Blood-Horse

Champion national hunt trainer Paul Nicholls and staff moved six horses from their stables in Highbridge after a nearby river burst its banks. This led to the yard in Ditcheat being flooded, with water reaching as high as the horses' knees.

Eclipse Award-winning jockey Joel Rosario begins his first winter stay at Santa Anita Park since 2020-21 with three rides Jan. 5.

Despite a 6.6% growth in December wagering during a spike in average field size, betting on Thoroughbred racing in the United States declined 3.7% in 2023 to finish just below $11.66 billion. Last year, wagering totaled nearly $12.11 billion.

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Daily Racing Form, and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters today announced the winners of the 2023 media Eclipse Awards in six categories.

Pons grew up on his family's Country Life Farm. After graduating from The John Carroll School in 1971, he began work as an assistant for Hall of Fame horse trainer Henry S. Clark, and then managed Country Life Farm through the late 1970s.

Ma Yetal, an impressive 3-year-old colt by Flameaway, stole the thunder from older runners on the Jan. 5 World Cup Carnival card with a victory in the UAE Two Thousand Guineas Trial, promising more to come.

Stonegate Stables bred the colt out of the Mineshaft mare Meteoric Matron.

Spendthrift Farm's Kopion, a stylish winner at first asking for trainer Richard Mandella, makes her stakes debut against a compact field of five in the Jan. 7 $100,000 Santa Ynez Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park.

Reigning Sovereign Award-winning owner Bruno Schickedanz, who topped the standings during meets at Woodbine, Fort Erie, and Gulfstream Park last year, also finished first across a broader metric in 2023—by wins throughout all of North America.

Two veteran lawmakers are trying, for the third legislative session in a row, to legalize fixed-odds betting on Thoroughbred racing and to permit sports wagering self-service betting kiosks to be installed at tracks, stadiums, and other facilities.

This stud farm open house listing will be updated as announcements are released.

Spendthrift Farm has contributed $50,000 to support the Light Up Racing initiative. Light Up Racing is a community-driven effort dedicated to shaping the future of thoroughbred horse racing by promoting transparency, awareness, and accountability.

Godolphin topped the individual breeders list in North America in 2023 with $20,911,250 in earnings. Godolphin, which also topped the list in 2021 and 2022, bred 201 starters with 175 wins, 176 seconds, and 131 thirds out of 1,007 starts.

Peter Berringer, president of the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society Ontario, has elected to step down after serving 23 years on the board of directors, the organization announced Jan. 4.

Behind a deep and balanced stable in 2023, trainer Brad Cox topped the list of leading trainers by North American earnings for the second time in three seasons.

A former assistant to the legendary Bobby Frankel and a licensed trainer for more than 50 years, Eddie Truman announced on Monday that he had sent his final horse to the track on New Year's Eve morning at Santa Anita Park.

Perfect Drift, the popular gelding who won or placed in 32 of 50 starts from 2001-08 and earned more than $4.7 million, was euthanized Jan. 4 due to complications from an old paddock injury, according to Dr. Bryan Reed of Stonecrest Farm. He was 25.

Multiple grade 1 winner Mind Control sired his first reported foal Jan. 4 in New York. The bay filly is the first foal out of the winning Freud daughter Gentle Annie.

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1T) runner-up Valiant Force will try the dirt surface for the first time in $100,000 Limestone Stakes Jan. 6 at Gulfstream Park.

Nick Jonsson's two-time group 1 winner, See It Again, leads a 13-horse field in the Jan. 6 King's Plate (G1) at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth Racecourse in Cape Town.