her to Saxon Warrior, who is a great sire, and here we are.” The post A First Flat G1 for Golden Horn as Trawlerman Joins the Clarehaven Greats appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Rich Mendez will not be able to attend Royal Ascot this week but is acutely aware of the significance of having a runner who rates as a fascinating outsider in the June 20 Commonwealth Cup (G1) with his multiple stakes winner Shisospicy. View the full article

1st-BAQ, $85K, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 1:10p.m. Mathiesen Racing's ELLA GRACE (Nyquist) gets her start for trainer George Weaver, who calls on the services of the red-hot Flavien Prat. Bred by Killora Stud, the Kentucky bred is out of MSP Golden Artemis (Malibu Moon), herself a first-out winner who tasted limited success on the racetrack. Her greatest achievement to date is producing My Conquestadory (Artie Schiller), who also won at first asking in the one-mile GII Summer Stakes in 2013 before adding a victory over a synthetic surface in the GI Alcibiades Stakes at Keeneland. Following the success of My Conquestadory, Golden Artemis brought $1 million while in foal to Artie Schiller at Fasig-Tipton November in 2013 before re-selling for $110,000 to Killora Stud in 2020. She RNA'd for $1.15 million at KEENOV in 2015. A $70,000 KESEP yearling purchase, My Conquestadory brought $240,000 at OBS March before ultimately hitting paydirt in the sales ring when realizing $1.5 million at Keeneland November in 2016. TJCIS PPs The post Friday’s Racing Insights: Half to GISW My Conquestadory Debuts at Big A appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Bouncing out of the G1 Prix du Jockey Club, Ballydoyle's Trinity College (Dubawi) made all to turn Thursday's G3 Hampton Court Stakes into a procession. Sent off the 5-2 favourite having been fourth in that Chantilly Classic, the son of Hermosa (Galileo) was placed on the front end from the outset and had plenty left when asked to kick in the straight by Ryan Moore. Surging to the line to record a 3 1/2-length success from the 2,000 Guineas fourth Tornado Alert (Too Darn Hot), he completed a Group-race Royal Ascot treble on the afternoon for trainer and jockey. Glittering Legend (Too Darn Hot) was a further length away in third. “He could be an Eclipse or an American Derby horse,” O'Brien said. IMPRESSIVE! TRINITY COLLEGE WINS THE HAMPTON COURT STAKES! #ROYALASCOT pic.twitter.com/7wFTbPOU2I — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 19, 2025 The post O’Brien And Moore Royal Ascot Treble As Trinity College Strikes appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Without much notice or attention–the way he prefers it–lifelong racetracker John Pimental is easing back into a sense of shedrow normalcy as spring morphs into summer at Monmouth Park. “It feels good to be back to working–making a living again,” Pimental told TDN one recent afternoon before feeding time. The 70-year-old trainer has five Thoroughbreds bedded down in the same barn his former outfit of eight occupied on the morning of July 28, 2023, when agents for the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) descended upon the modest racing stable he had run for five decades with his wife, Diana. John, a second-generation horseman who had never incurred any medication run-ins with any state racing commission authorities, was shocked to be served with a federal violation alleging that a gelding he owned had tested positive for 193 picograms per milliliter of methamphetamine, a human drug of abuse classified as a “banned” substance. The couple's troubles grew exponentially worse when a HIWU search of their vehicle turned up Levothyroxine, another banned substance. Faced with being ruled off for three years and a $25,000 fine (18 months and $12,500 per violation), John was one of the first trainers in the summer of 2023 to attempt to navigate the unfamiliar framework of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA)'s new Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program (ADMC). HIWU had just started implementing the ADMC one week before Golovkin–sixth and last in a $5,000 claiming sprint–tested positive for meth on May 29, 2023. Nothing in John's five decades of owning, training, working as an outrider and ponying starters at tracks up and down the East Coast had prepared him for trying to defend himself against charges he feared might end the only livelihood he had ever known. The Pimentals believed, but could not prove, that Golovkin's meth positive was a case of inadvertent contamination from contact with something or someone who had handled the gelding between the post parade and the test barn. And while they freely admitted they should not have had any Thyro-L on track property, they tried to explain it was an instance of not realizing a repackaged, three-year-old container of prescription medicine for their 17-year-old pony, Richard, was buried amid the clutter of their truck. Despite their pleas for leniency because of the circumstances and John's clean record, by the time TDN first profiled the Pimentals' plight almost two years ago, in October 2023, John had already given in to what he described as stress and pressure. Under the terms of a “case resolution without hearing” that John told TDN he signed under duress because he didn't have the money to hire a lawyer, John accepted HIWU's three-year ban and $25,000 fine, knowing it might equate to never being able to restart his career. “John's a tough man, but he was crushed during this thing,” said Diana, 67, who has spent her entire life on the backstretch, helping John run the stable while at times working as a jockey agent and in various racing offices. “He was innocent, but they made him guilty,” Diana said. “John was forced off the racetrack. Forced to get rid of the only way he knew how to make a living. We were broke. I mean absolutely broke. We had to start all over again.” Against long odds, the Pimentals have managed to make a fresh start. After his trouble with HIWU became more widely known, John and Diana said they were “blown away” by the support and offers of assistance they received. HISA and HIWU even took notice, and proactively made changes to the ways some drug positives got adjudicated. Those modifications allowed John to get connected to an attorney after his case prompted HISA to initiate a program to provide free legal help for trainers who fall under certain income thresholds. That assistance eventually led to the October 2023 withdrawal of the admission he had signed, then a February 2024 renegotiation of the Thyro-L charges, which reduced his penalties to a 15-month suspension and $10,000 fine. Meanwhile, John's meth charge is currently stayed pending approval of proposed rules that HISA submitted to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in November 2023 regarding lesser penalties for human substances of abuse if HIWU determines the positive was likely a result of an inadvertent transfer. With credit for the time he was provisionally suspended, John returned to training Dec. 4, 2024, at Tampa Bay Downs. After going 2-for-20 during the winter/spring meet there, this spring the Pimentals decided to venture north to Monmouth, retracing the Florida-to-New Jersey path they had followed since relocating a decade ago from their now-closed home circuit in New England. Speaking to John and Diana about their return yields a mix of emotions. They are at once elated to be back in action, with Diana's effusive laugh and John's wry wisecracks punctuating the conversation in an easygoing manner. They also recognize that some of the changes John's case brought about have been beneficial to other horsemen and women. But they say they are still distrustful of HISA and HIWU. On one level, John and Diana have a desire to let the whole thing go and get on with their lives. Yet on another, they remain stung by what the ordeal has cost them, both in terms of money and their well-being. “Yes, we care about other people now being able to get some help,” Diana said. “But it's too bad that we had to be the examples, and I will never be able to get over the money that we lost–ever, ever.” The Pimentals' financial difficulties extended beyond just the $10,000 fine and the $2,000 they spent on split-sample testing. Diana is also factoring in the 15 months of lost income from the racing stable that vanished overnight. “I mean, we worked so hard. And it wasn't like we had put a lot of money away. But we were trying to save so that someday we could retire. Now we've started all over again,” Diana said. “Mentally, John aged,” Diana continued. “And I'm not insulting you, babe!” she added as a playful aside to John before continuing in a quieter tone. “But mentally, he really did. I was really worried about him. He lost a lot of weight. Couldn't sleep. Couldn't get work. “I think if it wasn't for the help of our friends and family, plus our dog, Rosie, things would have been a lot different,” Diana said. HISA's Point of View Lisa Lazarus has been the chief executive officer of HISA since early 2022, taking charge five months before HISA's first racetrack safety regulations went into effect on July 1, 2022, and nearly a year and a half before its ADMC program got rolled out on May 22, 2023. When John's case became widely publicized in October 2023, Lazarus had to mitigate the first serious public relations challenge to ADMC enforcement. Five days after the Pimentals' story initially ran, Lazarus penned a letter published in TDN emphasizing the “tremendous empathy” she felt for John and Diana. But she also stated that the article “implied that HISA and HIWU are devoid of concern for regular horsemen, are looking to wipe out smaller training operations, and are ignorant to endemic drug use on the backstretch of many racetracks. “None of those are true,” Lazarus emphasized nearly two years ago. Now, in mid-2025, Lazarus said she can understand why the Pimentals might still hold a grudge against HISA and HIWU. But she also wanted to underscore the steps she has taken to fulfill the mandate she was first tasked with–guiding the sport through a dramatic period of change. “To start with, I would just say that all of our experiences, since HISA is so new, are important and inform future rulemaking,” Lazarus said in a recent phone interview. “You know, people can criticize HISA any way that they want, but I think one way that people would mostly agree is that we listen and try to be responsive if we think there's something that's not quite working. “Generally speaking, I think the one thing I'll say is I'm very sympathetic to the Pimentals, and I obviously can understand if they still have misgivings,” Lazarus said. “But the one misconception that I always try to clear up is that the anti-doping program isn't just in place to prevent cheating. It's also in place to protect horses for horse welfare reasons,” Lazarus said. “And the reason that Thyro-L is on the prohibited list is because of concerns that the experts have about its use in horses from a horse welfare standpoint. That's the rationale. The rationale is not necessarily that anybody thinks they were cheating,” Lazarus said. “If something is in a horse and it shouldn't be there, or if you possess something that you shouldn't be using on horses, [there are] consequences. And obviously, it was difficult for folks who were some of the first cases that arose,” Lazarus said. Even before John signed the resolution that he later withdrew, HISA and HIWU, in September 2023, had appointed an ombudsman so that trainers would have an impartial and unbiased resource to help explain the daunting new rules and provide guidance at no cost. The person who took on that role was the well-respected Alan Foreman, a Maryland-based attorney specializing in racing law who is also the chairman and chief executive officer of the Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association. It surprised no one who knows Foreman that he pledged to donate all compensation paid to him in connection with his ombudsman duties to the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. In the early stages of that role, Foreman was swamped with inquiries. The Pimentals were among them, although they did not initially know that the services of an ombudsman were available to them. The creation of the HISA/HIWU ombudsman, plus the very public plight of the Pimentals, was the “catalyst” for the implementation of HISA's pro bono legal program, Lazarus said. “What really became clear to me from their situation, and one of the things that really resonated with me, was that no trainer should be in a position where cost is the barrier to full due process,” Lazarus said. “Since then, I think we've probably have granted 15 or 20–maybe even more–lawyers to trainers who can demonstrate that their income is not sufficient. “And we're pretty generous with what those [income thresholds] are,” Lazarus added. “[The Pimentals] had an exceptional lawyer, Howard Jacobs, who has a national reputation for athlete representation, both human and equine. He represented them, and they didn't pay for it. “We also agreed to, if they meet the same income requirements, to pay for [testing of the split] B sample” of an alleged positive, Lazarus said. “And in situations where there's an anti-doping case where the consequences are serious, we've even allowed for [paying for the defense team to hire] expert witnesses and that kind of thing. So we've really tried to address that issue,” Lazarus said. “We've also changed the provisional suspension rules. That is not only because of the Pimentals, but certainly that was one case that shed light on those consequences,” Lazarus said. “The authority to provisionally suspend still rests with HIWU,” Lazarus explained. “They don't have to for every case. We directed them to stop applying it, except for cases where you have multiple violations with the same trainer or a barn search turns up the same substance that was found in the horse. But [provisional suspensions] are now much more rare because of that.” While John isn't provisionally suspended for the alleged meth positive in the gelding he trained two years ago, those charges haven't gone away, either. In response to a TDN email query, Alexa Ravit, HIWU's communications director, detailed where John's case stands: “Mr. Pimental's pending Presence case for methamphetamine is currently stayed pending approval of proposed rules that are before the FTC. The proposed rule change would cap the period of Ineligibility related to human substances of abuse to 60 days if HIWU determines that it has a reasonable basis to conclude that the finding was likely the result of inadvertent human transfer. Until the FTC acts on the proposed rules and his case is resolved, Mr. Pimental is able to race and train uninterrupted,” Ravit wrote. TDN asked Lazarus if it was fair for John (and other trainers facing similar charges) to be kept in limbo for so long while the FTC decides whether or not to approve the rule change. “They're not really 'in limbo' because the provisional suspension is just an interim measure,” Lazarus said. “So their cases are still proceeding. They just are not suspended during the pendency of their case.” But the rule change has been before the FTC for nearly two years, since October 2023. What's taking so long? “Obviously, we're waiting on the FTC,” Lazarus explained. “And the anti-doping rules are specialized. You need a certain amount of expertise. And, as I'm sure you've noticed, there's been a reduction of [federal] government staff, et cetera. So I think all of those factors play into it.” The FTC “doesn't tell us why they're taking a long time,” Lazarus added. “Obviously, we would prefer [quicker passage]. We propose the rules because we want them to be approved. So we sort of sit on the same side as the horsemen on this. But the one thing that we have done is that where the change in the rules would be of benefit to the horsemen, we give them that benefit, notwithstanding the fact that the [FTC rule change] is still pending,” Lazarus said. “We recognize that these are real people with real lives, and we don't take these decisions lightly,” Lazarus said. “But I do think [the Pimentals'] case, amongst others, led to some positive steps forward, and obviously [their difficulties were] a consequence of being one of the first cases.” Riding Out the Winter After the initial publicity of their situation subsided, the Pimentals faced some difficult decisions beyond how John's case would turn out. They first had to help several longtime clients find new trainers for the horses they owned. They also had to give away Richard, who was John's longtime equine partner in his gate-ponying gig. The HIWU ruling also meant they had to take back Golovkin, who had been claimed for $5,000 on the day he tested positive for meth. The gelding had raced twice for different connections, finishing last both times, but that claim got voided by the ruling against John. Given three straight last-place finishes and the fact that Golovkin had to sit out a mandated 60-day period of inactivity, they were having trouble finding anyone at Monmouth who wanted to buy or adopt him. But the Pimentals were flooded with offers after TDN wrote about the gelding, and they eventually found a group of horsewomen in Kentucky willing to retire and rehome the dark bay with the handsome, half-blazed face. The Pimentals with Golovkin and Richard the pony at Monmouth in 2023 | Sarah Andrew John and Diana decided to follow through with going to Tampa Bay Downs for the winter of 2023-24 even though they understood that John would not be allowed to enter the racetrack property or work with racehorses at any nearby farm. Diana still had a job with the racing office there, taking entries in the mornings and working in the photo-finish stand during the races. But their drive south was delayed because Diana had to await clearance from her doctor to travel. She needed to make sure new medication was working to control the high blood pressure that Diana said had spiked during the initial months of their ordeal. When they finally made it to Florida and settled in, John applied for jobs but found it difficult to land interviews. He speculated that being in his late 60s and lacking a traditional resume didn't help. “I know horses,” John said. “What else do I know?” So how did John spend his days? “My dog, Rosie, she kept me busy,” John said of the terrier mutt the couple took in around the time the HIWU troubles first hit. According to Diana, the energetic pup doesn't leave John's side. “And we have a mobile home, so I was painting rooms, doing all kinds of things around here,” John explained. Diana added with a laugh: “Things he's never done before–he even did the laundry! We've been married 51 years, and he'd never done laundry!” Diana's attempt at humor couldn't completely cover how difficult some of their days were. After their story first appeared in TDN, a number of people offered fundraising efforts to help the Pimentals. But the couple respectfully declined any organized offers of financial assistance. “We thanked them and said we don't need any of that,” John recalled. “We couldn't take any money from anybody through GoFundMe. We just had to work through it,” Diana said. Yet having said that, Diana also admitted there were several close friends who pressed checks upon them that the friends refused to take back. “It wasn't a whole bunch, but it was something to get us groceries,” Diana said. “And all three of our daughters really helped us out. If it wasn't for them…” Diana let that last thought go unfinished. In the spring of 2024, John and Diana decided not to return to Monmouth, even though that's where their close circle of friends would be heading for the summer. The couple decided to pare expenses by not traveling and hunkering down until the next Tampa racing season started in November. The two started drawing on their Social Security, and Diana took a job working in a Publix supermarket. John's Suspension Ends Despite tight times financially, Diana doesn't want to dwell on that void without racing, the first summer in both of their adult lifetimes that the Pimentals weren't working on a backstretch somewhere. “We had three miracles happen while all of this was going on,” Diana said, beaming. “We now have three great-grandsons. They're two years old, 10 months, and three months. It's been awesome.” The Pimentals also weathered two hurricanes during John's suspension. Despite widespread devastation in their Florida neighborhood, their mobile home remained relatively unscathed, except for an air conditioner getting blown out. “We were so lucky. All around us homes were wrecked,” Diana said. “We got blessed. God was on our side. I think he said, 'These people have been through enough.'” Diana Pimental | Sarah Andrew Still, as his suspension neared its end in late 2024, John wasn't sure if he wanted to go back to training. But at the urging of a longtime client, Margaret Palomino of Pine Branch Stables, he came around. “I think when one of our owners decided to ask John to train for them again, at first he was like, 'Nah…'” Diana explained. “But deep down inside, I knew his attitude was 'Yes!'” Palomino, a small-scale, Tampa-based breeder and owner, had been in involved in the sport for decades with her recently deceased husband, Juan, a former jockey. “I had some horses on my farm and I had some horses at a training center, and they were ready for the track,” Palomino told TDN. “John's suspension was about to be up, and I kept asking him, 'When are you going to be ready to go back?' and he kept saying, 'I don't know if I want to.' I said, 'Hey, c'mon, this is what you do, and I need some help here!' “John and Diana are really very nice people, and as far as I'm concerned, they didn't do anything wrong,” Palomino said. “That shouldn't have happened to them at all.” Palomino continued: “And it did affect me, because at one time I had maybe a dozen horses with them. I had to all of a sudden scramble around and find another trainer in, what, two weeks, to get my horses off that track according to all these new rules. It was really hard for me, but I managed to do it by finding a trainer at Delaware Park and got things done. “At the time my husband was getting sicker and sicker [from Parkinson's disease]. He passed away this past September, but Juan believed in John and Diana too, and he didn't want to have anybody else training our horses,” Palomino said. “So it was just waiting it out and hoping that John would be able to get back to the track,” Palomino said. Around the same time last fall, Diana said, another longstanding client, Robert Knych, got wind that John was considering a comeback, and he asked if the Pimentals would start scouting for horses to claim on his behalf. “I saw a spark at that point, and he totally became John again,” Diana said. Palomino was asked by TDN what she thought of HISA and HIWU, beyond how the agencies handled John's case. “I think they had the cart before the horse,” Palomino said after a long pause to give the question some thought. “The concept with the medications, everything being on the same equal playing field nationally is a good thing, and I think that's right,” Palomino said. “The ideology was good,” Palomino summed up. “But the methodology, the way things were put into operation, was a little bit heavy-handed.” Overcoming the Aftershocks One day when Diana was working in the Tampa photo-finish stand, she went out to a common area near the stewards' booth to get coffee. Although she couldn't come up with the person's name, she recognized someone affiliated with HIWU who was visiting the stewards and whose face she remembered from the Zoom meetings related to John's charges. Diana said that person recognized her, and came up to offer a polite introduction. Perhaps wanting to defuse an awkward situation, the person said, “I hope you're not going to throw that coffee pot at me.” Diana didn't want to engage in small talk with anyone from HISA or HIWU. But she didn't want to be completely rude, either. “I said, 'Nah, I'm not that kind of person. But you got it wrong. You really got it wrong,'” Diana recalled. “And that was all I said. I wasn't going to go any further or make conversation. I just wanted that person to know that they got it wrong,” Diana said. It took John 11 starts at the 2024-25 Tampa meet to get back in the winner's circle. Then he won right back with the very next horse he saddled. John was glad to be back, but said the experience was unsettling in some ways, because he found himself acting differently around the shedrow. Pimental saddling Victory Girl | Sarah Andrew “You've got to tiptoe around. You've got to make sure nobody goes in your stalls. You've got to be careful with supplements. You have to be careful who you hire to walk a horse up for a race. I tie all my tongue-ties myself. I don't trust anybody else putting their hand's near a horse's mouth. I sit in front of a horse's stall all day now when he's running,” John said. “Allllll day,” added Diana in exaggerated fashion, trying to make light of a trying topic. Then she added more seriously: “But that's the truth. As much as we love the business, you get scared. When the horses were in at Tampa last winter, John was a wreck. You get scared every time you run a horse now.” John said that HIWU officials made themselves subtly known to him early in his comeback. “In Tampa they came by,” John said. “The guy looked at me and said, 'Do you know who I am?' And I said, 'Yeah, I sure do.' And that was about it.” It wasn't until late this spring that John and Diana decided that they'd be able to make a go of it at Monmouth, returning to the familiarity of their circuit. A personal decision they had to make first, though, involved Richard the pony, now nearing age 20. Trainer Don Hunt had been caring for him at Tampa Bay Downs with the open invitation for the Pimentals to take him back any time they wanted to. John missed ponying horses to the gate prior to races, but also recognized that Richard was getting up there in age. When the Pimentals learned from Hunt that “a young man, about 18 years old” had taken an interest in Richard and wanted to give the pony an off-track home, they let him go. “He's just an old man, retired now on a farm in Ocala,” Diana said wistfully. John has hit the board with three of seven starters at Monmouth and Parx since he shipped north this spring. The Pimentals said they have been welcomed by people on the backstretch at the Jersey shore. But there are times they wonder if their reputation has taken a hit. “Like John says, even if you're innocent, you know people are out there thinking, 'What if they really did it?'” Diana explained. The Pimentals said they now routinely follow news involving HISA and HIWU, and are particularly interested in the federal lawsuit involving trainer Phil Serpe, who currently races in New Jersey and New York and is suing HISA over allegations of a wrongful denial of Seventh Amendment rights to a jury trial in a case that involves “banned substance” sanctions from an alleged clenbuterol positive. “When we see some of these trainers that are going through hell, like Phil Serpe, I wish I could donate him money,” Diana said. “But we're just catching up now ourselves, so I can't. I would love to be able to give to his GoFundMe to help all the trainers, like he's trying to do. Because it is wrong. The fines are just outrageous. They ruin you, they really do. “Everybody on the backside has to stick together and be careful,” Diana said. “We love this business, and that's why we do it.” Sarah Andrew photo The post Pimentals Glad To Be Back On Track, But Dealing With the Aftershocks Of a 15-Month HIWU Suspension appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article