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Updated: 3 weeks 5 days ago

Saratoga Barn Under Quarantine Following Strangles Positive

Thu, 2025-06-26 13:14

A group of horses located in Barn 66 at Saratoga Race Course have been put under a 14-day quarantine by the New York Racing Association and the New York State Gaming Commission due to a positive case of strangles.

Tenacious Child (McKinzie), an unraced 2-year-old filly trained by George Weaver and stabled in Barn 66, was tested for a number of potential ailments over the weekend, and a positive test for strangles was returned Wednesday night.

In addition to Barn 66, horses under the care of Weaver stabled in Barns 60 and 63 will be monitored for symptoms as part of a precautionary quarantine protocol that will remain in place through Saturday, as directed by the New York State Department of Agriculture.

The standard infectious disease protocols implemented by NYRA and NYSGC include restricting access to the horses in the affected barns, establishing a 24-hour security watch, mandating regular temperature checks for the horses in that barn and enacting biosecurity measures for all individuals requiring access to Barns 60, 63 and 66.

Horses in those three barns will not be permitted to enter races or train among the general horse population at this time. NYRA is actively working to relocate quarantined horses to an alternate facility where they will have access to isolated training hours.

Beyond the quarantine protocols currently in place, NYRA has enacted no additional restrictions over shipping horses in and out of Saratoga.

Strangles is a contagious bacterial infection that generally affects a horse's respiratory system and causes symptoms similar to those of strep throat in humans. When properly diagnosed and treated, strangles is not considered a life-threatening infection and horses recover fully.

The post Saratoga Barn Under Quarantine Following Strangles Positive appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Admiral Dennis Targeting West Virginia Derby

Thu, 2025-06-26 11:56

After collecting a breakthrough victory in the inaugural Delaware Derby June 14, 'TDN Rising Star' Admiral Dennis (Constitution) will be pointed to the GIII West Virigina Derby at Mountaineer Aug. 3.

The Albaugh Family Stables colorbearer sat much closer to the pace than usual in second and drew off in the stretch to score by an impressive 3 1/4 lengths, good for a career-high 95 Beyer Speed Figure.

He was previously a frustrating and late-running sixth after losing contact with the field in the GII Rebel S. at Oaklawn Feb. 23 and a rallying fourth, beaten three lengths, in the GI Blue Grass S. at Keeneland Apr. 8.

“After the Blue Grass, we decided that we were gonna give him 60 days and regroup for the year and see if we could hit some of these summer Derbies,” Albaugh Family Stable's General Manager Jason Loutsch said. “Initially, it looks like it was a good decision to freshen him up a little bit.”

Loutsch continued, “The plan was to get him involved early (in the Delaware Derby). I didn't expect him to be that close to the lead, obviously. It was a new dimension. I'm just hoping that he's a maturing 3-year-old that can keep developing and have a great 4-year-old year as well.”

Admiral Dennis, one of 77 stakes winners worldwide for leading sire Constitution, is the first foal out of the stakes-winning Gulf Coast (Union Rags), who hails from the extended female family of the legendary A.P. Indy. The $425,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase is trained by Brad Cox.

Admiral Dennis was profiled in our 'Second Chances' series following a debut third at Churchill Downs last September.

“We've always thought an awful lot of him,” Loutsch said.

The inaugural Delaware Derby goes to #3 ADMIRAL DENNIS!

A big win by the son of @WinStarFarm Constitution, who is trained by @bradcoxracing for @Albaughstables. @luanmachado85 in the irons. pic.twitter.com/bIBSbiisJm

— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) June 14, 2025

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Graded Stakes Winning Stallion Simplification to Shuttle to Argentina

Thu, 2025-06-26 10:36

Simplification (Not This Time–Simply Confection, by Candy Ride {Arg}), winner of the 2022 GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth Stakes, will stand the Southern Hemisphere breeding season at Haras Carampangue in Argentina, Turf Diario reported. The 6-year-old, who will shuttle back to Pleasant Acres Stallions in Ocala where he began his stud career in 2024, was brought to Argentina under a partnership between Haras Juan Antonio, Stud RDI, and El Wing.

“We were approached by Roberto Vignatti, who really liked the horse and suggested we look into him,” Ignacio Pavlovsky of Haras Carampangue told Turf Diaro. “I watched all 16 of his races and was impressed by his speed, consistency, and durability–he never got an easy trip. We traveled to the U.S. with Endrigo Gennoni to see him in person, and his conformation and his foals blew us away. Then RDI joined in–we already share Ivar–and now the whole group is really excited. He's got the looks, the pedigree–being out of a Candy Ride mare–and I've always loved Not This Time. A new stallion brings fresh energy, and we're all very motivated for what's to come.”

In addition to his win in the Fountain of Youth Stakes, Simplification also won the Mucho Macho Man Stakes and was second in the GIII Holy Bull Stakes and third in the GI Curlin Florida Derby before a fourth-place effort in the 2022 GI Kentucky Derby. He also hit the board in the GIII West Virginia Derby and GIII Harlan's Holiday Stakes in 2022 and in the GII Gulfstream Park Mile in 2023.

On the board in nine of 16 lifetime starts, Simplification retired with three wins and earnings of $873,110. He stood the 2025 season at Pleasant Acres for $6,500.

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Tropical Racing Picks Up Tap The Champagne for $350,000 from Inglis Digital USA June Sale

Wed, 2025-06-25 18:20

The Inglis Digital USA June Sale closed Wednesday, topped by 4-year-old filly Tap the Champagne (Tapit–Champagne Royale, by French Deputy), who was owned, trained, and offered by Pavel Matejka. Sold as hip 6 and most recently placed second in a turf maiden special weight at Churchill Downs June 18 for Matejka, Tap the Champagne brought $350,000 in a final bid from Tropical Racing. The gray is a half-sister to GISWs Majestic Harbor and Danza.

The June sale closed with 21 horses sold from 29 offered for a total of $560,000 and an average of $26,666. Horses that finished under their reserves are still available to purchase on the Inglis Digital USA site. It marked the second consecutive Inglis Digital USA sale where a horse has traded for $300,000 or more.

“We've had a good run the last two months, but it all comes down to offering the right types at the right time,” said Kyle Wilson, Senior Director of Sales and Recruiting for Inglis Digital USA. “There was a feeling this morning that we were going to have some fun, but you never really know until the sale starts to close. A big thank you to everyone who participated in the sale. On to July now.”

Stuart Morris, Director of Bloodstock for Tropical Racing, added: “We were very happy with the process that was provided by Inglis Digital USA. Pavel Matejka was a delight to buy off of, and Inglis provided all the information and customer service you like to see as a buyer, very professional and a pleasure to work with.

“I was very happy to advise on the purchase of this lovely filly for Troy Levy of Tropical Racing and Circle 8 Ranch, and this marks another significant purchase in building a super exciting list of horses for Troy and trainer Michelle Nihei.”

Tralee Girl (Mendelssohn–Kerry Girl, by Pioneerof the Nile) also surpassed six figures during the sale, selling to James Ensom for $110,000 as hip 7. Consigned by trainer Miguel Clement, the 3-year-old filly broke her maiden June 5 during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga, winning by a neck on the lawn against New York-breds.

“I'm thrilled to get this filly,” said Ensom. “She'll head to Woodbine and be trained by Martin Drexler.”

Entries are now open for the Inglis Digital USA July Sale. Entries will close Monday, July 21, with the catalogue to be released Friday, July 25. Bidding will start Wednesday, July 30.

The post Tropical Racing Picks Up Tap The Champagne for $350,000 from Inglis Digital USA June Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

National Regulatory Rulings, June 19 – June 25

Wed, 2025-06-25 16:38

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 (HIWU)'s “pending” and “resolved” cases portals.

Resolved ADMC Violations

Date: 06/20/2025

Licensee: Edward Barker, trainer

Penalty: 7-day period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on June 21, 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 Mepivacaine-a Class B controlled substance-in a sample taken from Cajunette, who finished second at Finger Lakes on 5/12/25.

Pending ADMC Violations

06/25/2025, Francisco Rodriguez, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violation for the presence of Methamphetamine-a banned substance-in a sample taken from Driver's Ed on 5/9/25.

06/24/2025, Norm Casse, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violation for the presence of Acepromazine-a Class C controlled substance-in a sample taken from Lookster on 5/25/25.

06/24/2025, Brittany Russell, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violation for the presence of Omeprazole (GastroGard)-a Class C controlled substance-in a sample taken from Magico on 5/20/25.

06/24/2025, Lynn Chleborad, trainer: Pending medication violation for the use or attempted use of a Class C controlled substance on Count de Monet during the race period dated 5/17/25. Count de Monet did not make a start that day.

06/24/2025, John Salzman, trainer: Pending medication violation for the use or attempted use of a Class C controlled substance on Had to Have Him during the race period dated 5/16/25. Had to Have Him did not make a start that day.

06/24/2025, Manuel Alejandro Chavez, trainer: Pending medication violation for the use or attempted use of Caffeine and Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO)-Class B and C controlled substances respectively-on Moringa during the race period dated 5/1/25. Moringa did not make a start that day.

06/23/2025, Scott Lake, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO)-a Class C controlled substance-in a sample taken from Texas Air Force, who finished second at Parx Racing on 5/19/25.

06/23/2025, Saffie Joseph, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Ranitidine-a Class C controlled substance-in a sample taken from Whiskey Park, who finished second at Gulfstream Park on 4/20/25.

06/23/2025, Dale Romans, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Methocarbamol-a Class C controlled substance-in a sample taken from Defiant Lass, who finished second at Keeneland on 4/11/25.

06/20/2025, Ruben Sierra, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Dexamethasone-a Class C controlled substance-in a sample taken from Juan Mo Time, who did not finish a race at Gulfstream Park on 5/16/25.

06/20/2025, Angel Sanchez-Pinero, trainer: Provisional suspension for a pending medication violation for the presence of bronchodilator Albuterol (Salbutamol)-a banned substance-in a sample taken from Gone Boy, who won at Aqueduct on 4/19/25.

06/18/2025, James Nicholson, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violation for the presence of Phenylbutazone-a controlled substance (Class C)-in a sample taken from Sheer Dominance, who won at Parx Racing on 5/17/25.

Violations of Crop Rule

Los Alamitos

Ricardo Ramirez – violation date June 21; $250 fine, one-day suspension

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Carry Back Up Next for Unbeaten Here Comes Francis

Wed, 2025-06-25 15:57

The two-for-two 'TDN Rising Star' Here Comes Francis (Improbable) will make his next start in the Carry Back S. going seven furlongs at Gulfstream Park July 4. He worked five furlongs in a bullet :58.62 (1/3) in Hallandale Beach June 20.

“After the Carry Back, my plan is to run him in the (GI) Allen Jerkens (Memorial S. at Saratoga Aug. 23),” trainer Victor Barboza, Jr. said.

“He's run two times and is a very fast horse. I think middle distances–seven furlongs, one mile–are perfect for him. Step by step, he's more focused now.”

Here Comes Francis posted a razor sharp, wire-to-wire debut win over next-out winner Pursuitneversleeps (Ghostzapper) going six furlongs at Gulfstream Mar. 15, good for a 97 Beyer Speed Figure. He earned his 'Rising Star' badge by 5 1/4 lengths, also in front-running fashion, in an optional claimer at Tampa Bay Downs Apr. 26. His final time of 1:16.09 for 6 1/2 furlongs that day was just 0.62 seconds off the track record.

Jeff Kresnak's Arcadia Michigan Stable went to $250,000 to acquire Here Comes Francis after powering through a :9 4/5 breeze on his left lead at last year's OBS April Sale. He was previously a $100,000 Keeneland September yearling.

Here Comes Francis hails from the first crop of the gone-too-soon Improbable. His unraced dam is a daughter of the talented Tar Heel Mom (Flatter), a three-time graded winner at sprint distances and runner-up to Hilda's Passion (Canadian Frontier) in the 2011 GI Ballerina S.

“Francis was always the best horse in my barn,” Barboza said. “He's a very professional and smart horse. His first and second workouts were impressive, you immediately knew you had a good horse on your hands.”

Barboza is also the previous trainer of this year's GIII Gotham S. winner Flood Zone (Frosted). The $45,000 OBS June graduate was purchased privately by Wathnan Racing and transferred to trainer Brad Cox after breaking his maiden for Barboza at second asking at Gulfstream Park for owners Big Frank Stable, Enrico Ascione, Guy Mancini and Veb Racing Stable Corp. Seventh in the G2 UAE Derby, Flood Zone is entered to make his next start in Sunday's Maxfield S. at Churchill Downs.

“Flood Zone is a very good horse,” Barboza said.

Here Comes Francis • Samuel Marín • Víctor Barboza, Jr. #TampaBayDowns pic.twitter.com/WD4PLunXn0

— Pascual Artiles (@artilespascualf) May 1, 2025

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Incoming Jockey Club Chairman Everett Dobson Basking in the Glow of an NBA Championship

Wed, 2025-06-25 14:39

Everett Dobson admits there were a lot of anxious moments on the path to this year's NBA championship. But Dobson, an owner and breeder who operates Cheyenne Stables and Candy Meadows and is a minority owner of the Oklahoma City Thunder, says he was ready for them.

“When you have a horse going into the gate for a Grade I race there is a level of anxiety and excitement and your heart is pounding,” said Dobson, who will take over as the Chairman of the Jockey Club this August. “That is what it feels like to be playing in the NBA finals. The difference is an NBA finals game will last almost three hours while a horse race lasts a couple minutes. But it is a similar feeling. You're on edge and you are excited and nervous. It's obviously an incredible experience.”

To make it to the championship, the Thunder were forced into a seventh game in two rounds of the playoffs, including the finals against the Indiana Pacers.

“Were there anxious moments? To say that least,” Dobson said. “We beat Denver in a Game 7 and we won this series against Indiana in a Game 7,” he said. “It highlights the importance of having the best record in the NBA because you are assured that, if it is a seven-game series, it will be played on your home court regardless of who you are playing. That gave us a little comfort knowing we were going to be in front of our home crowd if this does go to 7. That's exactly what happened. It was an exciting finish, to say the least.”

It was a good year for racing people who are involved in other sports. Vinnie Viola, who operates St. Elias Stable along with his wife Theresa, is the owner of the Florida Panthers. The Panthers wrapped up their second straight Stanley Cup final when defeating the Edmonton Oilers earlier this month.

The group that owns the Thunder is made up of seven individuals, all of them from Oklahoma. They bought the Seattle Supersonics in 2006 and moved the franchise to Oklahoma City in 2008. The seven owners also make up the board of the Thunder. Dobson is listed as a managing partner. The chairman is Clayton I. Bennett.

Forbes estimates the team is worth $3.65 billion. The team was bought for $350 million.

“I like the asset class, I like the NBA,” Dobson said. “It's been a very good financial investment. It's been an incredible story.”

Oklahoma City is far from a metropolis. Oklahoma City is 20th largest city in the U.S. When it comes to the television it is the 47th largest market.

Dobson said that being in a small market can have its advantages.

“You wouldn't have thought it was a small town if you rode in the parade,” Dobson said. “They were estimating over a half-million people were at the parade. Now they're estimating that it was more like 600,000, maybe close to 700,000. We are the only big-league sport in the state. We have a population of 4 million in the state and we get the attention of all 4 million. Everybody in the state takes ownership. We don't have to worry about dividing their attention with other big-league sports. If you look at our metrics across things that are relevant like attendance and season ticket sales, we're actually in the top third in NBA.”

The NBA does not resume playing until Oct. 21. That should give Dobson time to immerse himself in his new job with the Jockey Club.

“It would be aspirational to think that horse racing could grow to the level of our big-league sports like the NBA,” he said. “It is still a very important sport and there are a lot of good things that are happening in the sport right now. I understand that it has its challenges that need to be addressed.

“With the horse we have to be able to tell their story quickly because their careers don't last long. But these horses can be compelling stories. The Triple Crown, Saratoga, Del Mar, the Breeders' Cup, those are all compelling stories. Creating stars is a challenge. You just have to step up and deal with it.”

Dobson isn't planning on being an absentee chairman when it comes to the Jockey Club. Though not yet officially the organization's chairman, he's already gotten to work.

“Racing has its challenges that need to be addressed and will be addressed,” he said. “I'm really optimistic about the future of horse racing.”

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Amended Regulations For Entry Examination by Attending Vet Take Effect July 1

Wed, 2025-06-25 14:08

Amendments to the Entry Examination by Attending Veterinarian, 810 KAR 4:030, Section 17, will take effect July 1, 2025, according to a release by the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation Wednesday.

The changes will be applied to entries for races occurring on or after July 1, 2025. Entries for Ellis Park's opening day on July 3, 2025, close June 26, 2025.

The amended regulation states:

Section 17. Entry Examination by Attending Veterinarian.

(1) A horse shall only start if:

(a) The horse has been examined by an attending veterinarian licensed by the veterinary regulatory body in the jurisdiction where the examination occurs within three (3) days after the close of entries and no later than two (2) days before the race; and

(b) The attending veterinarian certifies and electronically submits a report to the Equine Medical Director or its designee that the horse is in serviceable, sound racing condition.

(2) The examination required by subsection (1)(a) of this section shall include, at a minimum, examination of the legs and observation of the horse at rest and while jogging.

(3) If the attending veterinarian who examines the horse prescribes a diagnostic test as part of the evaluation of the horse's soundness, the results of the test shall be provided to the corporation's veterinarian no later than one (1) day before the horse is set to start.

The attending veterinary records and report may be submitted electronically through EquiTaps or the HISA database. Questions may be addressed to Alicia Ritter at Alicia.Ritter@ky.gov or 502-545-3212.

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Bernie Sams Kicks Off New Agency in Time for Fasig-Tipton July

Wed, 2025-06-25 13:48

It has taken more than 40 years in the industry to build the resume, but it's a pretty good bet that there's not a more well-rounded, experienced person at the helm of a bloodstock agency than Bernie Sams.

Sams will launch a new chapter in that storied career with the debut of BF Sams Bloodstock Advisory, which will be representing clients at a sale for the first time under that banner in July at Fasig-Tipton.

Sams has worked for farms large (Claiborne, Gainesway) and small (Wimbledon, Manchester), at home and abroad, spending two years in France. He started out as a stallion groom, worked in the stallion shed, worked for businesses like Matchmaker and the American Championship Racing Series, and agencies like Reynolds Bell Thoroughbred Services. He has created, fortified and managed broodmare bands, and overseen the careers of some of the most successful stallions in the history of the sport.

But for the first time, now he will be doing it for himself.

“I looked at different ideas for what to do when I left Claiborne, and this worked out to be the most logical,” said Sams, who will work out of the Muirfield Insurance offices. “Michael Levy was kind enough to give me some office space over here. I'm excited.”

Sams left Claiborne after 23 years on the job as Bloodstock and Stallion Manager, and said that his reception as an independent has been an enthusiastic one, and that he was prepared to help owners and breeders with everything in his arsenal.

“I would like to be able to help people with the sales,” he said. “I would like to be able to help people purchase mares. I'd like to be able to help people with matings. I would like to be able to help buy seasons and shares. And after doing the matings or if you're interested in buying shares, help with the share purchases, and I'm going to do more equine insurance than I've done in the past.”

After attending the University of Kentucky, interested in joining the racing industry, Sams worked as a stallion groom at Wimbledon Farm and Gainesway. At the latter, he met Jacques Permin, whose father owned a stud farm in France. Permin invited him to work with his family at the Haras de Roiville, about an hour south of Deauville.

“I probably learned more there than I did at the other jobs, which were just groom jobs, because his mom and dad were good to me, and his father took me to the races, to Chantilly, to the training centers, and I probably started to learn more about looking at horses, and how to care for them, raise them.”

He spent two years there before the Norman winters caught up to him. “It started raining there in around October,” he said. “And it rained until April. You'd literally spend five months walking through mud. The spring was great, and the summers were fine, but the winters could wear you out after awhile.”

He returned to Kentucky to work at Manchester Farm with Wayne Sweezey, spent two years with Bobby Powell, and another couple of years at Overbrook Farm before taking a job at Matchmaker.

“I will say, working at Matchmaker was great because I learned the business part of it,” he said. “Syndicates and shares and buying and selling seasons. It wasn't so much mating horses, but more how syndicates and stallions were managed in Central Kentucky. Then we did the American Championship Racing Series. You learned all about the racetrack. We'd leave town and be gone for week here, a week there, hustling nominations. I wouldn't have done any of that if I'd have stayed here and worked on a farm. I probably learned as much there as I had from anybody at that point.”

Bernie Sams with his son and Instagram wizard, Bernie III | courtesy Bernie Sams

But a couple of years after Graham Beck purchased Gainesway Farm, Pat Payne recruited Sams to return, this time selling nominations. His first year there, Unbridled and Cahill Road were both retired to the farm. He later spent six years working with Reynolds Bell selling seasons and shares and jointly managing the Gainsborough Stallions-Elusive Quality and Quiet American–before his 22 years at Claiborne.

So what's his specialty, he was asked?

“What do I think I'm good at?” he said. “I think I'm good at managing stallions and helping to syndicate stallions and identifying young horses that I think will make successful stallions. And I think I've been good at buying mares at all levels that have gone on to be producers. So I think it is more, for me, it's probably at this point been the breeding end of it. Stallions and mares.”

Now, he's setting up an Instagram account, @Bfsamsbloodstock–or his son Bernie is doing it for him–and learning to promote himself. “My man's got it all dolled out and there's a couple of posts on there now and I was like, `wow. That's pretty impressive, bud. Thank you.'”

After all the experience and all the people he's worked for, now he's doing it for himself and his family. And it has been more than okay.

“It's been fantastic,” he said. “People have reached out to say, `congratulations, good luck,' et cetera. I've had two or three people call asking for advice about horses, I'm looking at the racetrack now to help manage placement of stallions and help with the broodmares. So it has been good. Now, it's just a matter of turning some of these phone calls into money.”

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Fasig-Tipton To Offer Trainer Bonus At July Selected Yearling Sale

Wed, 2025-06-25 10:24

Fasig-Tipton will award a bonus of $25,000 to the trainer that purchases the highest number of yearlings at its upcoming July Selected Yearling Sale, according to a press release from the auction company on Wednesday.

To receive the bonus, the trainer will need to be in attendance at the sale and sign the ticket for each yearling purchased personally.

The auction, scheduled for Tuesday, July 8 in Lexington, Kentucky, kicks off yearling sales season in North America with a precocious group of yearlings selected by Fasig-Tipton's inspection team.

“The July Sale is a truly a trainer's sale,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “It offers early maturing, athletic yearlings selected more on physical than pedigree. Our goal with this bonus is to encourage as many trainers as possible to attend the sale and take advantage of the quality that we have to offer.

“The quality of horses offered in July is reflected in the sale's performance statistics,” he said. “July is ranked number one among major North American yearling sales by percentage of stakes winners, stakes horses, and two-year-old winners, and number two by percentage of Grade I winners and graded stakes winners, trailing only our Saratoga Sale.”

The catalogue may be viewed online and in the Equineline sales catalogue app. Print catalogues are now available from all Fasig-Tipton offices.

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First Winner for Freshman Knicks Go at Horseshoe Indianapolis Tuesday

Tue, 2025-06-24 18:07

Taylor Made Stallions resident freshman Knicks Go (Paynter) was represented by his first career winner Tuesday when Ziggity Zag came from off the pace to score at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

Campaigned by Flying Dutchman, the Kentucky bred filly was installed the 3-1 second choice for this unveiling. Reserved in a stalking position as longshot Dreaming Collect (Collected) carved out an opening quarter mile in :22.50, the grey kept the pacesetter in her sights through a :47.26 half. Asked for more by Nic Juarez turning for home, she found the early leader tough to run down late, however, she was able to get to the front in the final jump, winning by a neck. Favored Nanina (Ger) (No Nay Never) closed to be third.

The first foal out of Lounge Act (Creative Cause), Ziggity Zag has a foal sister by Beau Liam.

Knicks Go won at the Grade I level at two, four and five. Winner of the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile in track-record time in 2020, he returned to win the 2021 GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream and later closed out the season with a victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar. Additionally, he also took the GI Whitney Stakes earlier that summer. He rounded out his career with 10 career wins and just under $10-million in earnings.

 

6th-Horseshoe Indianapolis, $32,000, Msw, 6-24, 2yo, f, 7 1/2fT, 1:29.66, fm, neck.
ZIGGITY ZAG, f, 2, by Knicks Go
1st Dam: Lounge Act, by Creative Cause
2nd Dam: Hallelujah Trail, by Gilded Time
3rd Dam: Runaway Aly, by Alydeed
Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $19,200. O-Flying Dutchman Breeding and Racing; B-Boardshorts Stables LLC (KY); T-Brian A. Lynch. Click for the Equibase.com chart

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After 800 Jamaican Wins, Trainer Gets First U.S. Win

Sat, 2025-06-21 21:21

Gary Subratie, a trainer who has saddled more than 800 winners in Jamaica, recorded his first U.S. win Saturday at Gulfstream Park. His charge Rogers Park (Kantharos) captured the sixth race, a $12,500 maiden claiming event going 1 1/16 miles on the all-weather surface. Trevor R. James owns the 4-year-old filly, whom Subratie claimed May 18 from Saffie Joseph, Jr. for $12,500. Saturday's win was her second start for Subratie.

“I grew up in Jamaica, but I got my license at Calder. I ran a couple races at Calder [in 1997] and went back to Jamaica,” said Subratie. “I said, 'Let me go home and get things going.'

“It's been a long time coming. My owners have been pushing me to come here. I started my career here. I'm going to give it a shot. It's never too late.”

Subratie trains a stable of six at Gulfstream and also had four runners entered at Jamaica's Caymanas Park Saturday.

“I've always looked forward to racing at Gulfstream,” he said. “To get my first winner was: 'Yes!'

“We're trying to build. It's not going to happen overnight. It's coming along nicely, and I'm pleased and happy with the horses I have right now.”

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Mo Plex Aces Two-Turn Test in Ohio Derby

Sat, 2025-06-21 18:43

He may have taken a right turn out of the starting gate and drifted in the lane, but Mo Plex (c, 3, Complexity–Mo Joy, by Uncle Mo) made a beeline for the finish line in the nine-furlong GIII Ohio Derby, gliding through his first attempt at two turns with efficacy. Chunk of Gold (Preservationist), recently profiled on these pages after his GI Kentucky Derby ninth, was second, while McAfee (Cloud Computing), the GIII Peter Pan Stakes runner-up and half to Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna), was third.

Entered in the June 4 Mike Lee Stakes going seven furlongs at Saratoga, Mo Plex was forced to scratch when one of trainer Jeremiah Englehart's horses tested positive for strangles and the barn was placed under a two-week quarantine. No horse stabled in the barn was allowed to race or train among other horses at Saratoga, but they were permitted isolated training sessions on the Oklahoma training track following the rest of the horse population's scheduled training hours. While not allowed to race, Mo Plex missed no training time and registered two bullet works on the Oklahoma during the quarantine, including four furlongs in :48 2/5 (1/64) June 13. Englehart reportedly routed Mo Plex to the Ohio Derby as the colt was ready for a race and the timing was right.

Bred in New York by Everything's Cricket Racing, the R and H Stable runner kept pacesetter Clever Again (American Pharoah)–last seen also showing the way in the GI Preakness Stakes after three straight wins to start his career–honest through fractions of :23.42 and :47.75. Despite Mo Plex sitting just off his flank with McAfee threatening to join the fray from third, Clever Again motored on nicely through the first six furlongs with his ears flicking back and forth. Jockey Joseph Ramos and Mo Plex pounced on the turn, looked Clever Again in the eye, and drove clear while drifting in the stretch when Ramos encouraged him with a left-handed stick. Ramos swapped the crop to his right as Mo Plex put an exclamation point on his afternoon, pulling away by two lengths in the final sixteenth as Chunk of Gold chased him home.

A $27,000 RNA at Fasig-Tipton's New York-bred yearling sale in 2023, Mo Plex sold as a 2-year-old in training for $45,000 to JCE Racing at the 2024 OBS Spring sale. Unveiled by Englehart a year and a day before the Ohio Derby in a statebred maiden special weight during Belmont's Aqueduct meet, Mo Plex trounced his foes by 10 lengths, then put together a three-race winning streak which included the GIII Sanford Stakes and Saratoga's statebred Funny Cide Stakes. After closing out his year with placings in the GI Champagne Stakes and Sleepy Hollow Stakes, he revved up again after a 4 1/2-month freshening with another placing in the Gander Stakes. He was last seen winning the Apr. 18 Bay Shore Stakes at Aqueduct, where he notched the highest Beyer Speed Figure–an 88–of his career. Although never off the board, until Saturday all of Mo Plex's career wins had been at seven furlongs or less, while he had not won in his previous three attempts at a mile. His final time for the 1 1/8 miles of the Ohio Derby was 1:50.72.

Pedigree Notes:

One of two graded/group winners by young Airdrie stallion Complexity, Mo Plex also is one of seven black-type winners for his second-crop sire. Winner of the 2018 GI Champagne Stakes, Complexity closed out 2024 among North America's top five leading freshman sires by earnings, while finishing in a tie for the most black-type winners and the most graded winners. He remains among the top five of his crop for 2025 as well, with four stakes winners on the year and an initial 2-year-old winner from his second crop already in the books.

Mo Plex is the first foal for his unraced dam, Mo Joy, a granddaughter of 1997 GIII Florida Oaks winner and GI Ashland Stakes runner-up Anklet. Like herself, Mo Joy's own dam was unraced. A daughter of the late Uncle Mo, whose 25 stakes winners out of his daughters include 2025 luminaries Thorpedo Anna, Journalism, and Nitrogen, Mo Joy has a 2-year-old colt by Maximus Mischief, a yearling colt by Improbable, and a Mar. 27-foaled colt by Independence Hall.

 

O-R and H Stable; B-Everything's Cricket Racing (NY); T-Jeremiah C. Englehart.

#10 MO PLEX ($12.80) got the lead coming to the stretch and pulled away to win the $500,000 Ohio Derby (G3) at Thistledown. @JockeyJoeRamos was up for trainer @jceracingstable and owner R and H Stable. Congrats to all the connections! pic.twitter.com/J58LqXAdaE

— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) June 21, 2025

Saturday, Thistledown
OHIO DERBY-GIII, $500,000, Thistledown, 6-21, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:50.72, ft.
1–MO PLEX, 126, c, 3, by Complexity
            1st Dam: Mo Joy, by Uncle Mo
            2nd Dam: Gold Anklet, by Lemon Drop Kid
            3rd Dam: Anklet, by Wild Again
($27,000 RNA Ylg '23 SARAUG; $45,000 2yo '24 OBSAPR).
O-R and H Stable; B-Everythings Cricket Racing (NY);
T-Jeremiah C. Englehart; J-Joseph D. Ramos. $300,000.
Lifetime Record: GISP, 8-5-1-2, $745,000. Werk Nick Rating: A++.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Chunk of Gold, 126, c, 3, Preservationist–Play for Gold,
by Cairo Prince. ($2,500 Ylg '23 FTKOCT). O-Terry L. Stephens;
B-Brereton C. Jones (KY); T-Ethan W. West. $100,000.
3–McAfee, 126, c, 3, Cloud Computing–Sataves, by Uncle Mo.
($40,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP). O-Black Type Thoroughbreds,
Swinbank Stables LLC, Judy B. Hicks and Scott C. Rice; B-Judy
Hicks (KY); T-Richard E. Dutrow, Jr. $50,000.
Margins: 2, 2, 4 3/4. Odds: 5.40, 1.20, 3.10.
Also Ran: Extradition, Brereton's Baytown, Clever Again, Bohemian Style, Capo Luca. Scratched: Curvino, Master Controller. Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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Mystik Dan Faces Sierra Leone in Next Saturday’s Stephen Foster, Undercard Includes Thorpedo Anna

Sat, 2025-06-21 15:55

GI Kentucky Derby hero Mystik Dan (Goldencents) will square off against old foe, GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic winner, and 'TDN Rising Star Sierra Leone (Gun Runner), plus G1 Dubai World Cup champ Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}) and GISW sprinter and 'TDN Rising Star' Mindframe (Constitution) in next Saturday's 44th running of the $1-million GI Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs, which is a “Win and You're In” qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Classic.

The last time Mystik Dan and Sierra Leone faced one another was in the 2024 Derby, when the former took home the coveted title by a nose over the latter.

Run at nine panels, the Stephen Foster headlines a 12-race program beneath the Twin Spires that also includes the 50th running of the GII Fasig-Tipton Fleur de Lis Stakes, which is a “Win and You're In” race for the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff. Horse of the Year and 'TDN Rising Star Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) takes on four others.

Supporting stakes on the undercard include the GII Wise Dan Stakes; the GIII Kelly's Landing Stakes; the American Derby Stakes; and the Tepin Stakes.

First post is 12:45 p.m. (all times Eastern) with the Stephen Foster scheduled as the 11th race at 6:03 p.m.

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Heat Shelves Racing Saturday at Canterbury and Monday at Finger Lakes, Parx Cancels Monday-Tuesday

Sat, 2025-06-21 13:25

With excessive heat across much of the eastern side of the United States through the weekend, Canterbury Park has elected to cancel its Saturday card, according to a tweet from the track on Saturday morning.

The Northern Stars Turf Festival, which was slated for Saturday, will be rescheduled for June 28 with entries taken June 22. As for the Sunday card, Canterbury plans to move back first post from 1 p.m. CT to 5 p.m. CT.

Officials at the Minnesota track said, “With projected heat indexes in excess of 105 well into the evening and the safety of horses, jockeys and staff working outdoors being paramount, Canterbury Park has canceled today's races.”

Officials at Finger Lakes made a similar decision, according to a Saturday evening press release. Monday's racing at the New York track has been cancelled and will be moved to Thursday, June 26. The racing office will be open Monday for June 30 entries.

Parx Racing outside of Philadelphia has nixed its cards due to extreme heat forecasted for Monday, June 23 and Tuesday, June 24, the track said via X on Saturday morning. Temperatures are expected to reach into the upper 90s.

Canterbury Park Cancels Saturday Racing Due To Heat; Sunday Program moved to 5 PM

With projected heat indexes in excess of 105 well into the evening and the safety of horses, jockeys and staff working outdoors being paramount, Canterbury Park has canceled today's races. pic.twitter.com/OzLMMBGfbj

— Canterbury Park (@CanterburyPark) June 21, 2025

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Immigration Reform: “It’s Insanely Difficult”

Fri, 2025-06-20 17:26

Tuesday's immigration raid at Delta Downs–which resulted in the reported apprehension of 84 undocumented individuals–reminds industry stakeholders once again of a frustrating conundrum.

On the one hand, they must navigate an environment of ramped-up immigration enforcement, and the potential that what happened at Delta Downs could happen at any other racetrack around the country. On the other, they face a long-broken system that makes sourcing legal immigrant workers a bureaucratic nightmare.

“It's insanely difficult,” said trainer Doug O'Neill, about a visa system that's necessary to properly staff the racetrack backstretch.

“Though [many immigrant workers] may not have been fortunate to have a lot of schoolhouse education, they have a PhD in horse-care. It's virtually impossible to get someone out of high school or college [in the U.S.] and have them be able to learn, and have the work ethic, to do what is needed,” O'Neill said, adding how the raid at Delta Downs has unnerved horsemen and women around the country.

It was all the way back in 1986 that major immigration reform was passed on Capitol Hill. And while several legislative vehicles exist that could contain conditions favorable to workers in the horse racing industry, they face a long, embattled path to ever getting through a gridlocked Congress.

Last month, a bipartisan group of legislators reintroduced the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, which would, among other things, reform the current H-2A visa program and create a pathway towards legal status for agricultural workers.

As currently written, however, it contains no mention of equine workers.

The Affordable and Secure Food Act, first introduced in 2022, was reintroduced last year with an amendment establishing a program for equine workers, their spouses and children, to earn legal status, including a pathway to a green card after 10 years of work.

The plan is to reintroduce it this summer, said a legislative staffer for Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO), a key figure behind the bill. “Our hope it to try to get some Republicans on board,” the staffer said.

Federally, the backstretch workforce falls under the umbrella of the Fair Labor Standards Act, limiting them to H-2B visas only.

The H-2B visa program–which affords non-agriculture seasonal immigrant workers jobs in such industries as hospitality or with animals–has its limitations. It comes with a restrictive annual quota. The visa is typically only granted for nine months, but it can be extended for up to three years.

“When you do get lucky enough and you are able to get the one or two a year, they're here nine months, and they just start building great relationships with the rest of the crew and the horses, then they've got to go home for three months. And oftentimes, that three months turns into six months,” said O'Neill, who calls for backstretch workers to be categorized as agricultural workers.

In 2022, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) introduced a bill called the Paperwork Reduction for Farmers and H-2A Modernization Act that would have expanded the H-2A program–currently geared towards seasonal or temporary agricultural work–to additionally cover livestock, equine and other workers.

That bill is once again knocking around Washington with an eye to a possible reintroduction, said James O'Neill, Director of Legislative Affairs for the American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC), a nationwide bipartisan coalition of over 1,700 employers and CEOs.

“While we're certainly supportive of the expansion of the H-2A visa program, what that bill misses the mark on is the existing workforce that's already here without status,” said O'Neill.

“Counterintuitively,” O'Neill added, “some of the biggest developments, legislative and somewhat, have come from the administration.”

He pointed to guidance last week by the President and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that workplace enforcement should be paused at farms, hotels and restaurants, industries that rely heavily on immigrant labor. DHS officials, however, subsequently reversed that order.

Sarah Andrew

While this is indicative of a “split in the administration” on the topic of immigration, “more importantly, the President understands this issue, and is willing to engage in positive solutions,” said O'Neill.

“We're very encouraged by what the President said the other day, and it helps open up space and political room for legislators to take up the mantle and find solutions for the farm workforce,” he added.

While O'Neill sees the door open for legislative reform, Oscar Gonzales, Vice President of the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) and a former Deputy Chief-of-Staff for Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, believes that executive action is the likeliest and quickest way to immigration reform in Washington.

“That is what I believe is the best solution at this point in time,” Gonzales said.

“What that looks like is anybody's guess,” said Gonzales. “But what we want to be aware of are a couple things that would be absolute deal breakers. We have to have a pathway or a visa program that really fits our industry.”

One of those deal-breakers in any possible immigration reform, said Gonzales, would be a “touch-back” requirement–in other words, that a law-abiding, undocumented worker must return to their home country as part of the application process.

“We have to make sure, if they insist on them going to a foreign soil, that a worker has the ability to go to his or her consulate or something similar to get approved,” said Gonzales.

During his time in the agriculture department, Gonzales said he witnessed first-hand the obstacles that thwarted immigration reform, as well as the hurdles impeding horse racing's voice in those conversations.

“It's the federal agencies' difficulty in understanding horse racing because it is so different to any other industry,” said Gonzales.

There's the counterintuitive urban presence of many racetracks, along with the peripatetic nature of racing life–moving from track-to-track, state-to-state–that makes these conversations tricky. Another is the highly-regulated nature of the average racetrack.

“These are the things I would have to explain when I'm talking to the Department of Labor, or Commerce, or the State Department,” said Gonzales.

But the “profound cost” from labor disruptions to horsemen and women who are already straining under the increased financial weight of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) means the sport has a sound footing from which to argue its cause, he said.

“We're seeing costs go up. Labor's going to be tougher to come by. So, we could very well be seeing an acceleration of people's concerns of HISA on the financial front, especially if people's biggest expense is labor,” said Gonzales, who added that he planned to reach out to HISA to see if they could communicate these concerns with other federal agencies.

“There might be some elements in there that could help us make a case for some immigration relief,” he said.

In the meantime, concerned trainers should relay to their local congressional representatives their worries, said Gonzales. He pointed to a survey he conducted that identified 70 congressional members that represent all Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse and harness tracks throughout the country.

“Do we have sway in the state capital? I say we do. We just have to be self-aware that we do have that, and that we do have a story to tell,” said Gonzales. “Even if the [politicians] don't have racing in their district, they probably have sports betting, of which many of their constituents are betting on a sport with a large immigrant workforce.”

Gonzales grew up on the backstretch in Southern California and was present some forty years ago when immigration enforcement officers swept the Del Mar backstretch, leading to hundreds of workers fleeing the track and to the cancellation of racing.

“I was on the backstretch at Del Mar during those raids. I have lived this and I have experienced this,” said Gonzales. “And I'll tell you, we have to start gearing up for some battles ahead if we're to save this great sport.”

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Derby City Distaff Form On Display In Chicago Stakes

Fri, 2025-06-20 15:00

The form of the GI Derby City Distaff has already been franked on a couple of occasions over the last several weeks, and a pair of also-rans from the Derby undercard contest will look to further flatter the race when they square off in the GII Chicago Stakes beneath the Saturday night lights on the 'Downs After Dark' program in Louisville.

Stonestreet Stables' Emery (More Than Ready) won four of her five starts at three last season, including a two-length defeat of My Mane Squeeze (Audible) in Keeneland's GII Raven Run Stakes going seven furlongs, but she has yet to find the winning thread in 2025. Runner-up at even-money in both the GII Inside Information Stakes in January and in the GI Madison Stakes Apr. 8, she sat a four-wide drip from a wide-ish draw in the Derby City Distaff and was beaten nearly 10 lengths into fifth. Florent Geroux rides from the one hole on Saturday.

Vahva (Gun Runner) made last year's Derby City Distaff her first elite-level conquest and followed up with a smooth success at long odds-on in this event. It's been tougher sailing in three appearances since, however, and she will need to take a sizable step forward after finishing seventh in defense of her Derby City Distaff seven weeks ago.

Derby City Distaff third 'TDN Rising Star' Ways and Means (Practical Joke) returned to dominate the June 6 GII Bed O'Roses Stakes at Saratoga (111 Beyer) while the ninth-placed Mystic Lake (Mo Town) validated 3-5 favoritism in the Memorial Day Sprint at Lone Star on May 26.

For her part, My Mane Squeeze gave Derby Day a pass and instead made her most recent appearance in the one-mile GII Ruffian Stakes at Aqueduct on May 10. Narrowly in front to the eighth pole, she weakened slightly to be third as the 13-10 pick.

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Heat Forces Woodbine To Delay Sunday Starting Post Time

Fri, 2025-06-20 14:47

Woodbine will delay the starting post time for the Sunday, June 22 card to 4 p.m. due to extreme heat forecast in the Toronto area, the track announced Friday.

The release notes that the decision was made to prioritize the safety and wellbeing of [the] horses and all racing participants, with approval from the AGCO and consultation with the HBPA.

Throughout the weekend, Woodbine will put additional safety measures in place, including shorter post parades and increased water/hose access for all horses pre- and post-race.

Saturday's first post remains unchanged with an 11-race card beginning at 1:05 p.m.

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Tap The Champagne Leads Inglis Digital USA June Sale Catalog

Fri, 2025-06-20 14:13

The 2025 Inglis Digital USA June Sale, which includes a catalog of 29 entries, opened Friday with bidding running through Wednesday, June 25. Leading the catalog is 4-year-old filly Tap the Champagne (Tapit) (hip 6), a daughter of Champagne Royale who most recently placed second in a turf maiden special weight at Churchill Downs June 18 for trainer Pavel Matejka. She is a half-sister to GISWs Majestic Harbor (Rockport Harbor) and Danza (Street Boss) who also picked up third in the GI Kentucky Derby behind California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit).

“The filly came back from her race in great shape,” Matejka said. “She ran incredible first time on grass after a layoff. We'll be looking for even bigger improvement for her next race. Ellis Park, Saratoga, and Kentucky Downs are on our radar. Del Mar, with its 'Ship and Win' incentive, is another possibility.”

Tap the Champagne is available for inspection at Matejka's barn at The Thoroughbred Center in Lexington, KY.

The June sale also features Tralee Girl (Mendelsson) (hip 7), who broke her maiden during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course June 5. The New York-bred 3-year-old filly is being pointed toward the $150,000 Suzie O'Cain Stakes on July 16 at Saratoga for trainer Miguel Clement.

“She won really well at the Belmont Festival,” Clement said. “We've been really happy with her and have a New York-bred stake picked out for her at Saratoga in July.”

Also on offer is Ultimate Prize (Smart Strike) (hip 30), a mare whose four winners include Grade III-placed Boltage (Bolt d'Oro) and MSP Mr Loooch (Speightster).

Offered by Phoenix Farm, Ultimate Prize hails from a family rich with black type. Her third dam is the Grade I winner Too Chic (Blushing Groom {Fr}), who is the pivot point for top-level winners Brahms (Danzig), Queena (Mr. Prospector), Chic Shirine (Mr. Prospector), Keen Ice (Curlin), Olympiad (Speightstown), Preservationist (Arch), Verrazano (More Than Ready), Harmonize (Scat Daddy) and Somali Lemonade (Lemon Drop Kid).

Ultimate Prize is offered in-foal to first-year stallion, 'TDN Rising Star' and GISW Arabian Knight (Uncle Mo) on a March 11 cover date. She is available for inspection at Phoenix Farm in Nicholasville, KY.

Breeders looking to get an early start to building their broodmare bands for the next foaling season will have several options, including mares in-foal to California stallions Storm the Court and Tizamagician. Some of those mares are offered with foals at side by Tizamagician and Eight Rings.

The catalog also features several yearlings, including offerings from the first crops of Kentucky stallions Mystic Guide, Pinehurst, and Sir Winston.

“We had some momentum from our May sale, and we are very pleased with the sellers who continue to support us,” said Kyle Wilson, senior director of sales and recruiting for Inglis Digital USA. “We have some really quality offerings, and we're excited to get started with our sale.”

Interested parties must register for an account on the Inglis Digital USA website and request a bidding limit in order to place bids. To view the catalog and register to bid, click here.

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CHRB Again Votes Down NorCal Dates, Dashing Hopes For ’25 Racing At Fairs

Thu, 2025-06-19 18:41

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.”

 

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