BloodHorse.com | Horse Racing News

Endorsement Sparkles in Gulfstream Allowance

Endorsement, on the Triple Crown trail for WinStar Farm in 2010, continued his comeback from injury with a sparkling win in an allowance optional claiming event at Gulfstream Park Feb. 1.

Darby Dan Adopts Share the Upside Concept

Darby Dan Farm will utilize the Share The Upside concept for breeders in 2012 with its new stallion American Lion.

American Lion Retires; to Stand at Darby Dan

American Lion, a dual graded stakes-winning son of Tiznow, has been retired from racing and will stand at John Phillips' Darby Dan Farm near Lexington.

Well Armed: A Horse With Gumption

Bill Casner recounts the incredible recovery story of Dubai World Cup winner Well Armed and reports on the gelding's retirement.

read blog

Starting Gate Crewman Gets White Horse Award

Remington Park gate crewman Jeremy Best has been selected as the Race Track Chaplaincy of America's 2011 White Horse Award recipient for rescuing Quarter Horse jockey Roy Brooks during an incident last spring.

Evans Dispersal Horses Shine at Keeneland

Mike Ryan, acting as agent on behalf of an unnamed client, purchased a Medaglia d'Oro colt for $470,000, the highest priced colt so far during the Sept. 13 session of the Keeneland September yearling sale.

Corey Johnsen Elected KEEP Chairman

The Kentucky Equine Education Project board of directors elected Corey Johnsen March 29 to serve as its chairman of the board.

Grade I Winner Well Armed Retired

Well Armed, best known for his record-breaking 14-length victory in the 2009 Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline (UAE-I), has been retired from racing.

Classic Success Elevates WinStar to Top

WinStar Farm, which triumphed in two of the three legs of the 2010 Triple Crown, was rewarded with the Eclipse Award for outstanding owner of the year when they were announced Jan. 17.

Cauthen Leaving WinStar

WinStar Farm president and CEO Doug Cauthen, who has been with the operation since its inception in 2000, is leaving the farm. He is creating his own independent consulting service.

Troutt Becomes Sole Owner of WinStar

Kenny Troutt, who started WinStar Farm near Versailles, Ky., with Bill Casner, is now the sole owner of the farm and Casner the farm's largest client.

Bright Spot Can't Hide Reality in Kentucky

A positive day for horse racing at Turfway Park couldn't hide the fact the track's product, and the Kentucky horse racing and breeding industry in general, are suffering.

2010 Derby Trophy on Display at Turfway Park

WinStar Farm, which won the 2010 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) with Super Saver, will display its Derby trophy at Turfway Park from 1 to 3 p.m. EDT Oct. 2 as part of an interactive fan appreciation day.

Grade III Winner American Lion Retired

American Lion, winner of this year's Illinois Derby (gr. III) and the 2009 Hollywood Prevue Stakes (gr. III) has been retired from racing, it was announced Sept. 3.

Super Saver's Full Brother Retired

Hedge Fund, the only full brother to Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) winner Super Saver, has been retired from racing.

Haskin's Preakness Recap: Kismet

The good karma returned, as Lookin At Lucky had a dream trip to win the Preakness.

Read Column

Gate Training Puts Final Edge on Jackson Bend

A little gate training and an easy gallop was all Jackson Bend required May 14 to be honed for the Preakness Stakes (gr. I).

Super Saver Jogs; Pletcher, Casner Pleased

Not surprisingly, WinStar Farm's Super Saver seemed to relish the wet track at Pimlico Race Course during a routine gallop May 13 in preparation for a start in the Preakness Stakes (gr. I).

One Site Only - By Bill Casner

Breeders' Cup is at a crossroads. Will it continue rotating host sites annually or take the bold step of designating Santa Anita as the permanent venue for the near future? Controversy surrounds this approach.

Read Blog

Steve Haskin's Derby Recap: Super Stars

Super Saver teamed up with three powerhouses to win the 136th Kentucky Derby.

Injury KOs Endorsement from Derby

WinStar Farm's colt has a non-displaced right-front condylar fracture and will not be entered later today in the Kentucky Derby (gr. I).

Rule Out of Kentucky Derby Picture

WinStar Farm's Bill Casner confirms he has not been pleased with Rule's progress at Churchill Downs and the colt will not be entered in Saturday's Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).

American Lion Breezes at Keeneland

With WinStar Farm's management team on hand, Illinois Derby (gr. II) winner American Lion tuned up for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) with a workout April 20 over the Polytrack at Keeneland.

The Morning After: All Zenyatta, All the Time

Although she was back in her barn at Hollywood Park after her historic Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) win, Zenyatta was the hot topic the morning of Nov. 8 among those gathered at Clocker's Corner at Santa Anita, one day after they witnessed history.

TOBA Awards: Augustin, Juddmonte Big Winners

George Strawbridge Jr.'s Augustin Stable and Khalid Abdullah's Juddmonte Farms were the big winners at the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association National Awards Dinner Sept. 11, taking home the National Owner of the Year and National Breeder of the Year awards, respectively, at B. Wayne Hughes' Spendthrift Farm near Lexington.

Well Armed Recuperating From Surgery

Well Armed, winner of the Dubai World Cup Sponsored By Emirates Airline (UAE-I) earlier this year, is recuperating following surgery at co-owner and co-breeder Bill Casner's farm in Flower Mound, Texas. A bone chip was removed from the 6-year-old Tiznow gelding's ankle during the procedure, Casner told Del Mar's publicity department.

Casner: Build on KY Derby Sponsorships

A top Thoroughbred owner said NetJets' sponsorship of jockeys in the May 2 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) is something that can be built upon, and that owners will work with jockeys on future endeavors.

Owners Want Input in Sponsorship Deals

Some owners who had horses in the grade I Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands are questioning the manner in which a corporate sponsorship tied to charitable causes was handled, but the Jockeys' Guild said the parties followed proper procedure.

Mr. Hot Stuff Preps for Kentucky Derby

WinStar Farm's Mr. Hot Stuff, third in the Santa Anita Derby (gr. I), had a West Coast tuneup for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) when he worked five furlongs in 1:00 2/5 at Santa Anita April 26.

Hold Me Back's Connections Not Blue

The connections of favored Hold Me Back were gracious in defeat following the $750,000 Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I) at Keeneland April 11 and looking forward to running their colt next in the Kentucky Derby Presented By Yum! Brands (gr. I) in three weeks. The 3-year-old son of Giant's Causeway finished second, 1 1/2 lengths behind the winning longshot, General Quarters, while carrying the colors of Bill Casner's and Kenny Troutt's WinStar Farm, which bred the colt in partnership with Haras Santa Maria de Araras.

Hystericalady's Half-Sis, WinStar Shine

A soggy, grey Veteran's Day greeted buyers and sellers at Keeneland Tuesday, and the day's business at the breeding stock sale, while down, was actually a tad brighter than most during the 15-day auction.

Racehorse Market Grows at Keeneland

The Keeneland November breeding stock sale traditionally has been a market primarily for broodmares and weanlings, but a growing segment of the auction in recent years has been horses in training.

Sharp Susan Heads Violet Handicap Field

Fourteen fillies and mares, including graded stakes winner Sharp Susan, have been entered for the $150,000, grade III Violet Stakes Oct. 17 at the Meadowlands.

Bell Elected New Chairman of TOBA

Reynolds Bell Jr. will succeed Bill Casner as chairman of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, which held its annual members' meeting Aug. 6 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Derby Promotion Raises Funds for Charity

A Kentucky Derby Day promotion facilitated by NetJets, the Jockeys' Guild, Churchill Downs, and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association has raised $500,000 to benefit the NTRA Charities - Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund. Jockey John Velazquez will present the gift to representatives of the fund the morning of May 16 at Pimlico Race Course.

Horsemen Urged to Stay the Course

Players involved in the fractious negotiations with Churchill Downs over revenue sharing on the evening of May 13 exhorted a gathering of more than 150 horsemen to stay the course in the standoff and support their efforts.

Vitek Fundraiser Considered Big Success

Through the support of many in the horseracing industry, jockey Justin Vitek will have $60,000 to help defray costs stemming from his battle with acute myelogenous leukemia. About 250 horsemen and racing fans gathered at the Kentucky Derby Museum April 21 for dinner, drinks, and live and silent auctions.

THG Adds Members, TOBA Support

Seven new organizations representing owners and trainers in states including Kentucky, Florida, and Maryland have joined the Thoroughbred Horsemen's Group, with a mutual goal of reforming the industry's wagering revenue distribution system in order to sustain live racing in North America.

Commentary: The Right Move

By Bill Casner - "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished" -- No one understands this better than Mr. Richard Shapiro and his fellow California Horse Racing Board members in the wake of the problems with Cushion Track at Santa Anita.

A Well Armed Robbery in San Antonio

WinStar Farms' homebred Well Armed, thanks to a well-crafted ride from Aaron Gryder on the front end, had just enough to hold off the surging Heatseeker by a head in winning the $250,000 San Antonio Handicap (gr. II) at Santa Anita Feb. 9.

WinStar's Way: Controlling Books

WinStar is trying to exercise restraint in the size of its stallions' books.

Interest Bought in Court Vision

IEAH Stables has acquired an interest in multiple graded-stakes winner Court Vision, one of the leading contenders for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).

HOPA Reorganizes Board, Focus

The Horse Owners' Protective Association, an industry advocacy group that was formed in part by activist owner Jess Jackson, has announced a reorganization of its board and an expanded focus of its mission.

Upset with Jackson's Comments, Casner Resigns From HOPA

Bill Casner has resigned as a director of Horse Owners' Protective Association, saying he is leaving the advocacy group in reaction to comments recently made by fellow founder Jess Jackson in regard to the Sales Integrity Task Force.

Son of Distorted Humor Goes for $1 Million

A dapper-looking son of Distorted Humor was purchased by WinStar Farm, agent, for the partnership of Maverick Racing for $1 million to highlight the late afternoon session of the Keeneland September yearling sale.

TOBA Holds Annual Meeting in Saratoga Springs

The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders' Association held its annual board and member meetings Aug. 8 at the Gideon Putnam Hotel in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Equine Injury Reporting System Receives More Support

A uniform on-track equine injury reporting system developed by Dr. Mary Scollay will be implemented as a pilot project at more than 30 racetracks beginning June 1.

Regulators Pass Model Rule on Steroids

Regulators attending the Association of Racing Commissioners International annual conference April 26 approved a number of model rules, including the prohibition in horses of nearly all anabolic steroid use.

Two Seven-Figure Auction Horses Among Derby Candidates

Many of this year's candidates for the Kentucky Derby Presented By Yum! Brands (gr. I), were offered at public auction before they began their racing careers. Two sold for more than $1 million apiece, but you could have purchased some of them for less than $100,000.

Jackson Tells Forum He Is Still Pushing for Reform

Jess Jackson reaffirmed his passionate commitment to help clean up unscrupulous tactics in the sales and auction industry Nov. 3 as part of an all-star cast discussing issues in the "Thoroughbred Industry Forum 2006" at Churchill Downs.