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Among those working at Churchill Downs April 13 were Catching Freedom, Endlessly, Mystik Dan, and Common Defense.

British trainer Charlie Appleby brought seven Godolphin-owned horses to Keeneland for stakes races this spring, though his North American assault will continue past the meet that concludes April 26.

Longtime New York Racing Association official John Hennegan died April 11 after a battle with aggressive glioblastoma—a form of brain cancer. He died nine days shy of his 85th birthday.

Regaleira continues her campaign against the boys in the Satsuki Sho (Japanese Two Thousand Guineas, G1) April 14 at Nakayama Racecourse.

Marty Wygod's potent breeding operation is represented this year on the Road to the Kentucky Derby (G1) by Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) winner Resilience. Alone and in partnership, Marty and Pam Wygod bred 124 stakes winners.

Hip 787, a son of Bolt d'Oro consigned by Top Line Sales, agent, sped an eighth in :09 3/5, the fastest work at the distance at the fifth session of the under tack show for the Ocala Breeders' Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.

A sloppy track played right into the hands of Boardshorts Stables' Hot Beach in the April 12 off-the-turf running of the $244,563 Limestone Stakes at Keeneland.

Returning for the first time since his Nov. 4 Breeders' Cup triumph, Master of The Seas illustrated his effectiveness over yielding going, darting past rivals to easily capture the $600,000 Maker's Mark Mile Stakes (G1T) April 12 at Keeneland.

Dr. Ira Mersack, who previously co-owned Margaux Farm in Midway, Ky., died April 10. He was 83.

The lightly raced but talented Scylla returns to the site of her first career victory and faces her biggest test yet when she starts in the April 19 $300,000 Doubledogdare Stakes (G3) at Keeneland.

Mensa became the first winner for first-crop sire Complexity by dashing to a front-running three-length victory in a $62,700 maiden race for juveniles April 12 at Gulfstream Park.

War Chant, a longstanding resident at Yarradale Stud in Australia, died at age 27 April 11. The son of Danzig was victorious in the 2000 Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) at Churchill Downs.

On April 22-23, Light Up Racing is set to launch its Media and Content Cohort Training Program in Lexington. Light Up Racing is assembling a dynamic group of approximately 20 individuals from every aspect of the horse racing industry,

Success stories from the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.

Trainer Robertino Diodoro, provisionally suspended by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit after the alleged discovery of the banned substance levothyroxine in his barn at Oaklawn Park, enters a horse to race at Lone Star Park April 18.

Florida House of Representatives Stan McClain will receive the inaugural Matt Bryan Distinguished Advocacy Award from the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association at their annual Gala Monday. In a press release Friday, the FTBOA acknowledged McClain as helping to extend House Bill 7063, an incentives package for Florida breeding and racing interests.

“We were excited to be able to expand Florida's investment supporting the Florida Thoroughbred industry on a long-term basis,” said McClain. “I'm looking forward to watching how this investment helps the industry thrive in upcoming years.”

Rep. McClain is the first honoree of the Matt Bryan Distinguished Advocacy Award named in honor of Matt Bryan, FTBOA's 30-year veteran lobbyist. Bryan, who will retire at year's end, will also be honored for his career with the FTBOA at the Gala.

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On April 22-23 Light Up Racing will launch its Media & Content Cohort Training Program in Lexington, Kentucky, which aims to improve the narrative of horse racing and empower changemakers by teaching skills to better promote the sport, the organization said in a release Friday.

Light Up Racing is assembling approximately 20 individuals from every aspect of the horse racing industry, across all demographics, united by their passion for positive change over two days of training.

“Our goal is to empower each participant with the confidence to share their stories and perspectives in horse racing,” said Vicky Leonard of Kick Collective. “We believe that by building these skills and generating confidence, we can collectively start shifting how the sport is perceived and talked about.”

The days are planned to equip a diverse group of participants with the tools they need to make an impact. While the first focuses on personal branding, leveraging social media and confidence in media interview techniques, day two advances into content creation and strategies for maximizing engagement.

“By the end of this program, participants will not just have skills; they'll have the confidence to use their voices and showcase the industry from their perspective,” Leonard said. “They'll also have a community supporting their journey.”

This training marks the beginning of a larger movement towards a more open and forward-thinking horse racing community, sharing the positive elements to the wider public.

“When an industry isn't talking, people assume it has something to hide,” added Leonard. “The antidote to fixing the perception and trust issues is by opening the door and inviting people in–both in person and online. Your voice matters, and together, we have the power to redefine the narrative,” said Leonard.

Additional training will soon be announced across the country, reflecting Light Up Racing's commitment to fostering a nationwide community of empowered racing advocates.

“These two days will empower the Kentucky cohort to go out into the community, both in person and online, to engage in fact-based, transparent dialogue about horse racing during a crucial time on our calendar,” said board member Christina Blacker. “We need to share the good stories and we must stop uninformed opinions from driving the narrative of our sport. I look forward to participating in the training myself when it comes to California.”

Click here for more information about the training or email hello@lightupracing.com.

 

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Saturday's GIII Stonestreet Lexington S. at Keeneland, the final stop on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, offers a path to Churchill Downs for the first Saturday in May for D. J. Stable and Robert Cotran's Hades (Awesome Slew).

Currently on the outside looking in, Hades sits in 24th place on the leaderboard with 30 points. The GI Kentucky Derby is limited to 20 starters. The Lexington offers 42 points on a 20-10-6-4-2 scale.

With a victory, Hades would be in the top 20. A runner-up finish would put him on the bubble.

Hades upset potential Kentucky Derby favorite and 'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light) (third) and next-out GIII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby winner Domestic Product (Practical Joke) (second) with a game victory in the GIII Holy Bull S. Feb. 3. Hades suffered his first career defeat finishing a well-beaten fifth behind Fierceness after getting bumped at the start in the GI Curlin Florida Derby Mar. 30.

“We need the points. I'm not going to go there to be number 21 (on the also-eligible list),” trainer Joe Orseno said. “He didn't get a chance to run in the Florida Derby.”

Hades will race with first-time blinkers in the Lexington and will also receive a rider change to Jose Ortiz. Paco Lopez was aboard Hades in his first four career starts.

“I always thought he would be better with blinkers, but he kept winning and I couldn't make the change,” Orseno said. “He'll have blinkers here; little ones.”

Two other Lexington entrants could be on the Derby bubble with a victory: Encino (Nyquist) (20 points) and Liberal Arts (Arrogate) (19 points).

John Battaglia Memorial S. winner Encino, scratched from last weekend's GI Blue Grass S. in favor of this spot, tries dirt for the first time for trainer Brad Cox. Last year's GIII Street Sense S. winner Liberal Arts was an eventful sixth (disqualified and placed eighth for interference after getting rank on the first turn) in the GI Arkansas Derby Mar. 30.

The Lexington field of 10 also includes 5-2 morning-line favorite The Wine Steward (Vino Rosso), who makes his first start since finishing a very game second in the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland Oct. 7.

Saturday's 11-race card at Keeneland also prominently features the GI Jenny Wiley S. Gina Romantica (Into Mischief), a two-time Grade I winner over the lawn in Lexington, held her own against the boys finishing a respectable fourth in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile last time Nov. 4. The 3-1 morning-line favorite is one of four entered for Chad Brown, who has won five of the past six runnings of the 1 1/16-mile turf race for fillies and mares and has six Jenny Wiley victories overall.

Brown will also saddle last term's GI Matriarch S. heroine Surge Capacity (Flintshire {GB}), MGSW Fluffy Socks (Slumber {GB}) and longshot Beaute Cachee (Fr) (Literato {Fr}). “With a lot of my good grass fillies, I like to target this and I like the mile and a sixteenth to start,” Brown said.

The field of 10 also includes: Didia (Arg) (Orpen), a game winner of the GII TAA Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational S. at Gulfstream Jan. 27; and the Charlie Appleby-trained English Rose (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), who captured the G2 Balanchine S. at Meydan last time Feb. 23.

Wet Paint (Blame), three-for-three against stakes company at Oaklawn last season, will face off against California invader Adare Manor (Uncle Mo) in the GI Apple Blossom H. in Hot Springs. Wet Paint, just up in time in last summer's GI Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga, makes her first start since finishing eighth in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff at Santa Anita Nov. 4. Adare Manor, winner of last summer's GI Clement L. Hirsch S. at Del Mar, crossed the line one spot better in seventh at the Championships and kicked off her 5-year-old campaign for Bob Baffert with a runner-up finish as the favorite in the GI Beholder Mile S. at Santa Anita Mar. 9.

Saturday's graded action is rounded out by the GIII Count Fleet H. at Oaklawn and GIII Giant's Causeway S. at Keeneland.

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High-profile trainer Robertino Diodoro, who is serving a provisional suspension from the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) after the banned substance levothyroxine was found in his barn at Oaklawn Park, has entered a horse for the April 18 card at Lone Star Park. On opening night, he has entered Master of Disguise (Mastery) in a maiden special weight race with a purse of $33,000.

Diodoro is eligible to race in Texas because the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) does not have jurisdiction in that state.

Diodoro did not return a phone call from the TDN, but it appears that he will be busy at the Lone Star meet, which concludes on July 14. Diodoro has been allotted 50 stalls, which appears to be the maximum amount allowed by the track's racing department. He has not started a horse since April 3 at Turf Paradise. He was able to run in Arizona after his suspension was announced because the horses had been entered before Diodoro was notified of the violation

Diodoro was provisionally suspended by HIWU on March 29. Though he has been summarily suspended the case must still be reviewed by HIWU's Internal Adjunction Panel. Diodoro also has the option of trying to contest the suspension in court.

Levothyroxine is a thyroid medication. According to the National Library of Medicine the use of thyroid hormones for doping to enhance performance in human sports has long been controversial. There have been claims of abuse of these drugs, but they have not been prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

The Texas Racing Commission interpreted its state racing rules and concluded that only the racing commission can legally oversee racing in the state and therefore would not allow HISA to come into Texas. Because they are not under HISA's jurisdiction, Lone Star Park and Sam Houston cannot send their simulcast signal out of state.

Diodoro was the leading trainer in 2023 at Oaklawn Park and is currently still in second place in this year's Oaklawn standings. Training since 1995, Diodoro has 3,184 career wins and a winning rate of 21 percent.

A similar scenario is playing out in Louisiana, where trainer Jonathan Wong has begun racing. Wong received a two-year suspension from HIWU after he had a horse test positive for Metformin, a drug that is commonly used by humans to combat type 2 diabetes. Like Texas, Louisiana racing is not under HISA's control. Wong has started eight horses in Louisiana with no winners. He has four horses entered at Evangeline Downs next week and another Saturday night.

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Wynonna Judd will perform the National Anthem at this year's Kentucky Derby, while Martha Stewart will handle the 'Riders Up' announcing duties, Churchill Downs said via a press release early Friday morning.

Judd, a Kentucky native, will take the mic just after 5 p.m. ET and her performance will be broadcast as part of NBC's Derby coverage.

“I am so proud to represent my home state, taking part in one of the most storied and iconic traditions,” Wynonna Judd said. “The Kentucky Derby is something I look forward to every year and being able to perform this year makes the momentous event even more special.”

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