Thoroughbred Daily News

For the better part of five decades, Tom Durant has been searching for the type of horse that could carry him to the top of the game–namely, the Kentucky Derby.

With his homebred 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' D'code (Speightstown), who makes his two-turn debut in his second career start in Friday's GIII Southwest Stakes, Durant is hoping that he has found such a star.

An auto dealer from Texas, Durant got his start in the horse business when a customer talked him into buying a Quarter Horse broodmare. He purchased Glory Be Good with a foal at her side for $100,000.

“I had never dreamed of paying that much for a horse,” Durant recalled. “But then four months later I sold her filly for $125,000 and I thought, 'Wow, this is too easy.'”

In the years since, Durant has experienced his fair share of ups and downs in horse racing and he is well aware of the fact that breeding and racing horses is anything but easy.

After getting his start in the Quarter Horse business, Durant switched over to Thoroughbreds 30 years ago. He began racing and breeding in Texas and New Mexico, but in more recent years expanded his operation by breeding in Kentucky, purchasing primarily at 2-year-old sales and racing throughout the country. His stable's top performers include 2001 GII Bashford Manor Stakes winner Lunar Bounty (Migrating Moon), 2008 GIII Phoenix Stakes victor Sing Baby Sing (Unbridled's Song) and 2019 GIII West Virginia Governor's Stakes winner Silver Dust (Tapit).

These days, Durant keeps between 12 and 15 horses in training with H. Ray Ashford, Jr. While he maintains only a handful of broodmares, most of whom raced in his silks, it was from this small but select band that his latest stable star emerged.

Durant purchased Dos Vinos as a yearling for $230,000 and the daughter of Twirling Candy raced to three wins and a fourth-place finish in the 2020 GII Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes.

“She didn't want to go long, but she was very fast and that's the reason why I kept her to breed her,” explained Durant.

Dos Vinos has passed on that natural brilliance to her progeny.

The mare's first foal turned heads at the 2024 OBS March Sale and sold to Katsumi Yoshida for $850,000. Named Rossiniana, the Not This Time colt is now building a resume in Japan, where he has already secured three victories.

Like Rossiniana, D'code was sent to Dean DeRenzo and Randy Hartley before going through the ring as a juvenile. But Durant was so high on the son of Speightstown, and felt enough seller's remorse over the first foal out of Dos Vinos, that he set the reserve at just under a million dollars.

“Sometimes going to the sale, you can find out more about the horse,” Durant said. “Then based off what I think about them, I put a reserve on them. If they make the reserve, okay, if they don't I keep them and race them.”

Durant was more than happy to buy D'code back for $775,000, especially after seeing what he could do in his first start. Debuting on Dec. 14 at Oaklawn Park, the colt ran off to an 8 1/4-length win, becoming a TDN Rising Star and stopping the clock in 1:09.57, the fastest six furlongs for a 2-year-old in Oaklawn history.

“I wasn't expecting what I got,” Durant admitted. “To see a horse that can run that fast, that easy, on his first time out is almost unheard of. To run a 99 Beyer, that's just unbelievable and the jockey just kind of hand rode him. He didn't have to do anything.”

Last week, D'code's connections were thrown a curveball when severe weather forced the postponement of the GIII Southwest Stakes, but the delay was secondary to the training days lost to frozen track conditions.

“We had him trained up and ready to run last Saturday and everything would have been perfect, but that didn't happen,” said Durant. “Last week we were trying to do a little bit of training in the barn, just to take the edge off, and hopefully this week we're getting enough time on the track to where he can relax and run two turns.”

D'code as a 2-year-old at the 2025 OBS March Sale | Brandon Arroyo TBX.Horse

Durant will soon find out if his speedy sophomore can step up to the next level. With Luis Saez aboard, D'code has drawn post position two for the mile and a sixteenth Southwest.

Also on Friday's card at Oaklawn Park, Durant will be represented by Super Cruise (Uncle Mo), a 4-year-old colt who won his most recent start in an Oaklawn allowance on Jan. 3 and will make his stakes debut in the General MacArthur Overnight Stakes.

“He had some minor injuries going into last year that we had to back off him and now that we're bringing him back, he's coming back very strong,” Durant reported.

Fellow Ashford trainee Big Tech (Practical Joke) will have his third attempt at breaking his maiden earlier in the card. Durant said the 3-year-old did not get an ideal trip in his last start on Jan. 2.

“The announcer even said that the horse was in a stranglehold, so I really don't know what he is capable of doing but hopefully we'll find out,” he noted.

As is so often the case in horse racing, the highs are accompanied by a fair share of lows. Durant lost D'code's dam Dos Vinos to a case of founder last year after she foaled a Not This Time full-sister to Rossiniana that has been named Sweet Angie.

“We finally found a nurse mare that would accept her and now she's doing quite well,” Durant reported, before adding that the mare also left behind a filly by Audible who is currently in training at Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds.

Durant said both fillies may join his broodmare band one day if they can perform on the track, growing his current roster of just two mares.

Durant has been on the Derby trail before, most recently with Run Classic (Runhappy) who contested the GII Louisiana Derby in 2021, but getting a horse to the starting gate on the first Saturday in May has remained elusive.

“It's hard to get a horse there,” he said. “That's the reason why we've raced so little with D'code. We're trying to have him in his best form if we do make it on the Derby trail.”

After over forty years in the game, Durant said he believes this homebred might be the horse he's been waiting for.

“I've spent a lot of money trying to find a horse like him and I found one in my own backyard.”

The post “I Found One In My Own Backyard,” Tom Durant Takes On Derby Trail with D’Code appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Winter weather continued to wreak havoc on the live racing schedule with Laurel Park forced to cancel its Saturday card due to frigid temperatures and windy conditions expected to impact the Mid-Atlantic region. Winter weather also forced Laurel to cancel its race cards last Friday and Saturday.

Live racing was expected to continue as scheduled at the Maryland track Thursday and Friday, with first post time of 12 p.m.

The post Weather Woes Continue as Laurel Cancels Saturday Racing appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

The recent Thoroughbred Daily News piece by Mike Repole and The Jockey Club's response were both timely and important. Regardless of where one stands on the broader debate, Mr. Repole is plainly correct on this point: the Thoroughbred industry still does not do enough to fund aftercare.

For decades we relied on good will, volunteerism, and heroic nonprofit work to clean up the back end of an industry that generates enormous revenue at the front end. That model was not sustainable nor was it morally defensible.

In 2011, Jack Wolf and other stakeholders recognized what many in racing would not say aloud–that there was little-to-no meaningful industry funding for retirement, rehabilitation, and rehoming. In response, the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) was established in 2012, supported by an initial $1-million donation funded by Breeders' Cup, The Jockey Club, and Keeneland. The TAA created standards, accountability, accreditation, and a mechanism to direct funding to legitimate aftercare organizations.

This was good progress, but let's be honest: aftercare funding has not grown nearly enough since 2012. The industry and the public have tolerated inertia for far too long.

As a founding board member of the TAA, I was involved in its funding development and have knowledge of its history. Let's examine three key funding sources where meaningful change is overdue: public auctions, The Jockey Club registry, and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Early on, the sales companies developed a mechanism whereby 0.05% of public auction sales could support the TAA–paid by sellers, buyers and the sales companies themselves. We intentionally started small (too small for my taste). The goal was to get industry buy-in, prove the concept, and expand overtime.

The original structure included an “opt in” by sellers and buyers. The concern was that market participants, particularly international buyers, might resist contributing to a U.S aftercare initiative. Over the next couple of years, sales companies moved toward mandatory deductions on the seller side and buyer mechanisms that allowed opt-out.

But here is the problem: we never grew beyond the starter number. Thirteen years later, the contribution is still 0.05%.

That means that on a $200,000 horse, aftercare receives roughly $100 from the seller, $100 from the sales company, and $100 from the buyer (unless the buyer opts out). This assessment was never intended to stay permanently at 0.05%. It was supposed to increase within a few years. It didn't and it must.

Any buyer who participates in the U.S Thoroughbred marketplace should do so with the expectation that aftercare funding is part of the deal. Aftercare is not optional.

The Jockey Club recently stated it donates $2.5 million annually to the TAA. I don't dispute that number, and we all appreciate support for aftercare, but I do believe it is misleading without clarification, because a meaningful portion of funding is generated through breeder-paid registry transaction fees, effectively a pass-through mechanism. In other words, it is not “The Jockey Club” alone funding aftercare through The Jockey Club. It is actually the breeders.

The Commonwealth of Kentucky–through Kentucky House Bill 8–provides $250,000 annually to the TAA, starting in 2025. That is progress. But given what Kentucky earns from Thoroughbreds, it is insufficient.

Look at stallion-season tax revenue alone. Even using conservative assumptions–an average of $35,000 per season–and a 6% sales tax–Kentucky could conservatively realize around $40 million in state revenue from stallion seasons alone. Add auctions, racing, tourism, payroll, and sales tax on goods and services, and revenue to Kentucky becomes far larger.

With that reality, a $250,000 aftercare contribution is not a “solution.” It is a token. Given the economic reality, Kentucky should be funding aftercare at a far higher level, well into the millions. These horses are part of the state's brand, identity, and economic engine. The state can lead the nation in caring for them when their earning years end.

The TAA has changed aftercare for the better. But the funding model has stalled, and the industry is still living far too comfortably with the bare minimum. That is no longer acceptable. Additionally, the TAA itself must become more transparent.

I spoke with Walt Robertson, the newly elected president of the TAA, who assured me that changes are being explored and he is the right person to help drive them. Boyd Browning is also 100% behind sale increases. That gives me real hope.

But hope is not a strategy. We must stop tolerating inertia, complacency, and neglect.

The post Letter to the Editor: Aftercare–Hope Is Not a Strategy appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

If bloodstock agent Mike Pender feels the urge to pinch himself from time to time, it would be hard to hold that against him.

Having trained the likes of Grade I winners Jeranimo and Ultimate Eagle for his late client B. J. Wright in a career that lasted 15 years, Pender is now very much focused on the bloodstock side of the game, and his two current success stories–the three-time graded-stakes winning turf sprinter Queen Maxima (Bucchero) and Grade I-winning 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard Intrepido (Maximus Mischief)–are doing their part to keep the humble horseman's name in lights. Both horses are campaigned by Dutch Girl Holdings and Irving Ventures.

A $40,000 OBS June purchase, the Florida-bred Queen Maxima recently made the Jan. 11 GIII Las Cienegas Stakes her seventh straight success against her peers in turf sprint contests. She has since turned in a pair of easy, maintenance-type works at Santa Anita just to keep her ticking over as connections mull over their choices for the star mare, who is effective no matter the shape of the race.

“She is as hearty and made of hickory as any horse you'll ever put a saddle on,” Pender said Wednesday from Kentucky, where he was checking in on some of his other horses. “If anyone takes the time to watch her eight wins, the way in which she wins is chilling. It's chilling. I mean, it's goosebumps.

“She wins wrapped up. How many times can [jockey] Juan Hernandez return to the winner circle saying the same thing?: 'We still haven't gotten to the bottom of her.' I think that's the definition of a champion. Juan just says she's so versatile and he can put her wherever he wants. If he needs speed in a paceless race, she's there for him. If it's full of speed, he can just sit back and guide her.”

And to the point of getting to the bottom of Queen Maxima or what her ceiling might be, Pender said the goals will be loftier in 2026.

“The Jaipur against the boys [at Saratoga in June] is definitely on the radar. That would be nice to add to the resume,” Pender said, adding that the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland is longer-term objective.

So talented is Queen Maxima that Pender suggested a switch to the dirt or a stretchout in distance could not be ruled out as the year goes on. The 5-year-old has finished off the board in two tries at a mile on the turf, each time with a bit of an excuse.

Queen Maxima | Benoit

Intrepido, ultra-game in winning last year's GI American Pharoah Stakes, makes his sophomore debut in Saturday's GIII Robert B. Lewis Stakes, facing–among others–Desert Gate (Omaha Beach), who he defeated at odds of nearly 9-1 in the American Pharoah. Ironically, Pender saddled Lombo (Graydar) to an 8-1 upset in the 2018 Lewis.

Just a $30,000 Keeneland September yearling, Intrepido was sold on for $385,000 at last year's OBS April Sale and became a 'Rising Star' when racing over a mile for the first time at Del Mar last August. A late surge following a tough trip in the American Pharoah saw him prevail by 3/4 of a length, but he stubbed his toe in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, finishing a non-threatening fifth behind 'Rising Star' and champion Ted Noffey (Into Mischief).

Whatever Intrepido does on Saturday, he is sure to come on for the effort, Pender believes.

“We feel he's ready to go a mile on Saturday,” he said. “Is [trainer] Jeff [Mullins], the consummate horseman, going to tighten those screws and put him over the top for this race? No way. But he's definitely ready.”

Intrepido reunites in the Lewis with Hector Berrios, who will also climb back aboard champion Super Corredora (Gun Runner) in Sunday's Listed Las Virgenes Stakes at the Great Race Place.

Now going on seven years since saddling his last runner, Pender is very much enjoying applying his skill set toward picking out what he hopes to be top-class runners on behalf of others, including the two stars for Dutch Girl and Irving Ventures.

“I guess in football terms, I'm effectively their team manager,” he says. “They admit that they're very new to this process. While I didn't build this stadium nor front of money for the players in their payrolls, I do have to buy their horses, and I have to buy their horses that stay sound and most of all win races in what is arguably the most competitive environment for babies on the planet, Southern California, it's a tough playing field out here.

“[The owners] have just been unbelievable,” he added. “I mean, they put their money up, they wash their hands, and then turn it over to Jeff and I. It's tough. It's tough. We don't have a gigantic budget. There's a diminishing foall crop out there that makes for greater demand, and thus the higher purchase prices at these sales. They have been there with open arms every time. Without them, none of this is happening.”

Pender reflects back on the Saturday finale at Del Mar on Aug. 10, 2024, when Queen Maxima weaved her way through and powered home to graduate on debut. His hunch at that moment that he just might have unearthed something special has since been proven true.

“The people that were sitting next to me in the box, they go, 'We've never seen such a visceral reaction from you. There's tears streaming down your face.' I was like, 'This filly could be any kind,” he related.

“I'm really enjoying this aspect of being their agent as well, because it gives me more time to work with them, to educate them, to work on the human aspect of the day-to-day machinations of running a barn and all that goes on with it. This is a new way to branch off into something that was largely forgotten about when I was a trainer.”

The post Pender Purple Patch Looks Set To Continue appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

These are not easy times for Illinois horsemen, who have already lost Arlington Park and may soon see the area's remaining Thoroughbred track go under. After the Illinois Racing Board, citing financial instability, which included the bouncing of checks, pulled the plug on the track's Standardbred meet in January, there's no telling whether or not a reeling Hawthorne will be able to open its doors when the Thoroughbred meet is supposed to start March 29. Chris Block, the president of the local horsemen's group, is fighting the good fight to keep the track alive, but he admits he has no idea what to expect when it comes to Hawthorne's future or even if the track will be able to open in March.

To shed some light on what's going on in Illinois, Block joined this week's TDN Writers' Room Podcast Presented by Keeneland. He was the Gainesway Guest of the Week.

The frustrating part of this is that Hawthorne, which is now facing severe financial problems, was granted a license to build a casino way back in 2019. Five years later, there's no casino and very little, if any, progress has been made toward building one or finding a partner to help run one. Obviously, if a casino had joined hands with Hawthorne in an expedited manner none of this would be happening. So, where is the casino?

“(Hawthorne President and General Manager) Tim Carey started what I think was the process of moving forward because he demolished three quarters of the grandstand and set it up for construction,” Block said.  “And then it was my understanding there was more than one funding mechanism for that. One of the major funding mechanisms fell through. Everything came to a standstill. I wouldn't ask you to come to Hawthorne because it's not anywhere near the type of place to watch a race. By tearing down the grandstand, it has made it impossible to watch a race there. It's not a very fan-friendly situation. So with that, this has gone on now for five years thereafter. They use COVID as an excuse, which I understood at the time, but they've had plenty of chances to recover from that. Then Tim Carey hired on Kevin Kline after the passage of the bill in 2019 to be his casino guru, if you will. That's what they called him, a casino guru. And I have not seen anything that makes him a guru in my mind because they've passed on what I understand are deals that could have come together to partner with another company.”

The delays have caused a number of problems, especially when it now appears that Carey family has gone deeply into debt by trying to keep the track operating and recently lost a line of credit from a bank that was keeping the place afloat. That's why purse checks to harness horsemen have been bouncing.

“I believe what's happened here is that the Carey family, and, specifically, Tim Carey and his staff there, have relied on some funding from a bank to help keep the racing going, both on the Thoroughbred side and the harness side over the last five years,” Block said. “And during that process, they have been trying to get what they think is the perfect deal with a partner to have funding for a racino construction at Hawthorne. The perfect deal has never come according to them. And they've gotten themselves backed into a corner now and up against the wall where they're going to have no choice but to do something or Hawthorne won't exist.”

There is so much that is uncertain right now. Will they open on March 29? If they do, will the meet be run to its conclusion or will Hawthorne again run out of money? For good reason, Chicago-area horsemen are stressed, and don't know what to do.

“As we stand right now, we have hundreds of horsemen that are on edge, both on the harness side and the Thoroughbred side,” Block said. “A lot of horsemen have had their checks bounce. There are horsemen who put money into the horseman's bookkeeper account just to claim horses. That wasn't even purse earned money, and they can't get to it. And these are all people, hardworking horsemen, that are in need of that revenue to sustain and continue going forward. So I guess if there's any silver lining on the Thoroughbred side, I'm glad the IRB suspended their license during the harness meet. I feel for the harness horsemen. But right now, I don't want to get our horsemen on that backstretch until I know for sure that the Carey family can keep the track going forward in 2026. And until we find that information out, we won't have an answer. I'm advising all our horsemen, unfortunately, to have a backup plan in case by, let's say, February 25th or March 1st, that we don't have anything positive to report because time is running out for our guys to make decisions on where they need to go.”

Block said that John Walsh, the general manager of Hawthorne, has now been involved in the project of finding a casino partner. Block expressed his respect for Walsh and took note when Walsh said he was optimistic that something could be worked out in a timely manner that would save the Hawthorne Thoroughbred meet.

“They need to make a deal,” Block said. “And that's been our mantra from the Horsemen's Association, just make a deal. Okay. You don't have the opportunity to sit back and wait for the pristine deal. You have to make a deal or otherwise you're going to lose this.”

There were three “Fastest Horses of the Week” this week. They were GIII Holy Bull S. winner Nearly (Not This Time); Louisiana-bred and Fair Grounds allowance winner Synthetic (Midshipman); and Quatrocento (War Front), the winner of the GIII Tampa Bay Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. All three earned 98 Beyer figures. The “Fastest Horse of the Week” segment is sponsored by WinStar Farm, which stands the promising sire Cogburn.

Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by the PHBA, 1/ST TV, the KTOB and West Point Thoroughbreds, Randy Moss, Bill Finley and Zoe Cadman discussed the reshuffling of the deck among the nation's top 3-year-olds colts during a week when the Juvenile champion Ted Noffey (Into Mischief) was declared off the Derby trail  only to be replaced on the NTRA's Top 10 3-year-old list by his stablemate in the Todd Pletcher barn, Nearly, the impressive Holy Bull winner. The team also discussed Florent Geroux's move to California and the latest news CAW rules that will be instituted this week by NYRA. The podcast concluded with an examination of the four races that will be run this weekend that will award points for the GI Kentucky Derby.

For the Writers' Room Podcast video, click here, and for the audio version click here.

The post To Discuss the Mess at Hawthorne, Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen’s President Chris Block Joined the TDN Writers’ Room Podcast Presented by Keeneland appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country.

The following rulings were reported on HISA's “rulings” portal and through the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit's (HIWU) “pending” and “resolved” cases portals.

Resolved ADMC Violations

Dates: 02/04/2026

Licensee: Johanna Urieta, trainer

Penalty: 7-day period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on February 5, 2026; Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Admission.

Explainer: Medication violation for the presence of Methocarbamol—a class C controlled substance—in a sample taken from Ready for Action, who finished tenth at Mahoning Valley on 12/8/25.

Dates: 02/03/2026

Licensee: Amador Sanchez, trainer

Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Final decision of HIWU.

Explainer: Medication violation for the presence of Methocarbamol—a class C controlled substance—in a sample taken from More Than Glory, who finished second at Gulfstream Park on 12/13/25.

Dates: 02/02/2026

Licensee: Thomas Waltke Jr., trainer

Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points.Admission.

Explainer: Medication violation for the presence of Phenylbutazone—a class C controlled substance—in a sample taken from Greyzer, who won at Tampa Bay on 12/19/25.

Dates: 01/29/2026

Licensee: Kim A. Puhl, trainer

Penalty: A fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Admission.

Explainer: Vets' list medication violation for the presence of Dexamethasone—a class C controlled substance—in a sample taken from Riobella on 12/29/25.

Pending ADMC Violations

02/04/2026, Edwin Martinez, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Dexamethasone—a class C controlled substance—in a sample taken from Tsunami Gold, who finished second at Sunland Park on 1/4/26.

02/04/2026, William Cowans, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Methocarbamol—a class C controlled substance—in a sample taken from Sticky Note, who finished third at Turfway Park on 12/6/25.

02/03/2026, George Lopez, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violation for the presence of Methocarbamol—a class C controlled substance—in a sample taken from Tiz Lissett on 1/7/26.

02/03/2026, Jack Sisterson, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violation for the presence of Omeprazole (Gastrogard)—a class C controlled substance—in a sample taken from Jimmy's Kid on 1/3/26.

02/03/2026, Michael Simone, trainer: Pending ruling for the alleged breach of Rule 3313, regarding the “Use or Attempted Use of a Controlled Medication Substance during the Race Period.” The alleged substance is the class C controlled substance, L-Arginine; Stop-2. The case involved the horse Indulge, for an event dated 11/14/24.

02/02/2026, Hernan Parra, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Dexamethasone—a class C controlled substance—in a sample taken from Justy Han, who finished seventh at Gulfstream Park on 1/3/26.

02/02/2026, Anna Meah, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Gabapentin—a class B controlled substance—in a sample taken from Showers, who won at Churchill Downs on 11/6/25.

01/30/2026, Thomas McMahon, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Methamphetamine—a banned substance—in a sample taken from Tierra Santa, who won at Laurel Park on 12/7/25.

01/28/2026, Guillermo Flores, trainer: Pending ruling for the alleged possession of the banned substance Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP); Adenosine Monophosphate for an event dated 9/18/25.

Violations of Crop Rule

Laurel Park

Carlos Mancilla – violation date February 2; $750 fine, five-day suspension

Mahoning Valley

Fernando S. Becerra – violation date February 3; $1.500 fine, ten-day suspension 

Sunland Park

Francisco Amparan – violation date January 30; $250 fine, one-day suspension

Turf Paradise

Isaias Enriquez – violation date February 2; $500 fine, two-day suspension

The post National Rulings January 29 – February 4 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Trainer Bob Baffert has confirmed that GII Los Alamitos Futurity winner Litmus Test (Nyquist) will be scratched from Friday's $1-million GIII Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park. Litmus Test was listed at 5-2 on the morning line.

“We're waiting for the San Felipe,” Baffert said via text. “Never intended to run him at Oaklawn.”

The GII San Felipe Stakes will be held at Santa Anita Mar. 7.

Baffert will still be represented by Buetane (Tiz the Law) in the Southwest. He is the 4-1 second choice, but could go off favored since Baffert has proved time and time again that he's very tough to beat when he ships to Oaklawn. He owns a 41-percent winning percentage at Oaklawn and has won 26 graded stakes there. He has won the Southwest six times.

The new morning-line favorite will be D'code (Speightstown), who is listed at 3-1 on the current line. He rocketed to an 8 1/4-length win in his 6 1/2-furlong debut, earning a Beyer figure of 99.

The post Morning-Line Favorite Litmus Test Will Be Scratched from the Southwest Stakes appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club will offer significant enhancements to its 2-year-old racing program, reinforcing the track's long-standing commitment to developing juvenile runners while expanding opportunities for owners, trainers and breeders, the track announced Wednesday.

Beginning with the 2026 Summer season, which opens July 17, Del Mar will offer $100,000 open maiden races for 2-year-olds on the main track. These enhanced purses, for both colts and fillies, underscore the early success of California's new single-circuit structure and reaffirm the importance of juvenile racing to the seaside oval.

In addition, Del Mar will introduce new conditions for select two-year-old maiden races restricted by auction purchase price, limited to horses purchased for $150,000 or less. These special-condition main-track races will offer a purse of $70,000, while all other maiden allowance races will carry a purse of $80,000.

These multi-tiered offerings are designed to broaden participation and create meaningful opportunities for a wider range of owners, trainers and breeders, while maintaining Del Mar's traditionally high level of competition.

“2-year-old racing has a long and storied history at Del Mar,” said David Jerkens, Del Mar's Senior Vice President of Racing. “These enhancements reflect our commitment to honoring that tradition while adapting to the evolving needs of the industry.”

Additional details regarding race conditions and schedules will be available in the official condition book, available in mid-May.

Del Mar's 87th summer season runs from July 17 through September 7.

The post Del Mar Increases Juvenile Open Maiden Race Purses To $100,000 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Third-crop stallion Sweetontheladies (Twirling Candy) will return to Florida where he will stand the upcoming 2026 breeding season stand at Solera Farm in Williston.

A son of leading sire Twirling Candy, Sweetontheladies will stand as the property of The Four Horsemen Racing Stable and Lady Lindsay Racing Stable for $2,500 live foal.

Sweetontheladies won or placed in 11 stakes from the ages of two to five before retiring sound with earnings over $400,000. As a juvenile, he won three of his first four starts, including the Juvenile Sprint Stakes and captured the Crystal River Handicap at Gulfstream Park at three. On his best day, his ran third in the GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt Stakes at Saratoga.

For more information or to book a mare, please contact John Kasbar.

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Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance has formed a new strategic plan for the organization, broadening the scope of its activities, enhancing its sustainability, and developing new partnerships toward encouraging use of Thoroughbreds beyond their racing and breeding years, Walter S. Robertson, Jr., president of Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance announced Wendesday.

“Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance was formed a little more than 15 years ago, and it quickly achieved its primary mission of becoming the centerpiece of Thoroughbred aftercare support across North America,” said Robertson. “After extensive research and analysis and with input from stakeholders across all areas of the Thoroughbred industry, we are pleased to announce an expanded strategic plan, which will further protect Thoroughbreds and provide a firm foundation for their care and retraining for years to come.”

The expanded strategy for Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance includes five pillars:

• Financial stability maintained through centralized industry-provided funding conduits.
• Gold-standard accreditation and certifications, including developing and expanding strategic alliances with placement programs with racetracks.
• Data analytics to better monitor and analyze aftercare outcomes.
• Comprehensive resource allocation and support via increased grants, alliances and sponsorships of Thoroughbred events, and customer service resources and support.
• Industry-wide advocacy and education, including public relations success stories with Thoroughbreds in second careers.

“The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance is deeply grateful for The Jockey Club's help with the plan and their financial support and steadfast leadership,” Robertson said. “As a Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance co-founder, our largest financial backer, and a valued long-term partner, The Jockey Club continues to play a defining role in expanding and strengthening aftercare for Thoroughbreds.”

Everett Dobson, Chair of The Jockey Club, added: “For 2026, The Jockey Club is contributing $2.5 million to aftercare–funding driven in part by registry transactions and proceeds from our commercial companies–with the bulk of that supporting Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. Aftercare is a shared responsibility. We're confident Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance's plan will keep raising the bar for aftercare, and we encourage other organizations, companies, and individuals to join us with reliable, ongoing funding–year after year.”

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As an unrelenting stretch of icy winter cold hangs over the Bluegrass, the thought of a sunny spring day of racing at Keeneland with the dogwood trees in bloom sure feels like a welcome reprieve.

At the upcoming Spring Meet, Keeneland will celebrate the grand opening of the interior hospitality spaces in the new three-story Paddock Building. To help chase away the winter cold, Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin sat down with TDN to share more details on Keeneland's five new venues before tickets go on sale on Tuesday, Feb. 17.

“All the rooms are furnished and we're just finalizing, going through a punch list with our contractor and getting everything wrapped up,” Arvin shared.

During the 2025 Fall Meet, Keeneland debuted its renovated Saddling Paddock and Stakes Winner's Circle. The new venues within the Paddock Building will offer views of both locations. Lexington-based designer Matthew Carter, who has had a hand in existing venues at Keeneland like the fifth floor Keeneland Room, led the interior design process for the new building.

Arvin said that maintaining Keeneland's time-honored atmosphere while enhancing the fan experience was a top priority throughout the project.

“We spent a lot of time looking at the history of design at Keeneland, which goes back to the days of Mrs. [Alma] Haggin, who really was in charge of it at the beginning,” she explained. “One of the reasons that it was so important to us that Matt Carter be involved was because I feel like he has really looked at the history and understands what the feel of Keeneland should be, but at the same time can focus on modernizing it and adding in some fun touches.”

For the upcoming meet, access to the Paddock Building will be exclusive to guests with tickets to one of its five spaces. The venues will offer over 1,000 new public dining tickets each race day.

“Part of the reason that we built the Paddock Building was because we didn't have enough supply for the demand, which is an incredible problem to have and we do not take it for granted,” said Arvin. “So we want to be sure that we can fulfill as many requests as we can. We expect that it will be very well received and we're still going to run out of inventory pretty quickly, honestly, but that's 1,000 more people per day we can seat, which is great.”

Ticket pricing for the new spaces range from $100 to $200 based on location, race day and dining package.

Beyond the racing season, Keeneland plans to leverage the Paddock Building during sales to offer more hospitality options to auction attendees.

1936 ROOM

1936 Room | Keeneland photo

Location: North end of first floor with access to Paddock Lawn

Seating: Lounge seating and high-top tables

Food and Beverage: All-inclusive passed and stationed hors d'oeuvres, full-service premium open bar

Inside Look:

“The 1936 Room is probably the newest concept for Keeneland, because there's not another room like it at the track. It is the first time we've done an all-inclusive ticket. There will be passed food, as well as food stationed throughout the room, so it's not a sit-down experience. We may pass some cocktails too.”

“The jockeys walk through the room from the Jockeys' Quarters downstairs, which is fun and interactive. Also if you have access to that room, you have access to the north side of the paddock, so you have a spot to go outside.”

“People like to enjoy the races in different ways. Some people like to sit at a table all day while other people like a little more action. They want to be able to mingle and walk around and this definitely gives them the chance to do that.”

Favorite Detail:

“I love the look and feel of all of the rooms, but I do really love this one. The woodwork is beautiful and the lighting is really special.”

SYCAMORE ROOM

Sycamore Room | Keeneland photo

Location: South end of first floor adjacent to the Stakes Winner's Circle

Seating: Reserved table service

Food and Beverage: A la carte high-end dining and cocktail service with classic American cuisine

Inside Look:

“This is probably our most upscale room of the five new rooms. There are some private rooms off to the side in the space, which I think people will really enjoy. This room is also on the first floor so you can walk right out to the area outside the walking ring.”

“The menu is à la carte. I laugh because I've actually heard more rumors about the Sycamore Room than I imagined possible. The menu is close to finalized but it's not actually finalized, and for a while people were saying it was going to be a steakhouse. While there will probably be a steak on the menu, it is not a steakhouse. But I do think the food will be delicious and special in there.”

Favorite Detail:

“I love the bar in the Sycamore Room. It might be my favorite bar of the new ones.”

DOGWOOD AND IVY ROOMS:

Dogwood Room | Keeneland photo

Location: Second floor overlooking the Paddock

Seating: Reserved table service

Food and Beverage: Buffet-style dining. A la carte snacks and cocktails available for purchase.

Inside Look:

“The Dogwood and Ivy Rooms are similar spaces and are on the second floor. They are both going to have an elevated buffet. You've got the arched windows, which I think are so in keeping with what you think of when you think of Keeneland. The views outside these rooms overlooking the paddock are really special.”

“The Dogwood is bigger than the Ivy Room. The Ivy Room seats 110 people, so it could be a private space or not. It just depends on what the demand is for that day. It was kind of a missing link for us because the Lexington/Kentucky Room is so large and then you go down to the Stakes Lounge at the Lafayette Room, which maybe wasn't large enough sometimes. So the Ivy Room hopefully will fit that need.”

Favorite Detail:

“I actually love the wallpaper in those rooms. You walk in and it's just very striking and I love the way it's hung around the windows.”

Rooftop Bar | Keeneland photo

ROOFTOP BAR AND ROOFTOP DINING:

Location: Third floor overlooking the Paddock

Seating: Reserved table service. Rooftop Dining in enclosed premium indoor space. Rooftop Bar in covered outdoor area.

Food and Beverage: A la carte lunch and cocktail service

Inside Look:

“Obviously the best part of the rooftop is the view. I've spent a lot of time staring at the Sycamore tree, but until I saw it from the rooftop, I hadn't seen it quite like you can from that vantage point. It's pretty spectacular.”

“It is an a la carte menu up there too. For the outdoor space, you've got a big bar area–kind of a round bar, which I think people will enjoy–with covered high-top tables surrounding the bar. Inside, you've got a smaller dining room with seating.”

Favorite Detail:

“The view of the paddock is amazing, but it is also pretty neat to see the rest of the campus when you're turned away from the paddock and looking over at the sales pavilion and all the barns.”

The Keeneland Spring Meet runs April 3-24, with no racing on Mondays, Tuesdays, or Easter Sunday, April 5. Purchase tickets at Tickets.Keeneland.com.

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Tickets for Kentucky Derby Week and the entire Spring Meet at Churchill Downs Racetrack are set to go on sale Thursday at noon with an added day of racing to celebrate this year's Derby Week.

For the first time since 2010, Churchill Downs will return its meet opener and kickoff to Derby Week to the afternoon rather than running at night under the lights as was the case from 2011-25, the track announced Wednesday. Post time for Opening Day powered by LG&E and KU will be Saturday, April 25, at 12:45 p.m.

Additionally, Churchill Downs is bringing back Sunday to the Derby Week schedule for the first time in 15 years. Post time for the Sunday, April 26 program will be 12:45 p.m.

The 152nd Spring Meet at the historic Louisville racetrack will span nine weeks from April 25-June 28 over 44 racing dates. Kentucky Derby Week grows from six to seven days from April 25-May 2 with no racing on Monday, April 27.

“With the Spring Meet and Kentucky Derby Week kicking off in the afternoon and the return of Sunday racing on Derby Week for the first time in 16 years, we believe our strong racing product will be well received by the local community, horseplayers around the country and our horsemen,”said Mike Anderson, President of Churchill Downs Racetrack.

Tickets for the 152nd GI Kentucky Oaks and GI Kentucky Derby on May 1-2 are available by visiting here or here.

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The former director and chief executive officer of healthcare technology startup Biofourmis Holdings, Kuldeep Singh Rajput, was set to be charged in a Singapore court on Feb. 4 for his alleged involvement in a series of financial crimes, according to a statement released by the Singapore Police Force on Tuesday and reported by the Business Times.

The Business Times in Singapore identified the accused as Kuldeep Singh Rajput, the company's founder and former CEO, who stepped down from his role in August 2023.

Rajput was also the head of Gandharvi Racing, which has been active in racing and bloodstock globally in recent years.

The report states that police have said Rajput will face charges including falsification of accounts, fraud by false representation, and forgery for the purpose of cheating. According to investigations, Rajput allegedly instigated company staff to falsify invoices between Aug. 18, 2021, and Feb. 28, 2022, which purportedly showed that Biofourmis Singapore had provided nearly $16.5 million worth of services to Singapore's Ministry of Health.

Authorities said the services were not rendered. Rajput is also accused of making, and abetting the making of, false representations concerning Biofourmis Holdings and its subsidiaries between March and April 2022. In addition, he allegedly forged an employee stock option plan offer letter with the intent to deceive a bank in connection with a proposed funds transfer.

If convicted of fraud by false representation or abetting such an offence, Rajput faces a potential sentence of up to 20 years' imprisonment, a fine, or both, per charge.

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In response to Maggie Sweet's powerful letter to the TDN–February 2, 2026, I would like to add my support–and my urgency.

The Jockey Club needs a paradigm shift, and so do Thoroughbred owners and breeders. The future of our sport depends on it.

Think of a stunning model–poised, admired, photographed from every angle. Now imagine that same model with a mouth full of rotten teeth. No matter how beautiful the rest of her may be, the illusion collapses the moment she smiles. Perception changes instantly. The image is damaged, and with it, her career.

That is the racing industry when aftercare is neglected.

Our sport is magnificent in its athleticism, tradition, and heart. But when the public sees horses without safe and dignified futures, the image fractures. We are forced to keep our “mouth closed,” hoping no one looks too closely. And when they do, the damage is swift and lasting.

Aftercare is not a side issue. It is not charity. It is the moral and reputational dental care of this industry–basic, necessary maintenance that preserves both life and image. If we had built its cost into the structure of our business from the beginning, we would not now be scrambling to defend our integrity.

Do we really want to watch the racing and breeding industries suffer irreversible harm because we failed to budget for responsibility?

It is time to act. The Jockey Club has made meaningful progress, but incremental steps are no longer enough. This is the moment for leadership–visible, collaborative, and industry-wide. Owners, breeders, tracks, and registries must work together to create sustainable, mandatory support for aftercare.

A paradigm shift is not optional anymore. It is the price of preserving the sport we love.

Suzi Pritchard-Jones is the founder of the Byerley & Godolphin Conservation.

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With the announcement in early January that Elliott Walden would step down from his role as CEO of WinStar Farm in October, passing the torch to Gerry Duffy, a 20-year run at the company is coming to an end. Until 2005, when he took over as Vice President, Walden had trained horses for the organization. Under his management, the farm won the Triple Crown with Justify along with two Kentucky Derbies, three Belmont Stakes, five Breeders' Cups, and four Eclipse Awards. Walden hand-picked Duffy to take over the reins, praising both his organizational and people skills. Walden sat down to talk to the TDN about what he loved about the job, what he'll miss, and what's next for the 62-year-old.

SF: As I understand it, Gerry starts on April 1st and then you will be with him until October, but talk to me about that transition and how that will work out.

EW: It was a well thought-out plan and we just wanted to have time with Gerry to pass this baton. He's coming aboard on April 1 as President. I'm going to be CEO, and he's going to hit the ground running with the main personnel on the farm. They're going to report to him, and then we're going to work side-by-side for six months and he's going to see the strategic side of things, when we go to buy horses, et cetera. We chose October 1 so that we could get through the September Sale. And then I'm going to consult for nine months.

SF: What led you to this decision?

Trainer Todd Pletcher with Walden | Jon Siegel

EW: It was really about timing; more WinStar's timing than my timing at my age and where I am in life. I could have gone another four or five years, barring any health or any type of issue, but we have talked amongst ourselves about what's next for WinStar as far as the Troutt family goes, and we're seeing Preston Troutt (Kenny's son) really step up in a big way and he's coming alongside Kenny and showing the same interest. So building a team around Preston was the main impetus of this, and Gerry is the right age for that. We had a transition at a couple of other key positions. Jack Mullikan stepped down a couple years ago and handed the baton off to Michael Holmes, who's a real star in the CFO role. And Gerry was at the point where he wanted to come back. He was still in Abu Dhabi, but his family decided to stay here, and that always changes things.

SF: So after October 1st, what happens for you? What do you do on October 2nd?

EW: I don't know. That's the exciting thing about it. I get to figure out some things to do. I'll probably consult in some way, and I've had a lot of calls on that, but really I'm just being open to what God has in store for me. I'm excited about that. I've always been a planner. I've always been an organizer. It's worked well for me to this point, but in this next phase I really don't know, and so it's allowing me an opportunity to grow my faith in that. And you know what? I don't have everything figured out, but I'm excited about it because with our children growing and Will doing so well in the business as a trainer, it's exciting to see that allow a little more time to be able to focus on that and to support him and our other kids in the endeavors that they have as well.

SF: Could you see yourself going back into some sort of training role?

EW: No, I don't think so. That would be getting right back into the day-to-day grind, and one thing I am looking forward to is the opportunity to be able to do some different things. From the time I started on the racetrack, I've worked 45 years basically six or seven days a week, and so the opportunity to be able to do some different things is exciting to me. So I don't see myself training.

SF: Are you the kind of person who can see themselves retiring, or do you need a purpose?

Will and Elliott Walden | Jon Siegel

EW: Oh, definitely a purpose. I'm not going to sit on the couch. There are going to be opportunities that come up and I'm already starting to think about some of those. But right now, I don't have anything scheduled because I'm still a hundred percent all-in to give Mr. Troutt and the Troutt family my focus.

SF: What was the highlight of your time at WinStar?

EW: The Triple Crown is an easy one. That's pretty incredible to do, and just to think about the history of that accomplishment and that it hasn't been done but 13 times, that's pretty overwhelming. I tried to win the Kentucky Derby twice as a trainer and got beat a neck both times, so really, I think being a Kentucky guy, winning the Kentucky Derby twice with WinStar is right there.

SF: How does your family feel about this transition? Does your wife worry you're going to be around too much?

EW: No, no. She's completely supportive and this is an opportunity for me to support her. She's supported me for so long in these two roles, moving around the country and being gone a lot, so this is an opportunity for me to give back to her.

SF: WinStar really came of age under your guidance, becoming a true global brand. What are you going to miss the most about it? Is it the people? Is it the day-to-day coming in the office?

EW: The highlight of WinStar for me has been the team, and that starts at the top. Kenny has been an incredible boss and leader. He has entrusted us to execute, but it starts with his desire. He's an example of what makes a farm like WinStar successful, and you see it in other farms as well, and that's first and foremost a very proactive owner. I think a farm of this magnitude needs a proactive owner, whether it's John Magnier at Coolmore, Kenny Troutt at WinStar, or B. Wayne Hughes at Spendthrift. I don't think you accomplish all that we've accomplished without somebody who has their eye on the ball. And with that, he's also entrusted us to make the decisions.

So working for him has been a real honor and a blessing, and what's so exciting about the future for WinStar is that Preston is starting to step into that role. Kenny's still going strong, but we're all getting a little older, and that's part of why we made the decision we made. Preston is a very impressive young man. For WinStar to survive over the next 25 years, they need a Troutt at the helm, and Preston's going to be that guy when Kenny is ready.

SF: Is there anything I haven't asked you that you'd like to say?

EW: We just had our annual managers' retreat. This was our 25th, and it just reminded me how much I'm going to miss this team. They are exceptional. I feel good that we're handing a really accomplished, professional team off to Gerry in a way in which we can make sure that WinStar Farm does not miss a beat. We have a bright future with the young stallions that we have coming up, starting this year. Life is Good and Nashville have their first runners this year, and Constitution is rolling. I'm excited about what Preston, Gerry, David, Natanya, and the whole team can do for the next 25 years. I'm going to miss working with the quality of these horses, but I would anticipate that I'm going to be around some quality horses in the future.

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Purses for 3-year-old and upward maiden special weight (MSW) races at Keeneland Race Course ($110,000) and Churchill Downs ($120,000) are projected to remain level this spring compared to the same seasonal race meets in 2025.

Executives from both tracks disclosed those spring 2026 figures during the Feb. 3 Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF) advisory board meeting.

Keeneland's non-juvenile MSW purses had been $100,000 each April between 2022 and 2024 before getting bumped up to $110,000 last year.

Churchill Downs has carded non-juvenile MSW races for $120,000 during its April-June meet since 2022.

Although MSW purse levels do not tell the entire story about how healthy a track or a circuit's racing is, they are often cited within the Thoroughbred industry as a useful barometer that indicates the class of horses a track can expect to attract.

The KTDF is funded by three-quarters of 1% of all money wagered in the state on both live Thoroughbred races and historical horse race gaming, plus 1% of all money wagered on Thoroughbred races via inter-track wagering and whole-card simulcasting. That money, along with funding from each track, goes to pay purses in the state.

At Tuesday's meeting, the KTDF advisory board approved the recommendation of allotment requests that the Keeneland and Churchill purse estimates were based on. The Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation still has to vote on final approval of the funding at a subsequent meeting.

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The Commerce Committee in the Florida House of Representatives reported favorably Feb. 3 on the controversial decoupling bill backed by Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs that would allow either track to cease live racing while retaining their respective casino and card-room privileges.

The vote appeared to be 15-9. The decision was largely split along party lines, with the “no” votes cast by Democrats and only two Republicans splitting off from the “yes” votes to oppose the bill. (One voice vote was inaudible during the roll call; the Florida legislature's web page for the bill had not posted the official tally prior to deadline for this story.)

Tuesday's thumbs-up on decoupling by the Commerce Committee joins a 10-5 favorable vote passed by the House Industries & Professional Activities Subcommittee Jan. 14.

With both of both of HB 881's assigned committees now reporting favorably, the bill can be scheduled for floor consideration and a vote by the full House membership.

A nearly identical companion bill has been filed in the Florida Senate. It has been referred to three committees, but has yet to be scheduled for any debate in that chamber.

Decoupling, which means separating legal requirements to host pari-mutuel racing from gaming privileges, is hardly new to Florida.

In 2025, a similar version of decoupling ended up getting passed in the House but not the Senate.

Testifying before the committee on Tuesday, Lonny Powell, the chief executive officer of the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association (FTBOA), estimated that he has appeared before the Florida legislature in 12 of the last 14 years in an effort to keep decoupling from happening.

Since 2021, all other forms of pari-mutuel gaming in Florida (greyhound and Standardbred racing, plus jai alai) have ben decoupled. Thoroughbred racing remains the lone exception.

This latest version attempts to provide a “runway” in terms of timing that would require Gulfstream and Tampa to give notice of racing suspension as of July 1, 2027, with racing required to continue for at least three years after that notice of intent got filed.

Presumably, according to the bill's Republican sponsor, Rep. Adam Anderson, that would be enough time for Thoroughbred owners, breeders and other industry stakeholders to legalize and build a new racetrack somewhere else in the state and come up with a way to fund its purses and operation.

Six members of the public-all related to various ownership, breeding and auction organizations based in Florida-testified against the decoupling bill on Tuesday.

No members of the public testified in favor of decoupling.

Three representatives spoke against it, with two testifying in favor, including Anderson, the sponsor.

Powell's comments about the potential adverse impacts of decoupling were blunt. But he also tried to get the politicians to realize that the FTBOA and other stakeholders have a Plan B in the pipeline.

“There is nothing in this bill that's really good for the horsepeople. There's nothing that gives us confidence. There's nothing that gives us hope. The horsemen and the horsewomen, the breeders and the owners and farms, with decoupling, face the ultimate devastation of their industry,” Powell said.

“But I do want to come here with, once again, a solution, because we heard you last year. We've got to figure out a way to make this issue just move on, and we've got to get our breeders back where they have some confidence in breeding these championship Florida horses,” Powell said.

“We do have the only existing permit allowed by law [for a track to be] located in Marion County [that the FTBOA secured in 2011] for this very purpose, in case the racetracks rolled back their racing dates,” Powell said.

Back in December, when speaking at the Global Symposium on Racing hosted by the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program, Powell had unveiled a plan to enter into a “mutually exclusive, multi-year agreement” with “a Delaware registered entity” to try and bring a new racetrack in or near Ocala to fruition.

Two months ago, Powell identified that group's two principals as Philip Levine, who served as mayor of Miami Beach from 2013 to 2017, and John Morgan, a billionaire attorney based in Florida who is best known as the founder of the personal injury law firm Morgan & Morgan and who has active involvement in various Thoroughbred partnerships.

“What the challenge is, right now, the way this is designed, is the tracks get to exit [the racing industry] for free, not paying any tab,” Powell told the committee Tuesday. “In fact, they shut off all the revenue to everybody. [So] we now have to assume the economics of the horse side and the track side to get this done…

“And I am quite confident that we'll be before you next session with a proposed solution that could very well make winners of everybody around the table. That's one of the best ways to get things done, and that's what we're working on,” Powell said.

Rep. Christine Hunschofsky, the committee's Democratic ranking member, said she has two “massive issues” with greenlighting decoupling.

One has to do with potentially putting horse people out of their livelihoods at a time when many Floridians already have hardships related to affordability.

The second relates to overstepping the local wishes of Broward County voters, 57% of whom she said back in 2005 approved gaming at Gulfstream only because it was a licensed facility that already took horse bets.

“Thoroughbred racing is an important part of our economy,” Hunschofsky said. “And I find it very difficult to reconcile when we're in the Commerce Committee, and we're here to support small businesses, [and when] we're having people struggling with the economy right now, struggling to find work, [we] have legislation in front of us now that will literally decimate an industry, an industry that's part of the history here in Florida.”

As for the local control, Hunschofsky put it this way: “So now, the state wants to come in and say, 'Okay Broward, you made a decision based on [allowing gaming at a racetrack].' And now we're going to change the rules of the game, and we're not going to go back to the residents of Broward and say, 'Hey, do you still want to have gambling [at Gulfstream] if they take away the Thoroughbred racing?'”

As is customary, the bill's sponsor, Anderson, was allowed the last word before the legislation  came up for a committee vote.

Just like he has at previous hearings, Anderson-in what must have seemed like a mind-boggling paradox to Thoroughbred stakeholders-portrayed himself as a proponent of Florida's breeding and racing industries.

After thanking the committee's legislators for offering up only “light questions” related to his bill, Anderson said that he was “especially encouraged by some of the testimony about the industry starting to work on actionable solutions, and that's what we want to see happen.

“I think all of you in front of me here know that I'm committed to this industry, committed to the racing community,” Anderson said. “I'm a lover of the animal. I'm a lover of the race. I've been involved in the racing industry for the better part of a decade. I want to see it thrive. But I want to see it thrive independently. Because we value free-market principles.”

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Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed), who earned over $2.6 million spanning a career which saw him win both the GI Jaipur Stakes and the GI Fourstardave Handicap twice each, was represented by his first foal on January 23rd when a filly was born out of the multiple stakes-placed mare Sustainable (Forestry). The filly was bred by Carlos Cleto.

“You can see from this photo, an outstanding foal,” Cleto said. “Casa Creed was an 'iron horse' who won four Grade I's and showed up every race. A very exciting stallion.”

Casa Creed is standing in Kentucky at Mill Ridge Farm for $8,500 LF and is part of the Ride Together Incentive Program where the registered breeder of a live foal earns a free season if the resulting offspring wins a straight maiden race as a 2-or 3-year-old.

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Austro-Canadian billionaire and prominent racing owner/breeder Frank Stronach will face a sexual assault trial later this week in Toronto that will be decided solely by a judge, according to a report from the BBC.

The article states that 93-year-old Stronach, one of Canada's richest men, has been charged in relation to more than a dozen historical sexual assault allegations that span nearly a half-century.

Stronach has pleaded not guilty to the 12 Toronto charges, and has denied all of the allegations against him.

Prosecutors have split his case into two separate proceedings, with a second trial in nearby York Region scheduled for later in the spring. The Toronto trial was set to begin Tuesday, but has since been delayed to Thursday.

He faces a total of 18 offences involving 13 complainants, according to prosecutors.

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A total of 367 of the world's top 3-year-old Thoroughbreds became eligible to compete in the 2026 Triple Crown series during the early nomination phase, which closed Monday, Jan. 26, Churchill Downs said in a press release on Tuesday.

This year's early nominees span the globe and include several horses that have already made an impact on the 'Road to the Kentucky Derby', led by graded stakes winners 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard', Further Ado (Gun Runner), 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard', Golden Tempo (Curlin), 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard', Intrepido (Maximus Mischief), Litmus Test (Nyquist), Napoleon Solo (Liam's Map), Nearly (Not This Time) and Paladin (Gun Runner).

International representation included 37 horses from Japan, led by Godolphin's Pyromancer (Jpn) (Pyro), winner of the Listed Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun at Kawasaki Racecourse .

Eleven fillies were nominated including: Bella Ballerina (Street Sense), Belle of the Barn (Street Sense), Counting Stars (Honor A.P.), Dancin in Old Town (Tapit), Energy Issei (Jpn) (Mozu Ascot), Goldmunze (Jpn) (Suave Richard {Jpn}), Perfect Town (Speightstown), Ten Time Top (Jpn) (Nadal), Tokai Ma Cherie (Jpn) (Drefong), Unnatamsa (Jpn) (Pyro) and Zany (American Pharoah).

When it comes to the sires of nominees, Not This Time tallied 16. The other stallions who left their mark include: Gun Runner (15), Into Mischief (14), Nyquist (14), Constitution (13), Maxfield (12), Curlin (11), Liam's Map (10), American Pharoah (9), Quality Road (9), Street Sense (9) and Tapit (8).

Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher led all trainers with 31 nominees, followed by Bob Baffert (23), Chad Brown (22), Brad Cox (21) and Daisuke Takayanagi (14).

Last year, there were 373 early nominees and another five late nominations.

Click here for a complete list of Triple Crown nominees.

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