Zenyatta Gets a Free Ride to the Donn
Gulfstream Park added the name of unbeaten champion Zenyatta to the list of superstar nominees whose fees have been waived to the 2010 Donn Handicap (gr. I).
Articles posted August 12, 2009
Headlines and features from the Thoroughbred industry
Uncle T Seven Charges Home in Calloway
Jockey Julien Leparoux rallied Uncle T Seven from the back of the pack and onto a 2 3/4-length victory over Livin Large in the $150,000 Cab Calloway Division of the New York Stallion Series at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 12.
And They're Off: August 12, 2009 (Video)
Lenny and Steve are back! Topics include night racing, breakdowns at Del Mar, Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta, Gio Ponti, and Bob Baffert's Hall of Fame induction. Watch Now
Blood-Horse, Bluebloods in Joint Venture
Blood-Horse Publications announces a joint venture between its industry-leading Blood-Horse Stallion Register Online and Bluebloods' newly upgraded Stallions.com.au.
Bullsbay Confirms Tiznow/Turkoman Affinity
MAHUBAH'S CORNER, by Avalyn Hunter
Stamina influence Tiznow again matches with a speed-oriented Turkoman-line mare. Whitney Handicap (gr. I) winner Bullsbay joins Colonel John as elite runners bred on the cross.
Sword Dancer: Grand Couturier Eyes 3 in a Row
Marc Keller's Grand Couturier has only won three of the 14 stakes he has attempted in this country, but the 6-year-old horse sure knows how to pick his spots. All three of the scores have been in grade I races, including two in the prestigious Sword Dancer Invitational Stakes (gr. IT) at Saratoga.
Ten to Face Off in La Jolla Handicap
Glen Hill Farm's Florida homebred I'll Show Them puts his two-race undefeated record on the line Aug. 15 as he steps up to stakes company in the $150,000 La Jolla Handicap (gr. IIT) for 3-year-olds on Del Mar's Jimmy Durante Turf Course.
Borel, Turcotte to Sign Autographs at the Spa
Although history would place them a generation apart, jockeys Ron Turcotte and Calvin Borel will be meeting new and old fans alike in public autograph appearances at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 15-16. Both riders will be appearing at the Secretariat.com booth set up for the weekend adjacent to the jockey silks display.
La. Derby and Florida Derby to Compete?
It appears the Louisiana (gr. II) and Florida (gr. I) Derbies will be run on the same day in 2010.
Graded Stakes Committee Makes Some Changes
The American Graded Stakes Committee Aug. 12 made some changes to the eligibility requirements for stakes.
Summer Bird Gallops; 'Rachel' in Great Shape
Looking ahead to a possible start on the grass in the fall, trainer Tim Ice had Belmont Stakes (gr. I) winner Summer Bird galloped the morning of Aug. 12 over the Oklahoma turf course as part of his preparations for the $1 million Shadwell Travers (gr. I) Aug. 29 at Saratoga Race Course.
Bell Will Again Serve as Chairman of TOBA
Reynolds Bell Jr. was re-elected chairman of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, while Terry Finley joins the board of trustees to serve a three-year term.
And They're Off: August 12, 2009
Lenny and Steve are back! Topics include night racing, breakdowns at Del Mar, Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta, Gio Ponti, and Bob Baffert's Hall of Fame induction. Comments for Lenny and Steve? Send them to: ato@bloodhorse.com.
Breeders' Cup Media Awards Contest
The Breeders' Cup Media Awards honor excellence in coverage of the Breeders' Cup World Championships. There are four awards that will celebrate outstanding writing and communication of the Championships in 2008: The Joe Hirsch Award for Outstanding Newspaper writing, Bill Leggett Award for Outstanding Magazine writing, the Online Writing Award, and the Social Media Award.
UK's MacLeod Awarded Two Grants
James MacLeod, John S., and Elizabeth Knight, chair and professor of veterinary science at the Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center and director of the University of Kentucky's Equine Initiative, was recently awarded two grants totaling more than $1.1 million over three years. Three other equine researchers in UK's College of Agriculture were also collectively awarded more than $500,000.
Jockeys' Challenge to be Held in Turkey
On Aug. 14, Turkish horseracing fans will be in for a treat as some of world's best riders arrive at Istanbul for the International Jockeys' Challenge to be held under lights at night races at Istanbul Veliefendi Racecourse, the International Arena of Turkish Horseracing.
Incentive Program Boosts Races at Saratoga
Twelve more races qualified under the purse incentive program created to increase field size during week two of the 2009 Saratoga Race Course meet, according to The New York Racing Association. Purse increases from incentives during the meet's second week totaled $74,750, a 16.5% advance over the original purse values.
Sale Purchase Like a Bull Takes Long Way Home
James Day knows a good racehorse when he breeds and sells one. He also knows a claiming-box bargain when he sees it -- especially one as unexpected as the 5-year-old gelding that presented itself at Thistledown Aug. 7.
PA Study: Negative Impact of Table Games
A study commissioned by the Pennsylvania Equine Coalition contends that the introduction of table games at Pennsylvania casinos and racinos will result in a decline of slot machine wagering of between 8% and 13%, potentially resulting in a decline in state revenues.
F-T Saratoga Sale: Day 2 Recap
Blood-Horse correspondent Karen Johnson recaps the second day one of the the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling sale, plus a look at the cumulative sale totals. Presented by OCD Pellets.
Storming Home and Gary Stevens
Storming Home and Gary Stevens' adventure at the 2003 Arlington Million.
Gross Rises 45.6% at Saratoga Sale
Fasig-Tipton officials worked hard, and Sheikh Mohammed shopped hard. The end result was a soaring Saratoga select yearling sale that provided its participants with a brief, two-evening respite from all the bad news generated by a struggling Thoroughbred industry that is reeling from a global financial crisis and its own internal problems. In a performance most unusual in these difficult economic times, the auction enjoyed upswings from 2008 of 45.6% in gross revenue, 11.1% in average price, and 9.9% in median price.
Saratoga Strange: Filly's Buyer Flees
"I've never seen anything like this," said Holly Bandoroff of Denali Stud of a bizarre incident that involved a well-bred dark bay or brown filly, a bald man in a plaid shirt, at least three Fasig-Tipton officials, and several policemen during the second and final session of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga select yearling sale in New York Aug. 11.
Bertrando
A look back at the winding career of Bertrando.
Howard Hall
Howard "Gelo" Hall, Jr. has been a horse racing enthusiast for nearly a century. He witnessed the match race between Seabiscuit and War Admiral, spent 19 years as an exercise rider, made an attempt at training horses, and ultimately became a very successful jockey's agent.
MRLS Foal Losses in Kentucky Increased Slightly in 2009
Between May 5 and June 15, the Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center (LDDC) diagnosed 13 foal loss cases caused by mare reproductive loss syndrome (MRLS) in Central Kentucky. This number was up slightly from 2003-2008 when only three to five cases were reported each breeding season.
Research in the past five years concluded the stiff hairs on Easter...
Florida Horse Poaching Tip Reward Rises
The reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the people responsible for a series of horse poaching incidents in Florida rose to $8,000 on Tuesday when Crime Stoppers of Miami-Dade County Inc. added $3,000 to existing reward funds.
Miami-Dade County Police are currently investigating 17 cases involving horses stolen and appare...
Saddle Pad Research Shows Variable Changes in Rider Pressure
Saddle pads might help reduce painful pressure on a horse's back caused by ill-fitting saddles, but the ideal pad will vary from horse to horse and from saddle to saddle, according to a new study by Austrian researchers.
Optimum pressure relief will also depend on the discipline and even the gait, said primary study author Anja Kotschwar, DVM, res...
Hendra Virus Testing Continues after Three Horse Deaths
Veterinarians with Biosecurity Queensland are taking samples from 25 horses at a Cawarral horse facility to confirm any further cases of Hendra virus.
This follows the deaths of three horses at the property since July 28. The most recent death, which occurred Aug. 8, has been confirmed as a Hendra virus case.
Queensland Primary Industries and...
Softer Whips for Racehorses at Del Mar
Del Mar is taking the sting out of its whips.
On Wednesday, it will become the first California racetrack to require riding crops that don't raise welts.
Darrell Haire, regional manager for the Jockeys' Guild, said the whips are made of softer leather or fabric. They're supposed to get the horse's attention with a popping noise rather than by...
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