Horse Racing

An appreciation, by T.D. Thornton In the mid-1960s, Rocco Gabriella started his career as a jockey by literally standing on his head to try and make it into the winner’s circle. He didn’t get his photo taken there all that many times during a two-decade career that largely played out in and around his beloved

The devastating wildfires that have swept through Los Angeles and left countless families homeless are also impacting the horse racing community in the city. Dan Blacker, the British-born Breeders’ Cup-winning trainer based at Santa Anita in Los Angeles, has spoken about how “dreadful” the situation is. Blacker, the son of British former jockey turned sculptor

Associated Press Jan 11, 2025, 01:32 PM ET LOS ANGELES — A flare-up of the wildfire on the west side of Los Angeles that prompted new evacuations has caused Santa Anita to cancel horse racing this weekend. The track in Arcadia, near the smoldering Eaton fire that decimated Altadena, had said Friday that it would

Christopher L. Merz has been named the new executive director of the Maryland Racing Commission, according to the state’s department of labor. Merz succeeded Mike Hopkins, who retired Dec. 31 after 41 years at the Maryland Racing Commission, including the last 24 as the executive director. Merz has vast experience in the industry and has

Santa Anita opened its track Thursday morning to limited training–just joggers and gallopers for most of the morning. For the Santa Anita backstretch community, it was a slice of normality as the extent of the damage caused by the wildfires that have ripped across Los Angeles this week began to set in. “I’ve lived there

Associated Press Jan 9, 2025, 06:27 PM ET Santa Anita Park postponed Friday’s racing program until Jan. 16 because of poor air quality forecast in Arcadia, California, near the Eaton Fire. The California Horse Racing Board approved the rescheduling of the 10-race card, which will be run with the horses previously entered. “While Santa Anita

Jan. 7—CELINA — Bob Geist, superintendent of the harness program at the Mercer County Fair, has been named the recipient of the Ohio Colt Racing Association’s Dr. H.D. Schoonover Award and the Ohio Harness Horsemen’s 23rd annual Dick Brandt Sr. “Extra Effort” award. The honors recognize individuals who have demonstrated exceptional dedication and passion for

Look Forward (Bolt d’Oro) was a nice first-out winner for the late Ben Cecil at Del Mar when she took she took her competition gate to wire while posting an 82 Beyer Speed Figure Nov. 8. Transferred to Michael McCarthy’s care, she was then tested for class in the GII Starlet Stakes, stretching out to

Associated Press Jan 4, 2025, 09:05 PM ET Open Extended Reactions ARCADIA, Calif. — Barnes defeated stablemate Romanesque by 5½ lengths to win the $200,000 San Vicente Stakes for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert in a field of Kentucky Derby hopefuls on Saturday at Santa Anita. Ridden by Juan Hernandez, Barnes ran seven furlongs

The New York Racing Association on Thursday filed a motion to dismiss itself from a lawsuit recently filed against the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and others in a Kentucky federal district court. The case will not end, however, as Churchill Downs Inc. remains a plaintiff against HISA, a private regulatory organization that Congress

Tennessee Moon (Ransom the Moon) is not the type of horse to make headlines, but maybe that’s because we’ve forgotten how special and admirable some of these blue-collar horses can be. The 5-year-old owned and trained by 56-year-old Mark Hibdon won 13 times from 18 starts in 2024, winning more races than any other horse

2024 Year in Review 2024 Year in Review Thorpedo Anna might beat out the boys for Horse of the Year for 2024. Date: 12/31/2024 As everyone celebrates the holidays, it is time to bid farewell to 2024 and the exciting racing which we enjoyed, however much like at the end of 2023, many of us

Brighterdaysahead earned a thumping 30-length victory over last season’s Champion Hurdle winner State Man in landing the Neville Hotels Hurdle on the final day of the Leopardstown Christmas Festival. State Man had been a 4-9 favourite to avenge his narrow defeat by the Gordon Elliott-trained mare at Punchestown last month and earn a third successive

Fresh off a second-place finish in the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, Anthony Fanticola’s Motorious (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}) captured Saturday’s GII Joe Hernandez Stakes down the hill at Santa Anita. After bobbling slightly out of the gate, Motorious settled kindly midpack behind a :21.71 and :43.78 pace set by 60-1 Code Duello (Honor Code). Extremely

2024 American Oaks at Santa Anita 2024 American Oaks, Mathis Mile, and San Gabriel Stakes Date: 12/26/2024 There were three graded stakes races run on the turf on opening day of the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting. Conditions were typical for late December, with sunny skies and temperatures in the high 60’s for the 41,562 fans

2024 Malibu Stakes Day 2024 Malibu, La Brea, and Laffit Pincay Jr. Stakes Date: 12/26/2024 The day after Christmas marks opening day for the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting. Conditions were typical for late December, with sunny skies and temperatures in the high 60’s for the 41,562 fans in attendance at the historic Arcadia oval, with

ESPN News Services Dec 27, 2024, 10:21 PM ET Open Extended Reactions ARCADIA, Calif. — All-Stars Alex Bregman and Walker Buehler have teamed as owners of a 3-year-old colt that won for the first time at Santa Anita on Friday. March of Time defeated four rivals by 2 1/4 lengths to win a six-furlong sprint

Associated Press Dec 26, 2024, 07:30 PM ET Open Extended Reactions ARCADIA, Calif. — Raging Torrent won the $200,000 Malibu Stakes by 1 1/4 lengths on Thursday at Santa Anita, with Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan finishing last in the final Grade 1 stakes of the year in the United States. Ridden by Frankie Dettori,