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By any measure, Steve and Denise Smith's Mesingw Farm, which celebrated just its fifth anniversary in December, had a banner year in 2025. From the sales ring, where the operation sold its first seven-figure yearling, to the racetrack where it had a graded-stakes placed juvenile at Saratoga in August and a Breeders' Cup starter in November, Mesingw was hitting on all cylinders. The momentum has carried into the new year with the Mesingw-bred Explora (Blame) a leading choice for the GI Kentucky Oaks following her win in the GIII Honeybee Stakes last Sunday. The Smiths will be hoping the success continues in Ocala where they will offer a pair of fillies through Tom McCrocklin's consignment at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale next week.

“Tough to beat,” Denise Smith said when asked to assess 2025. “It was a pretty darn good year. I don't think anybody in their right mind would be disappointed in how last year went.”

Denise was a school district superintendent in Saratoga with no involvement in racing when she first started dating Steve, but she quickly joined in on his dream of breeding Thoroughbred racehorses.

“As we started dating and the relationship got more serious, I said one of my dreams was to have a horse farm and breed Thoroughbreds and race them,” Steve recalled. “Long story short, we ended up coming to Kentucky. This is where it all happens. We are happy we did. We bought a small farm in Athens, not too far from Juddmonte. The idea was to have five or six select broodmares. We started with lower level broodmares because we didn't want to make mistakes with very expensive broodmares.”

What started as a plan for five or six broodmares soon escalated and with a broodmare band that currently numbers some 30 head, Mesingw Farm needed a new home.

“We have had good guidance with people we've associated ourselves with,” Steve said. “When were first introduced down here, it was actually Bayne Welker from Fasig-Tipton that we met and got to know and he's been a guiding person for us all along. He is the one, when we bought the first farm in Athens, who said where you want to be is between Versailles and Midway. We bought too many mares, we outgrew our first farm and we ended up purchasing Lane's End yearling division farm on Old Frankfurt Pike. They called it the Fort Blackburn Division. That's where our horses are stabled now.”

Looking back at the farm's trajectory, Steve added, “There is no why. I just wanted to do it.”

Meringue | Coady Media

The Smiths say their operation is a mix of breed to race and to sell, as exemplified by their success at Saratoga last summer where their homebred Meringue (Frosted) finished second in the GIII Adirondack Stakes just days before they sold a colt by Good Magic for $1.6 million at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale.

“That was my dream in the breeding business,” Denise said of the sale result. “To sell a million-dollar yearling. And hopefully at Saratoga, because that's my home town. That was beyond our wildest expectations.”

As for Steve, he dreams of a victory on the First Friday in May.

“I am filly guy,” he said. “A lot of people ask me if I want to have a Derby horse and I say I want an Oaks horse. I wouldn't turn down a Derby horse, for sure, but fillies are our thing.”

He could soon check that box, too, if Explora continues on her path towards Churchill Downs. The Smiths purchased Collections Choice (Bernardini), with the future Honeybee winner in utero, for $75,000 at the 2022 Keeneland November sale. It was a productive sale for the couple, who also purchased Catbrier (Street Sense), with future 'TDN Rising Star presented by Hagyard' Meringue in utero, for $32,000 at that same auction.

The Smiths sold Explora for $22,000 at the 2024 Keeneland September sale and watched as the filly returned the following year to sell to Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman for $350,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. The filly won the GII Oak Leaf Stakes and was second in the GI Del Mar Debutante and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies last year before cementing her position near the top of her division in the Honeybee.

“We're proud of her,” Denise said of Explora. “We wouldn't be good breeders if we weren't producing graded stakes winners. That's the goal for all breeders, to be producing graded stakes winners.”

Steve admitted to some complex emotions watching a horse he bred head towards the Kentucky Oaks carrying someone else's colors.

“Probably a lot of mixed emotions,” he said. “Obviously, I will be so proud of her. And it will just drive me to try to get there again.”

Explora | Coady Media

The experience of selling Explora and watching her blossom into a graded-stakes winner with Classic ambitions, the Smiths have adjusted their program. When they thought they weren't getting the best price for their yearlings last fall, they weren't afraid to bring them home.

“What we did this year was a direct result of Explora,” Steve said. “I should have kept her and got her breezing and evaluated her ability at that stage of the game, even if we would have sold her and stayed in for part.

“So we kind of adjusted our model a bit. It all turns with the yearling market and what we think our yearlings are worth. We try not to be slanted, but we know what we have. We get a chance to see them race around the field, we know how they move. The yearlings we did not think the right number was there on the reserve, we just kept.”

Denise adds, “A good example is Meringue's half-brother by Oscar Performance. He was in the Keeneland sale and when it came to the day of the sale, he only had four vettings. We were shocked. So we scratched him and sent him into training. He is a good horse and we are not going to devalue him in any way. We know what we have.”

Predictably, the new approach has led to a larger class of newly turned 2-year-olds for the operation, which currently has 19 horses in training. Two of the juveniles who were taken home from the yearling sales last year will hit the track at OBS this week. Scheduled to work Friday is Candy Illusion, a filly by Twirling Candy (hip 453). She is out of Tizanillusion (Tizway), a daughter of graded-placed Hermione's Magic (Forest Wildcat), and RNA'd for $75,000 at Keeneland last September.

“As soon as Tom McCrocklin realized she didn't sell, my phone rang right away,” Steve said of Candy Illusion. “He asked what we wanted for this filly. And I said, 'I am not sure, Tom. I think I am going to keep her, but I will send her to you.'”

Expected to breeze Saturday is Flaming Martini (Flameway) (hip 728), a daughter of Eiswein (Klimt). The Smiths purchased the mare as a yearling and she raced in their Elements Racing colors.

“She broke her maiden first time out and oddly enough, just never ran that race back,” Steve said Eiswein. “So we bred her. We sold the mare in foal last year, but we kept the filly just because we liked her physical.”

For the Smiths, racing is a game of patience and it's the horses who always come first.

“It took forever to get Stellify (Justify) to the races and we would start with her, have to stop, start with her, have to stop,” Steve says of the graded stakes winner who took them to the Breeders' Cup last year. “I can't give enough credit to Brad Cox. He was patient. And he would say the same about us. He would say we are the most patient owners in the world. Really, I am not, but if you don't have patience in this business, the horses will make you have patience. You just have to take that pill and swallow it and do the best thing for the horse from a physical standpoint.”

That horse-comes-first philosophy starts right with the farm's name.

“When we moved to Kentucky in December of 2020, we were trying to decide what to name the farm,” Denise said. “I researched the native American history in Central Kentucky and I was reading all of the legends. Mesingw is the spirit guardian of the forest and the animals. He basically tested the character of hunters and young braves who would go into the forest hoping to find him to have their character tested. If they were pure of heart and took good care of the animals and were respectful, then they would have a successful hunt and if they weren't, if they were greedy or let animals suffer unnecessarily, then he would make accidents happen to them. We kind of liked that. If you treat animals well, they will treat you well.”

If 2025 was anything to go by, it would seem Mesingw is well-pleased with the Smiths. And with Stellify and Meringue still on the bench to resume racing this year, a graduate aiming for the Kentucky Oaks, and a host of racing and sales prospects just getting started, the best could be yet to come for Mesingw Farm.

The post After ‘Tough to Beat’ 2025, Mesingw Farm Ready for More in 2026 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Fresh off an action-packed Saturday at Gulfstream Park, Bill Mott wasted no time returning to the routine at his Payson Park base. The Hall of Fame trainer was back on the track the following morning to oversee Horse of the Year Sovereignty (Into Mischief) progressing toward his 4-year-old debut.

The Godolphin homebred worked four furlongs in company in :49.80. Mott described the breeze as “workmanlike,” noting that it was exactly the type of effort he has come to expect from the three-time Grade I winner.

“He's not a spectacular workhorse unless you ask him for it,” Mott explained. “He'll do whatever you want him to do. It's really what I expected and what I wanted. He finished up well enough and had a useful gallop out.”

 

 

After a commanding victory in last year's GI Travers Stakes, Sovereignty's sophomore season ended prematurely when he spiked a fever a few days before the Breeders' Cup Classic. The son of Into Mischief spent some time at Godolphin's rehabilitation and training barn with Johnny Burke at Keeneland before returning to Mott's string at Payson just after the first of the year. Sunday's breeze marked his third work back.

Mott indicated that Sovereignty will likely return to the starting gate in the GII Oaklawn Handicap on April 18. The GII Alysheba on Kentucky Oaks Friday is a secondary option, though that race is also the tentative target for Sovereignty's new stablemate Baeza (McKinzie). The 4-year-old arrived at Mott's base two weeks ago following the passing of his previous trainer John Shirreffs.

Baeza breezes for John Shirreffs on Feb. 15, 2026 at Santa Anita | Horsephotos

Of Baeza, who is co-owned by CRK Stable and breeder Grandview Equine, Mott said, “He could potentially go to the Alysheba. I know the Oaklawn Handicap was a consideration for the connections, but we've got a ways to go to get him ready.”

Last year, Baeza was third to Sovereignty in the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Belmont Stakes and runner-up behind him in the GII Jim Dandy Stakes before he earned his own Grade I score in the Pennsylvania Derby. Mott said he plans to keep the two colts separate for as long as the calendar allows, though he acknowledges their paths will converge this fall if all goes according to plan.

“If we have to run against each other, we will,” Mott said. “I don't like running against myself but they have different ownerships and those people deserve to run their horse where they have the best chance. Eventually the long-term goal would be looking at the end of the year, you hope they have to run against each other in the Breeders' Cup Classic and you hope they both make it there.”

Baeza recorded his first work for Mott on Feb. 26, going four furlongs in :49.20. The son of 2024 Kentucky Broodmare of the Year Puca (Big Brown) was last seen running sixth in the Breeders' Cup Classic and he recorded three works under Shirreffs earlier this year.

“It was nice to be considered for Baeza, but I wish I wasn't the trainer of him right now,” Mott shared. “I'm glad to have him in the barn and it's a feather in our cap that we've been chosen, but I'd rather that John had him and be competing against him. We lost one of the good guys and we'll do the best we can with the horse.”

The Mott barn's impressive depth in the older dirt male division is further bolstered with the ultra-fast 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Knightsbridge (Nyquist), who dominated in last Saturday's GIII Gulfstream Park Mile Stakes. Another Godolphin homebred, the 5-year-old was under wraps in the stretch of his 11 1/4-length victory and he earned a 112 Beyer Speed Figure.

Knightsbridge and Junior Alvarado dominate in the GIII Gulfstream Park Mile Stakes | Lauren King

Mott reported that Knightsbridge returned to Payson Park in good order and said the next step is to elevate the three-time Grade III winner to Grade I competition. He will likely target the seven-furlong Churchill Downs Stakes on Kentucky Derby day, followed by the GI Metropolitan Handicap at Saratoga on June 6.

Knightsbridge was a winner on debut late in his juvenile season and scored a nine-length win at Gulfstream Park in his next start the following March. He was sidelined twice over the next year and a half before getting his first win of the current four-race streak last November.

“We thought we were going to be a big factor in the GII Pat Day Mile, which I was excited to run him a flat mile at Churchill Downs on Derby weekend,” Mott said. “In his last work, he came up with a minor injury and we just had to give him time. We've had to do that on more than on occasion, but finally we've got three [graded stakes] races in a row with him now. We feel like we have a little momentum and he's been coming out of those races good, so maybe he's ready for the stiffer tests that are ahead of him.”

Knightsbridge is a half-brother to Darley sire Speaker's Corner (Street Sense), who, like his younger sibling, won the GIII W. Fred Hooper Stakes and Gulfstream Park Mile. Mott said he sees similarities between the two grandsons of champion Round Pond (Awesome Again) and added that for now, Knightsbridge will stick to the mile distance.

“Speaker's Corner was very good at a flat mile, and Knightsbridge has proven that he's very good at a flat mile,” he noted. “He's a slightly different body type, but this is a gorgeous horse. Well-muscled, but very balanced. Right now we've got no reason to go beyond the mile because there's a good race at seven furlongs and a good race at a mile. He's pretty well proven that he can be effective at that and I think it would be foolish to try to stretch him out right now. Perhaps maybe later in the year, we'll give it a try. I know the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland is a mile, but it's a two-turn mile, so that's a little different configuration for any of them that have been running one-turn races.”

Commandment and Chief Wallabee in the GII Fountain of Youth Stakes | Lauren King

A few hours after Knightsbridge put on a show last Saturday, Mott was represented in the feature race by Chief Wallabee (Constitution). The Mott barn, which captured last year's GII Fountain of Youth Stakes with Sovereignty, had to settle for a hard-fought second this time around. After racing four wide around the turn and dueling with Wathnan Racing's Commandment (Into Mischief), Chief Wallabee came up a neck short in only his second career start.

“I was very pleased with the effort for him to run that well off of having just one one-turn race ” Mott reported. “He ran more or less a winning race, lost a little bit of ground around the last turn but put in a very nice run. You'd have to believe that he's going to keep improving a little bit with each race.”

Chief Wallabee is the first horse that Mott has trained for Kentucky-based owners Michael and Katherine Ball, whose most notable runner is multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire Limousine Liberal (Successful Appeal).

Mott shared that Chief Wallabee will likely target the March 28 GI Florida Derby.

“There are four or five races to choose from all within four or five weeks from now,” he said. “The easiest one for us to get to would be the Florida Derby. They'll all be on the list, and we'll sort it out with the owners and see if we can come up with a plan.”

The post Bill Mott Outlines Plans for Sovereignty, Knightsbridge, Baeza, Chief Wallabee appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

With Eclipse Award-winner Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro), who will be heavily favored in Saturday's GII Azeri Stakes at Oaklawn, having won her 2026 debut in the GIII Bayakoa Stakes, D.J. Stable could well be on its way to another successful year. But not everything has gone right in 2026 for the Green family and its stable. Two of its most prominent horses–Sandman (Tapit) and Ewing (Knicks Go)–have been surprisingly disappointing in recent races.

In hopes of getting them back on track, the stable will be sending both to Mark Casse's farm in Ocala to see if the trainer can fix what appears to be broken. Ewing has already arrived in Ocala, and Sandman will travel there next week.

Sandman won last year's GI Arkansas Derby, but has lost six of his races since. He made his 4-year-old debut in a Feb. 7 allowance Oaklawn, finishing fifth. He came back in last Saturday's GIII Razorback Handicap, also at Oaklawn, where he never picked up his feet, finishing sixth. He was beaten 18 lengths.

“Sandman is going to head back to Ocala for reevaluation,” said D.J. Stable General Manager Jon Green. “We were disappointed in the fact that it just didn't seem like he was giving his all in the most recent race. In the allowance race, we were kind of writing it off to the fact that he was down on the rail and he didn't have a chance to stretch his legs like he likes to because he's a big, leggy horse. He also got cut up from actually hitting other horses in the course of that race. So, we were willing to pass on that. The Razorback really disappointed us. He is 100 percent sound, so it's not a matter of soundness issues. We're hoping it's more a mental issue or that there's just something we're missing. He's a happy horse, but he's not giving it his all.”

Green said the plan is to regroup and bring Sandman back to the races at some point this year.

“There are not any plans to retire him at this point,” he said. “That's for the simple reason that we feel like he's got running and racing left in him. We're always going to side with the horse. If he tells us at this point in time that he's happy with his accomplishments, being a Grade I winner and making $1.5 million, then he owes us nothing. But if there is a way for us to figure out his mindset and he shows us that he does want to continue to race, hopefully Mark Casse will unlock whatever is concerning him.”

Ewing (Knicks Go) was off for more than six months after winning the GII Saratoga Special Stakes. He returned Feb. 21 and also turned in a flat performance, running sixth in the Ozark Stakes at Oaklawn as the 3-5 favorite.

“With Ewing, we're doing the same thing,” Green said. “He came out of his race and he was sound. The light just didn't go on. So, we sent him back to Ocala. They're both going to be on kind of the same journey in a sense, and that is to figure out how to get the light to turn back on. There will be an ongoing evaluation of both horses.”

The Greens are hoping for better things from Nitrogen on Saturday. A versatile 4-year-old, she finished off her year with a win in the GI Alabama Stakes before finishing second behind older horses in both the GI Spinster Stakes and the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff. But Green was quick to acknowledge that the Azeri does not look like an easy spot.

“Any time you're in a Grade I or Grade II-caliber race, there are always horses in there that you are concerned about,” he said. “The Azeri is no different. Of the six horses she will be facing, the lowest money-earner in the race is Perfect Shot, and she's made more than a half-million dollars. There are a couple of Grade I winners in there. You should always be recognizing who else is in the race and what they can do. There are some legitimate fillies in there. There are some tremendous fillies in there, and there's a reason why they are still racing–it's because they do have talent.”

Before the Bayakoa, Casse had stated that Nitrogen wasn't fully cranked up for that race. For that reason, Green believes she can run a better race Saturday.

“Going into her last race, she was about 80 percent fit,” Green said. “She's close to 100 percent fit now and doing really well. We have high expectations for her, but they still have to run the race in the afternoon.”

The post D.J. Stable To Send Sandman, Ewing To Ocala To Be Reevaluated appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Breeders' Cup Limited has joined with Brown Advisory, an independent investment management and strategic advisory firm serving individuals, families, nonprofits, institutions, and financial intermediaries worldwide, as an official partner of the 2026 Breeders' Cup World Championships, the group announced Thursday.

Under the agreement, Brown Advisory becomes the name-in-title partner of the $1 million GI Brown Advisory Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

“We are delighted to welcome Brown Advisory as a new official partner of the World Championships,” said Drew Fleming, President & CEO of Breeders' Cup Limited. “With a strong global presence and a client-first approach, Brown Advisory shares our commitment to excellence and to engaging a world-class audience.”

“We are thrilled to partner with the Breeders' Cup as we extend our longstanding support of racing and equestrian sport to the preeminent international event in Thoroughbred flat racing,” said Mike Hankin, Co-CEO of Brown Advisory. “Breeders' Cup and Brown Advisory share a global footprint, a focus on innovation, and a commitment to building meaningful partnerships. We look forward to this year's Brown Advisory Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.”

The post Brown Advisory To Sponsor Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf In 2026 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Last Sunday's GII Rebel Stakes third-place finisher Litmus Test (Nyquist) will stay in Hot Springs to contest the GI Arkansas Derby March 28 for trainer Bob Baffert.

Speaking of his Arkansas runners from last weekend, Baffert said that while his GIII Honeybee Stakes winner Explora (Blame) had shipped back to California, Litmus Test would remain at Oaklawn through the end of the month.

“I didn't want to bring him all the way back here and ship him back,” Baffert said. “He's there. I want to give him another chance. I didn't want to run here (Santa Anita). I've got other horses for here. Just splitting them up.”

Litmus Test, who went off favored in the Rebel, weakened from the lead to finish third 5 1/4 lengths behind Class President (Uncle Mo) in his first start since winning the GII Los Alamitos Futurity Dec. 13. He currently sits eighth on Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 34 points.

Of Explora, Baffert mentioned a potential next start in the GII Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn March 27.

“I'm just going to see how she responds out of that race,” Baffert said. “She'll definitely be nominated to the Fantasy. I'll have something in the Fantasy.”

The post Litmus Test To Stay Oaklawn, Contest Arkansas Derby For Baffert appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Despite several cold and snowy weather-related cancellations, more race days and higher available and paid purses were amongst the positive economic trends year over year for the month of February. 230 race days (+5.02%) led to over $79,562,309 (+8.57%) of paid out purses last month spread over 2,001 races (+4.76%).

Field size remained largely the same, dropping just slightly from 7.98 in 2025 to 7.78 this year while wagering was also down a bit from $771,126,687 to $756,813,375 (-1.86%). Average wagering per race day was the most noticeable decrease, with the amount wagered per day falling to $3,290,493 (-6.55%).

Year to date, wagering on U.S. races was down 4% with the only positive increase shown appearing in average available purses per day race which rose just 0.94%.

The post More Race Days, Strong Purses Highlight Positive February Trends appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Del Mar's 'Ship and Win' program will return for its 16th year when racing returns to the seaside oval July 17 and will help boost purses for 2-year-old maiden special weight races to record levels.

The 'Ship and Win' program provides $5,000 for any qualified dirt runner in their first local outing. The 50% purse bonus is applied to the first through fifth finishers in their initial start and all subsequent outings at the meet. For turf runners, there is a $4,000 payment for that first start, as well as a 40% bonus attached to the purses of the first through fifth runners.

The juvenile maiden special weight races for dirt runners offered this year will reach new heights when they include 'Ship and Win' runners who will compete for record purses of $150,000 thanks to the 50% purse bonus.

“'Ship and Win' has been an extremely successful program for Del Mar and California racing overall,” said Del Mar senior vice president and racing secretary David Jerkens. “Our owners and trainers continue to take advantage of this powerful economic boost. And this year we're proud to offer $100,000 straight maiden purses for dirt 2-year-olds that can rise to $150,000 with the 'Ship and Win' bonus.”

For more information on the 'Ship and Win' program, visit: www.dmtc.com/horsemen/ship-and-win.

The post Ship and Win, Record MSW Purses, on Tap for Del Mar Summer Meet appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Everett Dobson, chairman of The Jockey Club, pledged to collaborate with horsemen to find solutions to racing's many challenges and ways to grow the sport while delivering the keynote address at the National Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association Conference at Oaklawn Park Wednesday. Dobson acknowledged some of the divisions between The Jockey Club and the National HBPA, including The Jockey Club's support of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, the constitutionality of which the National HBPA is challenging in court. But Dobson stressed the common goals shared by the two organizations.

“Our first allegiance is to the horse,” Dobson said. “As I look around this room and look at the mission statement and position statements of the National HBPA, it's apparent that when it comes to the horse, we are as closely aligned as two organizations could possibly be. The improvement this sport has made in the health and safety of the Thoroughbred racehorse is, I believe, the single-most important thing I've seen in my now 30 years of involvement.

“I am also of the belief that credit for that should be spread far and wide, and especially to the great horsemen and women that make up the National HBPA. You are the ones putting your hands on the horse, providing for the care and nutrition needs for every single horse, every single day.”

In 2021, The Jockey Club proposed capping the number of mares that a stallion could breed to in a year at 140, but the proposal prompted a lawsuit from three of Kentucky's largest stud farms and The Jockey Club dropped the controversial rule change.

During his address Wednesday, Dobson said he is prepared to take another run at the rule, but with a different approach.

“As we think about the health of the Thoroughbred breed, we must not ignore the alarming increase of the coefficient of inbreeding,” he said. “Years ago, The Jockey Club attempted to impose a cap on the number of mares a stallion could breed. Under my leadership, we're going to revisit that question. This time, we will involve stallion farms and other breed registries around the world to help us find the solution. Our discussions must be science-based with an understanding of the economic realities of the world we live in.”

Dobson said that when he was tabbed to replace retiring chairman Stuart Janney, he met individually with all The Jockey Club board members and stewards.

“I'm going to tell you what I told them,” he said. “I think big; I guess I always have. I founded this cellular telephone business when I was in my 20s that became one of the largest in the country. When I started out, I wasn't thinking, 'Oh gee, let's make this a nice little Oklahoma business.' Quite the contrary. When I joined the seven others to purchase what is now the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2006, we didn't sit around and discuss the keys to being the operators. No, we discussed what a pathway would look like to a world championship–and it didn't hurt that we had two Arkansas Razorbacks on the team to do it.”

Listing some of his goals for The Jockey Club, Dobson said the organization would back a national marketing campaign that builds on The Jockey Club's America's Best Racing initiative; continue to push for legislation that would permanently ban horse slaughter and the export for slaughter of horses abroad; substantially increase its funding for the aftercare of retired racehorses; and continue to support the traceability initiative to track horses throughout their post-track lives.

Dobson said the industry needs a permanent endowment or endowments “of significant size that will provide a level of certainty for every horse that showcases their talent for our entertainment.” He noted that The Jockey Club already has the Grayson-Jockey Club Foundation, which for decades has funded research to improve the health of the horse, as well as The Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation, which helps those in need who work in the industry.

Beyond the traditional metrics of foal crop, race days, field size, attendance on racing's big days, Dobson said, “I want this industry to also be one of job growth. We need young people to consider this sport as a viable career.”

Dobson said a positive trend is that major capital projects aren't restricted to high-profile tracks such as Churchill Downs, Keeneland and Belmont Park, but underway at smaller tracks in Nebraska, Wyoming, Arizona and Kansas.

“Thinking big means we don't ignore the smaller markets,” he said. “Without a doubt, this influx of capital will produce some level of growth.”

Dobson said one of the most challenging metrics is the foal crop in regional markets. He said he is convinced that “states are going to have to broaden their breeding and racing programs in partnership with surrounding states. Fortunately, I'm hearing that there are meaningful conversations underway.”

But, he continued, “Nothing big in the sport will happen if we can't improve fan engagement…. We can reach new fans. I've seen it in the NBA.”

While there is incredible fan engagement in pockets around the country such as Oaklawn, Keeneland, Saratoga and Del Mar, Dobson said “our mission is to expand that reach by looking at what is successful and develop that relationship with new and younger fans on a continuous basis.

“… I have become a big advocate for a national marketing campaign, one that will focus on messaging that elevates this sport in the eyes of the general public. A few years ago, The Jockey Club launched America's Best Racing, through which we had an influencer program last year that was a huge success. That program will be expanded this year and play a key role in a more comprehensive national marketing campaign. Broadly speaking, we are in an entertainment business. We compete with other sports and other forms of gaming, but we have an amazing story to tell. It's time to start talking.”

At the heart of progress is working together, he said.

“Sports and sports leagues function best when there is collaboration toward the common goal,” Dobson said. “My belief is that horse racing can raise to a far higher level of participation and fan engagement. For that to happen, we need collaboration and unification…. For this sport to move forward, it will take a team: the horsemen and women that rise before dawn, the track operators that are reinvesting in their infrastructure, the breeders who take long-term risk, the bettors who support us every day, those that buy our yearlings and 2-year-olds at the sales. It will take all of the industry organizations working together, and it will take those organizations working with HISA, and HISA working with us. If we are serious about thinking big–truly big–our future…will be built at the big table. Tables where we check our egos at the door, where we debate vigorously, disagree honestly, but being aligned around the common purpose.

“Can we elevate this sport to a level that hasn't been seen in a generation? I believe we can, with commitment, collaboration, integrity, unification and a big dose of big ambition. I am standing before you because I believe the best days of Thoroughbred racing are not behind us. They are in front of us.”

To view the complete address, click here.

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Crafting legislation that works for racing was just one idea discussed during a March 4 panel at the National HBPA conference at Oaklawn Park that offered thoughts on how to protect racing operations that are tied to added-gaming.

Hip 139, a colt by Army Mule from the Cesar Loya Training & Sales consignment, was the only horse to breeze a furlong in :09 3/5 during the first session of the under-tack show.

When jockey Dylan Davis entered the starting gate with Army Officer for the eighth race at Gulfstream Park Feb. 28, it was something he had done more than 12,000 times in his career. But this time it was different.

Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. will send out a quintet of fillies and mares in the $175,000 Hurricane Bertie Stakes (G3), led by 2025 Gallant Bloom Stakes (G2) winner R Disaster. This will be the 2026 racing debut for the daughter of Awesome Slew.

Sycamore Bark Thoroughbreds owner Dan Davidson recalls the excitement of watching Save the Trees, who he bred, become a multiple winner, including a maiden win at Keeneland.

As the keynote speaker at the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association conference, Everett Dobson, chairman of The Jockey Club, called for more cooperation in moving the sport forward.

Agreement in bankruptcy court allows Hawthorne Race Course to begin conversion of track for spring race meeting.

Reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty continues to progress in his training this winter in South Florida and is under consideration for the April 18 Oaklawn Handicap (G2) for his 4-year-old debut, trainer Bill Mott told FanDuel Racing March 4.

The Jockey Club of Canada's Graded Stakes Committee held its annual review of the graded and listed races in Canada, choosing to downgrade the British Columbia Derby from grade 3 to listed status and elevating the Algonquin Stakes to a grade 3.

Emerald Downs announces renowned publicist Mark Kaufman, 2009 Washington Horse of the Year Reba Is Tops, and legendary claiming horse Maxwell G as 2026 Washington Racing Hall of Fame inductees.

The 2026 Thoroughbred stakes season at Woodbine kicks off April 18 and ends in December. Notable races include the 167th King's Plate and Woodbine Mile (G1T).

As part of her 2025 highlight reel, Nitrogen won five stakes on turf, four in graded company, before capturing one of North America's most prestigious races for 3-year-old fillies on the dirt, the Alabama Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course.