Blood-Horse

The first of the Japanese Kentucky Derby (G1) contenders, Forever Young, arrived at Churchill Downs early in the morning April 13 and has begun to settle in over the dirt track he'll call home for the next three weeks.

The catalog is dominated by lightly raced stock with 69 entries that have four or fewer starts. The offering also includes millionaire geldings Smile Happy and Tiz the Bomb.

Byron King's Top 12 on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, presented by Spendthrift Farm.

Dollars & Sense with Frank Angst

Speed Boat Beach was named the 2023 Florida-bred Horse of the Year in a vote by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association board of directors.

Phil Schoenthal received a 15-day provisional suspension that ends April 22. His case has then been stayed until after the Federal Trade Commission considers rule changes related to substances commonly abused by people.

Organizers are optimistic that the 2024 edition of the Ocala Breeders' Spring 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale can keep some of the momentum from last year's record sale going.

Declaring he understands the arguments, a Louisville, Ky., judge said he will issue a ruling this week on Amr Zedan's courtroom bid to force Churchill Downs to allow Arkansas Derby (G1) winner and Bob Baffert trainee Muth in the Kentucky Derby (G1).

John W. Jacobs, son of Hall of Fame trainer Hirsch Jacobs, died April 10 after a long illness at the age of 89.

Trainer Christophe Clement said April 15 that Deterministic is "unlikely" to run in the Kentucky Derby (G1) after a disappointing eighth-place finish as a 4-5 favorite in his last race, the Wood Memorial (G2) at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The manager of Gowran Park and Wexford racecourses is hoping for a change in fortunes after a "complete and utter nightmare" period for Irish tracks with fixtures routinely canceled as a result of incessant rainfall.

The 2024 Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In schedule of 82 races in 12 countries includes 41 international races. Two new races in South Korea have been added to the program.

The three-day Craven meeting heralds the start of the season at Newmarket, and the April 16 fixture will be the first under the supervision of new clerk of the course Andrew Morris. 

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority announced the 16 members of its Next Generation Advisory Group, who were selected from a diverse pool of almost 200 applications.

Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance announced that tickets are now available for the ninth annual America's Best Racing Pre-Preakness Party, to be held May 15 at the Mt. Washington Tavern in Baltimore, Maryland.

The New York Racing Association announced April 15 the lucrative purse schedule for the four-day 2024 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course, slated for Thursday, June 6 through Sunday, June 9.

Longtime New York-based owner and breeder Sanford Bacon died April 12 at the age of 95 in South Florida.

Hip 1143, a daughter of McKinzie consigned by Eddie Woods, agent, sped a quarter in a track record equaling :20 1/5, the day's fastest at the distance, matching the OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training's fastest which was breezed April 9.

Granpollo Stable's Grand Mo the First, who finished a distant third behind Fierceness in the $1 million Florida Derby (G1), was sent to the track April 14 for a five-furlong maintenance workout at Gulfstream Park.

Once considered an early favorite for the 2023 Kentucky Derby (G1), Instant Coffee returns to graded stakes company for the first time in over a year in the 1 1/8-mile $1.25 million Oaklawn Handicap (G2) at Oaklawn Park April 20.