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Roger Attfield, 86, a member of both the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame and the United States National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, is retiring from training after a 54-year career, although he plans to remain involved in the sport as an owner, breeder and consultant.

The news was announced via press release Mar. 25 by Woodbine Racetrack.

Attfield enjoyed much of his success on the Ontario circuit, where he won the Sovereign for Outstanding Canadian Trainer eight times and conditioned six Canadian Horses of the Year and three Canadian Triple Crown winners. He also trained during winters in Florida.

“It is with a very heavy heart that I have decided to retire from training,” Attfield said in a prepared statement. “Having hung my first shingle up when only 17, as a rider and trainer of horses, I feel that 69 years later is a pretty good number of innings.

“All of my life I have always been a hands-on trainer and now at 86 I can no longer ride out on my pony with sets, and [am] unable to safely inspect them in stalls,” Attfield said. “Both of these things always helped me understand my horses' needs, mentally and physically, to get the very best from them. No longer being able to perform these duties properly, it's time to say 'Hasta la vista!'”

After training 2,038 winners in an 11,648-start career that earned $112,119,392 in purses since 1972, Attfield ran only one entrant at Gulfstream Park this winter.

That mare, Ready for Shirl (More Than Ready), finished eleventh in the GII Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational Stakes.

Ready for Shirl is a 5-year-old daughter of Perfect Shirl, Attfield's only Breeders' Cup winner, who was victorious in the 2011 GI Filly and Mare Turf.

When Ready for Shirl ran third last Saturday at Fair Grounds in the Tom Benson Memorial Stakes Mar. 21, she was trained by Dallas Stewart. Both Perfect Shirl and Ready for Shirl are homebreds who race for the stable of Charles Fipke, who until recently had been one of Attfield's longstanding clients.

“This winter I only brought seven horses to Florida,” Attfield said in his statement. “A month ago, after having a small disagreement over when and where to run them, I decided to send them all to one of his other trainers.

“They were all very nice horses,” Attfield said. “I will miss them, but wish only the very best of luck to all. Throughout the years I have trained for so many great owners [to] whom I would like to say thank you from the bottom of my heart.

“My intention is to continue owning and breeding, also consulting and buying,” Attfield said. “As a director of our local HBPA, I will also continue to fight for everything that will help our industry.”

Born in Newbury, England, Attfield earned a degree in agriculture, specializing in farm management, before beginning his career with horses as a steeplechase rider and as an international show jumper.

 Roger Attfield at Woodbine/ Michael Burns

He moved to Canada in 1970 and took his first training job with Gateway Farms.

In 1976, Attfield developed the colt Norcliffe into the first of his eight King's Plate winners and his first Canadian Horse of the Year.

According to his Canadian Hall of Fame biography, Attfield's career soared after he took charge of Bud Willmot's powerful stable of Kinghaven Farms in 1985.

He won his second Plate in 1987 with Market Control and then earned $1 million bonuses for Kinghaven when With Approval and Izvestia won back-to-back Triple Crowns in 1989 and 1990.

Peteski, owned by Earle I. Mack, swept the Canadian Triple Crown races in 1993 for Attfield.

In all, Attfield racked up eight Plate wins, tying him for most by a trainer.

His other Canadian Horse of the Year champions were Play The King, With Approval, Izvestia, Peteski and Alywow.

When Attfield was 60 years old in 1999, he was selected for the Canadian Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

In America, Attfield was inducted into the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame in 2012.

He recorded his 2000th career victory at Woodbine in July 2022.

In a release from Woodbine on Wednesday, CEO Michael Copeland said, “The impact Roger Attfield made on Woodbine and Canadian racing as a whole is immeasurable. His achievements speak for themselves, but it is the respect he earned from owners, peers, and fans that truly defines his legacy.”

Copeland added, “Roger's horsemanship and dedication set a standard that will endure for years to come. He has been a cornerstone of our racing community, and we are proud to have been part of his journey.”

The post Attfield Retires from Training at 86; Plans to Remain Active in Sport appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Brad Cox always seems to be loaded when it comes to top 3-year-old fillies, and he's got another good one in Life of Joy (Gun Runner), who pulled off an impressive victory in the GII Fair Grounds Oaks. With the GII Fantasy Stakes and the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks on tap this week, the picture for the GI Kentucky Oaks should become all the more clear.

So, here goes, your latest Top 10:

1) ZANY (American Pharoah–Mo' Green, by Uncle Mo) O-Repole Stable; B-D.J. Stable (KY); T-Todd Pletcher. Sales history: $350,000 yrl '24 FTSAUG. Lifetime Record: GSW, 3-3-0-0, $221,500. Last Start: Won Feb. 7 Suncoast Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points: 30.
She's been No. 1 since the start of this poll and retains that position. Who would have ever thought that the Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs would prove to be one of the key races on the road to the Kentucky Oaks? But that looks to be the case. Not only was the race won by Zany, but the runner-up, Life of Joy, came out of the Tampa race to post a decisive victory in the GII Fair Grounds Oaks. Zany has been in a holding pattern since the Feb. 7 Suncoast, and she ran erratically in the stretch that day. But count on Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher to have a better, more focused filly when she returns in the GI Ashland Stakes Apr. 3 at Keeneland.

2) LIFE OF JOY (Gun Runner–Jordan's Leo, by Malibu Moon) O-Will Stroud, Andrew Farm, Mountmellick Farm & For the People Racing Stable LLC; B-Springhouse Farm (KY); T-Brad H Cox. Sales history: $375,000 yrl '24 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 5-3-1-0, $420,620. Last Start: Won Mar. 21 GII Fair Grounds Oaks. Kentucky Oaks Points: 122.
It was impossible not to like Life of Joy's performance in the GII Fair Grounds Oaks. Facing a stellar group of rivals, she was a much-improved filly and won decisively. Her winning margin was 3 3/4 lengths. It was her first win since the Oct. 26 Rags to Riches Stakes, but Cox is a master when it comes to getting horses to peak on the biggest days. That means that we may not have seen the best of this filly yet. Flavien Prat also rides GIII Honeybee Stakes winner Explora. He may be faced with a difficult decision.

Life of Joy | Hodges Photography

3) EXPLORA (Blame–Collections Choice, by Bernardini) O-Michael Pegram, Karl Watson & Paul Weitman; B-Mesingw Farm (KY); T-Bob Baffert. Sales History: $22,000 yrl '24 KEESEP; $350,000 2yo '25 FTMMAY. Lifetime Record: GSW & MGISP, 7-4-3-0, $1,053,000. 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard.' Last Start: Won Mar. 1 GIII Honeybee Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points: 95.
It just goes to show you that Bob Baffert and his owners don't have to spend seven-figures to find a good horse. Explora was bought for a reasonable $350,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training sale. And he found a runner. She's never been worse than first or second in her seven-race career and is a two-time graded stakes winner. She didn't blow the field away in the GIII Honeybee Stakes, but she redeemed herself after losing at 4-5 in the Las Virgenes Stakes. The news broke Wednesday that she will scratch from Friday's GII Fantasy Stakes and head straight to the GI Kentucky Oaks.

4) SHE BE SMOOTH (Lexitonian–Seattle Smooth, by Quiet American) O/B-Calumet Farm (KY); T-Todd Pletcher. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $162,320. Last Start: Won the Feb. 28 GII Davona Dale Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points: 50.
On paper, She Be Smooth certainly looks like the one to beat in Saturday's GII Gulfstream Park Oaks. (She's also ridden by Prat!). Nonetheless, it will be an important test for her as it will be her first try around two turns, and her breeding suggests that she may not want to go this far. But the Pletcher-trained filly has improved with each start and looked terrific when winning the one-mile GII Davona Dale Stakes. It is hard to imagine that she went off at 9-2 when making her debut on Jan. 23 in a Gulfstream maiden. Her workout pattern has been slow and steady–slow four-furlong breezes every time out.

5) MEANING (Gun Runner–Figure of Speech, by Into Mischief) O-Bridlewood Farm & Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners;
B-Stonehaven Steadings (KY); T-Michael McCarthy. Sales history: $440,000 yrl '24 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: SW, 3-2-0-0, $187,000. Last Start: Won Feb. 8 Las Virgenes Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points: 26.
The Michael McCarthy-trained filly holds down the fifth spot for another week. Her claim to fame is that she beat Explora in the Las Virgenes, but she did have a perfect trip that day. With Explora taking the Arkansas route to the Kentucky Oaks, Meaning should be the horse to beat when she emerges in the GII Santa Anita Oaks Apr. 4. Was she just lucky to win the Las Virgenes, or is she that good? The Santa Anita Oaks should answer that question.

6) BELLA BALLERINA (Street Sense–Pretty City Dancer, by Tapit) O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Brendan P Walsh. Lifetime Record: MGSW, 4-3-1-0, $561,525. 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard.' Last Start: Second Mar. 21 GII Fair Grounds Oaks. Kentucky Oaks Points: 110.
It was not a great Fair Grounds Oaks for the previously unbeaten Bella Ballerina. As the even-money favorite, she was a well-beaten second behind Life of Joy and had no apparent excuse. TDN podcaster and NBC Sports racing maven Randy Moss has pointed out that her half-sister, Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief), was also second in the Fair Grounds Oaks before coming back to win the Kentucky Oaks. Both come from the Brendan Walsh barn. So, was Walsh saving something in reserve for the Oaks? It's something to consider.

7) COUNTING STARS (Honor A.P.–Paynterbynumbers, by Paynter) O-West Point Thoroughbreds; B-HRH Prince Sultan Bin Mishal Al Saud (KY); T-Mark Casse. Sales History: $13,000 yrl '24 KEESEP; $150,000 2yo '25 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: MSW & GSP, 6-3-1-0, $372,606. Last Start: Second Mar. 1 GIII Honeybee Stakes Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points: 25.
Counting Stars, who goes postward in Friday's GII Fantasy Stakes, made a good run at Explora in the stretch of the GIII Honeybee, but fell short by three-quarters of a length. She was dismissed at 11-1 that day after a terrible effort in the Martha Washington, but she rebounded and showed the promise she displayed when she was an easy winner of the Year's End Stakes. She also ran poorly in the Myrtlewood Stakes, so she's a bit unreliable. But it looks like trainer Mark Casse has her back on track. That said, she needs to improve Friday at Oaklawn to be considered a major Oaks contender.

Prom Queen | Lauren King

8) PROM QUEEN (Quality Road–Miss Bling Bling, by Tapit) O-Gary and Mary West; B-Gary & Mary West Stables. Inc. (Ky); T-Brad H Cox. Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0, $55,080. 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard.' Last Start: Won Feb. 12 MSW at Gulfstream Park. Kentucky Oaks Points: 0.
More Brad Cox. After coming up short in her maiden try, she romped in a Feb. 12 maiden special weight at Gulfstream going 1 1/16 miles, winning by eight lengths. Her Beyer figure was an 83. She'll be taking a big step up in class when competing in the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks, and she'll be facing a formidable foe in She Be Smooth. But the homebred by Quality Road obviously has a lot of potential. The question is whether or not she is ready for Saturday's assignment.

9) STICKER SHOCK (Uncle Mo–Smokey's Love, by Forestry) O-Gary and Mary West; B-Gary & Mary West Stables Inc. (Ky); T-Brad H Cox. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-1, $154,613. Last Start: WON Feb. 26 ALW at Oaklawn Park. Kentucky Oaks Points: 0.
Still more Brad Cox. Like stablemate Prom Queen, she still has a lot to prove. She's two-for-three and is coming off a win in an Oaklawn allowance, where she earned an 87 Beyer. She goes next in the Fantasy, and a win there would raise her stock considerably. Like Prom Queen, she is also a homebred from the Gary and Mary West stable, so it will be a big couple of days for the Wests.

10) BOTTLE OF ROUGE (Vino Rosso–Blues Corner, by Bluegrass Cat) O-Natalie J Baffert; B-Kathie Maybee (Ky); T-Bob Baffert. Sales History: $60,000 wnlg '23 KEENOV; $100,000 yrl '24 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GISW, 6-4-1-0, $577,000. Last Start: Won Mar. 14 Virginia Oaks. Kentucky Oaks Points: 57.50.
Another one trained by Bob Baffert, and there's a point to be made here. This Oaks field is not shaping up as a race for the so-called “little guy.” Trainers Baffert, Pletcher, Cox, Casse, McCarthy, and Walsh train the entire list. Baffert, Pletcher, and Casse are already in the Hall of Fame. Cox is a shoo-in to make it someday. McCarthy and Walsh are established stars. Now, back to Bottle of Rouge. She may not be a star, but Baffert has managed her perfectly. By taking the off-the-beaten-path route to the Oaks with wins in the Sunland Park Oaks and the Virginia Oaks, she has garnered more than enough points to make it into the field for the Kentucky Oaks. Baffert has also managed to compile career earnings of $577,000 with a filly who happens to be owned by his wife, Jill. He'll no doubt have to find another jockey, as this is still another one who was ridden by Flavien Prat in her last start.

The post The Kentucky Oaks TDN Top 10 for March 25: Life of Joy is for Real, and a Big Weekend Ahead appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman's Explora (Blame), winner of Oaklawn's GIII Honeybee Stakes on Mar. 1, will miss her intended engagement in Friday's GII Fantasy Stakes at that venue after spiking a temperature, according to Horse Racing Nation.

“She spiked a temperature from the trip and we had to treat her with antibiotics,” Bob Baffert told HRN. “She'll go straight the [Kentucky] Oaks.”

Named a TDN Rising Star following a victory at Del Mar last summer, she was second in the GI Del Mar Debutante before rebounding to win the GII Oak Leaf at Santa Anita. She concluded her juvenile season with a close-up second behind Super Corredora in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies on Oct. 31.

This season, the newly-turned sophomore ran off to an impressive 5 1/4-length winner in the seven-furlong Santa Ynez at Santa Anita before settling for second behind Meaning in the one-mile Las Virgenes Stakes on Feb. 8.

The post Explora to Miss Fantasy After Spiking Temperature appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

His name is Immortal Wink (Gimmeawink) and after a career that spanned nine years and 142 races, most of them in Puerto Rico, he was done. He was 10 and had suffered through the kind of wear and tear that is typical with horses who run so often, last so long and wind up at the bottom tier of the sport. He would never go on to a second career, at least one that is typical for a retired Thoroughbred. He just wouldn't be able to do it.

But there were people who didn't believe that meant he was expendable. In 2016, he was purchased for $1,000 by the founders of Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare (CTA), was retired, and was given to the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF). He was given a job, to help improve the lives of the female inmates at the Lowell Correctional Institute in Ocala, Florida. It's a job he does well.

“I just fell in love with him,” said Rachel Gehrke, an inmate who cared for the horse she came to call “Wink” for about 18 months. “I felt it was really therapeutic. I was going through a lot when I was in Lowell and I was going through a lot before that. I wasn't able to talk to people and I wasn't able to fix things. It was so bad. Knowing that I was going to see my baby every day lifted me up. He would wait for me at the gate every morning. Getting to care for him, that got me through my time there.”

Rachel Gehrke with a horse | courtesy of TRF

Gehrke, who was released in 2021, is now living in Ohio, is engaged and is working toward getting her degree to become a veterinary technician.

Maggie Sweet is the executive director of the TRF, and while she is thrilled that the industry has made so many strides when it comes to taking horses off the track and retraining them for second careers, she doesn't want the Immortal Winks of the world to be forgotten. She'll tell you that not only do they, too, deserve a dignified retirement, but that they can work wonders in programs like the TRF's Second Chances Program. In Second Chances, inmates are paired with retired Thoroughbreds. They can learn important skills they can put to use once released from prison. But, more importantly, through the bonds they develop with the horses, they almost always seem to become better people.

“Our point is that we want to bring to the attention of the racing industry that a lot of the focus is on the retrain, re-home model,” Sweet said. “I think that is ideally what we should be aspiring to. But I think that it's important to note that not every horse can be retrained and re-homed, and that we still have the same responsibility to that horse. We have established that even if a horse can't go onto a second or third athletic career, there are other things the horse can do that are as important, possibly more important.”

Her other point is that old-timers like Immortal Wink, who is 20, were retired before the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) was formed and therefore weren't able to benefit from the funding the TAA now spreads across dozens of aftercare organizations.

“It's also really important to note that there is this big group of horses, which we have started calling the 'legacy herd,' who are still around from the time when the TAA didn't exist,” she said. “They came around when there was no formalized funding source for aftercare. The racing industry has this obligation to retroactively take care of these horses because if we don't, we're shooting ourselves in the foot, and they're the ones who are the most at risk.”

Wink with Shelley Blodgett in Ocala | courtesy of the CTA

It was Shelley Blodgett who got this whole thing started. She became the co-founder of CTA, but this was before that organization existed.

“Shelley was a racing fan and had been following Immortal Wink because he was an older horse who had made so many starts,” said Kelly Stobie, the CTA's other co-founder. “She reached out to me to ask if I could help get him retired. We went through the whole process of getting him retired. I was able to convince the owner to do so. We wound up having to pay $1,000 for him. We couldn't have gotten him retired without doing that. Then Shelley reached out to the TRF and they were willing to take him into their program. I am sure he had a lot of wear and tear from racing. He just wasn't going to be able to become a riding horse. With the TRF, horses are used mainly to teach the inmates. He was such a sweetheart, such a lovely boy. I have a beautiful picture with him before he left. With his having had a lot of racing and a lot wear and tear, we thought he'd be better off in a sanctuary companion home.  The TRF offered to take him. He's been amazing. He's been educating these women for so many years now. They are lucky to have him, and he's lucky to have the TRF.”

It didn't take the TRF long to learn that Immortal Wink had some spunk.

“He's a little bay gelding, and he is a feisty little thing,” said TRF Director of Equine Programming Chelsea O'Reilly. “So, despite his size, he is out in what they call D-Field with the other sassy geldings, and he's the smallest one out there. So they might assume that he is just going to be meek and quiet, but he is so full of personality, even at his elderly age now. They always think that he's going to be super quiet and he's not. He's out in the sassy gelding field with horses half his age.”

Gehrke was a quick convert.

Immortal Wink | courtesy of TRF

“I trusted that horse more than I trusted anything in my life,” she said. “Period.  He was such a good boy. I had never been around horses until I got into the program, but I am an animal lover by nature. I had just never been around a large animal like that. It was a new experience. I thought it could  be fun, that it could be cool. I thought, 'Let's try this.' It changed my thoughts on pretty much everything. You start to understand how their brain works. Horses display their emotions more than most people do. They'll give you a sign. They're just easy to read. These horses are so amazing. I love that horse.”

It's not just one horse and one inmate. Hundreds of women have gone through the Second Chances Program at Lowell, which was started in 2000, and have worked with dozens of horses. For many of the inmates, the connections they form with the horses are personal, meaningful, uplifting and something that had been missing in their lives. To Sweet, the message is clear: there are a lot of horses who come off the racetrack who are less than perfect, old, tired, a little beat up. That doesn't mean that they can't be put to good use or that the industry should ignore their situations.

“This horse was pulled from Puerto Rico, where he was a true iron horse, a war horse,” she said. “Then he was able to have this amazing effect on the mental health of these women who are incarcerated at Lowell Correctional. This particular horse, Immortal Wink, has touched a lot of lives.”

The post Beaten Up By The Racing Wars, Immortal Wink Still Found A Second Career Changing Lives 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: 03/24/2026
Licensee: Joe Toye, 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 class C controlled substance–in a sample taken from Roll Dem Bones, who finished fifth at Turf Paradise on 2/4/26.

Dates: 03/24/2026
Licensee: Michael E. Ferraro, trainer
Penalty: 7-day period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on March 25, 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 $1,000; imposition of 2 Penalty Points.
Explainer: Medication violation for the presence of Lidocaine–a class B controlled substance–in a sample taken from Keigs, who won at Finger Lakes on 10/28/25.

Dates: 03/24/2026
Licensee: Desiree Blankenhorn
Penalty: 2-year period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on September 24, 2025; a fine of $25,000. Final decision of HIWU.
Explainer: Violation for the alleged possession of a banned substance (Niflumic acid) on an event dated 5/29/25. There are currently no further details publicly available on the HIWU website.

Dates: 03/23/2026
Licensee: Daniel Damen, 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.
Explainer: Medication violation of Rule 3313, concerning the “Use or Attempted Use” of Camphor–a class C controlled substance–on Tony B “during the Race Period” on 12/31/25.

Dates: 03/23/2026
Licensee: Carla Gaines, trainer
Penalty: A fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points.
Explainer: Vets' list medication violation for the presence of Diclofenac–a class C controlled substance–in a sample taken from Royal Rumor on 2/8/26.

Dates: 03/23/2026
Licensee: Manuel Badilla, trainer
Penalty: A fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points.
Explainer: Vets' list medication violation for the presence of Phenylbutazone–a class C controlled substance–in a sample taken from Coolwind on 2/4/26.

Dates: 03/23/2026
Licensee: Eric R. Reed, trainer
Penalty: A fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points.
Explainer: Vets' list medication violation for the presence of Flunixin–a class C controlled substance–in a sample taken from Sexarito on 1/17/26.

Dates: 03/23/2026
Licensee: Guillermo Flores, trainer
Penalty: 18-month period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on March 24, 2026; a fine of $12,500.
Explainer: Ruling for the possession of the banned substance Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP); Adenosine Monophosphate for an event dated 9/18/25. There are currently no further details publicly available on the HIWU website.

Dates: 03/20/2026
Licensee: Danny Gargan, trainer
Penalty: A written Reprimand (per 9/26/23 HISA Guidance). Final decision of HIWU.
Explainer: Vets' list medication violation for the presence of Omeprazole–a class C controlled substance–in a sample taken from Wine Money on 2/4/26.

Dates: 03/20/2026
Licensee: Isaiah L. Ortiz, trainer
Penalty: A fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Final decision of HIWU.
Explainer: Vets' list medication violation for the presence of Ketoprofen–a class C controlled substance–in a sample taken from Riding By on 2/4/26.

Dates: 03/18/2026
Licensee: Steven W. Martin, 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. Internal adjudication panel.
Explainer: Medication violation for the presence of Dexamethasone–a class C controlled substance–in a sample taken from Soul Sacrifice, who won at Remington Park on 12/20/25.

Pending ADMC Violations
03/23/2026, Daniel H. Dennison, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Furosemide (Lasix)–a class C controlled substance–in a sample taken from Garavani, who won at Turf Paradise on 1/28/26.
03/20/2026, Ivan Calderon, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Dexamethasone–a class C controlled substance–in a sample taken from Angel Wings, who finished fourth at Mahoning Valley on 2/9/26.
03/20/2026, Phil D'Amato, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violation for the presence of Acepromazine–a class B controlled substance–in a sample taken from Vow to Resiliency on 1/22/26.
03/19/2026, Justin J. Nixon, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violation for the presence of Acepromazine–a class B controlled substance–in a sample taken from Klum on 2/25/26.
03/19/2026, Ray Handal, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Dexamethasone–a class C controlled substance–in a sample taken from Ez Roll, who finished second at Aqueduct on 1/23/26.
03/17/2026, Isidro Castro, trainer: Pending alleged violation of Rule 3214(a), for the possession of the banned substances Glaucine and Testosterone for an event dated 8/19/25.

Crop Violations
Santa Anita
Vicente Del Cid–violation date March 20; $250 fine, one-day suspension

The post Weekly National Rulings: Mar. 19-25 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

A pending lawsuit between Churchill Downs, Inc. and the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority has reached a partial settlement, but issues remain about fees assessed by HISA to tracks owned by CDI.

Fasig-Tipton's March Digital Sale closed March 24 with gross sales of $4,430,500 for 142 horses sold.

As the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame proudly celebrates its 50th Anniversary, the nomination committees of the organization have determined the induction categories to be recognized in 2026, along with the finalists for each category.

In its 2025 annual metrics report released March 24, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority noted a slight increase in equine fatality rates for racing and workouts at tracks it oversees while noting a strong two-year record.

After showing plenty of talent in his first three career races as a 3-year-old last year, grade 2-placed Grande will try to secure his first stakes win when he starts in the $175,000 Ghostzapper Stakes (G3) March 28 at Gulfstream Park.

George Moncrief will become the Canterbury Park track superintendent for the 2026 racing season that begins May 23.

From the Dubai World Cup card to Florida Derby card, a busy television and radio schedule awaits March 28. Read this week's radio and television schedule as produced by America's Best Racing.

Having won her only two starts, including the Davona Dale Stakes (G2) by 6 lengths last month at Gulfstream Park for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, She Be Smooth is favored to win the March 28 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2).

The catalog for the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-Up and Horses in Training Sale is now available online, with a total of 201 breeze-up 2-year-olds and 151 horses in training set to come under the hammer.

Don Butte oversaw Fasig-Tipton's accounting and financial operations for 40 years. The native of Kentucky, had retired in 2021 and relocated to Southwest Florida to be near the beaches he loved.

Grade 3 winner Rashmi is set to return from a year-long layoff March 28 at Santa Anita Park, jumping right back into graded company to contest the $100,000 Wilshire Stakes (G3T).

In this week's Maiden Watch, Make My Day breaks his maiden at Gulfstream Park, while Weekend Princess scores at Santa Anita Park.

Keeneland Library will hold a handicapping event with Keeneland racing analyst Tom Leach April 29 to discuss contenders for the Kentucky Derby (G1). The library also announced its 2026 Lecture Series.

The rate of fatal injury in Thoroughbred racing in 2025 was 1.07 per 1,000 starts, which is the lowest rate since the Equine Injury Database began in 2009. The rate of fatal injury decreased 3.6% from 2024 and is down 47% since 2009.

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