Thoroughbred Daily News

At its latest meeting at the end of last month, the Louisiana Racing Commission voted unanimously to strip from its current voided claim rule nearly all of its conditions, according to commission executive director, Stephen Landry.

The proposed rule change, said Landry, will now be sent for public comment in the state register. The formal process of adopting a new rule could take up to six months, he added.

The proposed rule changes remove all but one line from the state's current voided claim rule. If adopted, the new rule will read: “A claim shall be voided if a horse is entered into a race but fails to be declared a starter.”

Stripped under the proposed changes are the following conditions that currently void (or potentially void) the claim of a horse:

• If the horse is vanned off the track by an official
• If an official veterinarian observes the horse to be lame while on the track for that race
• If the horse bleeds through the nose (epistaxis) while on the track
• If the horse fails a subsequent test (requested by the claimant) for infectious anemia (a viral disease affecting horses), or for recombinant erythropoietin (EPO) and/or darbepoietin (a bone marrow stimulant)
• If the horse dies on the track or is euthanized by an official due to injury

According to Louisiana Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA) executive director, Ed Fenasci, his board had voted in accord with the proposed changes because of the veterinary scrutiny already in place in Louisiana.

“My board voted to support that, and that was their reasoning,” said Fenasci, adding that horses racing in the state already undergo veterinary scrutiny pre-race, in the paddock and at the gate.

“The horses are examined multiple times, and if it turns up something, they're not allowed to run, which would then have the same effect of the voided claim,” said Fenasci.

When asked about the language potentially stripped from the current rules that give the claimant an opportunity to test for infectious anemia, EPO and/or darbepoietin, Fenasci said “that was not discussed at our board meeting.”

When asked if he agrees with this part of the proposed changes, Fenasci replied that he does not have an opinion on it.

Louisiana is one of a small handful of states that currently operate outside of the legal purview of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA).

Research strongly indicates that voided claim rules are an important factor in race-day equine fatality rates. Research published in March-an extensive study that looked at 14 years of North American data-found that the stricter the voided claim rule, the less likely the horse will suffer a catastrophic injury, compared with weaker voided claim rules.

Nearly a year ago, Louisiana's racing commission caused a stir in the industry when passing emergency rules that raised the permissible dosage and shrunk the allowable withdrawal times for several medications, most notably the bronchodilator Clenbuterol and corticosteroid Depo-Medrol. The commission later rescinded these medication usage changes.

When asked what he would say to those in the industry critical of the state's proposed voided rule changes, Fenasci repeated how he believes the pre-race scrutiny already in place in Louisiana nullifies the need for the current voided claim rule conditions.

“We feel that horses are examined three times-[which is] more than they used to be examined-and that's when you're supposed to determine whether the horse is sound and able to run,” Fenasci said.

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NBC Sports' 25th presentation of the Kentucky Derby delivered an NBC Sports-record average of 17.7 million viewers on NBC and Peacock–marking the largest Kentucky Derby audience since 1989 (18.5 million viewers, won by Sunday Silence) and a 6% increase from last year (16.7 million viewers for Mystik Dan's victory in a three-horse photo finish).

Viewership peaked at 21.8 million viewers from 7-7:15 p.m. ET, as Sovereignty ran to a 1 1/2-length victory over Journalism. The peak audience was the largest ever for an NBC Sports presentation of the Kentucky Derby (up 8% from 20.1 million last year).

Led by Peacock, the “Run for the Roses” posted NBC Sports' largest streaming audience for a horse racing event with an Average Minute Audience (AMA) of 959,000 viewers–up 34% from last year (714,000) and nearly tripling 2023 (371,000).

NBC Sports has averaged 15+ million viewers across all platforms for 10 of the last 12 Kentucky Derby races held in May (2013-2024, excludes 2020 COVID-impacted event which was moved to September).

With 17.7 million viewers (6:33-7:24 p.m. ET), the 2025 Kentucky Derby will rank as NBC's most-watched Saturday program since the NFL Wild Card Playoffs in January 2024 (excluding Paris Olympics).

NBC Sports presents the 150th Preakness Stakes on Saturday, May 17, at 4 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, with coverage beginning at 2 p.m. ET on CNBC and Peacock.

The post NBC, Peacock Present the Most Watched Kentucky Derby Since 1989 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

7th-Laurel, $48,710, Msw, 5-4, 3yo, 1m, 1:39.45, sy, 9 1/2 lengths.
LIONEL (c, 3, Authentic–Sweetgrass {MGSP, $330,145}, by Street Sense) stepped forward to keep the leader in his sights as he stalked the pace through :24.40, :47.83, and 1:13.16 splits from three off the rail, eventually taking a commanding advantage. Moving well but floating out a touch greenly as they rolled off the turn, Lionel kicked away from the field to win by 9 1/2 lengths over Kitty's Son (Cupid).

The victor is the most recent to the races for his dam, who hails from the female family which produced GISP Stellaris (Harlan's Holiday). Lionel, the mare's third winner from as many surviving offspring, has a pair of half-sisters in the wings–a juvenile by City of Light and a yearling by Colonel Liam. Sweetgrass is due to Win Win Win for 2025. Sales history: $875,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $28,200. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Bashor, Dianne, Determined Stables, Masterson, Robert E., Ryan, Tom J., Waves Edge Capital LLC and Donovan, Catherine; B-Seclusive Farm, Brad Stephens & Breeze Easy (KY); T-Brittany T. Russell.

Lionel (by @spendthriftfarm Authentic) powered away on debut under @JevianToledo to break his maiden at @LaurelPark for SF Racing, @StarlightRacing, @MadaketStables, et al. pic.twitter.com/h76c47B4su

— Brittany Russell Racing Stable (@BTRracingstable) May 4, 2025

The post Authentic’s Lionel Strong on Debut at Laurel Park appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Yes, Bill Mott was loyal to Junior Alvarado, letting him ride Sovereignty (Into Mischief) in the GI Kentucky Derby after he missed the main prep in the GI Florida Derby. Alvarado fractured his shoulder blade in a Mar. 23 spill at Gulfstream and was sent to the sidelines. Manny Franco filled in for the Florida Derby and rode a fine race, guiding Sovereignty to a second-place finish.

That opened the door to a number of possibilities. Mott could have kept Franco on the horse or he easily could have enticed one of the sport's two best riders, Flavien Prat and Irad Ortiz Jr., to take the mount. Neither one had a top Derby mount.

But Mott, when it became clear that Alvarado would heal up in time to make the Derby, gave the mount back to Alvarado. It was a magnanimous gesture, but it was also the smartest move he could have made. He knew that riding Alvarado gave him the best chance of winning.

“I would like to say, it was great having Junior back on him. He didn't ride him the last day because of an injury,” said Michael Banahan, the director of USA bloodstock for the owner, the powerful Godolphin Stable. “The confidence that Junior has in a horse, especially a horse coming from off the pace like that and knowing him so well, I think helped him get there today as well because he knows that he's going to be there for him. Manny Franco gave him a great ride down in Florida. But he probably wouldn't have had the confidence in him that Junior had because he knows him so well. So great, great ride by Junior again today.”

Alvarado left his native Venezuela, where he was a graduate of that country's jockey academy, in 2007 to see if he could make it in the U.S. He was the leading rider at Arlington Park in 2009 and 2010 and won his first Grade I in the U.S. in Arlington Park's GI Beverly D. S. in 2010 aboard Eclair de Lune (Ger) (Marchand de Sable). From there he set out for New York to challenge himself against some of the best jockeys in the world.

In 2011, his first full year in New York, he won 162 races. In 2012, he won 183 races. Yet, he seemed to always be in the shadow of the superstars in the New York colony. He was not someone you thought of when it came to riding in the Kentucky Derby. He did not get his first Derby mount until 2006 and he was 0-for-5 coming into Saturday's race.

Coady Media

Nobody pays closer attention to details than the Hall of Fame Mott. With his stable, he could have used any jockey he wanted, but he saw something in Alvarado that others apparently did not. He had his first mounts for Mott in 2011 and went 7-for-20, winning at a 35% rate. He liked how Alvarado rode but he also liked the fact that he could turn him into a de facto house jockey. He didn't need to hunt for jockey because he knew Alvarado would always be available for him. It was part of bond that just kept growing stronger.

“I wasn't probably completely aware at the time of who I was riding for,” Alvarado told the Daily Racing Form. “Maybe a few months you start riding for him and people are saying, 'Oh, you're riding for Mott, you're riding for Mott!'”

Mott would still use other riders but his go-to guy became Junior Alvarado. He has ridden 416 winners for Mott from 2339 mounts for a 17.8% clip. They have combined for 46 graded stakes wins, including 16 Grade I's. There was something about this combination of jockey and trainer that clicked.

Before the Derby, Alvarado was known as the regular rider of Cody's Wish (Curlin), the 2023 Horse of the Year. Alvarado rode him in 10 of his 16 races, including his last nine starts. His most memorable wins on Cody's Wish came in back-to-back running of the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and the 2023 GI Metropolitan H.

Alvarado might have thought it would never get better than that. Especially after he had his shoulder problems. But it did. He won the Derby.

“I was completely heartbroken,” he said of the shoulder injury. “I thought that was it. I knew that was this horse. All along I knew it was the right horse for me to win the Derby. And I always say, well, if it's meant to be, it's meant to be. But at the same time, like I said, I don't know if I'm going to be able to get another horse like this if I don't get back on time. But once again, I got the call the next day when I get out of the hospital. Mr. Mott said, 'Listen, you do what you need to do, and you'll get to ride on the horse back.' I think that gave me a peace of mind and to do what I needed to do the right way to recover properly, and I just did that.

“You don't get that in the business often, because this is the nature of the business. Someone else gets to ride the horse. You ride him good, and you get to keep him. I did a good job. How are you getting them off? You know what I mean? So I understand that, too. But, once again, like I say, just having the peace of mind and being able to do what I needed to do, it just is something that I will appreciate from Mr. Mott.”

His relationship with Mott was among the first things that popped into his head after crossing the Derby finish line.

“If I could win with anyone, it would be Mr. Mott,” Alvarado said, while being interviewed by NBC's Donna Brothers on horseback. “We've been a team for a while. It's like a dream come true to have it come with him and the Godolphin team… He told me the day I got out of the hospital, 'Do what you need to do. He will be waiting. All the other horses you're riding, you'll get back on.'”

Mott didn't need to be reminded how well his association with Alvarado had worked for both of them.

“My regular rider, Junior Alvarado, I think it made that special,” he said following the race. “I think it makes it special for both of us.”

Alvarado won't win any riding titles this year and it's unlikely that he will be an Eclipse Award candidate. But he is a very good jockey who has forged a relationship with one of the best trainers in the sport. For Mott, for Alvarado, for Godolphin and for Sovereignty, it could not be working out better.

Predictably, Mott was not ready Sunday morning to commit to the GI Preakness S. Mott is as methodical as any trainer in the sport and can't be rushed into making decisions.

“We've got to consider all options with him,” he said Sunday. “We certainly respect the Triple Crown and what it means, but we're not dead set on it. We'll have to let the horse tell us how he's doing in the next little while and then we'll go from there.”

I'd be surprised if he were to run in the Preakness. While Mott understands the history of the race and the importance of the Triple Crown, he will put the horse first and it is unlikely that he will decide that the best thing for Sovereignty is to run back in two weeks in the Preakness.”

So let's start the debate all over again. The Triple Crown needs fixing and the obvious solution is to put more space between the races, especially the Preakness and the Derby. Tradition is great, but not so great when you have a watered-down Triple Crown.

The Derby has become a race where, more times than not, you can't make any sense out of the wagering. It seems that a lot of bettors, in particular people who pay attention to the sport once a year, are trying to find the next Mine That Bird (Birdstone) or Rich Strike (Keen Ice). How else can you explain why Render Judgment (Blame), who was a non-threatening fifth in the GI Blue Grass went off at 20-1, while Blue Grass winner Burnham Square was 19-1?

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One day removed from a big win with Sovereignty (Into Mischief) in the GI Kentucky Derby, the media converged on Bill Mott's barn on the Churchill Downs backside Sunday Morning. Accompanied by Godolphin's Michael Banahan, Mott indicated the colt exited the 10-furlong Classic in good order, however, had also sustained 'a small scrape–about four inches' on his right front pastern during the early part of the race.

“He did sustain a little scrape on the outside of his pastern, most likely leaving the gate,” Mott said Sunday. “He broke and the horse outside of him was trying to get over, and it looked like maybe that horse caught him on the outside of his right front pastern. It's more of a scrape, it's not a cut, a scrape about four inches long. Right now, it looks to be a superficial thing, but everything else on him looks good: knees, ankles, jogging good. I can't be happier with everything else…On a normal day with a horse that's not him, you wouldn't be concerned about it, really.”

“When I got back to the barn last night after the race, he'd already eaten up, his tub was empty,” the Hall of Famer said. “Probably did it in 20 minutes. That's unusual for a horse that had to run a race as hard as he did.”

According to Mott, he would give the horse two or three days off and the colt's ownership connections and trainer would consider whether the team would forge on to Baltimore for the GI Preakness in two weeks.

“We've got to consider all options with him,” he stated. “We certainly respect the Triple Crown and what it means, but we're not dead set on it. We'll have to let the horse tell us how he's doing in the next little while and then we'll go from there.”

Derby post-time favorite Journalism (Curlin) appeared to come out of a runner-up effort in 'good order', according to a pragmatic Michael McCarthy Sunday morning.

“We've got no complaints,” said the West Coast horseman. “I thought he ran very well. “Unfortunately, he got pinched there a little bit leaving the gate. I was a little bit farther back underneath the wire for the first time than I'd have liked. But he made a wonderful run around the turn, was beaten by the horse I thought he had to beat.”

The trainer indicated that the Preakness remains among possibilities for the GI Santa Anita Derby winner.

“We'll get with everybody and talk it over in the next day or so, come up with a plan that's best for Journalism,” McCarthy said. “We'll give him a day or two to get his feet underneath him and see where we're at with him. He's run well back off a quick rest before.”

McCarthy won the 2021 Preakness with Rombauer, who did not run in the Kentucky Derby.

In contrast to the top two finishers, third-place finisher Baeza (McKinzie) will not return for the second jewel in the Triple Crown, according to trainer John Shirreffs.

“Quite a trip for him, this whole week,” Shirreffs said Sunday morning. “He's never been on a wet surface before, so there was that. Then that big field and the bumping that went on. But in the end he ran well and we're proud of him.”

The conditioner said the Preakness was not a consideration for the bay.

“Too much for a West Coast horse to work with,” he said. “We'll go back west, then look at the [GI] Belmont.”

The third leg of the Triple Crown will be run this year on June 7 at Saratoga in upstate New York as Belmont Park continues to undergo its massive renovation. It also will be run at a mile and a quarter instead of the classic distance of a mile and one-half.

Sandman (Tapit), second choice in Saturday's Derby, exited a seventh-place effort well and is likely to return in the Belmont, according to Mark Casse's assistant Allen Hardy Sunday.

“He is good this morning,” said Hardy. “He ate up last night and jogged early this morning [at the barn].”

The post Sovereignty Returns from Derby Win Well, But With ‘Small Scrape’, Journalism Exits in ‘Good Order’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

The National Thoroughbred League (NTL), which is looking to bring the team concept to horse racing, has had more than its fair share of growing pains since it started in 2023. The series starts up again on May 10 at Pimlico and league organizers are confident the 2025 version of the NTL will be the biggest and most successful so far.

“We definitely have momentum on our side and we're offering good purses,” said NTL co-founder Randall Lane. “It's a win-win. The horses will be  running for good purses and we're going to get consistent rosters. Our fans will get to know the horses.”

When Lane and partner Bob Daugherty came up with the NTL concept they originally intended to purchase enough horses on their own to fill out the team's roster. That proved to be too difficult to pull off, so they held their races assigning horse owned by others to the teams. That didn't allow for much continuity and fans obviously found it hard to root for a team when they had no idea which horses would race for which team.

Lane believes that they have figured out a solution to that problem. Lane and Daugherty have been busy talking to owners and trainers and found a formula they think will work. They have gotten commitments from many horsemen who want their horses to participate in NTL races. The owners will still own the horses and all purse money will go their way. The incentive is that they will be running for good purses in NTL races, purses that top what they normally run for. With the 2025 schedule expanding to four race weekends more than $2.5 million in prize purses will be paid out.

They now have a pool of available horses and there will be a draft next week prior to the Pimlico races. There will be four rounds of NTL races, which will also be held at Parx, Fairmount Park and Kentucky Downs, and Lane expects many of the horses to stay in and continue to race in NTL races. At each stop, there will be three races for the NTL horses.

Parx is the second stop after Pimlico and in the NTL races horses who started in NTL races at Pimlico will have first preference to get into the races.

“We talked to many owner and showed them what we're doing,” Lane said. “They will be drafted by teams for the whole season. We'll have consistent horses and consistent rosters throughout season using horses other people own. But their horses, they get to be athletes for the National Thoroughbred League.

What Lane is trying to accomplish is much more than running a handful of races at four tracks.

In the press release that revealed the NTL's 2025 schedule, the league explained what it is that they are trying to accomplish.

“The National Thoroughbred League (NTL) is a first-of-its-kind racing league re-imagining America's oldest spectator sport by creating a team-based professional sports league, by consistently and safely running exceptional horses allowing fans the chance to root for the same stars month after month and year after year,” it read. “The NTL is also a lifestyle, creating weekends of food, fashion and fun akin to the Kentucky Derby or Formula I.”

Lane wants each stop to be an event, the type that will appeal to people who are not necessarily racing fans. With that in mind, the NTL will produce trading cards for all the horses who take part in the series.

“We want this to be a way that casual sports fans can fall in love with thoroughbred racing,” he said. “Rooting for teams, celebrities, each race is an event. People will get dressed up. Our industry doesn't have enough big events. It has many but not enough. There's a need for more. We want the casual fan to pay attention to racing more than four times a year, the Triple Crown and the Breeders' Cup. In seven, eight years we want this to be the gateway so that tens of thousands of people every month fall in love with sport.”

Part of the attraction is that the NTL will bring a prominent celebrity in for each event as a host. The Baltimore Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson will host the Pimlico event.

“We have Lamar Jackson hosting and he is the biggest celebrity in Baltimore,” Lane said.

Julius Erving, along with members of the Philadelphia Eagles, will be the host at the Parx event. Tanya Tucker will be in for the Kentucky Downs races. Lane said he wasn't ready to announce the name of the celebrity that will be the host at Fairmount Park but promised that it will be a “very special guest.”

So far, the NTL events have been held at smaller racetracks. Lane said he has had talks with major tracks but thinks the concept works better at tracks that don't normally host major events. He said that when the NTL came to Turf Paradise in Phoenix, they had their biggest handle this century.

“We want to go to tracks where if we bring 5,000, 10,000 people it makes a difference,” he said.

The event at Parx will be held over the June 14, 15 weekend. The Fairmount Park event will be held on July 19 and the series concludes with races at Kentucky Downs on Aug. 31.

The post With Momentum on its Side, National Thoroughbred League Looks to Have Its Biggest Year in 2025 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Not even 24 hours since their big win in the GI Kentucky Oaks, Think Big kept the momentum rolling for Godolphin Saturday with a late rallying-score in the GII Twin Spires Turf Sprint Stakes at Churchill.

Undefeated on the turf since changing surfaces for trainer Michael Stidham late last year, the Twirling Candy gelding put in a career-best effort at Keeneland last out Apr. 8 to take the GII Shakertown Stakes, defeating several rivals who were lined up to challenge him once more Saturday. Kept comfortably off the speed as expected pacesetter Coppola (Into Mischief) surged to the front in the opening furlong, Think Big sat covered up between horses in the second flight before beginning a move to break away towards the front past the half-mile pole. As Coppola was confronted by Boss Sully (Street Boss) off the far turn, the 2-1 race favorite angled outside of that pair but looked as though he'd be too late with Boss Sully opening up a sizable advantage midway down the stretch. Continuing to find in the final yards, Think Big just had enough real estate to get past with a triumphant Ben Curtis celebrating under the wire.

“He doesn't have a certain style,” said Curtis after the win. “He came from last at Fair Grounds and mid-pack at Keeneland. Before that, he was very forward. I found a lovely spot where he was into the race. He's a fast stayer at this distance. The further we went down the straight, I thought we'd get him. It took me a little longer to get him than I thought but he got there.”

Stidham added: “No special instructions to the rider; he's ridden him before  and knows him well. At the sixteenth pole, I didn't think we were going to make it. I said 'aw heck, we're gonna be second.' But then he dug in like a champ and got it done. Every once in a while something goes right.”

Pedigree Note:
One of 59 stakes winners for Twirling Candy, Think Big is out of a stakes-winning first dam in Always Thinking who took the Sensible Lady Turf Dash Stakes at Laurel in her own racing career in the royal blue silks of Godolphin. A daughter of Argentinian GISW Que Piensa Cat (Arg), Always Thinking is a half to the dam of GSW Sharp Aza Tack (Sharp Azteca). Think Big is her second foal, though first to the races, and she has since produced a winning 3-year-old Hard Spun filly named Pondering. While she has no 2-year-old this season, Always Thinking reported a colt by Hard Spun in 2024 and foaled a Cairo Prince filly this year.

Saturday, Churchill Downs
TWIN SPIRES TURF SPRINT S. PRESENTED BY ACCENTURE-GII, $569,600, Churchill Downs, 5-3, 3yo/up, 5 1/2fT, 1:02.35, gd.
1–THINK BIG, 125, g, 4, by Twirling Candy
                1st Dam: Always Thinking (SW, $162,638),
                                by Street Sense
                2nd Dam: Que Piensa Cat (Arg), by Easing Along
                3rd Dam: Compenetrada (Arg), by Compatible (Arg)
O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Michael Stidham; J-Ben Curtis. $354,500. Lifetime Record: 9-5-0-1, $709,785. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Boss Sully, 121, g, 5, Street Boss–Eternally, by Candy Ride (Arg). 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O-Edward Rusty J. Brown, Alan P. Klein and Philip Lebherz; B-PT Syndicate #1 LLC (CA); T-Brian J. Koriner. $95,000.
3–Unconquerable Keen (Ire), 121, g, 6, Clodovil (Ire)–Queenie Keen (Ire), by Refuse To Bend (Ire). 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O-CYBT, Omar Aldabbagh and Michael Nentwig; B-N. Hartery (IRE); T-Philip D'Amato. $47,500.
Margins: 3/4, 1 1/4, 1. Odds: 2.42, 8.68, 13.84.
Also Ran: Arrest Me Red, Ambivalent, Coppola, Run Carson, Rogue Lightning (Ire), Mischievous Rogue, Eamonn. Scratched: Nobals, One Timer.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

Think Big closes in the final strides to win the G2 Twin Spires Turf Sprint Stakes presented by Accenture!

Mike Stidham trains the Godolphin homebred. pic.twitter.com/05C0e2JUtN

— Churchill Downs (@ChurchillDowns) May 3, 2025

The post Think Big Makes It Three Straight With Turf Sprint Victory appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The GII Pat Day Mile S. appeared to be loaded with early speed on paper, but it was 13-1 longshot Macho Music (Maclean's Music) who proved fastest of all.

Exiting an 11 1/4-length, front-running romp in the state-bred restricted Sophomore S. going seven furlongs at Tampa Bay Downs Mar. 30, Macho Music was ridden aggressively by Hall of Fame rider Javier Castellano and cleared the field of nine leaving the chute over the sloppy going. He took ownership of the Pat Day Mile from there and sped along through fractions of :22.43 and :44.93.

The Bob Baffert-trained duo of favored Madaket Road (Quality Road) and second-choice Gaming (Game Winner) were all in while chasing in second and third as they turned for home. Macho Music kept on motoring down the stretch and scored by 3 1/4 lengths.

Madaket Road, turning back following a fourth-place finish in the GI Curlin Florida Derby, proved a neck better than his stablemate and completed the exacta.

“He's a very fast horse and he's very competitive,” Castellano said. “His last race down at Tampa when he stretched out in distance gave me a lot of confidence that he'd be able to handle the step up in class today.”

After saddling his first career graded winner, trainer Rohan Crichton added, “I think the track helped him and he is really a quick horse. He's quick and he's able to stretch his speed, which we were a little worried about. In his last race at Tampa, he really relaxed and kicked, which is what gave us the confidence. And he's been getting better, a lot more relaxed. He wouldn't saddle as good as he did today. He's been really improving mentally. Javier did a fantastic job. First of all, he got him to rate nicely and then finished up really well. The next race might be the (GI) Woody Stephens (at Saratoga on Belmont Stakes Day). That's what we're thinking about.”

Macho Music's recent form also included a fourth-place finish in the Mucho Macho Man S. at Gulfstream Jan. 4 and a runner-up finish in the Swale S. Feb. 1.

Pedigree Notes:

Macho Music, a $50,000 KEESEP yearling turned $60,000 OBSMAR breezer (:10 2/5), becomes the ninth graded stakes winner for Maclean's Music.

The stakes-winning Tapit mare Southern Girl, a half-sister to GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner Mucho Macho Man (Macho Uno), is also responsible for the 2-year-old filly Tremont Tammy (Maclean's Music) ($180,000 KEESEP yearling purchase by John Ballantyne/NBS Stable), a yearling colt by Epicenter and a Girvin colt of this year. Southern Girl brought $820,000 from Macho Music's breeder Bridlewood Farm at the 2016 FTKNOV sale.

Tapit is now responsible for 65 graded winners as a broodmare sire.

Macho Music puts on a show in the G2 Pat Day Mile presented by SAP!

Javier Castellano was aboard the Rohan Crichton trainee. pic.twitter.com/LmbIw9Ppg1

— Churchill Downs (@ChurchillDowns) May 3, 2025

Saturday, Churchill Downs
PAT DAY MILE S. PRESENTED BY SAP-GII, $539,500, Churchill Downs, 5-3, 3yo, 1m, 1:35.65, sy.
1–MACHO MUSIC, 118, c, 3, by Maclean's Music
                1st Dam: Southern Girl (SW, $120,905), by Tapit
                2nd Dam: Ponche de Leona, by Ponche
                3rd Dam: Perfect and Proud, by Nonparrell
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($50,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP; $60,000 2yo '24 OBSMAR). O-Mark Fletcher Taylor, Rohan Crichton, and Daniel L. Walters; B-Bridlewood Farm (FL); T-Rohan Crichton; J-Javier Castellano. $297,600. Lifetime Record: 8-4-2-0, $501,857. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Madaket Road, 118, c, 3, Quality Road–Frolic's Dream, by Smoke Glacken. ($650,000 Ylg '23 FTSAUG). O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Robert E. Masterson, Tom J. Ryan, Waves Edge Capital LLC and Catherine Donovan; B-SF Bloodstock LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $116,000.
3–Gaming, 122, c, 3, Game Winner–So Stylish, by Johannesburg. ($40,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP; $250,000 2yo '24 OBSMAR). O-Michael E. Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman; B-Mt. Brilliant Farm & Ranch, LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $58,000.
Margins: 3 1/4, NK, 5HF. Odds: 13.93, 2.64, 3.72.
Also Ran: Gate to Wire, Perfect Force, Smoken Wicked, Innovator, California Burrito, Built.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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Grande (Curlin) will not make the elongated Churchill Downs starting gate for the GI Kentucky Derby on Saturday because of a foot bruise and was ruled off by the state veterinarians, according to a tweet on X from owner Mike Repole.

The runner-up in the GII Wood Memorial Stakes was prepping last week for the Derby at Keeneland before making the trip over to train at Churchill Downs. A $300,000 Keeneland September buy, the 3-year-old was scheduled for post 10 and Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez had the mount who was 20-1 on the morning-line.

Repole posted, “Unfortunately, the vets have decided to scratch Grande from tomorrow's Kentucky Derby. He has been battling a slight cracked heel this week which has been improving. To be cautious, Todd X-rayed on Monday and the horse had clean X-rays. On Wednesday, the state vets asked us if we could do a PET scan, and Grande had that yesterday and it was also clean.

“He has been training and looking great on the track all week,” the owner said. “The heel has improved throughout the week and it also improved again this morning. Unfortunately the vets told us this morning they were scratching the horse despite the clean diagnostics.”

Repole continued by saying that he and his team were mystified as to why Grande was scratched after the colt had such a great week training.

“With the race being tomorrow, and Baeza already having drawn into the race, we are also shocked and confused why this decision was made now,” said Repole. “We were given no real explanation why Grande was scratched 36 hours before the race.

“We all love these horses and our number one concern is the safety and welfare of these amazing Thoroughbreds,” he said. “That is, and should always be the priority. With all the diagnostics we have taken, the great vets we use, and the experience of Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, we are baffled and confused by what criteria vets are using to determine who scratches, who doesn't and when…especially when every diagnostic tells us the horse is safe and sound.”

The official Derby scratch time on Friday was 9:00 a.m. ET. The current field for the big race sits at 19 since 'TDN Rising Star' Rodriguez (Authentic) was forced to exit on Thursday evening. Baeza (McKinzie) has drawn in as the final also-eligible.

Unfortunately, the vets have decided to scratch Grande from tomorrow's Kentucky Derby.

He has been battling a slight cracked heel this week which has been improving. To be cautious, Todd X-rayed on Monday and the horse had clean X-rays. On Wednesday, the state vets asked us if…

— Repole Stable (@RepoleStable) May 2, 2025

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. – After last year's Breeders' Cup, it wouldn't have come as much of a surprise to see an unbeaten, Godolphin homebred trained by Brad Cox bringing a perfect record into the GI Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs.

But with last year's champion 2-year-old filly Immersive (Nyquist) unraced since capping her brilliant four-for-four season in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies–she's recently returned to training–it will instead be her unbeaten stablemate Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro) that will be in the spotlight for those same connections on the first Friday in May.

Good Cheer has raced twice so far this year, easily winning both of her preps in New Orleans–the GII Fasig-Tipton Rachel Alexandra S. Feb. 15 and GII Fasig-Tipton Fair Grounds Oaks Mar. 22. The latter was good for a career-best 91 Beyer Speed Figure. The striking, blaze-faced bay went four-for-four as a 2-year-old, including wins in the Rags to Riches S. Oct. 27 and GII Golden Rod S. Nov. 30, both beneath the Twin Spires.

“Look, I would love to sit here and tell you that I thought Good Cheer was gonna be the one,” Cox said with a laugh.

“I've always felt Good Cheer would handle the 1 1/8 miles and beyond. When she won the allowance race (by 17 lengths) at Churchill in the fall in September, I thought, 'Man, this could be our Alabama filly.' That would probably be as much dreaming as I did last fall with her. We were obviously gonna try to separate them. If they were gonna meet up, it would've been in the Kentucky Oaks.”

Cox added, “Once Good Cheer won the Golden Rod, we knew that she was the real deal. She's definitely filled the gap short term–they're two great fillies. Looking forward to getting Immersive back later in the season, too.”

Cox has won the Kentucky Oaks twice–with Monomoy Girl in 2018 and with Shedaresthedevil two years later. Godolphin captured the 2023 renewal with the Brendan Walsh-trained Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief).

“Obviously, if Good Cheer can win this race, she puts her name right there with those fillies,” Cox said.

After winning last year's Kentucky Oaks with subsequent Horse of the Year and 'TDN Rising Star' Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna)–she'll be in action in the GI Fasig-Tipton La Troienne on the sensational Oaks undercard–trainer Kenny McPeek and jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr. will look for a repeat with Take Charge Milady (Take Charge Indy). Her foot issue seems to behind her–McPeek announced on Twitter earlier this week that her foot abscess has healed–and she enters off a very good rallying second behind the speedy La Cara (Street Sense) in the GI Central Bank Ashland S. at Keeneland Apr. 7.

'TDN Rising Star' Quietside (Malibu Moon) (how cool has it been seeing Kentucky Derby alumni turned John Ortiz stable pony Barber Road accompanying her to the track this week!), winner of Oaklawn's GIII Honeybee S. Feb. 23 and GII Fantasy S. Mar. 29 and drawn widest of all in post 14, figures to go off as the second choice, while the Bob Baffert-trained GII Fasig-Tipton Santa Anita Oaks winner Tenma (Nyquist) will also be well-supported at the windows.

With plenty of speed still signed on despite the defection of Five G (Vekoma), stretch-running GIII Gazelle S. winner Ballerina d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro) is an interesting longshot to consider.

The 13-race Kentucky Oaks program also features a heavyweight showdown between Todd Pletcher-trained 'TDN Rising Stars' Fierceness (City of Light) and Locked (Gun Runner) in the GII Alysheba S.; the GII Edgewood S., headed by the talented Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro); the GIII Modesty S., topped by MGISW She Feels Pretty (Karakontie {Jpn}); the GII Eight Belles S.; and the GIII Unbridled Sidney S.

The weather forecast for Louisville continues to be fluid for the next few days with rain expected around noon Friday and continuing into Saturday.

The post Good Cheer Brings Perfect Record into Kentucky Oaks appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

The GII Wood Memorial Stakes winner and Bob Baffert trainee Rodriguez (Authentic) has been scratched with a sensitive foot bruise from Saturday's GI Kentucky Derby, according a tweet from SF Racing's Tom Ryan.

“Out of an abundance of caution, we have made a very tough decision to scratch our Derby horse, Rodriguez,” the post by Ryan said. “He has a small but slightly sensitive foot bruise that will need a few more days. Therefore, we are resetting our plans and will target him for the Preakness.”

The 'TDN Rising Star' will now be replaced by Baeza (McKinzie), who waited in the wings for trainer John Shirreffs and at 12-1 on the morning-line will be ridden by Flavien Prat. Per DRF, jockey Luis Saez will now ride Neoequos (Neolithic).

Out of an abundance of caution, we have made a very tough decision to scratch our Derby horse, Rodriguez. He has a small but slightly sensitive foot bruise that will need a few more days. Therefore, we are resetting our plans and will target him for the Preakness.

— Tom Ryan (@TomRyanKY) May 1, 2025

The post Rodriguez Scratches From Kentucky Derby With Foot Bruise, Baeza Up Next appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

9th-Churchill Downs, $134,460, Alw (NW3$X)/Opt. Clm ($100,000), 5-1, 3yo/up, 6f, 1:07.84, ft, 2 1/2 lengths.
WORLD RECORD (c, 4, Gun Runner–Marwa {GB}, by Exceed And Excel {Aus}), last year's GII Amsterdam Stakes winner who was unraced since a third in the Steel Valley Sprint Stakes at Mahoning Valley in late November, returned to the races with a winning effort Thursday. The 'TDN Rising Star' faced a salty allowance field led by GSW Track Phantom (Quality Road) and fellow 'Rising Star' MGSP Nash (Medaglia d'Oro) but was made the even-money favorite drawn inside of that pair. Clear from drama shortly after the break as Petcoff (Munnings) stumbled badly and Caramel Chip (Midshipman) dropped jockey Junior Alvarado, World Record was intent on the lead and pressed all the way into the far turn by both of his main rivals through testy fractions of :21.30 and :43.91. Still on the lead and not conceding any ground down the lane, the favorite kept the late-running Nash, who had to stay outside to avoid the loose Caramel Chip, at bay to win his come-back effort by 2 1/2 lengths. Alvarado was quickly on his feet after the incident at the start while Caramel Chip was pulled up by the outriders after the finish and walked off. Marwa has 2-year-old Maxfield filly and produced another filly by Tacitus this year. Sales History: $410,000 Wlg '21 KEENOV. Lifetime Record: GSW, 8-4-0-3, $390,140. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-WinStar Farm LLC and BBN Racing LLC; B-Runnymede Farm LLC, Falguieres Bloodstock, Gestut Zur Kuste AG, et (KY); T-Rodolphe Brisset.

Flavien Prat and WORLD RECORD ($4.30) looked like they were going for a world record in the 9th at @ChurchillDowns. The colt by @Three_Chimneys' Gun Runner is trained by @BrissetRodolphe.

Note: Caramel Chip and rider @JuniorandKellyA are both okay after the start. pic.twitter.com/rEYZgtPCev

— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) May 1, 2025

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7th-Belmont The Big A, $85,360, Alw (NW1$X)/Opt. Clm ($100,000), 5-1, 3yo, f, 1m, 1:35.89, ft, 1 1/4 lengths.
CASSIAR (f, 3, City of Light–Nellie Cashman {GSW, $349,839}, by Mineshaft), runner-up in the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks behind recently-scratched Kentucky Oaks entrant Five G (Vekoma), cut back to the mile but faced several salty fillies including the come-backing GI Frizette Stakes winner Scottish Lassie (McKinzie). That 2-5 favorite made much of the running, setting a pressured pace just ahead of Dry Powder (Gun Runner) through fractions of :23.78 and :46.57. Cassiar sat third off that pair into the turn, really picked up the bridle with an outside bid at the quarter pole and came home nicely as the heavy favorite began to fade to win by 1 1/4 lengths. Dry Powder stayed on for second while Scottish Lassie was third. The top three were well clear of the final two runners in the field on the line. Out of GIII Virginia Oaks winner Nellie Cashman, also the dam of Bendoog (Gun Runner), G1SP-UAE, GSP-USA, $817,116, Cassiar has a yearling Mitole half-sister and a foal half-sister by Mandaloun. Sales History: $400,000 Ylg '23 FTSAUG. Lifetime Record: GSP, 3-2-0-1, $91,710. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-W.S. Farish; B-Calumet Farm (KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III.

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LOUISVILLE, KY– Two months ago, trainer Dale Romans and California Horse Racing Board vice chairman Oscar Gonzales traveled to Washington, D.C. with the American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC) to join more than 150 business leaders in a push for bipartisan immigration reform. On Thursday, May 1 after training hours concluded at Churchill Downs, the pair participated in a media briefing to share their insights from the trip and explain why the group believes that now is the time to reform U.S. laws and regulations affecting legal immigrant workers.

Around 20 media outlets from both within the industry and beyond attended the briefing, which was hosted by the ABIC and the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association.

Gonzales, who served as senior advisor on immigration to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack for 10 years at the U.S. Department of Agriculture prior to joining the CHRB, said that he has witnessed the highs and lows of the immigration conversation.

“I think we're at a critical point now with market access challenges, labor shortages and with prices getting higher,” he explained. “We think that the American public is ready for a conversation.”

Gonzales said ABIC's March campaign to 121 congressional offices was just the start of a broader push for immigration reform—one that will require active involvement from leaders within the racing industry, which relies on immigrants for roughly 78% of its workforce.

“We laid out the conversation about the economic impact that the equine industry has on the country and in urban areas like [Louisville],” he said. “What you can be expecting in the next couple months is really just engaging horse racing people in particular– going to racetracks, letting their members of congress and governors know about the importance of them being at the table. This will also involve getting sign-on letters and additional trips to Washington.”

In an article from the TDN's Dan Ross earlier this week, Ross discussed how President Donald Trump broached the topic of reform at an April 10 cabinet meeting.

“At that gathering, Trump intimated of a new program to help farm, hotel and other workers leave the country and then return legally with the support of their U.S. employer,” Ross penned. “While Trump's wording at the meeting was vague, the pathways available to bring such concepts to life appear largely two-fold: Through executive order or through legislation.”

In Thursday's meeting, Dale Romans, who is also the President of the Kentucky HBPA, offered his opinion on the most effective methods for enacting change.

“Everything starts with the White House,” Romans said. “If [Trump] came up with an amnesty program, we just want to be in on the conversation when he decides to do something. I think he's a businessman at the end of the day and that's a positive for us. I don't think there's as much of a concern about the welfare of Central and South Americans, but I think he understands business and the business cannot operate in this country without a labor force.”

The racing industry currently relies on the H-2B visa program to meet its demand for backstretch workers, but the system has shortcomings. Visas are capped annually and typically last only 10 months, though they can be extended for up to three years.

“It's a cumbersome system,” said Romans. “It has to find people in Central and South America that want to come here and work on a visa and then you have to get visas allotted to you every year, so you don't know for sure if you're going to get them in the next year and then you only get them for 10 months once they get here. There has to be a simpler system.”

He continued, “In a perfect world, I would love to see the government almost running a temp service where someone in Central or South America applies to the temp service, then I call them and say I need 20 workers to come work on the backside and they come to me. It would turn the system upside down. Right now, it's difficult to stay legal and it's hard to plan for the future. Every 10 months you're reapplying for new visas and there is no guarantee you're going to get them. There's a cap on them but there is not a cap on need.”

President Trump's recent comments on immigration reform suggest a potential broadening of the administration's approach, which has so far emphasized strong border enforcement. While the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) apparently has not yet set its sights on racing, reports from other industries have created uncertainty within the backside community.

Dale Romans | Lauren King

“I've worked with immigrant workers my whole life and I've never seen people under the stress they've gone through the last six months,” said Romans. “Everybody is worried. I've never had so many people come to me asking questions.”

Romans said that earlier this spring when his stable was relocating from Florida to Kentucky, members of his staff traveling with the horses expressed concerns about stopping at state agricultural inspection stations.

“They asked, 'Are we going to be swept away when we cross the border? Is there going to be ICE sitting there waiting?'” shared Romans. “These are legal people that have work visas but have concerns. It's a very important issue.”

Romans said he is optimistic about seeing change under the current administration.

“Trump is saying all the right things,” he noted. “He wants to separate the good from the bad. He understands the workforce issue we have in this country. We're at 4% unemployment. These are people that pay their taxes. They'll never see the benefit of social security, but they're paying into it every year. We might as well make it legal. We can't operate without them.”

Also during Thursday's meeting, National HBPA CEO Eric Hamelback and ABIC CEO Rebecca Shi offered their insight on the need for immigration reform. Joe Stave of Monterey Mushrooms, one of America's largest mushroom producers, shared how his company relies on the soiled straw from racetracks for compost to grow their product and discussed how his industry relies on the same labor force as the equine industry.

Will Velie, an immigration attorney specializing in the racing industry, pointed out how future reform could take a shape similar to the 2022 Affordable and Secure Food Act.”

“[The bill] came six votes short and lost in the filibuster, but it said if you worked in agriculture for a previous period of time and you agreed to work in agriculture for a number of years after that, you would become legal and have a pathway to a long-term, permanent presence,” Velie explained. “I think right now with the border being secure, this is a bipartisan issue and I think we have the space where we can get something done to take care of the people who take care of us.”

The post Critical Point: Industry Works Toward Immigration Reform appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – With the legendary D. Wayne Lukas, white cowboy hat, shades and all, leading the charge aboard his stable pony, Thursday's exclusive 15-minute training session for GI Kentucky Derby and GI Kentucky Oaks entrants was off and running on another partly cloudy and warm, humid morning at Churchill Downs.

The 89-year-old, four-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer was accompanying Virginia Derby hero American Promise (Justify), who will become his 51st starter in Saturday's Run for the Roses. Doesn't get much better than that.

Flying Mohawk (Karakontie {Jpn}), an enticing 30-1 on the morning line, was the first to catch the eye. The GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks runner-up has been getting over the surface quite nicely ahead of his first career attempt on dirt.

Between the rail draw and visual impression that he's made all week, last year's champion 2-year-old Citizen Bull (Into Mischief) may be the fastest of them all heading into the clubhouse turn for the 1 1/4-mile Classic.

Burnham Square (Liam's Map) has been giving off plenty of good vibes this week, galloping once again with his neck arched while passing the big crowd in attendance lined up along the rail on the backstretch.

His affable jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr., prominently featured on the front page of our special, Kentucky Derby preview edition, will look to put them back to back after masterfully guiding Mystik Dan (Goldencents) home to an 18-1 upset last year.

You would never guess that Publisher (American Pharoah), a striking $600,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga baby, would still be a maiden just by watching him train.

Publisher | Sherackatthetrack

It's been nothing but good news to report for Journalism (Curlin) as well as Sovereignty (Into Mischief), who have owned the mornings this Kentucky Derby week.

Journalism's long list of admirers while getting cleaned up back at Michael McCarthy's barn included co-owners Eclipse Thoroughbred Partner's Aron Wellman and Bridlewood Farm's George Isaacs.

“We have the utmost respect for every runner and their connections and we're taking nothing for granted, but Journalism instills a lot of confidence in everyone around him,” Wellman said.

The post Thursday’s Kentucky Derby Report: Legendary D. Wayne Lukas Leads Cavalry Charge appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

One of two fillies in a scratched down field of six for Thursday's Kentucky Juvenile Stakes, Pinky Finger (Army Mule) made those that swallowed the 1-2 starting price sweat it out in the waning strides, but was home narrowly best to run her record to two wins from as many appearances.

A 7 1/2-length debut winner at even-money at Keeneland while also facing the boys Apr. 7, the $90,000 Keeneland November weanling hit the ground running here and dueled through the early stages with Monster (Leinster) before opening up some daylight on the turn. Clear of her rivals as they hit the stretch, she was put to a more vigorous drive inside the final furlong and scraped home a narrow winner as Maximus Prime (Maximus Mischief) took ground off her with every stride, but was fractionally too late. The winner's stablemate Double Talker (Hootenanny), himself a first-out winner in Lexington Apr. 10, looked dangerous for a stride or two with less than an eighth of a mile to travel, but could do no better than third.

SpearmaCo acquired Bird Map for $40,000 with this filly in utero at the 2022 Keeneland November Sale. The mare is a half-sister to seven winners, including the Grade II-placed Bird Maker (Empire Maker), MSP Watch this Birdie (Astern {Aus}) and SP Cheechako (Invasor {Arg}). Bird Map's half-sister Bird Sense (Street Sense) produced Marylou Whitney's 2021 GIII Schuylerville Stakes heroine Pretty Birdie (Bird Song), who was runner-up in this track's GII Eight Belles Stakes the following May. Third dam Dearest Gulch was a half-sister to Whitney's 2003 GI Kentucky Oaks winner Bird Town (Cape Town).

Pinky Finger is one of 108 individual winners for her sire, who has now been represented by an incredible 16 stakes winners from roughly 160 starters. Ward told Churchill's Joe Kristufek that Pinky Finger has worked on the grass and handled it well and could be under consideration for a trip to Royal Ascot in about six weeks' time.

Returned to the 2023 November Sale, Bird Map fetched $40,000 from Cromwell Bloodstock and produced a filly by Aloha West in 2024. The mare was most recently served by Hard Spun.

KENTUCKY JUVENILE S., $246,500, Churchill Downs, 5-1, 2yo, 5f, :58.32, ft.
1–PINKY FINGER, 118, f, 2, by Army Mule
1st Dam: Bird Map, by Liam's Map
2nd Dam: Bird Harbor, by Boston Harbor
3rd Dam: Dearest Gulch, by Gulch
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. ($90,000 Wlg '23 KEENOV). O/T-Wesley A Ward; B-SpearmaCo (KY); J-Joel Rosario. $152,760. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $203,678.
2–Maximus Prime, 118, c, 2, Maximus Mischief–Sweet Alternative, by Alternation. 1ST BLACK-TYPE. ($50,000 Ylg '24 FTKOCT). O-Gary Bizzack & Tiffany Bizzack; B-Brandywine Farm (Jim & Pam Robinson) (KY); T-Larry W Demeritte. $49,600.
3–Double Talker, 120, g, 2, Hootenanny–Valentine's Nay, by No Nay Never. 1ST BLACK-TYPE. O/B-Ice Wine Stable (KY); T-Wesley A Ward. $24,800.
Margins: HF, 1 3/4, 3 3/4. Odds: 0.51, 10.65, 4.07.
Also Ran: Happyhappyboy, Daring Move, Monster. Scratched: Barstool, Diblasi. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

PINKY FINGER ($3.02) does it again! The filly beat the boys and gets her first stakes win in the $250,000 Kentucky Juvenile Stakes at @ChurchillDowns. The 2YO daughter of Army Mule is trained by Wesley Ward, @JRosarioJockey was up. pic.twitter.com/hLUiEJ4csZ

— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) May 1, 2025

The post Pinky Finger Another Stakes Winner For Army Mule in Kentucky Juvenile 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
Date: 04/30/2025
Licensee: Candalario Villamar, 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 Phenylbutazone–a controlled substance (Class C)–in a sample taken from Sky Cloud, who won at Turf Paradise on 3/20/25.

Date: 04/29/2025
Licensee: Juan Arriagada, 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 controlled substance (Class C)–in a sample taken from Zatip, who finished last at Tampa Bay on 3/22/25.

Date: 04/29/2025
Licensee: Jorge Farias, 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 Trichlormethiazide–a controlled substance (Class C)–in a sample taken from Modera, who finished fifth at Los Alamitos on 3/16/25.

Date: 04/25/2025
Licensee: Colleen O'Hagan, trainer
Penalty: A fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Final decision by HIWU.
Explainer: Vets' list medication violation for the presence of Triamcinolone–a controlled substance (Class C)–in a sample taken from Isle of Skye on 3/19/25.

Date: 04/24/2025
Licensee: Darien Rodriguez, trainer
Penalty: 15-day period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on Apr. 25; 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 $2,500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Admission.
Explainer: Medication violation for the presence of Methocarbamol–a controlled substance (Class C)–in a sample taken from Everdoit, who won at Tampa Bay on 3/19/25.

Date: 04/24/2025
Licensee: Jose Salinas, trainer
Penalty: 60-day period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on Apr. 25; 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 $5,000. Final decision by HIWU.
Explainer: Medication violations for an Intra-Articular Injection Within Fourteen (14) days of a Post-Time on Zoomster on 6/9/23.

Date: 04/24/2025
Licensee: Benjamin Bealmear, veterinarian
Penalty: 4-month period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on Apr. 25; a fine of $4,165. Admission.
Explainer: For the possession of Adenosine Triphosphate (“ATP”) for an event dated 10/3/24. This is a possible violation of Rule 3214(a)–Possession of Banned Substances. The case resolution can be read here.

Date: 04/24/2025
Licensee: Christophe Clement, trainer
Penalty: None. Charges dismissed.
Explainer: Clement's legal team “identified sufficient possible problems and deficiencies in the testing that cast some doubt about the scientific reliability of the testing that resulted in the [adverse analytical finding].” This case relates to what had been an alleged Flunixin overage–a controlled substance (Class C)–in in a sample taken from Gal in a Rush, who finished third in the G2 Presque Isle Downs Masters S. on 9/20/24. The lab in question is the Pennsylvania Equine Toxicology Research Laboratory. More specifically, the case arbitrator found problems with the lab's “lack of an independent quality control sample,” as well as an “internal standard recovery” procedure that was “inconsistent.”
A more detailed account of the case resolution can be read here.

Pending ADMC Violations
04/30/2025, Steve Manley, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Acepromazine–a controlled substance (Class B)–in a sample taken from Thirsty Natalie on 4/1/25.

04/30/2025, John Alan Williams, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violation for the presence of Acepromazine–a controlled substance (Class B)–in a sample taken from Hopkinsville on 4/1/25.

04/30/2025, Christopher Keller, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Acepromazine–a controlled substance (Class B)–in a sample taken from Gold Dart, who finished fifth at Colonial Downs on 3/15/25.

04/29/2025, Fausto Gutierez, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Phenylbutazone–a controlled substance (Class C)–in a sample taken from Quatrocento, who won at Tampa Bay on 3/28/25.

04/28/2025, Nicholas Vaccarezza, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violation for the presence of Omeprazole–a controlled substance (Class C)–in a sample taken from Military Cruiser on 3/28/25.

04/28/2025, Ramon Aguayo, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Lidocaine–a controlled substance (Class B)–in a sample taken from Salagadoola, who finished second at Tampa Bay on 3/26/25.

04/28/2025, Patrick Ashton, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Methamphetamine–a banned substance–in a sample taken from Max Forward Speed, who finished second at Parx Racing on 3/4/25.

04/28/2025, Shannon Simpson, trainer: Pending violation for the possession of Pitcher Plant Extract–Adenosine Triphosphate (“ATP”), metabolase, Pengamine 250, Aminotonic, Solucion CS Pisa–for an event dated 2/5/25. This is a possible violation of Rule 3214(a)–Possession of Banned Substances.

04/25/2025, Kelli Martinez, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Phenylbutazone–a controlled substance (Class C)–in a sample taken from Charter Oak, who won at Will Rogers on 4/1/25.

04/25/2025, Shane Meyers, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Methocarbamol–a controlled substance (Class C)–in a sample taken from Holidays Army Brat, who won at Mahoning Valley on 3/24/25.

04/25/2025, Royce Pulliam, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violation for the presence of Acepromazine–a controlled substance (Class B)–in a sample taken from Johanny on 3/23/25.

04/25/2025, Megan Fadlovich, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Methocarbamol–a controlled substance (Class C)–in a sample taken from Ivory Sky, who won at Mahoning Valley on 3/19/25.

04/24/2025, Tareq Moubarak, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Betamethasone–a controlled substance (Class C)–in a sample taken from Rocky Seas, who finished second at Gulfstream Park on 2/16/25.

Violations of Crop Rule
Fanduel Sportsbook and Horse Racing
Scott Bethke–violation date Apr. 26; $250 fine, one-day suspension

The post Weekly National Regulatory Rulings, Apr. 24-30 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Oaklawn will dramatically alter its 2025-2026 racing schedule, moving to more four-day weeks while greatly reducing its January footprint, after its request for 64 racing dates (Dec. 12-May 2), was unanimously approved by the Arkansas Racing Commission Thursday morning in Little Rock, the track said in a press release on Thursday.

Oaklawn will open a week later and again close Kentucky Derby Day. The Hot Springs oval is scheduled to race nine days in December–Friday, Saturday and Sunday–before its first of 10 scheduled four-day race weeks (Jan. 1-4). Expanded race weeks are the result of the track returning Thursdays to its schedule.

The racing calendar evolved into a mostly Friday-Sunday format after the track extended its season into May in 2019 and began opening in December in 2021. Under Arkansas law, Oaklawn is capped at 68 live racing dates each year. The new racing schedule was endorsed by the Arkansas division of the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association.

After racing Jan. 1-4, Oaklawn will be dark until Jan. 30, the last of six scheduled dates for the month. The track will then shift to mostly four-day race weeks (Thursday-Sunday) for the remainder of the season.

The post January Mostly Dark As Oaklawn’s New ’25-’26 Schedule Approved appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

2nd-Churchill Downs, $108,750, Msw, 5-1, 2yo, 4 1/2f, :52.59, ft, 1 3/4 lengths.
MERCILESANIHILATOR (c, 2, Audible–Gadabout, by Bodemeister) looked in all sorts of trouble heading for home, but got his second wind in the final furlong to give this owner, trainer and jockey Jareth Loveberry their second straight success in as many days with a debuting 2-year-old beneath the Twin Spires. Sassy C W (Yaupon) became a new 'TDN Rising Star' in the fillies' equivalent exactly 24 hours prior. Sent off at odds just shy of 6-5, the April foal was hard-ridden and locked up early with chief market rival Moonlight Beauty (Hootenanny) and the two raced away from their rivals through a quarter in :22.22. The early exertions appeared to exact a toll, as Captain Gabe (Instagrand) and Distorted Song (Maclean's Music) were zeroing in three and four wide, respectively, as Moonlight Beauty began to retreat. Captain Gabe edged in front approaching the eighth pole, but Loveberry kept after the rail-skimming Mercilesanihilator and they re-rallied to score by 1 3/4 lengths. Blinging It Back (Volatile) raced far back to the stretch, but flashed home while racing greenly to just miss second money, then flew past the leading duo on the gallop out. A $40,000 acquisition as a short yearling at Keeneland January in 2024, the winner was hammered down to these connections for $330,000 at this year's OBS March Sale after breezing a furlong in :10 flat. Like Sassy C V, Mercilesanihilator was consigned to the sale by Jimbo and Torie Gladwell's Top Line Sales as agent. Tommy Wente's St. Simon Place acquired Gadabout, a half-sister to GIII Virginia Oaks winner Blind Date (Not For Love) and MSW Sales Tax (High Yield), for $82,000 in foal to McKinzie at the 2021 Keeneland November Sale. The mare is also responsible for a yearling full-sister to Thursday's winner and she was most recently covered by Into Mischief's son Life Is Good. Sales history: $40,000 Ylg '24 KEEJAN; $330,000 2yo '25 OBSMAR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $69,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-Patricia's Hope LLC; B-St Simon Place LLC & Brandon Stocks (KY); T-Larry Rivelli.

#7 MERCILESANIHILATOR ($4.34) wins a lively Race 2 at Churchill Downs. @jareth16
up for Larry Rivelli on the juvenile son of @WinStarFarm Audible. pic.twitter.com/HyFh5ckMXQ

— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) May 1, 2025

The post Audible Colt Mercilesanihilator Fights Back Bravely To Debut a Winner appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) and Mohegan Sun have agreed on a multi-year partnership resulting in the return of Mohegan Sun as an official casino partner of Saratoga Race Course and the presenting sponsor of the GII Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga Race Course, the track said via a release on Thursday.

The Jim Dandy is a nine-furlong route for sophomores scheduled on Saturday, July 26. The race is the traditional local prep for the GI DraftKings Travers Stakes set for Aug. 23.

In addition to their continued sponsorship of the Jim Dandy, the Mohegan Sun brand will be displayed prominently on-track during the five-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga, the July 4th Racing Festival as well as throughout the 40-day summer meet. Mohegan Sun will also be featured within the FOX Sports show Saratoga Live.

“While many casino and entertainment destinations no longer feature a Race Book, Mohegan Sun is proud to still have a dedicated venue of our own with the latest betting tech and top-notch guest service, “said GM of Mohegan Sun FanDuel Sportsbook & Race Book Brad Bryant. “That's a big reason why we're so grateful for our partnership with NYRA and to once again and to be a major sponsor for the upcoming $500,000 Jim Dandy presented by Mohegan Sun! Live horse racing consistently features excellent competition and were thrilled to be a part of Belmont at Saratoga June 7!”

The post NYRA And Mohegan Sun Renew Deal Along With Jim Dandy Sponsorship appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.