The Dow Jones industrial average closed at 10,015.86 Oct. 14, marking the first time the figure had touched 10,000 since October of last year, when the stock market was on its way down. The statistic has enjoyed an amazing rebound of 53% since March when it dropped to its lowest point in more than a decade.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Impulsive Dream, a winning daughter of Encosta de Lago, will join trainer Lee Freedman's stable after selling for the top price of Aust$550,000 ($458,205 in U.S. funds) Aug. 16 during the Magic Millions August Thoroughbred sale on Australia's Gold Coast. Former trainer and now Melbourne-based bloodstock agent Bill Mitchell purchased the 3-year-old filly on behalf of breeder and high profile businessman Sean Buckley.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
In addition to being directly involved in an equine-related tragedy at Delaware Park May 26, jockey Gabriel Saez is experiencing prolonged back pain from the accident that has since kept him from participating in his livelihood.
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
The Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall yearling sale isn't glamorous. It comes at the end of the yearling selling season, so it generally doesn't attract the best of the available stock. But, in recent years, it has become a prime source of Kentucky Derby Presented By Yum! Brand (gr. I) winners.
Monday, May 04, 2009
Longtime Thoroughbred industry member Clarence A. Belvoir, 67, died Feb. 8 at Auburn Medical Hospital in Auburn, Wash.
Monday, February 09, 2009
The 2008 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky winter mixed auction posted an 18.9% gain in average price. The gross revenue rose 1.9% while the median price remained the same as in 2007. But this year's edition of the sale, scheduled for Feb. 9 in Lexington, isn't expected to perform as strongly.
Monday, February 09, 2009
Officials of Magic Millions, an Australia-based auction firm, announced a new commission structure for the national weanling and broodmare sales. The weanling auction is scheduled for May 25-29, and the broodmare sale will be held June 1-5.
Friday, February 06, 2009
Sky Gate, a 3-year-old son of Arch, brought 47,000 guineas to top the Tattersalls February mixed sale in England. Bloodstock agent Hugo Merry, acting on behalf of American trainer Marty Wolfson, purchased the bay colt.
Thursday, February 05, 2009
New Zealand Bloodstock's three-day select yearling sale experienced big downturns in business during its opening session at Karaka Jan. 28.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
The New Zealand national yearling auction is trailing behind last year's pace after the opening day in Karaka Jan. 26. During the first session of the sale's premier portion, the 173 horses that sold grossed NZ$25,973,500 (approximately $13,752,189 in U.S. funds) and averaged NZ$150,136 ($79,493). The median price was NZ$100,000 ($52,947).
Monday, January 26, 2009
Barretts opens its 2009 selling season with a January mixed sale on the grounds of Fairplex Park in Southern California. The auction, which has more than 300 horses in its catalog, begins at 11 a.m. (PST) Jan. 26.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Despite comments from TrackNet Media Group that negotiations are "going backwards" over issues involving racing signals to Nevada racebooks, the player on the other side of the table offered guarded hope matters can be resolved before a Jan. 25 cut-off deadline.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Fasig-Tipton will catalog 272 horses for its Florida select sale of 2-year-olds in training, according to the company's chairman, Walt Robertson. The number is about the same as in 2008, when 270 horses were in the book.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
The final results of the Keeneland January horses of all ages sale in Lexington were sobering, with setbacks of 53.4% in gross revenue, 48% in average price, and 44.1% in median price from a year ago. But they weren't anything new to the people who market Thoroughbreds.
Monday, January 19, 2009
A 2-year-old Encosta de Lago – Fayfa filly brought the top price of Aust$100,000 (approximately $67,371 in U.S. funds) during Magic Millions' inaugural Summer Carnival Thoroughbred sale Jan. 18 on Australia's Gold Coast. Kevin Dixon of Racetree purchased the juvenile.
Monday, January 19, 2009
The Conrad Jupiters Magic Millions yearling sale ended its seven-session run Jan. 16 on Australia's Gold Coast. The 118 yearlings that sold on the auction's final day grossed Aust$1,105,500 (approximately $730,293 in U.S. funds) and averaged $9,369 ($6,189). The clearance rate was 78.2%.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Fasig-Tipton has catalogued 306 horses for the Kentucky winter mixed sale, which will be held in Lexington Feb. 9. The auction will begin at 10 a.m. (EST).
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
The Thoroughbred marketplace ended 2008 with dramatic declines, and all signs point to more tough times ahead as Keeneland gets ready to open its 2009 selling season with its January horses of all ages auction in Lexington.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
The gross revenue declined 38.6% and the average price fell 16.3% during the Conrad Jupiters Magic Millions yearling sale's first section, which ended Jan. 10 on Australia's Gold Coast. The clearance rate was 80.1%.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Even though it's a new year, the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. winter mixed sale was the victim of the same worldwide economic crisis that caused prices at many Thoroughbred auctions to plummet late in 2008. The gross revenue plunged 57.7% from a year ago while the average price and median price dropped 39.6% and 45.5%, respectively.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
In a step some racing industry officials expected, Gulfstream Park has told Florida regulators that it plans to hold races during 2009's last five weeks--a lucrative set of dates on which Calder Race Course has raced exclusively in South Florida for more than a decade.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
The Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. (OBS) winter mixed sale suffered downturns of 63% in its average price and 74.4% in its median price from a year ago as it opened with a consignor preferred session Jan. 6 in Central Florida. The gross revenue dropped 43% even though the number of horses sold was up 54.1% from 2008's first day total.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
The National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame ceremony in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., which for a number of years has taken place on a Monday in early to mid August, will be moved to Friday, Aug. 14 this year.
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Jim Henwood, who serves as president and CEO of the Los Angeles County Fair Association (LACFA), which owns Barretts, recently discussed the future of the sale company with The Blood-Horse.
Monday, December 22, 2008
The 7th annual John Franks Memorial sale of 2-year-olds in training will be held at Evangeline Downs Racetrack & Casino March 22, 2009. An under tack show is scheduled for the previous day.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Fairplex Park offers 16 days of competition in the fall as part of California's fair racing circuit. But with signs pointing to the closure and development of Hollywood Park, Fairplex soon could play a more important role in the Golden State's version of the Sport of Kings.
Monday, December 22, 2008
When Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Funny Cide is welcomed at the Kentucky Horse Park this Friday, Dec. 5, it will signal a new era of complete retirement and rest for a phenomenal athlete.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
The trainer and identifier involved in an incident in which the wrong horse ran in a Nov. 19 race at Beulah Park have been fined and suspended by the track's stewards.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Mexico's Caliente Group, a veteran player in the simulcast racing industry, has improved its simulcast system with major technical upgrades.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Bayne Welker will join Fasig-Tipton's management team as an account executive early next year. He has been the director of public sales and stallion marketing at Mill Ridge Farm near Lexington for nine years. He also is the president of the Consignors and Commercial Breeders Association.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Fasig-Tipton will conduct 14 Thoroughbred sales in 2009 in five states: Kentucky, New York, Florida, Maryland, and Texas. There will be 25 days of auctions in all. The schedule begins with the Kentucky winter mixed sale in Lexington Feb. 8-9.
Friday, October 17, 2008
The Nick Zito-trained duo of Da'Tara and Anak Nakal heads the field for the $350,000 grade II Meadowlands Cup Oct. 3 at Meadowlands.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Ireland's flagship yearling auction, the Goffs Million sale, gets under way at Kill in Co. Kildare Sept. 29. There are 657 lots in the catalog, 49 less than last year.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Tucked between a weekend of Breeders' Cup prep races and the California Cup showcasing the local product, California's fall select yearling sale offers a slimmer but more select catalog than in years past.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Meghan Rose has entered the freshman class at Vanderbilt University as the 2008 recipient of the Fred Russell-Grantland Rice TRA Scholarship for sports writing, it was announced by the Thoroughbred Racing Association Sept. 26.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Tattersalls Ireland's two-day yearling sale ended significantly down at the close of business Sept. 24.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Team Valor's 4-year-old King of the Roxy has been retired from racing. The sprint specialist took the Futurity Stakes (gr. II) at Belmont Park at 2 and the Hutcheson Stakes (gr. II) at Gulfstream Park at 3.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Fasig-Tipton's Midlantic division will not include a February mixed sale at Timonium in Maryland in its 2009 auction schedule. The auctions that will remain on the calendar for Timonium are the sale of 2-year-olds in training in May, a fall yearling sale in late September/early October, and a mixed sale in December.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
A Macho Uno colt brought $400,000 to top the Sept. 14 session of the Keeneland September yearling sale, a session that saw the trend of decreases in the major sale indices continue.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Washington-breds will be out in force Sept. 14 at Emerald Downs as the track features Washington Cup VI -- a series of seven races worth $350,000 in purses.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Doncaster's two-part St Leger festival sale concluded Sept. 11 with figures below those of the 2007 numbers.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) board of directors met Sept. 11 in Lexington and selected two new board members, Antony Beck of Gainesway Farm and Reynolds Bell Jr., chairman of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Churchill Downs Inc. and the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association announced Sept. 10 that they have reached an agreement on a contract for future slot machine revenue at CDI-owned Calder Race Course.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Doncaster's St Leger festival yearling sale began on a modest note the evening of Sept. 10, with two £32,000 lots topping the sale.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Jamie Eads, a Lexington native with extensive experience in the Thoroughbred industry, has been appointed director of breeders' incentives for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Keeneland officials plan to expand their testing program for exogenous anabolic steroids in sale horses to include the April select juvenile auction. That decision came after Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear signed emergency regulations Sept. 5 that ban the use of the common steroids boldenone, nandrolone, and testosterone in Thoroughbred and Standardbred racehorses competing in Kentucky.
Monday, September 08, 2008
Keeneland will play host to the international Thoroughbred community for the next two weeks as it conducts its 65th annual September yearling sale. The catalog is the largest in the auction's history, with 5,555 horses listed.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
A Monsun colt sold for 480,000 euros (approximately $694,522) to top the opening session of the BBAG yearling auction Sept. 3 in Baden-Baden, Germany. Rudger Alles, acting on behalf of Baron von Ullmann, bought the colt, which is out of the multiple-stakes-producing Canadian-bred mare Dawn Side, who raced in the U.S.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Doncaster's St. Leger sale - the first British or Irish yearling auction of 2008 - failed to match its 2007 figures when ending Aug. 28 in England. The average of 33,649 pound sterling (approximately $61,725) was down 10%, the median of 26,000 pounds ($47,694) fell by 11%. The 13,493,500 pounds ($24,752,207) turnover for the 401 horses that sold dropped by 14.4%.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Robert Tiller, Louis Cauz, Wilderness Road, and Smart Strike are inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame Aug. 28.
Friday, August 29, 2008
