BloodHorse.com | Horse Racing News

Star Guitar Keeps Strumming on Premier Night

Star Guitar won the Louisiana Premier Night Championship for the fourth consecutive time, rallying from last early to capture the $200,000 event by 3 1/4 lengths on the night of Feb. 4 at Delta Downs.

Prevalence of L.intracellularis on Farms (AAEP 2011)

If someone had said "equine proliferative enteropathy" 10 years ago, chances are most horse breeders would have shrugged their shoulders and paid little mind. Today, however, many breeders are mindful of this still-emerging young horse disease caused by the Lawsonia intracellularis bacteria. Researchers have made great strides in comprehending m...

Triple Crown Nominations Soar

Headed by 2-year-old champion male Hansen, 397 horses were nominated to the Triple Crown series before the Jan. 21 early nomination deadline, representing a 9.1% increase over the 364 during the 2011 early nominating period.

Ultimate Eagle All Alone in Strub Triumph

Ultimate Eagle, a grade I winner on turf making his first start on dirt, won for fun in the $200,000 Strub Stakes (gr. II) at odds of 7-1 Feb. 4 at Santa Anita.

Mr. Prankster Romps in WEBN

Mr. Prankster emphatically answered the two-turn question Feb. 4, closing strongly and drawing off to win the one-mile WEBN Stakes at Turfway Park by 7 1/2 lengths.

Alternation Impressive in Essex Handicap

Pin Oak Stable's Alternation earned the Oaklawn stakes victory that eluded him last year when he authoritatively captured the $100,000 Essex Handicap Feb. 4.

I'll Have Another Uncorks Lewis Shocker

Off for five months and making his first start around two turns, I'll Have Another produced an easy upset victory at odds of 43-1 in the $200,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes (gr. II) at Santa Anita Feb. 4.

Alpha Easily Passes Withers Test

Just as he did when winning the Count Fleet Stakes a month earlier, Alpha easily defeated an overmatched field to take the $200,000 Withers (gr. III) by 3 1/4 lengths Feb. 4 at Aqueduct.

Maiden Battle Hardened Gets Up in Sam Davis

Battle Hardened, given a patient ride by Julien Leparoux, earned the first win of his career when he defeated a big field in the $200,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes (gr. III) at Tampa Bay Downs.

Wagering Down Slightly in January

After posting a rare gain in December, wagering on North American racing took a small step backward in January, with total handle from all sources down 1.1% from January 2011.

Rapid Redux Items Donated for R.A.C.E.

David Wells, the trainer of record-setting horse Rapid Redux, donated items of Rapid Redux to the R.A.C.E. Fund organization to be auctioned off to help raise funds for racehorse retirement and rehabilitation.

Endeavour: Zagora Sharp in Return

Odds-on favorite Zagora, off for nearly five months, was razor sharp in her return Feb. 4 at Tampa Bay Downs, taking over at the top of the stretch en route to winning the $150,000 Endeavour Stakes (gr. IIIT).

Complete List of Triple Crown Nominees

A sortable list of all 397 horses nominated to the 2012 Triple Crown.

View List

Mr. Commons Plenty Special in Arcadia Win

Mr. Commons took a big step on what his connections hope will be a special campaign when he rallied from off the pace to win the $150,000 Arcadia Stakes (gr. II) on turf Feb. 4, his second graded win of the Santa Anita meet.

Creative Cause Preps for San Vicente

Norfolk Stakes (gr. I) winner Creative Cause, prepping for his expected 3-year-old debut in the upcoming San Vicente Stakes (gr. II), worked six furlongs handily on the Hollywood Park Cushion Track Feb. 4 in 1:13 4/5.

Calibrachoa Repeats in Toboggan

Mike Repole's Calibrachoa made it a perfect 4-for-4 over the Aqueduct inner track, as he ran down longshot Diski Dance at the top of the stretch to win the $150,000 Toboggan (gr. III) for the second consecutive year.

Force Freeze Looks Ready for Season Debut

Force Freeze continued to impress trainer Peter Walder Feb. 4 while preparing for a scheduled start in the Gulfstream Park Sprint (gr. II) in two weeks.

Midwest/Canada Regional: Catching a Break

Janice and Scott Jordan's Breakaway Farm Grows With Indiana.

Read More

First Foal by Orthodox a Filly

The first foal by Orthodox, a bay filly out of the Menifee mare Flippin' Temper, arrived Feb. 3 at Lora Pitre's Peach Lane Farm in Louisiana.

Humeral Stress Fractures and Return to Racing (AAEP 2011)

A stress fracture is a stress fracture, regardless of its location, right? Well, not necessarily; in some cases, a fracture's location in a bone could have implications for whether the horse will return to his previous level of work or whether his career will be cut short. A research team recently examined whether the location of a stress fracture wit...

Calder Returns Derby, Oaks to 2012 Schedule

Calder Casino & Race Course has released a stakes schedule for 2012 that includes the return of the Calder Derby and Oaks after a one-year absence from the calendar.

Cuomo Shoots Down Plan for Belmont Casino

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is dismissing efforts to develop a casino at Belmont Park, which would serve as direct competition to the nearby video lottery terminal facility at Aqueduct.

Scrimshaw Moves to Texas for 2012

Grade II winner Scrimshaw, third in the 2003 Preakness Stakes (gr. I), has moved to Texas where he will stand at Double S Thoroughbred Farm in Poynor for 2012. He stood at Moon Lake Farm in Louisiana in 2011.

CTBA to Announce 2011 Horse of Year Feb. 13

Eclipse champions Acclamation and Amazombie, as well as multiple stakes-winning mare Ultra Blend are the finalists for the 2011 California-bred Horse of the Year.

TV Series 'Luck' Renewed for 2013 by HBO

Luck, the racetrack-themed dramatic series which premiered on HBO Jan. 29, has been quickly renewed for a second season according to network officials.

First Foals Reported for Champion Midshipman

Champion Midshipman's first foal was born at Darley's Stonerside division in Paris, Ky., Jan. 26. The filly is out of the grade III-winning mare Freefourracing.

Steve Haskin's Derby Dozen - Feb 3, 2012

Creative Cause tops the first Derby Dozen of 2012. Presented by Shadwell Farm.

read blog

Amazombie Posts Bullet Move at Santa Anita

Amazombie, the 2011 Eclipse Award-winning male sprinter, topped the Santa Anita work tab Feb. 3 with a handy six-furlong drill in 1:12 flat as he nears his initial start of the year.

Alternation Back at Oaklawn in Essex Handicap

Pin Oak Stud's regally bred son of Distorted Humor, now 4, returns to Oaklawn ready to redeem himself in the $100,000 Essex Handicap where he was installed as the 2-1 morning line favorite and is the 118-pound high weight.

Soaring Empire Likely for Donn After 5F Drill

Soaring Empire breezed five furlongs in 1:01 flat Feb. 3 at Gulfstream Park, and trainer Cam Gambolati confirmed him as a probable starter in the upcoming $500,000 Donn Handicap (gr. I).

Signs Encouraging Going Into F-T Winter Sale

Fasig-Tipton's Kentucky winter mixed sale, which is scheduled for Feb. 6 in Lexington, could generate some excitement in a rebounding Thoroughbred marketplace.

Alfortish Sentenced to 46 Months in Prison

A former president of the Louisiana Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison for a plot to rig the outcome of his re-election bid.

Hitchens Edges Krypton Factor in Al Shindagha

Hitchens outlasted a stubborn Krypton Factor to claim a short head victory in the $200,000 Al Shindagha Sprint Sponsored by Gulf News (UAE-III) at Meydan Racecourse Feb. 3.

Maker Duo Leads WEBN Stakes at Turfway

Mr. Prankster will try for his second stakes win in a row when he lines up for the $50,000 WEBN Stakes Feb. 4 at Turfway, but he faces tough competition in Phantom Fury and his own stablemate, Magical Season.

Preakness' InfieldFest Attracts Big Names

The Maryland Jockey Club announced 2012 Preakness InfieldFest will include performances by Grammy Award nominees Maroon 5 and Wiz Khalifa.

Downey Profile: Davis Full of Winning Angles

The grade III Sam F. Davis looks like a wide-open affair going in, so let's see if we can winnow out some angles.

Oldfriendskentucky Helps Thoroughbred Friends

Standardbred pacer based in Canada is helping raise money for Thoroughbreds in the United States.

read blog

NZ Select Sale's Gross, Average Remain Steady

New Zealand Bloodstock's select yearling sale ended its three-day run at Karaka Feb. 3 with a gross of NZ$19,114,500 ($15,930,800 in U.S. funds) and an average price of NZ$46,069 ($38,387), both up less than 1%.

Alpha: A Top Dog or Pretender?

Bernardini colt could be the real deal if he figures out his gate issues.

read blog

Mr. Bowling Leads Strike of Gone West Sons

PORTER ON PEDIGREES, by Alan Porter
Sons of Gone West had a strong strike rate Jan. 21, including Istan, whose son Mr. Bowling won the Lecomte.

Jockey Club: Progress on McKinsey Report

The Jockey Club has released an update on action it is taking based on recommendations from the McKinsey and Company report unveiled at the Round Table conference in August 2011.

Three Charged in Kickback Scheme at Calder

The former track supervisor at Calder Race Course and Casino and two maintenance contractors are charged in an alleged scheme that stole millions of dollars from the Thoroughbred racetrack.

Regional Limb Perfusion for Distal Limb Injuries (AAEP 2011)

As majestic, beautiful, and graceful as they can be, horses are also flighty and frequently find themselves in hazardous situations. In light of horses’ propensity for lower limb injury, the environment in which they live, and the difficulty and expense associated with treating severe lower limb injuries, many equine practitioners have turned to a t...

Emerald Downs Announces 2012 Stakes Schedule

A 30-race stakes schedule highlighted by the 77th running of the $200,000 Longacres Mile (gr. III), four stakes doubleheaders, and Washington Cup X has been announced for 2012 at Emerald Downs.

Game On Dude Makes Return in San Antonio

Game on Dude makes his first start since he nearly pirated the Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) last fall when he takes on six opponents in the $200,000 San Antonio Stakes (gr. II) at Santa Anita Feb. 5.

Alysweep to Still Creek in Indiana

Graded stakes winner Alysweep will stand in 2012 at Tom and Lesalene Pompell's Still Creek Farm near Brookville, Ind.

Filly Appeal Tops Tattersalls February Sale

Appeal, a winning 4-year-old daughter of Selkirk, brought the top price of 110,000 guineas ($182,325 in U.S. funds) to top the Tattersalls February mixed sale in England.

Keertana, Zagora Collide in Endeavour

Keertana, a winner in four of her five starts last year including three in graded ranks, returns from an extended layoff as one of the main contenders in the $150,000 Endeavour Stakes (gr. IIIT) Feb. 4 at Tampa Bay Downs.

Pletcher Sets Sights on Another Sam Davis Win

Already with a slew of top 3-year-olds taking aim at the Triple Crown, Todd Pletcher will send out yet another prospect in the $250,000 Sam F. Davis (gr. III), a race he has won four of the last six years.

Six More Candidates Added to TOC Election

The Thoroughbred Owners of California announced Feb. 2 that six additional persons have qualified to run for the revamped TOC Board of Directors through the nomination-by-petition process.