Wandering Eyes

A letter sent by CDI's Bill Carstanjen to the Louisiana Racing Commission and state political leaders, noting CDI's intention to surrender its racing license at Fair Grounds, appears unlikely to result in immediate regulatory or legislative relief.View the full article

By Jordyn Bublitz Frank Phelan is hopeful of a strong start to the 2025 New Zealand Amateur Drivers Championships at Cambridge tonight. For well over a decade he’s been a strong force in the North Island amateur driving ranks and this week’s championships will be his third attempt at the title. He is one of 10 drivers taking part at Cambridge tonight and then Addington on Friday and Sunday. “The ultimate goal is to win,” Phelan says, “this year the winner gets to go to the World Champs so it makes it even more important to win, if you get the chance it’s the trip of a lifetime and an opportunity to represent New Zealand.” Phelan kicks off his campaign with Midfrew Lucre in Heat 1 at 6.07pm tonight and he rates the Jay Abernethy-trained gelding as his best drive of the series. “He’s been up a while but hopefully Jay has got him right for the night,” he says. “He’s really competitive in these amateur races and he’s always thereabouts. I think he’ll go a really good race and he’d be the pick of my drives.” Midfrew Lucre is currently a $5 fourth favourite behind Delightful Chic, Billy The Kid and Desert Dawn. A trainer of 30 years, Phelan says taking out his amateur licence felt like the right move after competing amongst open class drivers for 18 seasons. “I had an open horseman’s license and used to like driving a couple of my own, but if I had anything half-pie decent, I’d give (son) Scotty and Jay Abernethy the drives.” he said. “I felt that if you’re not out there all the time it’s just too hard.” “Then the amateurs came along, and after a few years I changed over, and I really enjoy it. It’s nice just having a couple of drives a month and the people out there are really great. We look out for each other.” A stalwart supporter of the amateur ranks, Phelan thoroughly encourages anyone to give it a go. “It’s a great thing to do, if you’re an owner or someone in the background who really loves the horses you’ve got to get out there and see how good it feels to drive.” To place a bet on tonight’s race click here View the full article

By Jonny Turner Where the main chances settle in the running of the Diamond Creek Farm and SBSR Silk Road Series Final is anyone’s guess. At least, that’s the feeling among the camps of several of the favourite runners ahead of the feature event at Ascot Park on Thursday (3.54pm). Francent ($1.65FF) is set to start a warm favourite in the mares’ event after a dominant heat win at Winton for trainer Mark Jones. The four-year-old must start from the outside of the front row under the feature event’s preferential draw, which means she could end up at either end of the field during the running for driver Samantha Ottley. “The 8 draw at Invercargill over 2200m is never easy, but she is versatile,” Jones said. “She has gate speed and she can do a bit of work, so it will be up to Sam to see how things pan out.” While the running of Thursday’s race is beyond Jones’ control, he feels he has his mare in the right shape ahead of her southern tilt. “This series is a nice opportunity for her — she probably showed that in her heat win at Winton.” “I was happy enough with her last start at Addington.” “Initially, I thought she could have run on a length or so better, but in saying that, she will be better for the run.” “Hopefully she is ready to go a pretty good race on Thursday.” Where Mallory Maguire settles in the running looks equally mysterious ahead of Thursday’s feature. The winner of the final heat of the series has drawn barrier 1 on the second row for trainer Alister Black and driver Nathan Williamson. The comeback pacer follows out a rough hope in Classee, who ran a cheeky third behind her at Ascot Park last week. Haley Jaccka heads into the Silk Road Series Final after a narrow second behind Mallory Maguire in her last start. The four-year-old has drawn barrier 3 on the second row, following out an outsider in Aint No Angel. Trainer Brett Gray is hopeful that draw turns out to be a workable one for his mare, who again combines with driver Brent Barclay. “Hopefully the draw will pan out OK for her,” Gray said. “She has had two runs back after a bit of a freshen-up, and she’s better for having them.” “Her work this week has been sharp, and I think she’ll go a nice race.” Gray has a two-pronged attack on the Silk Road Series Final with Always Ticking, who charged home from last on the home turn to run fourth behind Mallory Maguire in last week’s heat. Gray is also hopeful that barrier 6 could be a reasonable draw for the mare. “She has probably drawn the best of the better chances,” Gray said. “Her last run was great and her work since has been good too — she’s a handy chance if she gets any luck.” Starting from barrier 2 on the second row, Remission is also among the top five favourites for the Silk Road Series Final, alongside Francent, Mallory Maguire, Haley Jaccka, and Always Ticking. To place a bet in the race click here View the full article

Ramona S. Bass and Perry R. Bass II's Goliad will get a break from facing grade 1 milers when he drops in class and shortens in distance June 14 in the $100,000 Daytona Stakes (G3T) at Santa Anita Park.View the full article

Augustin Stables' Mrs. Astor, a three-time stakes winner in Southern California, faces the opposite sex for the first time in the June 15 $100,000 San Juan Capistrano Stakes (G3T) at Santa Anita Park.View the full article

California-breds have long been the backbone of California racing. Since 2014, they've represented between 45% and 50% of all starters at Thoroughbred race meets in the state. Over half of all horses currently stabled in Southern California tracks are understood to be Cal-breds. A shrinking foal crop in the state, however, means that racing secretaries will have to rely on fewer of them than is currently the case over the next few years. Modeling performed for the TDN suggests there will be a combined 290 fewer Cal-bred runners competing in California between 2026 through 2028. This is a tough time for the state's remaining breeders as they attempt to forge a commercial footprint in a region with high training costs and purses that can't compete with states propped up by supplemental purse incomes. For the current consolidated model to have a healthy future, however, the number of Cal-breds needs to pick up. With all this in mind, the TDN recently asked some of the state's smaller breeders and other figures this question: What key changes would encourage you breed more Cal-Breds? John and Allegra Ernst At the height of their breeding venture, the Ernsts had about 13 mares. Now, they have eight mares, four in retirement, while the Ernsts bred only one of the remaining mares this year. John and Allegra Ernst | courtesy of the Ernst Family “The other ones we could breed them, but with everything that's going on, we're not doing it,” said John. What would incentivize the Ernsts to breed more Cal-breds, they said, is an idea they first floated the over 10 years ago with the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC), giving Cal-bred owners a minimum $1,000 per-start fee for any race. “In other words, any owner of any Cal-bred should be able to get $1,000 for every start they make,” said John. This start-fee money, say the Ernsts, would be deducted from the purse, with the remaining balance split the usual way between the finishers. The way the Ernsts describe it is as a self-fulfilling prophesy, with greater participation and larger field sizes leading to bigger handle and larger purses. “And then in the future, we can push it up to $1,500–maybe even $2,000 per-start,” said John. “There's incentive for the owners to actually recover some money. And if they can actually run their horse a couple times a month–even if it's not that much–we have a chance of at least recovering some of what we've lost,” said John. “This way, we could see some returns, encourage people that are like us to stay in the business, and encourage other new owners to say, 'hey, I'll go into this and even though I might lose some money, I won't lose as much,'” he added. Adrian Gonzalez As a leading consignor, Gonzalez's business revolves around the sales. As such, he said that changes could be made to the California yearling sale (hosted in September) to make it more appetizing to buyers. Adrian Gonzalez | courtesy of Adrian Gonzalez “We have our entire livelihood come down to one day as a commercial breeder, and it couldn't come at a worse time,” said Gonzalez, saying that its proximity to the marathon Keeneland sale hurts its success. “Going after 4,000 some-odd other yearlings selling, I just don't believe there's an appetite among California buyers to bend,” he said. Instead, Gonzalez floated the idea of a yearling sale during the Del Mar meet, during what he described as the “peak of enthusiasm for racing” in the state. “When you're down there for the summer, everybody's excited about it, and what better time to sell yearlings,” he said. Otherwise, “we'd like to build our own sales venue and have a date that's conducive to working for the California circuit, and not trying to just work around another sale company's calendar,” said Gonzalez, who said he has about 60 mares on his farm this year. The Cal-bred program could also be modified to better cater to turf horses, including the institution of new 2-year-old turf stakes races for Cal-breds, said Gonzalez. As Gonzalez pointed out, there are eight juvenile stakes on the dirt for Cal-breds, and none on the turf. “Obviously, they can run in open races, but that's a taller task,” said Gonzalez, about smart Cal-bred juvenile turf runners. “As a stallion owner and manager, the stats were trying to produce are in black type horses, and we have a limited amount of races for those [on the turf for Cal-breds],” he added. Harris Auerbach The last mare that Auerbach bred in California was in 2019–this from around 25 mares in the state at the height of his involvement. A former vice-chair of the CTBA, Auerbach said the industry here in California–as well as nationally–needs to start thinking “less provincially.” What that could mean for California breeders, Auerbach said, is a multi-state breeding program, consolidating what remains of the industries in the nation's Western and South-Western regions. Harris Auerbach | Fasig-Tipton “California as you know is on an island. Maybe California should pair up with Arizona and New Mexico and Oregon and Washington and British Columbia, and create a regional breeding program that could be of benefit to all the states,” said Auerbach. “We could make it so that all the horses could be eligible to run in races of all different conditions, all different types,” Auerbach said, calling the necessary legislative changes to get such a venture off the ground as large but not insurmountable. “It should have happened a decade ago.” Joe Lacombe San Diego-based Lacombe has six mares, five of them bred this year (and four of them have foaled). Like Gonzalez, Lacombe sees California's one remaining yearling sale as the key focus of reform to lure more customers, especially local trainers and owners who have migrated to out-of-state sales to fill their stalls. “We need to get more value at the sales,” said Lacombe, who said the median sales price is way too low for it to be viable to commercial breeders. The median at last year's Fasig-Tipton Fall Yearlings and Horses of Racing Age sale was $15,000. “No one's going to keep doing this if they lose all the time,” he added. One idea to boost participation at the sale, said Lacombe, could be a tweak to the Cal-bred bonus program for maiden winners, increasing the bonus amount for those who purchase a horse at the sale above that for home-breds. “Now, somebody who breeds a homebred should get something for winning that race. But at the same time, you should pay more for someone who brought a horse, so there's a differentiation there, that you can make more if you buy at the sale,” said Lacombe. There could also be better coordination between the racing office and the horsemens' organizations to create better racing opportunities for Cal-breds, said Lacombe. He says he understands the fix racing secretaries are in–if they write more Cal-bred races, they're going to struggle to fill the open races. “It's a real horse population problem,” said Lacombe. “But look at other state programs–I think there are others that are more in tune with their local-breds,” he said. “Racing and breeding needs to work hand-in-hand.” Dr. William Gray After breeding 27 mares last year, Northern-California based Gray bred 20 mares this year, 16 of which are in foal. Mares and foals | Horsephotos “We don't have a problem with horses–we've got a problem with owners. We don't have enough owners,” Gray said. “The hardest thing for trainers and owners to deal with is that you don't know when a horse is going to get in,” he said. “My own personal experience, that's when a horse gets hurt, when you start holding them for a race. And it's very expensive for owners.” Which is why Gray sees the condition book as ground-zero for change. “It all starts in the racing office,” he said. “The biggest change I would make in racing and in the racing office, I would make a rule: if there's a stated race in the condition book and they get five-head in it, they've got to use it,” Gray said, adding that extras would be exempt from that mandate. More generally, the racing office should be “more inventive” about the races it writes, Gray said. This includes giving more opportunities to horses that haven't won for a period of time, “or that haven't finished first, second or third in, say, six months,” he said. There could also be a mandate on the specific number of Cal-bred races carded per-day, he said. “We used to have a rule that they mandated so many races per-day, strictly for Cal-breds,” said Gray. “If we had more mandated Cal-bred races again, that would certainly help.” Shane Easterbrook Easterbrook this year is standing the only son of red-hot sire Gun Runner in California, the former Brad Cox trained Corporal. Easterbrook said that she and Corporal's other owner have stepped up this year the number and quality of mares they ordinarily keep, in order to support the stallion. “I think he's got great potential,” said Easterbrook, about that decision. As someone still investing in California breeding, Easterbrook said she'd like to see greater involvement in the sport from younger generations–or as she described it, an influx of bright young minds to an industry in need of fresh ideas. “Right now, we're seeing the older generation as they exit the sport, there's not a younger generation coming up through behind them,” said Easterbrook. Partly, that's because of the beating the sport has received publicly in recent years in the mainstream media, said Easterbrook. “And partly there's the financial aspect to it,” she added. So, what would help turn that around? One would be better promotion of the sport. “How do you get the younger generation to get excited, to get involved, to get passionate about horse racing?” said Easterbrook. “What I would like to see is more input, more direction, more leadership as far as trying to get the younger generation involved,” said Easterbrook. “There needs to be leadership to help promote the sport in general in a positive light, rather than what's visualized in the media,” she added. Sonny Pais | courtesy of Sonny Pais Alfred A. “Sonny” Pais Owner-breeder Pais struck gold in recent years with Cal-bred meteor Brickyard Ride, who retired to stud last year at Rancho San Miguel. For Pais, it all comes down to purses. “We do need things to change, obviously,” said Pais. “The purses nowadays aren't any better than they were 10 to 15 years ago.” Which underpins why Pais suggested lengthening the racing calendar afforded Del Mar, with its premium purses in the state. “If we could extend our period, with its purse structure, at Del Mar for another couple of months, that would definitely help,” he said. “You need something to aim at.” The post What Would Encourage California’s Breeders to Breed More Cal-Breds? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A 2-year-old store by Walk In The Park made €230,000 on the bid of Gerry Aherne to top the Goffs Arkle Sale on Wednesday. Sold as lot 457 from the Glenwood Stud draft, the colt is out of G2 Warfield Mares Hurdle heroine Sparky May (Midnight Legend), who ran third in the G1 Sefton Novices' Hurdle. Her best produce is Grade 1-winning hurdler and chaser Stage Star (Fame And Glory). He sold for €110,000 to Richard Frisby during the 2023 Goffs December National Hunt Sale. Leading the 3-year-old stores was a gelding by Nathaniel (lot 389), who sold to Tom Malone and Owen Daley for €200,000. Consigned by Oaks Farm Stables, the bay is a half-brother to Grade 1-winning hurdler Santini (Milan) and Grade 2 victor Rockpoint (Shirocco). Another 14 lots made or exceeded €100,000 on Wednesday, bringing the total over the first two days to 29. The gross was €18,752,000 (+13%) for 349 lots sold from 415 offered (84%). The average was €53,731 (+11%) and the median was €45,000 (+7%). Regarding the 2-year-old portion of Wednesday's session, 16 sold from 23 offered (70%) for an aggregate of €838,500. The average and median in this category was €52,407 and €39,000, respectively. Part 2 of the sale continues on Thursday. “The Arkle Sale makes the Goffs team especially proud as it is now the first choice for so many of the best 3-year-olds offered each year which, in turn, drives all the leading buyers to the sale,” said Goffs Group chief executive Henry Beeby. “The two days have returned a mighty trade of sustained demand especially at the top of the market with 29 six-figure lots comparing very favourably with the 16 to pass that milestone last year so clearly demonstrating the quality of the catalogue and the hunger for the best. In addition, the average of €53,731 is a record for the sale whilst an 84% clearance rate underlines the depth of the market. “Sales ring success has driven vendor support but equally key has been the racecourse performances of Arkle graduates whether at the major festivals or in the point-to-point field.” The post Walk In The Park Colt Tops The Part 1 Finale Of The Goffs Arkle Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Sandal's Song, an intended starter in the June 19 Norfolk Stakes (G2), has become the latest pre-Royal Ascot purchase by Wathnan Racing.View the full article

Carl Spackler impressed in his gallop under Jamie Spencer, with the 5-year-old set to make his debut for Australian handler Ciaron Maher in the Queen Anne Stakes (G1).View the full article

Bishops Bay appears primed to land his fourth consecutive victory when he visits the Jersey Shore in the $150,000 Salvator Mile Stakes (G3) at Monmouth Park.View the full article

Jack Keller, the longtime clerk of scales at Finger Lakes, will be inducted into the track's Hall of Fame June 13.View the full article

Longtime Finger Lakes Clerk of Scales Jack Keller will be inducted into the track's Hall of Fame this Friday, the gaming establishment said in a press release on Wednesday. When Keller arrived at Finger Lakes outside of Farmington, New York in 1967, he figured he would spend a year working as a valet and then move on to another track for his next adventure in the world of racing. One year, however, became 59. “As it turned out, I never left,” said Keller, who is in his 39th season as the track's Clerk of Scales. Keller grew up in Ohio and fell in love with racing when he was going to the track with his father. He then landed a job on the backstretch in 1950, becoming a hotwalker at Ascot Park near Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. He also rode at Ohio fairs but was too heavy to make weight at parimutuel tracks so transitioned to becoming an outrider and then assistant starter across Ohio, working at Ascot Park, Thistledown, Randall Park and Cranwood Racecourse. His racing career includes stops at 17 different racetracks, including a winter in the 1960s as an exercise rider at Hialeah Park for the famous Darby Dan Farm. Keller came to Finger Lakes in 1967 and worked as a valet for twenty years, when he transitioned to the race office. He has been Clerk of Scales for 39 years. The Jockey's Room was named in his honor last year. “Jack has been an institution here at Finger Lakes,” said President and General Manager of Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack Chris Riegle. “His dedication and knowledge of the sport have allowed him to excel at every one of the many positions he has held here throughout the years.” Keller's induction into the Hall of Fame will take place at Friday's annual HBPA meeting and awards banquet. The post Clerk Of Scales Jack Keller To Be Inducted Into Finger Lakes Hall Of Fame appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Godolphin's Racing and Nominations assistant at Jonabell Farm for Darley America joins Ferrin Peterson on this week's Boundless Podcast to discuss the many ways there are to get into Thoroughbred racing. The episode is the first episodei n the Boundless students series, designed to inspire young people to get involved in racing and to learn how to break into the industry. Morgan explains that her role is to handle all administrative tasks for the racing side of Godolphin, as well as vaccination and vetwork and HISA paperwork. She also supervises the aftercare of their herd, under the program they call Godolphin Lifetime, where all geldings are found a lifetime home or transitioned into a second career. Morgan explained that she was not from a racing family, but grew up riding and transferred to the University of Kentucky after two years at a community college near her Maryland home. But she found some barriers to entry, often finding it hard to beat out others with family connections for jobs. She worked as a waitress, and did one season at a breeding farm, and was driving a friend to her job at Mill Ridge when she passed the gates at Jonabell on Bowman Mill Road. She looked up the contact information, sent in a resume at Jonabell, and landed a job at their yearling division in Paris, Kentucky. She switched to mares and foals at the main farm, and gradually transitioned to this job. She offers young people advice on how to ask for, and get help, finding a job in the industry. “You have to get yourself out there and push as hard as you can, especially if you don't have a family in the industry,” she said. The podcast is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, or is available on YouTube by clicking here. The post Godolphin Racing and Nominations Assistant Katelyn Morgan on Boundless appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Chad Brown seeks a fifth win in the Eatontown Stakes (G3T) at Monmouth Park June 14 with a pair of runners, Maggie Go and Whiskey Decision, that make their barn and year debuts.View the full article

A filly by Frosted (hip 279)–the first horse on the track Wednesday morning–turned in the co-fastest :9 4/5 furlong time so far at the under-tack show for the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's June 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale and that mark was equaled later in the session by fillies by Honest Mischief (hip 180); Midshipman (hip 327); and Higher Power (hip 340). Through two of five sessions of the June under-tack show, seven juveniles have now hit the :9 4/5 mark. The gray filly by Frosted is out of graded winner Dixie Serenade (Uptowncharlybrown) and is a half-sister to stakes winner Dixieland Belle (More Than Ready). She is consigned by Robbie Harris's Harris Training Center. “A :9 4/5 surprises everybody, but we knew she was a fast filly,” said Harris. “We actually had her in [OBS] April [sale], but we never even got a chance to prep her or breeze her. She came up with a little thing with her foot, so we just gave her time and she rewarded us for it. An old man told me once, you take care of the horse and he will take care of you. And I'm a firm believer in that.” Harris, along with longtime farm manager Carlos Garcia, purchased the Pennsylvania-bred filly for $30,000 at last year's OBS October sale. “I just loved her,” Harris said of the filly's appeal last fall. “She is a real pretty filly with good balance. I own her with my farm manager, Carlos, who has been with me a long, long time. I am excited for him.” Harris sent out four horses to work over the synthetic surface at OBS Wednesday and the consignor said conditions seemed fairly consistent throughout the session. “I thought it was pretty solid all the way through,” Harris said. “We went all the way through from :9 4/5, :10 flat, :10 1/5, :10 2/5. And that's kind of how those horses came into it. No shockers. The last page kind of hurts some guys when it gets hot at the end. But I think it was pretty fair all morning.” Casey Seaman's Crystal Eclipse Stable sent out a New York-bred filly by Honest Mischief to share the furlong bullet Wednesday. Bred by Sequel Stallions NY and Scott Miller, the dark bay filly is out of Blue Hen Madness (Any Given Saturday). McKathan Bros. Sales sent a filly by Midshipman out for her :9 4/5 work shortly after 10 a.m. Wednesday. The bay juvenile is out of multiple stakes-placed Freedom Come (Lit de Justice) and is a half-sister to graded winner Harlem Rocker (Macho Uno). Purchased by Heather Maytham for $7,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October sale, the filly RNA'd for $40,000 following a :10 flat work at the OBS March sale. The next horse on the track, a filly by Higher Power, set the bullet mark for Angel Hernandez's Hernandez Stables. The New York-bred bay is out of the unraced Gold Anklet (Lemon Drop Kid) and is a half-sister to stakes-placed Little Daddy (Scat Daddy) and to the dam of graded winner and Grade I-placed Mo Plex (Complexity). She was purchased as a weanling for $10,000 at the Fasig-Tipton New York-bred Mixed sale in 2023. A day after sending out bullet workers at a furlong and a quarter-mile, Blue Sapphire Stables had another quarter-mile bullet when a filly by Caravaggio (hip 252) covered the distance in :20 4/5. The gray is out of Curl the Pearl (Curlin), a half-sister to graded winners Chitu (Henny Hughes) and Beautiful Gift (Medaglia d'Oro). Purchased for $6,500 at Keeneland last September, she RNA'd for $9,000 the following month at OBS. Also sharing the :20 4/5 quarter-mile bullet Wednesday was a filly by Cloud Computing (hip 229) consigned by Omar Ramirez Bloodstock. Bred by Green Lantern Stables, the dark bay is out of stakes winner Clever Beauty (Indian Charlie) and RNA'd for $18,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton July sale. The under-tack show continues through Saturday with sessions beginning each day at 7:30 a.m. The June sale will be held next Tuesday and Wednesday. Bidding begins both days at 10 a.m. The post Fillies Dominate at OBS Wednesday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The star of her division last fall, 2-year-old champion filly Immersive is finally set to make her 3-year-old debut June 14 at Churchill Downs in the $175,000 Monomoy Girl Overnight Stakes.View the full article

The International Conference for the Health, Safety, and Welfare of Jockeys will take place Dec. 11-12 in Hong Kong. View the full article

Natural Rise toyed with the opposition in the June 11 Tokyo Derby at Oi Racecourse before winning with ease and moving within one win of sweeping Japan's Dirt Triple Crown.View the full article

The International Conference for the Health, Safety and Welfare of Jockeys (ICHSWJ) will take place in Hong Kong on Dec. 11-12. The conference, which is being organised by the Jockeys Health and Wellbeing Committee (JHWC) of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), and is proudly supported by The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC), will take place between the International Jockeys' Championship (IJC) and the Longines Hong Kong International Races (HKIR). “Jockey health, safety and welfare are all non-negotiable aspects of our sport,” said JHWC chair Darragh O'Loughlin. “This year's conference will take a deep dive into a wide range of topics that play a crucial role in improving the lives of jockeys, while also facilitating meaningful networking opportunities between attendees from around the world.” The 2025 conference, themed Performance Medicine in Racing – Developing and Protecting the Jockey, will take an applied, evidence-based approach featuring impactful presentations followed by dynamic panel discussions with leading experts in the field. For more information, please visit the ICHSWJ website. The post International Jockeys’ Conference Scheduled For December appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Roger Devlin has been appointed by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport as the Chair of HBLB for four years from 1 July 2025. Devlin is currently Chair of Persimmon, the FTSE housebuilder, as well as a Director of the Sutton Trust, the leading social mobility charity. He also co-owned and co-bred multiple Group 1scorer Pyledriver. He commented, “I am honoured to be invited to chair the Levy Board at a time of considerable challenge, but also opportunity, for racing. My focus will be consistent with the Levy's key objectives – to promote investment and employment in racing; to enhance racehorse welfare wherever possible; to improve the reputation of the sport and thereby generate increased interest. I look forward to working with my fellow Board members and the wider team, as well as racing and betting organisations, in pursuit of these goals. “I am very mindful of building on Paul Darling's considerable legacy to the Levy Board and would also like to thank Anne Lambert for her good work as Interim Chair.” The post Roger Devlin Appointed As HBLB Chair appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

It's been a magical year so far for jockey Junior Alvarado, who rode Sovereignty (Into Mischief) to victories in the GI Kentucky Derby and the GI Belmont S. They were the first wins in the Triple Crown series for the 39-year-old native of Venezuela, but they surely won't be the last. Alvarado now rides regularly for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, whose stable is loaded with talent. But Alvarado almost missed the Derby assignment. He fractured his shoulder blade in a Mar. 23 spill at Gulfstream. He would definitely miss the GI Florida Derby and doctors warned him he might not be ready to ride in the Derby. Alvarado would hear nothing of that and worked overtime to be ready for the first leg of the Triple Crown. What was it like to think you might have the best 3-year-old in the country but wouldn't be able to ride him in the Derby? That was one of many questions our team asked Alvarado on this week's Thoroughbred Daily News Writers' Room Podcast presented by Keeneland. Alvarado was the Gainesway Guest of the Week. “I remember laying in the bed right there with my agent next to me,” Alvarado said. “I kept telling my agent, 'I think I may have a fracture. I can handle pain. I've been through a lot of injuries and I knew that this one was worse than normal. Then the doctor told us I had a fractured scapula. I asked if I could come back in a week a they said, no, no, no. You have a completely fractured scapula. You will have to probably be out between six to eight weeks. So like right there, just, I remember looking at my agent and I'm like shaking my hand. I thought 'why does this have to happen to me?' Like why these things keep happening to me? Like, God, why? Like, why?” He went to see a doctor who had treated him before in Saratoga for a second opinion and got a much different diagnosis. This doctor said that if he followed his instructions he would be back well before the Derby. It worked as Alvarado returned on Apr. 16, just 23 days after the accident. The combination of Bill Mott and Alvarado has worked out nicely for both individuals. “When I moved to New York, I had Mike Sellitto as my agent,” Alvarado said. “He's a very good, close friend to Bill Mott. That's how we started it. I will say probably six, seven, eight years ago now, I used to ride all those nice horses in the morning. Then, the mount in the afternoon would go to guys like Mike Smith or Joel Rosario. I remember my agent telling me, just keep working, keep working. You're going to have your time and when you have your time, then you'll take. By working a lot of his horses in the morning, I came to understand what Bill really likes to do with his horses, with the babies, how he develops the horses. Every trainer has a different mentality and different way to approach their training method. I just fit pretty well with what Bill was doing and I like the way he does it. I started getting more chances and more opportunities from him. I was able to perform well in the afternoon and that's how more opportunities kept coming my way.” Alvarado has won 421 races for Mott, 65 graded stakes and $51.5 million in purse money. Sovereignty isn't the first good horse Alvarado has ridden for Mott. No one will ever forget the story of Cody's Wish (Curlin) and Cody Dorman. Alvarado said he was never more nervous than when he was aboard Cody's Wish. “That was very special, he said. “It was completely different than riding Sovereignty. With Sovereignty I was always calm. Riding Cody's Wish, I felt lot of pressure every single time I was riding him. I didn't want to be the one who made a mistake and be the villain of the beautiful story of that was happening. That was always in my mind, like I cannot make mistakes, I can't do anything wrong, can't overdo it. I can't do anything to get that horse beat because all the eyes are on me and I'm going to look like the bad guy if he got beat. But every time we won I felt so much happiness.” In our “Fastest Horse of the Week,” segment, which is sponsored by WinStar, we went over the many reasons there are breed to the WinStar stallion Cogburn. The fastest horse of the week was Ways and Means (Practical Joke), who got a 111 Beyer for winning the GII Bed o'Roses S. The 111 was the highest Beyer number assigned to any horse this year. Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by the KTOB, the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders' Association, West Point Thoroughbreds, 1/ST Racing and 1/ST TV, the team of Randy Moss, Zoe Cadman and Bill Finley went over not just the Belmont but all the Grade I stakes action over the weekend at Saratoga. The question was asked, “Would Sovereignty have swept the Triple Crown if he had run in the Preakness?” The consensus was yes. The post Junior Alvarado Joins TDN Writers’ Room Podcast, Presented by Keeneland appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

United States trainer Wesley Ward will not saddle any runners at Royal Ascot for the first time since 2012 after pulling plans at the last minute to send over a juvenile team headed by the unbeaten Outfielder.View the full article

The catalogue for the Goffs London Sale, held in association with Fitzwilliam Sports and Privat 3 Money on June 16, has grown to 27 lots after late additions, which include Ali Shuffle, Bone Marra and Green Storm. Lily Agnes Stakes winner Ali Shuffle is one of 18 lots set to be sold with engagements at Royal Ascot which begins the day after the sale on Tuesday, June 17. Trained by Karl Burke and unbeaten in three starts, the daughter of A'Ali is set for the G2 Queen Mary Stakes. Joining her are Wolverhampton debut winner Bone Marra. He is pointing to either the G2 Coventry Stakes or the Listed Windsor Castle stakes and is by Starman. Charlie Johnston sends Green Storm, by Circus Maximus, to the sale off a seventh-place finish in last Saturday's G1 Betfred Derby. He was Group 1-placed as a juvenile. Other lots added to the sale in recent days are the Curragh maiden winner Bonus Time (Too Darn Hot) who is pointing for the G3 Jersey Stakes, and Mo Chroi (Galiway), who won a 10-furlong Fairyhouse maiden. Goffs Group chief executive Henry Beeby said, “We're thrilled with the catalogue for this year's London Sale. It features a superb selection of horses, from Group 1 performer Ghostwriter to high-class French and German prospects and a host of Royal Ascot contenders, as well as two exciting stallion shares. With major owners from around the world set to attend, we're preparing for fireworks in the ring on Monday.” The post Ali Shuffle, Bone Marra And Green Storm Added To Goffs London Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. The following rulings were reported on HISA's “rulings” portal and through the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit's (HIWU) “pending” and “resolved” cases portals. Resolved ADMC Violations Date: 06/09/2025 Licensee: Victor Barboza, trainer Penalty: None. Case dismissed. Explainer: Barboza had faced a medication violation for the use or attempted use of a Class C controlled medication on Gayles Evening during the race period, an event dated 3/2/25. According to the final ruling of the internal adjudication panel, regulatory veterinarian Dr. Teichner had allegedly witnessed Barboza's assistant administer an oral substance to Gayle's Evening prior to the race on March 2. Teichner allegedly observed this while she was “outside of the barn, in her vehicle, looking into the barn,” the final ruling states. But the panel dismissed the case because “no physical evidence, investigator testimony, or photographic proof was presented to support this allegation.” Date: 06/06/2025 Licensee: Mike Miceli, trainer Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horses' Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points; Treated as 1 violation with Pistol Liz Ablazen under 09/08/23 HISA Guidance. Admission. Explainer: Medication violations for the presence of Dexamethasone—a controlled substance (Class C)—in a sample taken from Wildcat Annie, who won at Aqueduct on 2/15/25; and from Piston Liz Ablazen, who finished second at Aqueduct on 2/21/25. Date: 06/06/2025 Licensee: Mike Miceli, trainer Penalty: 7-day period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on June 7, 2025; Disqualification of Covered Horses' Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $1,000; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points; Treated as 1 violation with Montauk Mystique under 09/08/23 HISA Guidance. Admission. Explainer: Medication violations for the presence of Dexamethasone—a controlled substance (Class C)—in samples taken from Montauk Mystique, who finished second at Aqueduct on 3/28/25, and from Mighty Atlas who won at Aqueduct on 3/21/25. Date: 06/05/2025 Licensee: Roshan Samsundar, trainer Penalty: 7-day period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on June 6, 2025; Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $1,000; imposition of 2 Penalty Points. Admission. Explainer: Medication violation for the presence of Caffeine—a controlled substance (Class B)—in a sample taken from Carbon, who won at Aqueduct on 3/14/25. Date: 06/05/2025 Licensee: Carl Cunningham, trainer Penalty: A fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Final decision of HIWU. Explainer: Vets' list medication violation for the presence of Phenylbutazone—a controlled substance (Class C)—in a sample taken from Prince Pierre on 4/22/25. Date: 06/04/2025 Licensee: Eric Reed, trainer Penalty: 15-day period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on June 5, 2025; Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $2,500; imposition of 2 Penalty Points. Admission. Explainer: Medication violation for the presence of Gabapentin—a controlled substance (Class B)—in a sample taken from She's a Saint, who won at Mahoning Valley on 4/8/25. Pending ADMC Violations 06/09/2025, Arthur Agostini, trainer: Pending violation for the use or attempted use of a Class C controlled medication on That's My Cat during the race period, an event dated 12/27/24. 06/06/2025, Tanner Tracy, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violation for the presence of Phenylbutazone—a controlled substance (Class C)—in a sample taken from Rockets Sister on 5/8/24. 06/05/2025, Dr. Jason Scott, veterinarian: Pending violation for the possession of Pitcher Plant Extract (Adenosine Phosphate)—a banned substances—for an event dated 2/13/25. 06/05/2025, Vance Childers, trainer: Pending out-of-competition medication violation for the presence of Testosterone—a banned substance—in a sample taken from Childersattack on 10/16/24. Violations of Crop Rule Penn National Wesley Ho – violation date June 7; $250 fine, one-day suspension The post National Regulatory Rulings, June 5-11, 2025 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Editor's note, by Dan Ross: Despite the New York Racing Association's efforts in recent years to limit Computer Assisted Wagering (CAW) participation in the Win, Late Pick Five, and Pick Six pools, the influence these teams exert in terms of last-cycle betting impacts appears to be growing in several other key pools, according to research conducted by economics professors Marshall Gramm and Nick McKinney, both of Rhodes College in Tennessee. Indeed, they found that since 2022, the percentage share from CAW players of monies wagered last-minute into the Exacta, Trifecta, Superfecta and Early Pick 5 pools (among others), has grown significantly. Why is this a problem for trainers, owners and other industry stakeholders? With worsening CAW encroachment within these betting pools has come growing attrition from racing's average punters, turned away from the sport by the competitive imbalance. And with the nation's purses fueled primarily by wagering monies, this is placing the economic future of the sport into the hands of fewer and fewer deep-pocketed and influential gamblers. The Gramm-McKinney report appears below. Measuring CAW Participation and Growth Through NYRA Pool Restrictions By Marshall Gramm and Nick McKinney Large betting syndicates employing Computer Assisted Wagering (CAW) have become a powerful force in the horse racing industry, contributing significant handle but also disrupting betting pools with large, last-second wagers. These last-cycle bets cause sharp odds fluctuations that frustrate traditional horseplayers and undermine confidence in the game's integrity. Despite growing concern, little public data exists on the scale or growth of CAW activity. Using data from the past four Aqueduct Winter meets, we have estimated the size of CAW participation and how it has grown. Our findings suggest CAW teams now account for a much larger share of wagering than just a few years ago. Armed with sophisticated wagering models, CAW teams place thousands of individual bets in the final seconds before post time. They use real-time odds to fine-tune their positions while keeping their activity hidden from the broader betting public. Their ability to flood the pools with targeted bets at scale, combined with rebates that often return half the takeout, gives them a significant edge over conventional horseplayers. A recreational bettor might play dime superfectas at Saratoga using the box or key functions, spreading across dozens or even hundreds of combinations into a 24% takeout with limited efficiency. CAW teams, on the other hand, submit massive volumes of single-combination, optimally crafted superfecta bets executed with precision and boosted by substantial rebates. Last-cycle wagering provides a measure of CAW activity, as anecdotal evidence and industry experience suggest that a significant portion of their money enters the pools in the final moments before post-time. We can gain insight into where and how CAW teams participate by examining the share of total handle wagered during this period, particularly by comparing pools where their access is restricted to those where they are free to participate. The New York Racing Association (NYRA) restricted CAW access to its Win pool to combat sharp odds fluctuations. Additionally, it barred the teams from participating in the Late Pick Five and Pick Six, thereby offering a more level playing field for traditional horseplayers. These restrictions offer a rare opportunity to estimate both the size and growth of CAW wagering activity. NYRA's Pick Five pools are particularly valuable for this type of analysis because they impose different restrictions within the same race card. NYRA racetracks typically offer at least two Pick Fives per card: an Early Pick Five (races 1-5) and a Late Pick Five (last five races). All Pick Fives have a 50-cent minimum and a 15% takeout. Importantly, CAW teams are excluded from the Late Pick Five but may participate freely in the Early Pick Five. Despite often featuring higher-quality races, the Late Pick Five consistently draws lower handle, likely reflecting CAW exclusion. The table below shows the average share of each pool wagered during the final betting cycle, just before the race begins and the pools close. Over the past four Aqueduct winter meets, the share of last cycle handle in the Early Pick Five rose sharply, from 8.4% in 2022 to 32.0% in 2024 before falling slightly to 28.8% in 2025. The Late Pick Five, by contrast, showed only modest growth over the same period, increasing from 2.2% in 2022 to 9.4% in 2025. The gap between the two pools, those with and without CAW access, serves as an estimate of the share of wagering driven by CAW teams. This gap grew from 6.2 percentage points in 2022 to a peak of 23.0 points in 2024, highlighting the rapid expansion of their participation. While the roughly 20 percentage point difference in recent years supports the view that CAW teams make up around 20% of the Early Pick Five pool (a figure consistent with industry estimates), the pace of growth is more striking than the level itself. Estimating CAW participation in other pools is less precise, as their betting activity likely varies by pool depending on model strength and the perceived inefficiency of each market. In general, CAW betting volume increases with wager complexity, with heavier involvement in exotics, such as trifectas and superfectas, than in straight bets, like win or place. Still, last-cycle activity offers a useful proxy. In 2022, 11.0% of Win pool handle was wagered in the final cycle, compared to 17.5% for Exactas and 20.9% for Trifectas. By 2025, those figures had grown to 16.8%, 44.3%, and 47.6%, respectively. The gaps between Win and Exacta or Trifecta pools more than tripled, from 6.5 and 10.9 percentage points in 2022 to 27.5 and 30.8 in 2025. In the most recent meet, more than half of the Superfecta handle was bet in the final cycle. While less definitive than the Pick Five comparisons, these figures suggest that CAW teams now account for at least 30-35% of the Trifecta and Superfecta, up from around 10% just three years ago. This analysis does not intend to single out NYRA. On the contrary, other racetracks should adopt the same CAW restrictions that NYRA has applied to the Win pool. Significant late odds shifts undermine bettors' confidence in the integrity of the pools and alienate new players accustomed to fixed-odds sports wagering. While exotic pools at other tracks also exhibit significant last-cycle movement, none have experienced as sharp an increase as those at NYRA. It's important to remember that last-cycle wagering is only a proxy for estimating CAW involvement. The true scale of CAW participation remains opaque, known only to their ADWs and the racetracks. Not all last cycle money comes from CAW teams, just as some CAW wagers likely enter the pools earlier. The use of advanced data modeling is a natural progression in the evolution of horse betting, and CAW teams are not inherently problematic in their pursuit of an edge. In a less-than-zero-sum game, once-profitable strategies inevitably become obsolete as better methods and sharper competition increase. The concern lies not with their sophistication but with the speed and concentration of their wagering activity. The flooding of pools in the final seconds destabilizes prices and undermines the parimutuel system. Pierre Oller's invention was brilliant in its simplicity: the house takes a fixed cut, and winning bettors are paid from the pool rather than from the operator's pocket. Unlike fixed-odds sports betting, a winning horseplayer can continue to wager freely, often increasing handle over time. But the parimutuel system was never designed to accommodate large volumes of money flooding the pools in the final seconds. In the pre-simulcast era, such strategies were logistically impossible when all bets were placed at the window. Technology has dramatically expanded the capabilities of bettors, but it also demands new safeguards. Restrictions on batch wagering should be extended to all visible pools, including Win, Place, Show, Exacta, and Double, to limit last-second price distortion. Just as critically, the rebate gap between CAW teams and ordinary bettors must be narrowed. Ideally, this would be achieved through across-the-board takeout reductions, improving fairness and sustainability across the entire wagering ecosystem. Unfortunately, NYRA's last-cycle betting volume shows that the problem isn't stabilizing; it's worsening. The post Gramm-McKinney Study Shows Late CAW Activity in NY Pools is Growing appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article