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Reddam Racing Top California Owner by 2024 Earnings

Blood-Horse - Mon, 2025-02-03 21:02
The Thoroughbred Owners of California recognized the state's leading owners by earnings, by number of total wins, and number of stakes wins for 2024. Reddam Racing, for the fourth consecutive year, is California's top owner by earnings.

OBS March 2-Year-Olds in Training Catalog Now Online

Blood-Horse - Mon, 2025-02-03 21:02
The three-day sale will take place March 11-13 with each session beginning at 11 a.m. The under tack show will be held March 5-8, with a gallop only option. The sale has produced graded stakes-winners such as Gaming, Nooni, and White Abarrio.

Loved Seeks Second Straight Graded Score in Bayakoa

Blood-Horse - Mon, 2025-02-03 21:02
Loved finally got over the graded stakes hump last time out with a victory in the Falls City Stakes (G3). Now, she aims for two in a row as she faces five rivals traveling 1 1/16 miles in the $250,000 Bayakoa Stakes (G3) Feb. 8 at Oaklawn Park.

Fair Grounds’ Photographer Lou Hodges, Jr. Announces Retirement

Thoroughbred Daily News - Mon, 2025-02-03 16:16

Lou Hodges, Jr., a second-generation photographer who has captured horse racing images at the Fair Grounds since 1976, has announced his retirement. Hodges, Jr., who took over the family business in 1978, will now hand the reins over to his daughter, Amanda Hodges Weir.

“Fair Grounds has been lucky to have Lou Hodges,” Senior Director of Racing Jason Boulet said. “Our racetrack, our horses, and our horsemen have come to life through the fantastic photos he has taken. We are very grateful for everything he and his family has given us, and we are fortunate to have his highly-respected daughter Amanda take over. Although Lou is retiring, his photos will always be here to tell Fair Grounds' story.”

Hodges, Jr. spent plenty of his childhood at the racetrack with his father.

“He would go out early in the mornings to deliver pictures to the trainers,” Hodges, Jr. said. “So I would go with him through the barn area and that's where I learned a lot about his relationship to the horsemen. He would walk into the barn to deliver pictures and everybody would always get excited. It was really something. He had a lot of friends on the racetrack. People really respected him.”

Hodges, Jr. also worked as the track photographer at Rockingham Pak, Washington Park, Arlington Park and Louisiana Downs, and remarked on how the photography business has evolved down the years.

“The technology changes always came along at the right time for me,” Hodges Jr. said. “More than anything that's what kept me really interested. It allowed me to always try to think of a new way to do a picture, some new angles, something different to shoot.”

With so many years on the job, Hodges, Jr. has a sufficient number of stories to tell.

“Washington Park, that was my first racetrack fire,” Hodges, Jr said. “They had not run Thoroughbred racing there for a number of years, but they decided to bring it back, and on Jan. 1 as we rode into town, the temperature dropped below freezing, then below zero. On Feb. 5, we had left to go back to our apartment and the track caught fire. All the fire hoses had frozen up and they just watched it burn down–there was nothing they could do.”

“Then eight years later there was Arlington,” Hodges, Jr. said. “Eight years after that Fair Grounds burned down. So I've seen enough racetrack fires. When we got back to racing at Fair Grounds and were using tents, Pat Day was in the post parade and he saw me standing there and said 'Just being around you I feel like I should have a fire extinguisher.'”

Hodges, Jr.'s daughter joined the operation in 2015.

“Amanda's undergraduate degree from Ole Miss is in Art Education,” Lou said. “She came along with different ways of looking at things. Her computer skills with photoshop are outstanding. I was very fortunate that she decided to come into the business, it made life a lot easier.”

“My father is still going to come out for the big race days,” Amanda said. “We joke that he is like the Rolling Stones. Will he ever really officially retire? Who knows.”

This past Sunday, Fair Grounds celebrated Lou Hodges Jr.'s retirement, and the fourth race was run in his honor.

The post Fair Grounds’ Photographer Lou Hodges, Jr. Announces Retirement appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

HISA Announces New Members To Horsemen’s Advisory Group

Thoroughbred Daily News - Mon, 2025-02-03 15:36

Edited Press Release

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) is pleased to announce the addition of Thoroughbred horsemen Michael Annechino, Neil Howard, Todd Mostoller and Justin Revak to its Horsemen's Advisory Group. Formed in 2022, this body of racing industry participants provides HISA's executive team and Standing Committees with formal feedback on the evolution of its Racetrack Safety Program and Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program. Its new members succeed outgoing Horsemen's Advisory Group members Timothy Keefe, Maggi Moss, Graham Motion and Kirk Wycoff.

The Horsemen's Advisory Group has 18 members with a wide variety of viewpoints from across the racing industry. Its membership includes trainers, owners, bloodstock agents, horsemen's group representatives and veterinarians.

“We are grateful to Timothy Keefe, Maggi Moss, Graham Motion and Kirk Wycoff for their invaluable contributions to HISA's mission,” said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. “Their unwavering dedication and keen insights have played a critical role in advancing HISA's rules, driving meaningful progress for the industry. We are excited to welcome our new members and look forward to learning from their extensive experience as we continue to build a safer and more unified framework for Thoroughbred racing.”

The full list of the Horsemen's Advisory Group members can be found here.

The post HISA Announces New Members To Horsemen’s Advisory Group appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Reddam, Hronis Among 2024 Statistical Leaders In California

Thoroughbred Daily News - Mon, 2025-02-03 15:07

For the fourth consecutive year, Paul Reddam's Reddam Racing was the leading owner in California by total purse earnings, while Hronis Racing LLC led all California owners by number of victories, according to statistics released Monday by the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC).

Runners campaigned in the white-and-blue colors of Reddam Racing in California proved victorious 32 times from 252 starts for total purses of $2,031,442. Among the stable stars were the multiple stakes-winning Stay and Scam, a daughter of Reddam's Square Eddie, who also hit the board in the GIII Wilshire Stakes and GIII Royal Heroine Stakes. Other Reddam colorbearers to earn black-type include Don't Fight the Fed (Nyquist), Stolen Treasure (Nyquist) and Accidental Genius (I'll Have Another).

Hronis collected 35 wins from 142 California starts for earnings of $1,720,310, topped by GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile hero Full Serrano (Arg) (Full Mast), Antifona (Fr) (Recoletos {Fr}) and Tapalo (Tapiture).

Cuyathy LLC, owner and breeder of Eclipse Award finalist and top miler Johannes (Nyquist), and the partnership of Sondereker Racing, Kruljac, Fetkin, and Thornburgh each had five stakes wins in 2024. The top earner for the latter partnership is the outstanding Cal-bred sprinter The Chosen Vron (Vronsky).

The post Reddam, Hronis Among 2024 Statistical Leaders In California appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

FTHA Issue Statement Opposing Decoupling Legislation

Thoroughbred Daily News - Mon, 2025-02-03 14:33

The Board of the Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen (FTH) met Monday to address HB 105, the pending legislation seeking decoupling in Florida that would allow Gulfstream Park to separate its gaming license from the requirement to continue to conduct live racing.

The Board of the FTH voted unanimously against decoupling and is against the passage of HB 105. Their statement issued Monday reads:

“The future of Thoroughbred racing in South Florida is too important and too uncertain if HB 105 is passed. We cannot take that risk without a definitive plan going forward.

“The organization wants to actively engage and work with 1/ST RACING and Gulfstream regarding the future of racing in South Florida. We have requested a series of meetings with 1/ST and Gulfstream so that the interested parties can collectively come up with a sustainable solution that would be in the best interest of racing.

“Unless and until that solution is developed and agreed upon, the Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen will be against decoupling or any legislation that threatens continued Thoroughbred racing in South Florida.”

The FTH joins many of their counterparts in other jurisdictions (THA, KTA) and major industry shareholders such as Hill 'n' Dale Farm's John Sikura, in coming down against the legislation.

The post FTHA Issue Statement Opposing Decoupling Legislation appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

As Did Kentucky, Florida Legislature Should Bet On Live Racing

Thoroughbred Daily News - Mon, 2025-02-03 13:27

A Letter To The Industry from Damon Thayer

The Florida State Legislature is facing a crossroads similar to what we in Kentucky's General Assembly faced in early 2021. At stake, as it was in Kentucky, is the future of the labor-intensive horseracing and breeding industry in that state.

With strong support from horsemen whose livelihoods were at risk, Kentucky lawmakers passed legislation that allowed the racing industry to invest in itself by protecting tracks' ability to conduct and benefit from another parimutuel product known as historical horse racing (HHR). Today, Kentucky has the strongest racing circuit in America, with tracks creating hundreds of new jobs and billions of dollars in economic investment.

By contrast, passage of Florida's HB 105 would permit Gulfstream Park to sever the legislatively mandated connection between its gaming license and conducting live horse racing.

Gulfstream's ownership, which wants to build a casino and hotel on the property, says that's the only way the historic track will survive for three more years, but unlikely beyond that. But past performances tell another story: it would end horse racing in south Florida and cripple the state's important Thoroughbred breeding industry.

When the Kentucky industry was threatened by a judicial action (a state Supreme Court deciding HHR was unconstitutional after 10 years of favorable legal opinions), it required a legislative remedy. Now racing in Florida is threatened by a desire to change a long-standing legislative remedy designed to help the horse industry to compete with the state's full-blown casinos (currently standing at eight).

Racing is heavily regulated and continues to thrive in states where the industry has a strong relationship with the legislature, where the industry can tell its story and the legislature can make vital decisions about its future and health. Now is the time for everyone who cares about live horse racing and breeding in Florida–and that should include not just the Sunshine State but every other racing jurisdiction–to band together and tell Tallahassee the Florida Thoroughbred industry's story.

According to the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association statistics, thoroughbreds alone account for:

 

  • $3.24-billion annual economic impact
  • 87,600 thoroughbreds in the state
  • 33,500 jobs

 

While I'm proud of the strength of Kentucky racing and breeding, I also know that it's important that the industry is strong in other states. It's all part of the North American ecosystem. If the Florida legislature doesn't care about that, lawmakers should care about protecting the tens of thousands of jobs and hundreds of thousands of acres of green space within its borders.

The Florida legislature can't force Gulfstream Park to continue live horse racing. But lawmakers shouldn't make it easy to abandon such a vital agri-business, job-creator and tourism attraction. It's important to remember that Gulfstream Park would never have gotten its gaming license in the first place if not for conducting live horse racing.

Pompano Park is the cautionary tale for Florida lawmakers. Once the Standardbred industry's premier winter track, Pompano closed three years ago, one year after decoupling legislation was passed for harness racing.

Breeding horses is a long-term investment. The foals of 2026 resulting from mares that will be bred starting this month won't reach the racetrack until at least 2028, the last year for which Gulfstream Park says it will guarantee live racing if the decoupling legislation is approved. (And if not approved, Gulfstream Park's consultant Keith Brackpool has said the track almost assuredly will close much sooner.)

Just the threat of Gulfstream Park closing in the next few years will take a toll. Uncertainty in the marketplace creates added risk and therefore less investment in any industry, especially those where the payoff is several years away.

Not to diminish the importance of Tampa Bay Downs–a true gem itself with its 4 1/2-month winter racing season and one of my favorite tracks–but there would now be far less incentive to have a mare foal in Florida. A year from now, how many of those mares will be shipped out to give birth in Kentucky, New York, Louisiana or Pennsylvania–pick a state–to take advantage of those states' viable breeders incentives?

HB 105 would devastate Ocala. Marion County's 75,000 horses account for the largest single-county equine population in the United States. Of those, 34,000 are Thoroughbreds. One in five of Marion County's jobs–or 28,500 total employment–involve the horse industry, according to the FTBOA.

It's not just Florida-bred horses and broodmares that are vital to the Florida industry's health. Thousands of young horses are sent there from all over the country to get their earliest training on Florida farms and training centers. Horsemen from all over the East Coast and Midwest reside at least four months over the winter to train and race in Florida, spending millions of dollars in lodging, food, sales tax and horse feed, bedding and supplies.

Just like Kentucky, Florida is an exporter of Thoroughbreds. One example: the Ocala Breeders Sales, among the pre-eminent sellers of 2-year-olds in the world, sold a total 4,147 horses (all ages), fetching a total of $180 million in 2024.

It's the job of government to create an environment where industries can thrive. HB 105 would do just the opposite. There's a way for world-class horse racing to co-exist with a large casino and hotel without sacrificing tens of thousands of jobs, hundreds of thousands of acres of green space and an important tourism magnet.

Florida's legislature should vote for its horse-racing industry by not passing HB 105.

Damon Thayer recently stepped down after 22 years in the Kentucky General Assembly, the last 12 as Senate Majority Floor Leader. He has served in numerous capacities in track management, marketing and publicity, work that continues with his Thayer Communications and Consulting marketing company. Thayer is a partner in racehorses through C.J. Thoroughbreds, including horses racing at Gulfstream Park.

The post As Did Kentucky, Florida Legislature Should Bet On Live Racing appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Graded Winner Julia Shining Retired to Stonestreet, to Visit Into Mischief

Thoroughbred Daily News - Mon, 2025-02-03 12:53

The 2022 GII Demoiselle Stakes victress 'TDN Rising Star' Julia Shining (Curlin) has been retired and will be bred to leading sire Into Mischief, according to a tweet by Stonestreet on X.

A full-sister to two-time champion MGISW Malathaat, also a 'Rising Star' for owner Shadwell Stable, Julia Shining claimed her own black-type at the elite level when she ran third in the GI Central Bank Ashland Stakes in 2023 at Keeneland. Her last start was a second-place effort Jan. 11 at Aqueduct in the Listed Ladies Stakes.

Julia Shining and her sister continued a remarkable line of 'TDN Rising Stars' for the family, as their dam GISW Dreaming of Julia (A.P. Indy) was also a recipient of the moniker as were her half-siblings MGSW Dream Pauline (Tapit) and MSW Atreides (Medaglia d'Oro). Second dam Dream Rush (Wild Rush) was a multiple Grade I winner and twice placed at the highest level as well.

“Welcome home, Julia Shining!” read the X statement. “This graded stakes winning daughter of champion Curlin and the remarkable MGSW Dreaming of Julia is officially joining our broodmare band! She will be bred to Into Mischief.”

The post Graded Winner Julia Shining Retired to Stonestreet, to Visit Into Mischief appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

OBS March Catalogue Available Online

Thoroughbred Daily News - Mon, 2025-02-03 12:15

The catalogue for the OBS March sale has been released and is now available online.

The three-day sale will run from Mar. 11 to Mar. 13 and each session will begin at 11:00 a.m. HIPS 1-272 will go through the ring Mar. 11, then 273-544 the day after, and lastly 545-814. The under-tack show will begin Mar. 5 and run through Mar. 8 starting at 8:00 a.m. each day. The show, and subsequent sale, will both be streamed live via the OBS website as well as the TDN.

There will also be a new entry option of “gallop only” where sellers may enter their horses with the designation and which will be reflected on the catalogue page. There is an iPad version available via the Equineline Sales Catalog app. The full catalogue is available here.

Online bidding will be offered during the March sale and buyers are encouraged to go to the OBS website to register to gain bidding approval. The bidding screen will be accessible from there with approved credentials. For information on registration or online bidding, please go here.

The 2024 OBS March sale claimed several noteworthy runners last season, including GISW Gaming (Game Winner); GISW Scottish Lassie (McKinzie); $1.8-million graduate GSW Nooni (Win Win Win); $1.3-million buy MGISP Ferocious (Flatter), who finished fourth Feb. 1 in the GIII Holy Bull Stakes on seasonal bow; and $1.2-million purchase Sandman (Tapit), recently seen running second Jan. 25 in the GIII Southwest Stakes after a troubled beginning.

Also a two-time OBS graduate is MGISW White Abarrio (Race Day), who was last seen putting on a masterclass in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational Jan. 25 at Gulfstream Park. The grey claimed the 2023 GI Breeders' Cup Classic and is a winner at the elite level a total of four times.

The post OBS March Catalogue Available Online appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Maryland Stallion Season Online Auction Set for Feb. 9

Thoroughbred Daily News - Mon, 2025-02-03 11:38

The Maryland stallion season online auction to benefit the Maryland Horse Foundation will be held from Feb. 9 to Feb. 12, the group announced Monday via press release.

Seasons to 12 stallions will be offered, including Blofeld (Quality Road), Bourbon Courage (Lion Heart), Cupid (Tapit), Divining Rod (Tapit), Engage (Into Mischief), Friesian Fire (A.P. Indy), Galawi (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Holy Boss (Street Boss), Kobe's Back (Flatter), Mosler (War Front), and Warrant (Constitution). The proceeds of the auction will support the operations of the Maryland Horse Foundation to serve the various educational and charitable needs of the Maryland horse industry.

To register to bid and view the catalogue, please go here.

The post Maryland Stallion Season Online Auction Set for Feb. 9 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

2025 Kentucky Oaks Survivors Parade Submissions Open

Thoroughbred Daily News - Mon, 2025-02-03 10:33

Submissions for the Friday, May 2 Kentucky Oaks Survivors Parade are now being accepted, Churchill Downs announced Monday morning.

This year's event will honor 150 Breast and Ovarian cancer survivors and fighters with tickets for the recipient, plus one guest, to attend the 151st Kentucky Oaks to participate in the march on the track. Those who have overcome or are battling a breast or ovarian cancer diagnosis, who have never participated in the Oaks Survivors Parade, may submit their story here until Friday Feb. 28. Those who are nominating a potential participant should share the submission link directly with the candidate so they may submit the relevant information.

The 17th Survivors Parade at Churchill Downs will feature and support Derby Divas through the Norton Cancer Institute Breast Health Program and Horses And Hope through Kentucky Cancer Program. Both organizations provide critical services that help deliver care to underserved women across the region, including on the backside of racetracks in Kentucky, who lack access to screenings and services. Over the last 16 years, the Kentucky Oaks charitable initiative has raised more than $1-million to drive awareness and life-saving interventions.

As was the case in 2024, this year's parade participants will be chosen randomly rather than by public vote to optimize equal opportunity or consideration. Winners will be announced Friday, Mar. 7.

For more information on the parade or the charitable partners, please go here.

The post 2025 Kentucky Oaks Survivors Parade Submissions Open appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Robert Croteau Tapped as New Fair Hill Training Center General Manager

Thoroughbred Daily News - Mon, 2025-02-03 10:09

Robert Croteau has been named as the next general manager of Fair Hill Training Center (FHTC) in Maryland, it was announced via press release Monday morning.

Tapped to succeed Sally Goswell, who retired after almost 30 years in the position, Croteau began his position effective Feb. 1 while Goswell stays on as a consultant to ease the transition.

“I always thought Fair Hill Training Center was a great concept and to actually be involved with something like that is exciting,” said Croteau, himself the son of a Thoroughbred trainer, and who's held positions in several facets of the equine industry. “Racing is going through changes, and I think there's opportunity for places like Fair Hill. I want to help it be all it can be, but I'm very aware I'm standing on the shoulders of giants. They've done all the hard work.”

FHTC was founded in 1983 and includes 18 privately owned barns with 700 Thoroughbreds calling it home at peak capacity. The common areas comprise of a one-mile dirt track, seven-furlong Tapeta track, access to fields in the surrounding 5,600-acre state-managed area, and a starting gate crew, among others.

“We thank Sally for her service to FHTC as general manager, and going back further, as a barn owner with her husband Mike,” said Bruce Jackson, president of the Fair Hill Condominium Association, which leases the property from the state of Maryland's Department of Natural Resources. “Sally's fingerprints are on everything at FHTC and has been a key to our success for many years. We're thrilled to have her involved and look forward to Robert growing into the role with Sally's valuable input.”

The post Robert Croteau Tapped as New Fair Hill Training Center General Manager appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Dispersals Highlight Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale

Blood-Horse - Sun, 2025-02-02 20:59
The Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale gets underway Feb. 3 at 10 a.m., offering breeders a last opportunity to add to their broodmare band or for pinhookers to pick up a short yearling from a live auction. A total of 414 horses have been cataloged.

Volleyballprincess Caps Strong Week for North Carolina

Blood-Horse - Sun, 2025-02-02 20:59
North Carolina-bred Volleyballprincess capped a strong week for breeders in her home state with a dominant 10-length romp in the Ruthless Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack Feb. 1.

Sandman On Track for Rebel Stakes

Blood-Horse - Sun, 2025-02-02 20:59
Outcome aside, dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse said he was ecstatic with Sandman's performance in the $1 million Southwest Stakes (G3) for 3-year-olds Jan. 25 at Oaklawn Park.

Soul of an Angel Works with an Eye on Saudi Cup

Blood-Horse - Sun, 2025-02-02 20:59
Trained by Championship Meet leader Saffie Joseph Jr., 6-year-old Soul of an Angel was timed in :47 4/5 on the main track, ranking 13th of 70 horses. It was her third work since finishing third in the Rampart Dec. 26.

Jonathan's Way, East Avenue Continue Risen Star Prep

Blood-Horse - Sun, 2025-02-02 20:59
Preparing to make their sophomore debut in the $500,000 Risen Star Stakes (G2) on Louisiana Derby Preview Day Feb. 15, both Jonathan's Way and East Avenue breezed at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots Feb. 1.

Tenma Glides to Easiest of Wins in Las Virgenes

Blood-Horse - Sun, 2025-02-02 20:59
Grade 1 winner Tenma towered over her competition on paper, in the wagering, and ultimately in the stretch as she rolled home to an easy victory in the $92,000 Las Virgenes Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park.

Dutrow Dreaming as Captain Cook Points to Wood Memorial

Blood-Horse - Sun, 2025-02-02 20:59
Trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. sat in his Belmont Park office Feb. 2 still basking in the glow of his newly-minted stakes-winner Captain Cook's dominant victory in the $250,000 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack Feb. 1.

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