Thoroughbred Daily News

NBC Sports presents continuing coverage of the 1/ST RACING TOUR Saturday at 5 p.m. ET on CNBC and Peacock. The two-hour program, featuring six live races, will be headlined by the GII DK HORSE San Felipe Stakes from Santa Anita and the GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth Stakes from Gulfstream Park.

The additional stakes races that will be presented live on CNBC and Peacock include the GIII Honey Fox Stakes and the GII Mac Diarmida Stakes from Gulfstream Park.

Britney Eurton hosts Saturday's coverage, alongside analyst and Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey, analyst Randy Moss, and reporters Michelle Yu and Matt Bernier. Yu will report on-site from Santa Anita and Bernier will report on-site from Gulfstream.

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will stream live coverage to desktops, mobile, tablets, and connected TVs via authentication.

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FanDuel TV's “Road to The Kentucky Derby” will feature live, expanded coverage of all the official Kentucky Derby points races, with in-depth coverage of Derby contenders and their human connections, feature stories, interviews and analysis from FanDuel TV's roster of racing experts and handicappers, including Todd Schrupp, Christina Blacker, Simon Bray, Larry Collmus, Caton Bredar, Joaquin Jaime, Michael Joyce, Scott Hazelton, Gabby Gaudet, Matt Bernier, Andie Biancone, Matt Carothers, Ashley Mailloux, Dave Weaver, Joe Talamo and Kurt Hoover.

“The Kentucky Derby is one of the most anticipated races on the horse racing calendar for our fans and we are excited to highlight all the prep races with more wall-to-wall coverage than any other network,” said Senior Vice President and Executive Producer for FanDuel TV Michael Shiffman. “We have a deep commitment to covering horse racing and value the ongoing relationship we have fostered with Churchill Downs.”

Kentucky Derby prep races this weekend are the GII Fountain of Youth Stakes from Gulfstream Park, the GII San Felipe Stakes from Santa Anita, and the GIII Gotham Stakes from Aqueduct.

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The $1-million GI Pacific Classic will highlight the $7.825-million stakes schedule for the upcoming Del Mar summer meet. The track's signature race will be held on an Aug. 30 card which includes more than $2 million in purses and a pair of Grade II races–the $300,000 Del Mar Handicap and the $300,000 Del Mar Mile.

In addition to the Pacific Classic, the track will host five other Grade I races during the meet, which runs from July 18 through Sept. 7. Leading off the top-level races is the $400,000 GI Bing Crosby Stakes July 26, followed by the $400,000 GI Clement L. Hirsch Stakes Aug. 2; the $300,000 GI Del Mar Oaks Aug. 16; the $300,000 GI Del Mar Debutante Sept. 6; and concluding with the $300,000 GI Del Mar Futurity Sept. 7.

The meet will also host nine Grade II races and six Grade III stakes. Nineteeen of the 38 stakes races, which include five overnight stakes, will be contested on the turf, and eight of the stakes will be for California-breds, offering a total of $1 million in purses. Additionally, the five overnight stakes each will carry a purse of $100,000.

“Our stakes schedule is a very compelling program with something for everyone,” said Del Mar vice president and racing secretary David Jerkens. “The initial feedback from our owners and trainers has been very encouraging. We can't wait to get started.”

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The annual National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association Conference concluded Wednesday in Safety Harbor, Florida with a session on how retired racehorses are transforming the lives of first responders and military members, as well as school children of backstretch workers, and a session  showcasing products using cutting edge technology to provide 24/7 security for stables and state-of-the-art software to help trainers do their jobs.

Sally Jane Mixon, a Canterbury Park backstretch chaplain, exercise rider and mental-health counselor with a BS in Human Development Studies and an MS in Professional Counseling, as well as certifications as an equine specialist and mental-health professional, discussed her more than two decades incorporating off-the-track racehorses to help military and first responders suffering from stress, anxiety, coping struggles and other mental-health challenges.

“The thing about talk therapy is it doesn't work for everybody. It didn't work for me,” she said. “I almost died of anorexia in my college years, a long time ago. I never half-assed anything, being the daughter of a Marine, so I was a really good anorexic…. So much therapy when you're talking with people, if you don't trust people, it's not going to work. For me, the horses saved my life at a really young age. I grew up riding. I was 5 years old, fell off my first horse and I was hooked. Horses have an innate ability to heal.”

Using her therapeutic model Abijah, Mixon pairs a mental-health professional at a Master's level and an equine specialist with a minimum of 4,000 hours per dynamic.

“Abijah's is the bridge between a racing industry and community wellness, pairing off-track Thoroughbreds with professional counselors,” she said. “We meet the mental health needs on the backside communities of the tracks to the front lines where our first responders and military serve…. These incredible animals are so intuitive. They're going to pick up what's going on internally and they play it out. This works, and it's completely mind-blowing. My job is to watch miracles.”

Mixon said she believes the program's results are so powerful that it will transform, not just participants, but the image of horse racing.

“We're going to do it at racetracks or farms around racetracks,” she said. “That's going to give incredible PR for racetracks. It's going to become known for saving lives, horses and humans. We're not going to be talking about breakdowns. We're going to be talking lifting people up, lifting horses up. We're meeting the need in a really unique way.”

The Abijah's program expanded with a youth component at Canterbury Park when it joined forces with Furlong Learning as a summer program for the school kids of backstretch workers.

The concluding session of the National HBPA conference was titled “Helping Horsemen Through Today's Technology” and featured Jeff DeAngelis, head of sales for Horcery, and Michael Novak, a technologist and software engineer entrepreneur who founded Backstretch, a web-based management platform for horse-racing stables.

Horcery, a new National HBPA corporate sponsor, produces the Stall Monitor, a cutting-edge system that provides 24/7 monitoring with AI-enabled cameras and real-time alerts. Horcery bills the system as helping to protect equine investments, improve stable management and ensure horse safety while empowering horsemen to reduce risks and optimize performance.

“It's an AI that learns your horse's behavior from the minute they step in the stall,” DeAngelis said. “If there are any deviations, any anomaly, it will actually set that off and you will get a customized alert to your phone to let you get out there before an accident turns into an emergency situation.

“With everything going on, regulations changing, there's more of a need than ever to have something like this in all of your stalls… The traditional CCTV cameras were fine in their time. They simply record and you can go back and view data, but it doesn't actually help you get ahead of a problem. Now this is a real solution. We built it out of necessity. It's there to protect the welfare of the horse, as well as to protect the horsemen who care for those horses.”

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Robert Croteau's first weeks on the job as general manager at Fair Hill Training Center have included their share of challenges as winter weather threatened more than once to disrupt activity at the Maryland facility, but the vagaries of the February forecast failed to dampen his enthusiasm for his new position.

“It's been great,” Croteau, a native of Massachusetts, said of his first weeks on the job. “It's the best job ever.”

For Croteau, who succeeded longtime Fair Hill general manager Sally Goswell Feb. 1, the position is the culmination of a lifetime of working with horses. His father trained Thoroughbreds on the New England Thoroughbred Circuit at tracks like Suffolk Downs, Rockingham Park, Lincoln Downs, Narragansett Park and Green Mountain Park. Occasional forays to the seasonal fair circuit of North Hampton, Great Barrington, Berkshire Fair, as well as Brockton and Marshfield Fair added variety and a certain character to their sporting life.

Adding in an uncle who trained show horses and fox hunters north of Boston in Hamilton, Massachusetts, a career working with horses seemed almost a foregone conclusion, but Croteau admitted it wasn't always such a clear-cut decision.

“I was conflicted about it because it doesn't lead to a model of family life,” Croteau said of a life in the racing industry. “I had a stay-at-home mom, and my brother, and a sister and myself. Dad was on the road a lot of the time.

“Up north [in Hamilton], it was more of a family affair,” he continued. “We would all work in the barn and then we'd get on the green horses take them out fox hunting, and go cross country and basically do that sort of thing. We would give some lessons and show some prospects, buy and sell a few, that kind of stuff. So, it was more of a horse country life.”

Still, Croteau was tempted by a life outside of the horse world and he attended Boston University with an eye towards what might be considered a more traditional career path.

“I went to school as an English major with a minor in theology, and I really was enamored with the idea of teaching or writing, but it just didn't work out,” he said. “I just kept getting drawn back into the horses. I always ended up migrating back towards my core, my roots, I guess you could say. Going to school in town in Boston, it's a lovely city, I loved it, but there's nothing like being with horses out in the country.”

Croteau followed his passion for horses and never looked back. He took out his trainer's license and had a small string of horses for a decade or so before moving south and on to stints working for legendary trainers Mickey Walsh and Jonathan Sheppard.

“It was quite clear to me that, while the industry was contracting up north, the region on the upswing was due south and was more established in the Mid-Atlantic,” he said.

Of working with Walsh and Sheppard, a pair of Hall of Fame trainers, Croteau said, “I learned quite a bit, mostly about how to work really hard. I learned the kind of lifestyle it takes to turn out good horses–the day in and day out of farmwork and being conscious of the agricultural mindset that makes you a better horseman.”

His time with Walsh and Sheppard also taught Croteau to look at horses in a more holistic method.

“Both Jonathan and Mickey introduced me to something I hadn't experienced while training at a typical oval/racetrack, the practice of turning everything out before they were trained,” he said. “It didn't make any difference whether the horse was a jumper or a flat horse. When they were at the farm, they all went out, whether it was five minutes, 50 minutes or longer. Their point of view was that it got all the twisty bits out of them, and that they focused a bit better on their job afterwards. Clearly, it did that and more.”

Irish War Cry training at Fair Hill in 2017 | Sarah Andrew

That education met its perfect match at the Fair Hill Training Center. Founded in 1983 and situated on a bucolic 350 acres in northern Maryland with 18 privately owned barns, as well as dirt and Tapeta tracks, the training center epitomizes that holistic approach to horsemanship and it is a key part of Croteau's new position.

“Obviously being here at Fair Hill resonates with all those things,” Croteau said. “Here you can hack out through the Department of National Resource Land. You can turn them out, graze them whenever you want. I guess you could say in a rural setting like this, you can let the horses get back to being horses. I mean, being here is so good for all involved. Being able to train a horse with such versatility offers immense flexibility.”

Croteau's journey has taken him to Iron Spring Farm, a sport-horse operation where he worked with stallions, young horses and competition horses, and to the equine therapy company Cool Systems Game Ready where he became international sales director. Most recently, he spent 11 years working in equine nutrition as an account manager for the Pennsylvania-based Stoltzfus Feed and Supply.

“I've been fortunate to be able make the decision to change things up when I've accomplished the promise made when I entered a position,” Croteau said. “It was always my goal to raise any operation to a certain height, as well as purposely do the best for the horses and their connections.”

Of his newest challenge at Fair Hill, Croteau said, “What I want to accomplish here is basically to accomplish that elevation, to see if, in my own particular small way, I can just help get things smoother. Sally and Mike Goswell created something special here and it's an honor to be involved in something so very special.”

Croteau sees opportunity in the challenges facing the racing industry and thinks Fair Hill, and places like, it have an important place in the industry's landscape.

“I see potential in some of the changes in the Thoroughbred industry,” he said. “You get a chance to engage with people, you can talk to them and you can find out the most important thing, which is what do they think?”

Back in his college days, Croteau chose horses over academics and years on, he clearly has no regrets.

“I would be useless in whatever I tried in my life if I didn't have a horse attached to it somehow,” he said. “This is not really hard work for me. It's my life more than it is a career. I look back at what I've done and the industry has been really good to me.”

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Dual Grade I winner Panty Raid (Include–Adventurous Di, by Private Account) has been euthanized due to the infirmities of old age, according to a Godolphin post on X Wednesday. She was 21.

A debut winner by 7 3/4 lengths for owner Glencrest Farm at Saratoga in the summer of her 2-year-old season, the Todd Pletcher trainee later added victories in Pimlico's GII Black-Eyed Susan Stakes and the grassy GI American Oaks Invitational at Hollywood Park. She also won the GI Spinster Stakes on the dirt in the fall of her sophomore season. Bred by Heavens Trees Farm, she retired with five wins from 10 career starts and earnings of $1,052,380.

A $110,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Select Yearling purchase in 2005, she brought $275,000 at Keeneland April the following season. Offered at Fasig-Tipton November at the conclusion of her racing career, she was secured by Godolphin for $2.5 million.

As a broodmare, the full to GSW and GISP St. John's River is responsible for Proxy (Tapit), a $2.7 million earner who recorded his biggest win in the GI Clark, in addition to Grade II scorer Micheline (Bernardini).

Her last reported foal was a 2022 filly by Into Mischief named Rush Week.

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Patrice Jacobs Wolfson, who, along with her husband Louis, owned 1978 Triple Crown winner Affirmed, and several other star horses, passed away Tuesday at her home in Bal Harbour, Florida. The Wolfsons operated Harbor View Farm.

The news was confirmed in a posting on the website of Riverside Memorial Chapels.

Steve Wolfson, Patrice's stepson, told the Blood-Horse that she had been in declining health the past few years.

“Patrice and Penny Tweedy were the first ladies of Thoroughbred racing of their time,” he said. “It was a different time. It was a time of civility and dressing nicely at the races. They epitomized that. She and my father made a special couple. She meant the world to him and brought him a lot of happiness.”

Born in Miami, Wolfson came from a prominent racing family and was the only daughter of Hall of Fame trainer Hirsch Jacobs. She owned horses on her own, including 1960 2-year-old male champion Hail to Reason, before marrying Wolfson in 1972. Louis Wolfson died in 2007.

Affirmed (inside) battles Alydar in the 1978 Belmont | Robert Riger/Getty Images

There were other top horses, like Affirmed's Hall of Fame daughter Flawlessly, but to Wolfson, Affirmed stood well above the rest. After three scintillating duels with arch rival Alydar, he emerged after an unforgettable GI Belmont Stakes as the sport's 11th Triple Crown winner.

“There are times I still think about that race every day,” Wolfson told the Associated Press in 2011. “It is an indelible memory. It seems like a bygone era with wonderful memories and wonderful history. It's hard to believe it was 33 years ago.”

Steve Cauthen, Affirmed's regular rider during the Triple Crown campaign, had fond memories of Wolfson, as well.

“She was a great horsewoman,” he told the Blood-Horse. “She loved Affirmed like a son; she was so in love with the horse. She was a wonderful lady, and from one of the royal families of racing. We were on the magic carpet ride together. I was just glad they let me stay on the carpet as long as they did.”

Harbor View also campaigned champion Outstandingly, the 1984 Eclipse Award-winning 3-year-old filly, and It's in the Air. She won the GI Alabama Stakes on her way to also being named champion 3-year-old filly.

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The first mares bred to MGISW Muth (Good Magic) and MGSW Charge It (Tapit) have been checked in foal, Gainesway Farm said via dual press releases on Wednesday.

Muth, a 2023 $2-million OBS March topper for Zedan Racing who became a 'TDN Rising Star' and won a pair of Grade Is, covered Indy Business (A.P. Indy). The mare is owned by Paul Pruett and boarded at Tracey & Clay Caudill's Watershed Equine. Muth stands for $35,000 LFSN at Gainesway.

Visiting Charge It, Delovely (More than Ready) is a winning mare who is out of a half-sister to GISW Dancing Forever (Rahy). Owned by Spite Farm, she is boarded at Scott Pierce's Hidden Creek Farm. Also a 'TDN Rising Star' Charge It stands at Gainesway for $12,500 LFSN.

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Watch out for the “Little Guy.”

Sold for just $70,000 at a yearling sale in Texas, owned by a grocery store owner from Alabama who has had just a few horses and trained by a veteran who had never won a graded stakes race before last weekend, Coal Battle (Coal Front) isn't exactly your typical GI Kentucky Derby horse. But the son Coal Front did it again last week, winning the GII Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn. Having also won the Smarty Jones Stakes, he is obviously for real.

To talk about the overachiever who has forced his way onto just about everyone's Derby Top 10 list, Coal Battle's owner Robbie Norman was featured on the latest edition of the TDN Writers' Room podcast sponsored by Keeneland. He was the Gainesway Guest of the Week.

Norman said that both he and trainer Lonnie Briley have received several offers to buy outright or a share in Coal Battle, but they have politely declined.

“What is money versus the Kentucky Derby?” Norman said. We're just enjoying that ride and right now we're going to keep Coal Battle.”

Norman did not grow up a racing fan, but after a divorce he was looking for a hobby. At the time, he happened to turn on TVG when the racing network was showing a documentary on Union Rags (Dixie Union). He was intrigued and figured that horse racing could fill a void in his life.

“[TVG] was showing horse races and then they went into a documentary on Union Rags,” Norman said. “I said, 'you know what, I'm going to do something. We're going to change the negativity and we're going to go out and win a big horse race.' I wanted to change the narrative. I started researching and it led me to Bill Kaplan in Florida, and it was near the end of the year. By the time the OBS sales got going I was ready to go. I thought I was going to go down there and buy a Kentucky Derby winner first time out. That didn't happen, but I did buy some good horses and the first one I ever bought won a stakes race for Louisiana breds. Since then, we've just been hooked.”

Coal Battle was hardly an overnight success. He was a non-threatening seventh in a maiden at Keeneland in October, but that would be the last time he would lose. As a maiden, he won the Jean Laffitte Stakes at Delta Downs. The colt followed that up with wins in Remington Park's Springboard Mile Stakes, and at Oaklawn in the Smarty Jones and last weekend's Rebel.

“I don't think I have Derby Fever yet,” Norman said. “I thought it would hit me harder than it has. I'm just been trying to be realistic about it. I'm a numbers man. I got my college degree in accounting. I let all the horsemanship go to Lonnie. I like looking at the numbers and studying the numbers and, really, we never have had a horse like this before. Every time Coal Battle races he keeps showing us something different. He keeps surprising us. The fever is starting to creep in now that we got the enough points to get in.  I didn't want to celebrate without the points.”

In our “Fastest Horse of the Week,” segment–sponsored by WinStar Farm–we covered the plethora of reasons to breed to WinStar stallion Timberlake.

Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders' Association, West Point Thoroughbreds, the KTOB, 1/ST Racing and 1/ST TV, the team of Randy Moss, Zoe Cadman and Bill Finley reviewed the Saudi Cup, which was a race for the ages and came down to the winner, Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steal ({Jpn}) and runner-up Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}). Moss insisted that the latter was best and thought he got beat only because jockey James MacDonald made a wide, premature move on the turn.

The group also discussed the new list of Hall of Fame nominees and revealed who they would be voting for and why.

With still more important Derby preps to be run this weekend, the Writers' Room team gave their picks for the GII Fountain of Youth Stakes, the GII San Felipe Stakes and the GIII Gotham Stakes.

To watch the Writers' Room, click here. To view the show as a podcast, click here.

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Strong gains in attendance and handle have bolstered Santa Anita Park's figures as the 90-year-old oval heads into the final six weeks of its Classic Meet, the track said in a release on Wednesday.

On-track attendance is up over 9% from last season, hosting more than 203,000 visitors through last weekend. The handle bet on-track is up 4% from last year. Overall, the total all-sources handle to date is over $268-million, which is an increase from last year.

The addition of horses from Northern California horses has been impactful, with field size averaging nearly a full horse from the corresponding time last year. Santa Anita, which increased purses an average of 8% beginning this week, is heading into the height of its racing season.

With the warmer weather, the popular infield will be open on weekends beginning on Saturday, Mar. 1 through the end of the Hollywood Meet June 15.

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The voice of the GI Kentucky Derby, Travis Stone, will be on the mic to announce the Virginia Derby meet at Colonial Downs, the track announced Wednesday. Stone will call all three days of the meet, set for March 13-15, headlined by the Virginia Derby, a Kentucky Derby points race, Saturday, March 15.

“I'm really looking forward to being part of the Virginia Derby meet at Colonial Downs,” Stone said. “It's exciting to see the 'Road to the Kentucky Derby' go through Virginia and to be involved in such an important weekend for the track.”

Fans can catch the action live on FanDuel TV or via the Colonial Downs simulcast feed. On-site coverage will include expert analysis and interviews from Kaitlin Free, who begins her third season as paddock host.

Saturday's card also features the Virginia Oaks, part of the Championship Series on the 'Road to the Kentucky Oaks.' The Virginia Derby offers Kentucky Derby qualifying points on a 50-25-15-10-5 scale while the Virginia Oaks awards points on the same scale for the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks.

Colonial Downs's regular track announcer, Jason Beem, who is currently announcing at Tampa Bay Downs, is set to return for the expanded 2025 racing season, featuring 41 days of live racing from July 9 through Sept. 13.

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In the flourishing digital age, people can buy pretty much anything they want online. And while offering 2-year-olds online is nothing new for the Fasig-Tipton team, selling a juvenile in training on a digital platform accompanied by many of the traditional resources seen at bricks-and-mortar sales is.

Case in point: at the conclusion of the February Digital sale Tuesday evening, a 2-year-old colt by Yaupon out of MSW Frosty Margarita (Frost Giant) realized a session-topping $250,000 from Dennis O'Neill, bidding on behalf of Shane Yeager. Consigned by De Meric Sales, Hip 42 is a registered New York bred.

“This is the first time that we have catalogued them as 2-year-olds in Training. We had called them horses of racing age previously, but to be catalogued as a 2-year-old in Training, the [consignors] had to provide breeze or gallop videos,” said Leif Aaron, director of digital sales. “We had a large group of consignors asking us to do it. With their support and with the wave of digital sales, it made sense to try it.”

According to Aaron, despite being its maiden voyage, the addition of 2-year-olds in training into its repertoire surpassed all expectations.

“I think it went great. We had a total of 13 and nine have since sold. The clearance rate was very high. The fact that the sale topper came from that portion of the catalog was very encouraging. It showed me, if you put a good horse online, even with just a gallop video, we can sell them.”

He continued, “I am encouraged because we had 60 people registered to bid that have never bought a horse from Fasig-Tipton. At most sales we might have 30-40. We had over 1000 registered bidders, which is a huge number. At our December Digital sale, we had the same kind of numbers for a catalogue of 650 horses. That's basically our whole pavilion filled up and the back ring.”

In addition to the overall interest in the sale, Aaron underscored that the company also saw a tremendous amount of virtual interest surrounding Tuesday's sale-topping Yaupon colt.

“That horse had 4,493 views and 1,119 viewers. You don't really get that kind of exposure anywhere else,” he said. “The horses do get more exposure online which is why we are seeing such a boom in digital sales. There are more buyers and we offer a diverse group of horses. It's where society as a whole is going. It's only natural that it would extend to the horse business.”

The second-highest priced 2-year-old of the sale was Hip 41, a colt by Great Notion who brought $180,000 from Michael Golden. Consigned by Cary Frommer, the Maryland bred is out of SP Fly Girl (Jump Start).

“The sale of the day might have been the colt by Great Notion. People might not necessarily go to a sale to buy a Great Notion, but he is doing very well in Maryland. The colt was an athletic individual and didn't have any holes and as a result, he sold great.”

While selling a juvenile at a bricks-and-mortar sale may appear to be most akin to selling a 2-year-old online, however, Aaron explained that selling on a digital platform can often be a bit more nuanced.

“Of course, you have to have a solid horse. It's almost the same rules that apply at a yearling auction where you have to have all the parts,” he said. “You have to have a solid horse, conformation wise, and good vetting. Then you leave the galloping and the breezing up to the buyers. If you had those three things, the horses sold great.”

Pointing to some of the advantages of selling a 2-year-old in training on a digital platform, Aaron added, “You can remove a bit of the pressure off a normal 2-year-old in training, which some people are just not interested in putting their horses through that rigor.”

And while 2-year-old consignors are among the savviest in the horse business, Aaron admitted that there is a bit of a learning curve when venturing to a digital platform.

“Consignors know what sells but they don't necessarily know what sells online,” he explained. “We have all learned from this. They have learned what can be put online and what is best held for another venue. It was an encouraging learning experience for some of the consignors.”

After a successful initial venture, Aaron indicated the Fasig team is already looking forward to the March Digital Sale, which kicks off Mar. 13 and runs through Mar.18.

“I am already getting calls to put 2-year-olds in for March Digital. We had top-class video and pictures this time and will encourage consignors to do the same going forward.”

When asked what consignors should be retaining for Fasig Tipton's upcoming March digital session, he didn't mince words,

“Bring a horse here that vets well and has good conformation” he affirmed, adding, “And we will get it sold.”

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The most recent shifts in Northern California horse racing have prompted The Big Fresno Fair Board of Directors and Fair Management to make the decision to postpone horse racing in 2025, according to a press release from the operator on Wednesday.

Factors cited by the fair include, the uncertainty regarding the availability of horses, increased financial risk and the lack of a racing management collective for Northern California fairs. The decision allows for continued in-depth industry analysis to assess the viability of horse racing at the site before making any long-term determinations.

“This tough decision was made with careful consideration for the long-term economic health of The Big Fresno Fairs,” said CEO of The Big Fresno Fair, Christina Estrada. “It is a necessary step to fully evaluate the future of a successful horse race meet in Fresno, which is one aspect of our annual event that serves our community–both at Fair-time and year-round. We remain committed to exploring all options in an ever-evolving industry situation, and will continue working closely with industry leaders to assess potential paths forward. In the meantime, The Big Fresno Fair is determining alternate entertainment options in the Grandstand for our community to enjoy.”

The release also said that significant shifts in Northern California racing–such as the closing of Golden Gate Fields and the California Authority of Racing Fairs (CARF) not seeking race applications at several locations–have changed the horse racing business model and created unprecedented challenges.

The Big Fresno Fair, which has put on horse racing dating back to 1883, is the fifth largest fair in the state and home to more than 250 interim events throughout the year.

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Bidding is now open on the Fasig-Tipton Digital platform for the “Soul of an Angel Flash Sale,” a one-horse online auction of Eclipse Champion Female Sprinter Soul of an Angel (Atreides–Factor One, by The Factor), which will close Tuesday, Mar. 4, at 6 p.m. ET, the auction company said via a press release on Wednesday.

Soul of an Angel clinched Eclipse Champion Female Sprinter honors after she won the GI PNC Bank Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Del Mar last fall. With a strong turn of foot, she swept past a field which included a trio of Grade I winners. For her effort, she earned a 3 3/4 Ragozin speed figure. Only Gamine (Into Mischief) recorded a faster number over the past 10 years of the race.

Earlier in her 2024 campaign, Soul of an Angel won the GII Ruffian Stakes in New York. She also cruised to an open length victory in the GIII Princess Rooney Stakes at Gulfstream. In the GIII Molly Pitcher Stakes she was only beaten by a head.

“An Eclipse Champion and Breeders' Cup Champion with outstanding physical conformation, Soul of an Angel is a true collector's item,” said Fasig-Tipton Director of Digital Sales Leif Aaron. “She uniquely suits a variety of programs both domestically and internationally.  We're honored to have the opportunity to showcase her on Fasig-Tipton Digital.”

Soul of an Angel is being offered as a racing/broodmare prospect by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent. She has current earnings of more than $1,200,000. The current 6-year-old is stabled at Gulfstream Park and available for inspection.

Prospective buyers may click here to view the entry and register to bid. Inquiries may be directed to Steve Castagnola of Taylor Made Sales Agency at (859) 684-8180.

The post Eclipse Champion Soul Of An Angel Offered On Fasig-Tipton Digital As Bidding Opens appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Thoroughbred racing at Cherokee Casino Will Rogers Downs in Claremore, Oklahoma is set to open for its spring season after a tornado hit the track after last year's meet concluded, according to a press release from the organization on Wednesday.

Will Rogers's barns were heavily damaged during the storm. New structures were completed back in January and the track reports that they are already at capacity for the season.

“It's incredible to see the resiliency of this property and the hard work put in by the staff to build it back more beautiful than ever,” said Danielle Barber, executive director of the Thoroughbred Racing Association of Oklahoma. “We can't wait to welcome fans, owners and trainers for what promises to be an outstanding season.”

The 28-day Thoroughbred meet runs from Mar. 3 through Wednesday, May 14. Daily average purses are estimated at $170,000, with raises in the handicap, maiden and allowance categories.

“Horsemen are anxious to get back to racing at Will Rogers this spring. Last season we inaugurated the Blue Ribbon and Welder stakes races for Oklahoma-bred 3-year-olds in March that were well received,” said John Lies, who serves as the racing secretary, announcer and oddsmaker.

The post Will Rogers Downs Returns After Tornado Last Year appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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: 02/25/2025
Licensee: William Blair, trainer
Penalty: A fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Admission.
Explainer: Vets' list medication violation for the presence of Triamcinolone—Controlled Medication (Class C)—in a sample taken from Dot on 1/19/25.

Date: 02/25/2025
Licensee: Dr. Larry Rickman Overly, veterinarian
Penalty: 36-month (18 months for each violation) of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on February 26, 2025; a fine of $25,000 ($12,500 for each violation). Admission.
Explainer: Possession of Testosterone and Isoxsuprine—both banned substances—for an event dated 7/23/24. There are no further details currently publicly available.
Date: 02/24/2025
Licensee: Alejandro Mendieta, trainer
Penalty: 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 $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Admission.
Explainer: Medication violation for the use or attempted use of a Class C controlled medication on Pure Elegance during the race period.
Date: 02/24/2025
Licensee: Juan Munoz Cano, trainer
Penalty: 7-day period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on February 25, 2025; Disqualification of Both 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. Treated as 1 violation. Admission.
Explainer: Medication violations for the presence of Capsaicin—Controlled Medication (Class B)—in a sample taken from Iceatude, who won at Churchill Downs on 11/15/24, and Voodoo Zip, who won at Churchill Downs on 11/16/24.

Date: 02/21/2025
Licensee: John Salzman Sr., trainer
Penalty: A fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Admission.
Explainer: Vets' list medication violation for the presence of Methocarbamol—Controlled Medication (Class C)—in a sample taken from Happy Hour Joker on 1/16/25.
Date: 02/21/2025
Licensee: Roshan Samsundar, trainer
Penalty: 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 $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Admission.
Explainer: Medication violation for the use or attempted use of a Class C controlled medication on Gringotts during the race period.
Date: 02/20/2025
Licensee: Robert James Gherardi, trainer
Penalty: 15-day period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on February 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. Final decision of Internal Adjudication Panel.
Explainer: Medication violation for the presence of Caffeine—controlled medication (Class B)—in a sample taken from Little Pinch, who finished second at Albuquerque on 10/18/24.
Pending ADMC Violations
02/26/2025, Phil D'Amato, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Omeprazole (Gastrogard)—Controlled Medication (Class C)—in a sample taken from Ms. Brightside, who won at Santa Anita on 1/1/25.

02/25/2025, Gustavo Delgado, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Capsaicin—Controlled Medication (Class B)—in a sample taken from Avant Glory, who won at Gulfstream Park on 11/26/24.

02/25/2025, Angel Sanchez Pinero, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violations for the presence of Boldenone—a banned substance—in a sample taken from Magical Jaime on 8/5/24; For possession of Prasterone—a banned anabolic substance—for an event dated 12/5/24; And for the use or attempted use of a banned substance (Prasterone) on Magical Jaime during the race period, dated 12/5/24.

02/24/2025, Danny Morales, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Caffeine—Controlled Medication (Class B)—in a sample taken from First Again, who finished second at Zia Park on 11/25/24.

The post National Regulatory Rulings: Feb. 20-26 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

The Thoroughbred Education and Research Foundation has opened its 2025 grant awards cycle, with money available to support students in pursuit of education in equine industry careers and to fund research efforts that better the life of the Thoroughbred racehorse.

Information regarding the grant award program can be found at www.terfusa.org. Grant applications will be accepted now through Apr. 1 for applications about equine education and scholarship support and June 30 for research grant funding applications.

Grant recipients will receive written notice of TERF's acceptance of their funding request and notice via phone or e-mail by June 30 of the application year for education and scholarship support and not later than Sept. 1 for research grant awards.

In 2024, TERF awarded $61,500 in education grants to seven organizations and $47,015 in research grants for three research projects.

The post TERF 2025 Grants Available appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

5th-Gulfstream, $70,000, Msw, 2-22, 3yo, 5fT, :54.74, fm, 4 lengths.
PIVOTAL MOMENT (c, 3, Bolt d'Oro–Tipping Point, by Speightstown), third as the favorite after getting steadied at the start in his unveiling sprinting over the Aqueduct turf June 23, proved well worth the wait as the 9-5 favorite here. Adding blinkers and Lasix for this, he was outsprinted in sixth early, launched an eye-catching, sweeping move on the far turn and continued on in very impressive fashion down the stretch to win by a geared-down, four lengths. Proudly Hailed (GB) (Mehmas {Ire}) was second. The winner is a half to Blame J D (Blame), SW, $300,919; a 2-year-old filly named Missy Moosey (Mendelssohn); and a yearling filly by Mo Town. Tipping Point was bred to Maximus Mischief for 2025. Sales history: $90,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP; $330,000 2yo '24 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-1, $52,800. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Steven Bouchey & Steven Rocco; B-James W. Matheney (KY); T-Christophe Clement.

Pivotal Moment and @bravoace impressively score in the 5th race for @clementstable. #GulfstreamPark #ChampionshipMeet pic.twitter.com/0GKVk2s0f3

— Gulfstream Park (@GulfstreamPark) February 22, 2025

The post Bolt d’Oro Colt Earns Diploma in Style Over Gulfstream Lawn appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Whitham Thoroughbreds LLC's Burnham Square (Liam's Map), who last captured the GIII Holy Bull Stakes Feb. 1, breezed five furlongs in 1:01.05 (2/13) Saturday morning at Palm Meadows in preparation for next Saturday's GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park.

The Ian Wilkes-trained colt finished the workout at Gulfstream's satellite training facility in Palm Beach County on even terms with stablemate Into Champagne (Into Mischief), who finished second in the GII Davona Dale Stakes and third in the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks last year, before galloping out with energy.

“It was a solid five-eighths in 1:01,” said Wilkes. “He galloped out good. I loved the gallop-out. He galloped out really well. All good! He came off the track happy.”

At Palm Beach Downs, CHC Inc. and WinStar Farm LLC's 'TDN Rising Star' River Thames (Maclean's Music) and Donegal Racing's Gate to Wire (Munnings) breezed a half-mile in company in :49.50 (11/22) Saturday morning for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. River Thames is scheduled to make his two-turn debut in the Fountain of Youth while Gate to Wire is also set to make his two-turn debut next Saturday after upsetting the seven-furlong Swale by nine lengths on the Holy Bull undercard.

St. Elias Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds and CJ Thoroughbreds' Keep It Easy (Hard Spun) also tuned up for the Fountain of Youth with a half-mile breeze in :48.72 (37/115) at Gulfstream Park. The Dale Romans-trainee is slated to make his 2025 debut next Saturday after taking the Ed Brown Stakes to finish out 2024.

In New Orleans, reigning Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) tossed up a bullet work ahead of her expected start in the GII Azeri Stakes at Oaklawn March 8. The 4-year-old Kenneth McPeek trainee drilled five furlongs in 1:00.20 (1/32).

At Sanita Anita, Journalism (Curlin) and Romanesque (Practical Joke), both nominated to next weekend's GII DK Horse San Felipe Stakes for 3-year-olds, worked Saturday.

Work of the Day from @santaanitapark—Journalism (Outside), 1:01.00, and Phosphorescence, 1:01.20, worked 5 Furlongs on February 22nd, 2025, for trainer @mwmracing. #DKHorseSanFelipe pic.twitter.com/QOazBd8dNR

— 1/ST TV (@Watch1ST) February 22, 2025

Journalism, trained by Michael McCarthy, drilled five furlongs in 1:01 (17/30) and hasn't started since winning the GII Los Alamitos Futurity in December. Romanesque worked four furlongs from the gate in :47.20 (1/3) for trainer Bob Baffert.

Three horses nominated to the GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile–Mi Hermano Ramon (Creative Cause), Formidable Man (City of Light) and Grand Aspen (Dialed In)–also worked. Mi Hermano Ramon earned a bullet when working five furlongs on the training track in :59 (1/14) for trainer Mark Glatt. The 5-year-old gelding most recently finished fourth in the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Jan. 25 at Gulfstream Park. Also exiting the Pegasus Turf,  Grade I winner Formidable Man worked four furlongs on the main track in :47.60 (5/40) for McCarthy. Grand Aspen, trained by Jonathan Thomas, worked four furlongs on the training track in :48.80 (7/8).

The post Holy Bull Winner Burnham Square Leads Busy Saturday Work Tab appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

RIYADH, KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA — The eleventh-hour defection of horses like 'TDN Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner), reigning G1 Dubai World Cup hero Laurel River (Into Mischief) and GI Pegasus World Cup victor White Abarrio (Race Day) deprived the 2025 G1 Saudi Cup of at least some of its pre-race lustre. Remaining in the field of 14, however, were two of the world's top horses, having achieved their success heretofore in diametrically opposite ways.

Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}) won the G3 Saudi Derby in 2024 in heart-stopping fashion, jockey Ryusei Sakai throwing him across the line to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. That was the beginning of a global invasion that saw the colt, trained by the master Yoshito Yahagi, finish a highly unlucky third in the GI Kentucky Derby after being hampered by Sierra Leone, and a more decisively beaten third to his close relative in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic in November. He earned a maiden top-level score in the Tokyo Daishoten in late December.

Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), already a Group 1 winner in Hong Kong, Australia and Japan, was imperious in making  the G1 Jebel Hatta his 10th elite-level score not far from here in Dubai on Jan. 24, and he had been programmed for the Saudi Cup as many as five months ago, an audacious plan given that he had never tried the dirt under race conditions. If any horse might be up to that particular task, it was Romantic Warrior, many reasoned, and he was favoured against his more accomplished dirt rival in overseas markets.

The Arabic announcer at King Abdulzaziz Racetrack whipped the crowd into a literal frenzy as the Saudi Cup field circled the starting stalls midway up the chute. The 109 seconds that followed the springing of the stalls nearly defies description.

Drawn widest in gate 14, Forever Young broke well and was angled down to the inside by Sakai, already victorious aboard Shin Forever (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) for the same connections in the G2 Neom Turf Cup a few hours prior. The JRHA Select Sale grad was part of a four-way scrum for the early lead with anticipated front-runners, G1 Al Maktoum Challenge winner Walk of Stars (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) to his inside and Al Musmak (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) to his right.

Romantic Warrior, customarily away quickly, bounced nicely from his low draw in three and James McDonald tucked the 7-year-old just in behind the leading group of four, showing no early signs that he might be struggling with the new surface.

Positions were mostly unchanged approaching the end of the back straight, and at that point, McDonald rolled the dice, angling out and around longshot Defunded (Dialed In) with fully half the distance yet to cover, and was therefore consigned to a five-wide run around the turn.

Romantic Warrior nevertheless continued to travel like a seasoned veteran and on the bridle, and he quickly moved up to the line of four and swept in front, looking every ounce a winner with Sakai and Forever Young left a bit flat-footed one off the fence turning in.

Romantic Warrior opened up on his rivals and they were partying in Wan Chai, but as he displayed when blousing out Book'em Danno (Bucchero) at the finish of last year's Saudi Derby, Forever Young loves a fight, and he began pegging back the margin with time ticking away. James McDonald was hard at work on Romantic Warrior and said post-race that his mount 'was not stopping', but Forever Young was kept after and proved narrowly better on the day in a race that won't soon be forgotten.

Previous Dubai World Cup winner Ushba Tesoro (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}) trailed down the back, but closed off well for third–albeit a very distant one–picking up more Saudi prizemoney after just losing his own heartbreaker 12 months ago. The final time for the 1800 meters was 1:49.10, which breaks the previous record of 1:49.50 set by Senor Buscador (Mineshaft) last year. Japanese runners swept the last four races on the card and now own multiple victories in each of the six group races on Saudi Cup night since the inception of the event in 2020.

It was a second Saudi Cup in three years for Yahagi, who sent out Panthalassa (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) to victory in 2023.

“This is my second win in the Saudi Cup, but no matter how many wins you have in the Saudi Cup, it is still a great feeling. I didn't have confidence; I believed in him,” the trainer said. “You know, when he came here to run in the Saudi Derby, he was not in the best condition and he still won. Since that time, he has improved a lot and was in better condition today. We will go to the [Apr. 5 G1] Dubai World Cup.”

Added Sakai: “He jumped very well from the wide gate in 14 and got into a nice position without a problem. It was my tactics to be in that situation. I believe in Forever Young, I never thought I'd lose the race. This is the best moment in my life.”

The Saudi Cup is a newly announced 'Win and You're In' qualifier for this year's Breeders' Cup Classic.

Romantic Warrior's $3.5-million payday takes his career earnings to a staggering $26.3 million. Connections were certainly feeling the sting of a difficult defeat, but expressed their pride in their horse.

“It's a good run for his first time on the dirt, only beaten by Forever Young. He is a top dirt horse, and he was only beaten by a head–it's a good run,” trainer Danny Shum told the Hong Kong Jockey Club's Declan Schuster. “We all did our best. I hope to win every time, but racing is racing. As long as he tries his best and it's a really good race–I think most of the people enjoyed the race.

“James said it was a good run. James is happy and I am happy. It was a great run and he beat the third horse by lengths. It was a good run, and we will run in the [$6-million G1 Dubai Turf [back at Meydan Apr. 5].”

McDonald chimed in and said: “He ran incredibly well. I was very proud of him. He flowed into the race well and used his momentum nicely, so it was a terrific effort.

“He was gallant in defeat, the race worked out perfectly for us, he got a little bit of kickback, sidled round just beautifully. I didn't alter my stride pace at all. It just shows what great horse Forever Young is and what a race was.”

Joel Rosario was pleased with the effort from America's Rattle N Roll (Connect), who came from well back for fifth and believes his horse would be suited for a step up to a mile and a quarter. The 6-year-old is also nominated to the World Cup.

Pedigree Notes:

Winner of the 2016 GII Santa Ynez Stakes, Forever Darling is the dam of four winners from five to race, including Forever Young's 2-year-old half-sister Brown Ratchet (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}), who carried the Sunday Racing colors to a victory in last year's G3 Artemis Stakes on the turf.

Given her female family, it is not entirely surprising that Forever Darling might end up in Japan. Her stakes-winning and multiple Grade-I placed dam Darling My Darling is responsible for 2017 GI Darley Alcibiades Stakes victress Heavenly Love (Malibu Moon), the dam of the aforementioned Sierra Leone, and Darling My Darling is a half-sister to Japanese Horse of the Year and G1 Japan Cup hero Zenno Rob Roy (Jpn).

The A.P. Indy stallion Congrats has been a broodmare sire of considerable importance in Japan. His daughters have produced 45 starters in the country, 34 of which are winners, including four group-level winners. Congrats is also the sire of Top Decile, whose son Danon Decile (Jpn) took out the 2024 G1 Tokyo Yushun, and he is also the broodmare sire of Group 2 winner Hartley (Jpn) in addition to the aforementioned Brown Ratchet.

Forever Darling is also the dam of a 2-year-old filly by Epiphaneia (Jpn) (Symboli Kris S), a yearling colt by Rey de Oro (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) this past April and is due to foal a full-sibling to Forever Young in 2025.

Saturday, King Abdulaziz (Riyadh), Saudi Arabia
SAUDI CUP-G1, $20,000,000, King Abdulaziz, 2-22, NH4yo/up, SH3yo/up, 1800m, 1:49.10, gd.
1–FOREVER YOUNG (JPN), 125, c, 4, by Real Steel (Jpn)
                1st Dam: Forever Darling (GSW-US, $217,545,
                                by Congrats
                2nd Dam: Darling My Darling, by Deputy Minister
                3rd Dam: Roamin Rachel, by Mining
(¥98,000,000 Ylg '22 JRHJUL). O-Susumu Fujita; B-Northern
Racing (Jpn); T-Yoshito Yahagi; J-Ryusei Sakai; $10,000,000.
Lifetime Record: G1SW-Jpn, MGISP-US, GSW-UAE, 10-8-0-2,
$14,248,207. *1/2 to Brown Ratchet (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}),
GSW-Jpn, $239,613. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Romantic Warrior (Ire),125, g, 7, Acclamation (GB)–Folk
Melody (Ire), by Street Cry (Ire). (300,000gns Ylg '19 TATOCT).
O-Mr Lau Pak Fai Peter; B-Corduff Stud & T. J. Rooney (Ire);
T-Danny Shum; J-James McDonald; $3,500,000.
3–Ushba Tesoro (Jpn), 125, h, 8, Orfevre (Jpn)–Millefeui Attach
(Jpn), by King Kamehameha (Jpn). (¥25,000,000 Wlg '17
JRHJUL). O-Ryotokuji Kenji Holdings, Co., Ltd.; B-Chiyoda Farm
Shizunai (Jpn); T-Noboru Takagi; J-Akira Sugawara; $2,000,000.
Margins: NK, 10HF, 1 3/4.
Also Ran: Wilson Tesoro (Jpn), Rattle N Roll, Ramjet (Jpn), Facteur Cheval (Ire), Wait To Excel (GB), Wootton'sun (Fr), Defunded, Al Musmak (Ire), Walk Of Stars (GB), El Kodigo (Arg), Intense For Me (Arg). DNF: Scotland Yard. VIDEO.

FOREVER YOUNG #フォーエバーヤング!!!

He let Romantic Warrior go by and then ran him down late in the $20,000.000 @TheSaudiCup (G1)! The Real Steel colt takes the #WAYI @BreedersCup Classic race for trainer Yoshito Yahagi. Jockey Ryusei Sakai brings the big one home for Japan! pic.twitter.com/cEBhyw8g5Z

— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) February 22, 2025

The post Duel In the Desert: Forever Young Pips Romantic Warrior In An Epic Saudi Cup appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.