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Million-dollar-earning Gigante was named 2025 Virginia-bred Horse of the Year, with Mindframe earning the honors of top Virginia-certified older male.

Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine has commenced a comprehensive three-year study to improve the detection of Thoroughbred racehorse injuries based on data from horses seen at Cornell Ruffian Equine Specialists next to Belmont Park.

Following an exciting trio of Kentucky Derby (G1) preps Feb. 28-March 1, five runners from the weekend are now in the top 10 of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's Top 3-Year-Old Poll.

The New York Racing Association and Woodbine Entertainment announced March 3 the Empire Trillium Series, a 14-race program of stakes races restricted to horses foaled in New York or Canada worth $3.2 million in total purses.

The Tampa Bay Derby will be showcased on NYRA's "America's Day at the Races" telecast March 7 along with other races from Tampa, Oaklawn Park, and Aqueduct Racetrack.

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

Lord Charles Allen's short tenure as British Horseracing Authority chair has come to an end after just six months in the role, prompting a crisis in British racing's governance.

For the overall sale, the gross was AU$68.59 million, up more than AU$8.52 million, or 14%, from the corresponding stage last year.

Shadwell announced the death of Mujahid, winner of the 1998 Dewhurst Stakes (G1), who later became a group 1-producing sire at Allevamento di Besnate in Italy.

The under-tack show for the Ocala Breeders' Spring 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale has been consolidated to six days and will now be held April 6-11.

A grade 1 winner in 2025, Lovesick Blues is currently in Dubai preparing for the Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1).

In this BH monthly interview, Karen M. Johnson profiles young racing personalities.

Dollars and Sense with Frank Angst looks at the industry formulating its strategy to oppose prediction markets accepting action on horse racing.

The Jockey Club of Canada's Graded Stakes Committee held its annual review of graded and listed stakes, and the number of higher level races will remain at 41, according to a press release late on Tuesday from the Jockey Club of Canada.

The Committee reviewed the North American Race Committee (NARC) figures for all graded, listed and potentially listed races in Canada.

Based on the data, the committee determined that the GIII British Columbia Derby will be downgraded to listed status and the early October running at Woodbine of the bet365 Algonquin Stakes for 2-year-olds on the turf will be upgraded to a Grade III.

Additionally, the Century Casino Oaks, King Corrie Stakes, Niagara Stakes and Thorncliffe Stakes will all be upgraded to listed status.

The Graded Stakes Committee meeting was conducted by Chair Ross McKague, who was joined by appointed members David Anderson, Jim Bannon, Jeff Begg, Catherine Day Phillips, Bernard McCormack and The Jockey Club of Canada's Chief Steward Doug Anderson.

Also attending were racetrack representatives Allen Goodsell, Teagan Goodsell and Mike Vanin from Alberta. McKague represented Manitoba, and Julia Bell & Scott Lane stood for Ontario.

The post Review Of Canada’s Graded Stakes Stands Pat At 41 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

The 2026 Inglis Digital USA March Sale closed Tuesday displaying steady trade in the broodmare prospect market, led by the $80,000 purchase of broodmare prospect Faith Understood (Catholic Boy), the online auction company said on Tuesday.

Chris Nolan was the winning bidder on the 5-year-old mare, who was made available for inspection in the Gulfstream Park barn of trainer Jennifer Young. She was consigned by owner Team Adams Racing.

Faith Understood was a maiden winner at Keeneland in April of her 3-year-old season and was the runner-up in the Memories of Silver Stakes at Aqueduct.Later in the season, Faith Understood was third in the GIII Honeymoon Stakes at Santa Anita Park. She retired with earnings of $129,512.

Bred in Kentucky by Whitehorse Stable, Faith Understood is out of the stakes placed Munnings mare Zia, who is the dam of four winners from five foals to race. Her page features a diverse sampling of international black type, including English champion Negligent (Ire) (Ahonoora {GB}) and the Canadian stakes winning dam of MGSW River Seven (Johannesburg).

Tuesday's second highest price came for Backstretch Rose, a stakes-placed Army Mule mare who went to Cash and Company for $70,000. The 5-year-old bred in Kentucky by St. Elias Stables was consigned by trainer Lacey Gaudet, who offered the mare for inspection out of her barn at Laurel Park.

The March sale drew a wide variety of buyers, with the 20 lots sold on Tuesday going to 18 different buyers. The catalogue featured horses available for inspection in Arizona, California, Florida, Kentucky, Maryland and New York. Stallion seasons were also offered for horses residing in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma and Ohio.

“We saw action from all over the globe today,” said Inglis Digital CEO Kyle Wilson. “Thanks to all of our customers who continue to support us and we wish everyone the best of luck with their purchases.”

Offerings that finished under their reserves on Tuesday are still available to purchase on the Inglis Digital USA website. Visit the site's “Catalogue” page and click on “Make An Offer” next to the available horses.

Entries are now open for the inaugural Inglis Digital USA Curlin Florida Derby Sale, putting a special focus on offerings in that region, including horses entered on the Florida Derby card at Gulfstream Park.

Entries begin to close Friday, Mar. 13, but rolling entries will be taken on an approval basis up until sale day. The catalogue will be released on Wednesday, Mar. 18, and bidding will close Monday, Mar. 23.

To enter a horse for the Curlin Florida Derby Sale, register as a bidder or to make a bid on an RNA horse from the March Sale, visit www.inglisdigitalusa.com.

The post Inglis Digital USA March Sale Topped By Broodmare Prospect Faith Understood appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

On May 22, the HISA Board of Directors will take a vote that could result in the ban of Lasix in all races. Any decision made by the Board, whether to keep the rules as they are, or to enact a full ban, must be unanimous. In response, five trainers and Eric Hamelback, the CEO of the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, signed a letter imploring HISA to continue to allow the use of the medication in most races. Trainer Ron Moquett was among those signing the letter.

To talk about what is a divisive issue for the industry and his personal feelings that there should not be a full ban of Lasix, Moquett appeared on this week's edition of the TDN Writers' Room Podcast presented by Keeneland. He was the Gainesway Guest of the Week.

Moquett said that the use of Lasix is something that is beneficial to the horse and something that, if taken away, would leave trainers without a valuable tool.

“I think the definition of a horseman is to do right by your horse and to take every possibility to minimize the risk of anything bad happening,” he said. “Every day, every morning, the horsemen that I know, they make sure that all the snaps are closed on the gates. They make sure that the nails are pushed in the stall so that there's no shot that a horse would scratch it. We're constantly trying to minimize the risk of anything bad happening to a horse. That's our whole job. Training Horses 101–take care of your horse, do everything in your power to minimize the risk of something bad happening. Lasix falls into that category. I'm not out here asking for race-day medications such as pain-maskers, performance-enhancers, or steroids or any of that business. I'm asking for some people to use common sense. There's been a smear campaign on Lasix. You see people calling it doping. You see people calling it performance-enhancing. It's not any of that. It's just something we can use to help with the problem of horses bleeding.”

Under current HISA rules, horses are not permitted to use Lasix in two-year-old races or in stakes races. Moquett said he had no problem keeping those regulations in place.

“The current model that we have, everybody has basically agreed that it's fine,” he said. “I like the fact that 2-year-olds don't have it. I'm okay with the fact that graded stakes horses don't have it. But with the day-to-day horses that are competing, it's a safety tool that ought to be used.”

 

It was pointed out to Moquett that when HISA banned Lasix in the stakes and juvenile races there was an outcry, with many people casting a dire picture that included horses bleeding frequently and openly in races. Most people agree that never happened. When asked why the situation would be any different if there were a full ban, this was his reply: “First and foremost, I would say that just because you haven't seen (horses bleed) in those races doesn't necessarily mean it hasn't happened. It's the same reason I put on a seatbelt. That's to be careful and take the necessary precautions. I don't want my horse to ever experience bleeding. I don't. This is something that can minimize the risk of something bad happening to a horse.”

He was also asked why European racing, as well as racing in most of the rest of the world, seems to do fine without the use of Lasix.

“I always like to steer away from comparisons,” he said. “But things are different here. First off, at Churchill Downs and at Oaklawn, there are no green pastures. There are no trees. We lovingly call Churchill 'Riker's Island' because it's just concrete pavement everywhere. That's not the case in Europe. We have long meets. They don't. It's just not the same. There's more turf racing there, where you just gallop around and sprint home for the most part. It's not like here, where there is more dirt racing and speed is the name of the game. It's always laughable to me whenever they compare racing here versus racing in Europe.”

The “Fastest Horse of the Week” was Knightsbridge (Nyquist), who got a 112 Beyer figure in his romp in the GIII Gulfstream Park Mile. The Fastest Horse of the Week segment is sponsored by WinStar, which stands the sire Heartland.

Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by the PHBA, 1/ST TV, and West Point Thoroughbreds, Randy Moss, Bill Finley, and Zoe Cadman took a look back at last week's preps for the GI Kentucky Derby. Though he finished second, the team was very high on the performance of Chief Wallabee (Constitution) in the GII Fountain of Youth and predicted he will only get better. The trio delved into the story of Hawthorne declaring bankruptcy, and what it means for the future of racing in Chicago. The podcast wrapped up with a preview of this Saturday's two Derby preps, the GIII Tampa Bay Derby and the GII San Felipe Stakes.

To watch the video version of the podcast, click here. To listen to the audio, click here.

The post To Discuss Potential Ban Of Lasix, Moquett Joins The TDN Writers’ Room Presented By Keeneland appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

As part of his official duties, Keeneland's Director of Sales Operations Dean Roethemeier was attending the races Saturday at Meydan in Dubai at the same time that drone and missile attacks launched by Iran were hitting nearby. While he said he never felt unsafe, he noted that his biggest worry was, with the Dubai International Airport having been shuttered, how he was going to make it back home?

But after a long, complicated journey, he had made it to Amsterdam on Tuesday and was expecting to land at the Cincinnati airport Wednesday evening, four days after he was nearly trapped in Dubai.

“When I get home, I probably won't know what end is up,” Roethemeier said by phone Tuesday from Amsterdam. “I'm just happy to be that much closer to home.”

He said that attending the Emirates Super Saturday card was an experience he will never forget.

“It was pretty surreal,” he said. “I've been to a few Super Saturdays at Meydan and the crowd is always big and very lively. This crowd was as big as I've ever seen it and the racing was great.  But everyone was asking 'What is going on?' We heard big bangs and booms and saw the drones and missiles being intercepted. Despite all that, it was pretty much business as usual. When Sheikh Mohammed showed up at the races, that gave everyone a lot more confidence that everything was going to be OK.”

“Yes, it got to be a little nerve-wracking. I would have felt safe remaining in Dubai. But there were no flights going out. It was more of a logistical challenge.”

Roethemeier was scheduled to attend the races at Jebel Ali Racecourse in the Jebel Ali District of Dubai on Sunday, the day after the main attacks. Keeneland is a major, long-standing sponsor at that track. But racing was canceled there because of the war, which meant that Rothemeier could head home…if only there were a way to get there.

He helped gather a group that also included Keeneland colleague Ed Prosser, Arqana's Ludovic Cornuel and bloodstock agent Alessandro Marconi. The group made a connection with Mohammed Al-Saadi, a horse owner based in Oman. It was Al-Saadi who arranged the “great escape.”

“After racing was canceled at Jebel Ali, the airport in Dubai was still closed,” Roethemeier said. “Our best option was to get to Muscat in Oman. The owner from Oman managed to get us a ride across the border. He sent a car to pick us up and get us to the airport. He was so gracious. He even had us over to his house.”

With Muscat International Airport operating, the group was able to move on. They went separate ways, some going to Munich, others to Paris, all with the same goal in mind, to get on a flight to take them home.

“Right now, everybody is back in Europe, so it all worked out,” Roethemeier said. “Everyone at Keeneland, including Tony Lacy and Shannon Arvin, was very supportive and they all worked to find options to get us out of there. We all got very familiar with every flight-booking website there is.”

Though Roethemeier's journey was a long and arduous one, it could have been worse. The original plan was to return through Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. A day earlier, two drones struck the embassy compound there. As of Tuesday, the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh was not fully shut down, but was experiencing massive disruptions.

The post It Wasn’t Easy, But Keeneland’s Roethemeier Is On His Way Back To Kentucky appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

While the war raging in the Middle East has caused uncertainty and danger throughout the region, it appears that most among the group of U.S.-based horses that had been planning on running on the Mar. 28 GI Dubai World Cup card will make the trip to the United Arab Emirates and continue to prepare for one of the world's richest days of racing.

“We're making plans and arrangements as if the world were normal,” said David Fiske, the racing manager for Winchell Thoroughbreds, which owns Dubai World Cup hopeful Magnitude (Not This Time).

The connections that have given the green light to the Dubai trip are doing so even though the State Department on Tuesday ordered the mandatory departure of non-emergency personnel and family members in six countries in the Middle East, including the United Arab Emirates, over growing security concerns. In retaliation to the attacks on its country by the U.S. and Israel, Iran, on Saturday, fired missiles and drones at countries in the Persian Gulf. Included in the damage inflicted on Dubai, a drone strike ignited a fire at Dubai's iconic Burj Al Arab hotel. And four people were injured the same day after an incident at the Dubai International Airport.

On Tuesday, drones reportedly hit the U.S. consulate in Dubai, United Arab Emirates causing the building to catch on fire.

CNN broke into live programming to report the strike. CNN national security correspondent Kylie Atwood relayed that the consulate, which is located about an hour away from the U.S. embassy in the UAE, was currently on fire.

“This was hit by a suspected drone,” Atwood relayed. “This comes after last night, we were tracking drones that had hit the U.S. embassy in Riyadh, [Saudi Arabia].”

As of Tuesday, the Dubai International Airport was operating on a limited basis. The airport was temporarily shut down on Feb. 28 due to regional security tensions. According to trainer Jose D'Angelo, who is pointing Bentornato (Valiant Minister) to the GI Dubai Golden Shaheen, the plane that will take U.S. horses to Dubai is scheduled to leave Mar. 14.

“We are still planning to go,” D'Angelo said. “Everything is set up to go. We have talked to the people in Dubai there and they say that everything is good to go. They say that at the moment everything is good there. Of course, I am worried about it. This is not normal. We see from here on television everything that is going on. But, hopefully, in two weeks the situation will be better.”

Fiske acknowledged that the situation is precarious.

“That the State Department said 'Everybody get out of the Middle East' means it doesn't seem like three days from now they are going to say 'Everything is ok, go back to the embassy, go back to the racetrack,” he said. “I think everybody probably has the same attitude and the same plans that we do–plan on going and then if things aren't right, pull the plug and find somewhere else to run.

“We'd rather be ready to go than pull the plug now and then three weeks later be left thinking, 'Well, that was stupid.' We are expecting the worst and hoping for the best. The people in Dubai may be thinking the same way we are, that they're hoping to run the race and that everything pans out by then.”

It's expected that Magnitude will be joined in the Dubai World Cup field by last year's winner, Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}). His trainer, Brad Cox, also said that the plans have not changed and that the recent winner of the GIII Mineshaft Stakes will be back to defend his title.

“We're planning on going as of right now,” Cox said. “I don't know much about what is going on. It's an unknown. We're trying to prepare a horse for a race and it's obviously a prestigious, valuable race with a big purse. We'll just have to see what happens. If it doesn't happen and they can't pull it off, we have other options.”

Burj al-Arab Hotel in Dubai | Getty Images

One horse who will not be making the trip is the New Jersey-bred star Book'em Danno (Bucchero), who was being pointed to the Dubai Golden Shaheen.

“We're not going basically because of the war, the political issues over there and the safety factor,” said Jay Briscione, who heads the partnership that owns last year's Eclipse Award winning sprinter. “I think that any time the State Department tells you not to travel, it's probably good to heed their advice. Something like this doesn't seem like it's going to end quickly. People have always been saying Dubai is the safest city in the world, and I bet that is right. But it's never had a war going on around it like this.”

Briscione said it was his wife that demanded he stay put.

“I kept saying to her, 'Well, it looks like this is going to happen, that we're going.' And she said, 'You're not going anywhere near the Middle East.' You know what? I can't blame her,” Briscione said. “It's hard enough in this business. It's hard enough to plan on any race under normal circumstances and then they throw all this at you.”

Doug O'Neill was not planning on running any horses on this year's World Cup card, but he has traveled to Dubai numerous times and has stabled there in past years. He said that Americans going to the Dubai World Cup should not be worried.

“Dubai is one of the safest places on the face of the earth,” he said. “I certainly wouldn't be hesitant to go to Dubai. You can leave your wallet on a park bench and come back a week later and it will be there. It's just a very safe place. The people are kind and they love their horse racing. I think the racing will continue on and everything will be okay. They are a very successful, wealthy country and they have put a lot of money into defending their country. So, I don't think there will be a problem.”

The post Despite War In Middle East, Most U.S. Connections Still Planning To Head To Dubai appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

The Belmont Child Care Association (BCCA) has kicked off its annual `Think Big for the BCCA' fundraising campaign, designed to increase awareness and raise critical funds to operate Belmont Park's Anna House and Saratoga's Faith House.

The mission of the BCCA is to provide a safe, supportive, and academically inspiring environment for the children of parents working in the Thoroughbred racing backstretch area located at New York's Belmont Park, Aqueduct Racetrack, and Saratoga Race Course. They are committed to promoting early childhood education, molding young minds, and encouraging the fulfillment of dreams.

The program starts at 5 a.m. when backstretch workers begin their morning routines with the horses. Before the program existed, children were dropped off at illegal one room “day care” centers, or they were left in cars while their parents worked. In general, day care centers do not open this early and the lack of financial resources of these families left them with few options. Many of the children attending our program are from immigrant families earning below the poverty level.

Since its opening in 2002, Anna House alone has educated over 1,000 students, several of which are now enrolled in colleges and universities.

Click here for further information, or to make a donation.

The post BCCA Kicks off Think Big Campaign appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine has commenced a comprehensive three-year study to improve detection of Thoroughbred racehorse injuries with data provided by horses seen by Ruffian Equine Specialists, which is located next to Belmont Park, the New York Gaming Commission said through a Tuesday press release.

The study, funded by New York State and The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA), will build on previous international research and the ongoing industry goal to prevent fatal musculoskeletal injuries.

State-of-the-art standing computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET) machines will be installed at Cornell Ruffian as part of the project.

The CT provides a high-resolution image of the bony anatomy, allowing for identification of microstructural changes prior to being apparent on a radiograph.

PET detects increased bone metabolic activity in three different planes, allowing for the exact identification of regions of bone pathology. It also provides a highly sensitive detection of bone abnormalities and remodeling.

Racehorses are routinely examined by veterinarians who use diagnostic imaging. However, such scans can miss hairline fractures and pre-fracture pathology that can lead to fatal injuries. In such cases, horses with such undetected factors may be considered sound–and therefore train and race until they experience a serious or fatal injury.

The three year project seeks to:

• Identify fetlock fractures and pre-fracture pathology in horses with and without lameness;
• Determine the sensitivity and specificity of CT, PET and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compared to digital radiographs;
• Use photo-counting CT and high field MRI scans to further define early bone pathology in horses that suffered fatal fractures of the fetlock joint;
• Further characterize biomarker findings in healthy and lame horses; and
• Further refine a risk factor index for fatal musculoskeletal injury based on epidemiological findings, preliminary scanning technology, clinical examination, and advance imaging.

“Continuously improving equine safety is an organizational imperative at NYRA,” said President and CEO of NYRA David O'Rourke. “This partnership will dramatically expand access to an important veterinary diagnostic tool while improving scientific research around thoroughbreds training and competing in New York. We thank Governor Hochul for her steadfast commitment to horse racing as we look forward to the opening of a new Belmont Park in September.”

The results of the study will be published in peer-reviewed periodicals and presented at veterinary research conferences.

The post New York And NYRA Support Three Year Cornell Study To Protect Horses appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.