Thoroughbred Daily News

With New Tests on Horizon, Team Talks Journalism: I'm Not a Horse Whisperer. I Just Understand Them" Should we call him The California Kid? It trips off the tongue, certainly. Like The Great Gambino. Or The Iceman. If Journalism's nickname needs more than just a nice phonetic ring to it, then The Cal...

🗣️ “He just has this personality. This fortitude. This confidence.”

@1danross.bsky.social sat down with Michael McCarthy and team Journalism (Curlin) at @delmarracing.bsky.social to talk about what makes the Classic winner special and what the future may hold.

Mick Peterson Q&A: Thistledown, HISA Compliance And Climate Change After well-publicized track management issues last month that saw racing and training suspended for a short period, Thistledown has been back up and running since August 4 with a new track superintend...

"The thing that I did not expect was the role of flooding on racetracks" - my @thetdn.bsky.social Q&A with the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory's Mick Peterson about recent events at Thistledown, overall compliance with HISA's racetracks safety rules, and worsening impacts from climate change:

The Oak Tree Review: Paean and Promise of a Different Way to Run Horse Racing At first glance, Jay Hovdey's latest literary output, “The Oak Tree Story: A History of Racing's Most Generous Benefactor,” might seem an exercise in nostalgia only, recounting as it does the origins,...

"The sport does appear especially vulnerable right now, its carotid arteries bared for the killer bite" - my review @thetdn.bsky.social of Jay Hovdey's book on the Oak Tree Racing Association, and what it means for where horse racing finds itself today:

'There's Always A Great Atmosphere At The Goffs Premier Yearling Sale' Jenny Norris, one of the leading consignors in Britain, runs through her draft of 'Donny rockets' The Goffs Premier Yearling Sale is riding the crest of a wave but so too is one of the leading British...

“I have nine yearlings to sell this week and, when you look at their pages and see them in the flesh, they all scream Donny rocket.”

Jenny Norris runs through her Goffs UK Premier draft with Brian Sheerin.

'An Incredibly Emotional Moment': National Hero Sangster Delivers G1 Stallion for Newmarket DEAUVILLE, FRANCE — There have been few more rapturous receptions to a winner in the usually reserved enclosure of Deauville than that given to Diego Velazquez on this sweltering Sunday afternoon. Sam...

“And it's my first Group 1 winner in those colours. We have been knocking on the door, and it was nice to reverse that,”

'An Incredibly Emotional Moment': National Hero Sangster Delivers G1 Stallion for Newmarket @emmacollingsberry.bsky.social

'I Don't Think Agents Nowadays Have The Same Edge As We Had' Legendary BBA Ireland bloodstock agent Adrian Nicoll relives some of his greatest days in the business They say that stories lived are better than stories told. And by God, Adrian Nicoll has lived thr...

“I suppose I was quite a social animal, but we did meet some great people over the years, all of whom were very loyal.”

Adrian Nicoll relives some of his greatest days in the business.

Twenty Years On, It's Still Dubawi's World Twenty years ago, Dubawi claimed his third Group 1 victory in the Prix Jacques Le Marois. On Sunday, Sajir, his third-generation male-line descendant, claimed his own first top-level win, also in Deau...

‘The weekend's results have served a strong reminder that, at 23, Dubawi remains an incredibly dominant force.’

@emmacollingsberry.bsky.social examines the importance of Dubawi in the pedigrees of the big winners this past weekend.

'We're in it to Own Racehorses and Enjoy Them': Mick Mariscotti on Crack Juvenile Zavateri “We're enjoying it enormously.” Those are words racing needs to hear from every owner.  In the case of Mick and Janice Mariscotti, who have been in the game long enough to have experienced both good d...

“He, at the moment, looks like he has the potential to be the best we've ever had, and we're going to stick with him.”

'We're in it to Own Racehorses and Enjoy Them': Mick Mariscotti on Crack Juvenile Zavateri by @emmacollingsberry.bsky.social

Q & A With Gabby Gaudet Most racing fans know Gabby Gaudet from her job at FanDuel TV, where she was one of that network's top talent. It sounds like a dream job, but Gaudet has found one that she thinks will be even better....

🗣️ "I want to find these stories, package them up beautifully, and be able to give them to various media entities...I think being on the other side, on the outside looking in that I can contribute in that way too."

Q&A with Gabby Gaudet, Keeneland's new Director of Communications.

Power Play: Fasig-Tipton Digital Buy Malarchuk After 'Celly' Out West Dubbed a 'celly' in hockey parlance–short for the celebration that comes after a goal–the Thoroughbred version takes place in the winner's circle where power plays and fist pumps are also welcome. For...

“We are excited to see how our new acquisition will stack up.”

Reddam Racing and ERJ Racing scored Malarchuk (Nyquist) in the FasigTipton July Digital Sale. He is pointed towards the Pacific Classic and may meet his new stablemate Journalism.

www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/power-play-f...

Diamonds Are Forever: Franca Vittadini Remembers the Double Delights of Grundy's King George Victory Those old enough to have seen it may well go to the grave thinking they will never witness another race like it. Grundy vs Bustino, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes, 26 July 1975....

🗣️ "He was a hell of a horse. I'm very lucky to have been around when he was there."

50 years since the Grundy vs. Bustino showdown in the 1975 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes and it still thrills Franca Vittadini. TDN's @emmacollingsberry.bsky.social checks in.

Mo Plex: More Than A Fun Saratoga Summer Horse For R & H Stable SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Howard Read chuckled as he recalled the instructions he gave trainer Jeremiah Englehart, who was shopping for a New York-bred at the 2024 OBS April Sale. “To get somebody we c...

🗣️ "One deal you can't train into a horse is heart, and he's got heart."

They not only wanted a New York-bred, but one that could win, and with Jeremiah Englehart-trained MO PLEX (Complexity), R and H Stable has gotten so much more. Mike Kane has the story.

Lukas Assistant Sebastian 'Bas' Nicholl Leaves Training Career Former D. Wayne Lukas assistant Sebastian 'Bas' Nicholl, who assumed care of the late trainer's stable in late June in a succession plan put in place by Lukas Enterprises, Inc., will no longer serve as a head trainer. The story was first reported by Daily Racing Form. Nicholl told DRF the last horses formerly trained

🚨 ALERT: Former D. Wayne Lukas assistant Sebastian 'Bas' Nicholl, who assumed care of the late trainer's stable in late June in a succession plan put in place by Lukas Enterprises, Inc., will no longer serve as a head trainer.

Seven Days: Supergroups and Underdogs The early part of last week was spent covering the JRHA Select Sale in Japan, a trip that is always illuminating, to an auction that remains extraordinary. Number one of the list of most surprising th...

Fresh from her travels to Japan for the Select Sale @emmacollingsberry.bsky.social shares insights from the trip in Seven Days as well as:

🔹 A Bonanza for the Budget Breeders
🔹 Trotting Hot to a Hundred
🔹 Another Egan to Note

CAW Analysis of Gramm, McKinney Findings: "What does the industry want to do about this?" Last month, Rhodes College economics professors Marshall Gramm and Nick McKinney published in these pages a study showing the estimated impacts at Aqueduct over the past four winters from CAW players ...

“Outside of the lottery, racing is effectively the most expensive gambling product on the market" - my piece @thetdn.bsky.social delving into what last cycle CAW data out of New York means for the industry nationally:

Sophomore Class Converges on Monmouth for Talent-Stacked Haskell Saturday's card at Monmouth Park features a 14-race card which is highlighted by six stakes–five of them graded–including the Oceanport oval's sophomore showpiece, the GI NYRA Bets Haskell Stakes. Thi...

✨ Highlighting Saturday's card at Monmouth Park, this year's renewal of the GI NYRA Bets Haskell Stakes has drawn this season's GI Preakness winner Journalism (Curlin).

TDN's Christina Bossinakis has the in-depth preview, also taking a look at Saratoga's GI CCA Oaks.

'I Don't Try to Buy Cheap Horses, I Try to Buy Nice Horses Cheaply' Think of the West Country and one tends to picture wintry days and the big jumping yards, but amid the rolling hills of Devon sits one of the smaller Flat operations which routinely finds at least one...

🗣️ "Nearly all the good ones that I've had that have come out early and done well have made very good older horses."

@emmacollingsberry.bsky.social checks in with Rod Millman, who sends out the fast young filly Anthelia in Saturday's £250,000 Weatherbys Super Sprint.

'I Watched Excellent Truth From Behind A Cushion - It Was Crazy' Sandra Russell, breeder of Grade I winner Excellent Truth, opens up about the emotion surrounding that top-notch triumph  Much of the attention surrounding Excellent Truth's breakthrough success at th...

🗣️ "I haven't been able to wipe the smile off my face since Saturday. It's just fantastic."

TDN's Brian Sheerin checks in with Sandra Russell, breeder of GI Diana S. winner Excellent Truth, as she opens up about what the top-notch triumph means to her.

'I'm About To Cry': Bidders Go All In On Equinox's First Foals At The JRHA Select Sale HOKKAIDO, Japan — Via a select bunch of his first foals, Equinox made a JRHA Select Sale debut every bit as explosive as his killer turn of foot on the track, with 23 of his youngsters sold for an ave...

"I have never seen a market where there is such depth."

@emmacollingsberry.bsky.social reports from the JRHA Select Sale in Japan where Equinox's first foals led the way, followed closely by Kitasan Black foals, as buyers from all over the world came out in force.

Q and A with Flavien Prat Jockey Flavien Prat had himself a year in 2024 on the way to his first Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey. How good was he? He set records for Stakes wins (82) and Graded Stakes wins (56). He won th...

Flavien Prat, reigning winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey, sat down for a 💬 Q &A with Tim Wilkin to talk about life as a top jockey in the U.S.

'Outstanding Horseman' And Breeder Of Persian Force Tom Lacy Dies Aged 89 Tom Lacy, the renowned breeder of Persian Force who is famed for providing Pat Smullen with his start in racing during his time as a trainer, has died. He was 89.  Lacy rode 50 winners as a jockey and...

“He was just a lovely man who knew his horses extremely well.”

Tom Lacy, the renowned breeder of Persian Force who is famed for providing Pat Smullen with his start in racing during his time as a trainer, has died. He was 89.

StrideSAFE Update: A New Level of Veterinary "Finesse" In discussing the evolution of his StrideSAFE wearable sensor, Dave Lambert turns to a tufty-haired German philosopher called Arthur Schopenhauer, who described new truths as a play in three parts. “F...

It can identify a potentially catastrophic issue brewing in racehorses that exhibit no visible lameness.

Dan Ross spoke with David Lambert about Stridesafe - the technology that is finally gaining traction.

Saratoga's Busiest Summer in History Moves to the High-Profile Race Meet SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – And now for the main event. With nine days of racing already in the books–a proper warmup by any measure, topped by the GI Belmont Stakes–the 157th season of racing at Saratog...

🥁 Drum roll please...the 157th season of racing at Saratoga begins Thursday with a 10-race program.

Mike Kane checks in with horsemen and horsewomen, and those local to Saratoga Race Course, as he reflects on past trends while also looking ahead.

Seven Days: A Photo Finish Like No Other Unbridled joy was present in bundles at Hamburg on Sunday as recent amateur-turned-apprentice Nina Baltromei urged Hochkonig to victory on the line in the 156th Deutsches Derby, denying the Karl Burke...

Seven Days by @emmacollingsberry.bsky.social : A Photo Finish Like No Other for breeder Marc Ruehl

And
🔹 Delacroix Proves His Worth
🔹 The Wootton Boys
🔹 Palace Pier Emerging 
🔹 Looming Threat to British Racing

DeVaux Honored to Follow Lukas at Spa Barn SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – There was far more than a simple change of address for trainer Cherie DeVaux when she was assigned Barn 83–for decades the Saratoga base for legendary D. Wayne Lukas–for this su...

🗣️ "I have to make my own traditions and make it my own but still feel the need to honor what has been left here."

Mike Kane checks in with Cherie DeVaux as she settles into Barn 83, previously the decades-long Saratoga base for legendary D. Wayne Lukas.

Writers' Room Devotes Entire Podcast to Wayne Lukas Tribute Some of the most influential people in the life of Wayne Lukas-and some of the people for whom he was the most influential–took part in a special TDN Writers' Room podcast in order to pay tribute to `...

🗣️ “In those four years, I obtained a PhD in horse racing from Wayne Lukas.”

Some of the most influential people in the life of Wayne Lukas-and some of the people for whom he was the most influential–took part in a special TDN Writers' Room podcast in order to pay tribute to ‘The Coach.’

Sarinana to Give Happy Saver Another First at Fasig-Tipton July Sale Jose Sarinana has checked off a number of firsts with Happy Saver. The longtime assistant manager at Hagyard Farm, Sarinana foaled the future Grade I winner and seven years later was the breeder of th...

🗣️ "The filly looks a lot like he did when he was a yearling. I hope everybody will agree with me and like her."

Jose Sarinana, who foaled out GIW Happy Saver, heads to the Fasig-Tipton July Sale of Selected Yearlings with a filly from his first crop. TDN's Jessica Martini has the story.

Seven Days: Lamenting the Four Horsemen On the day that Kevin Prendergast was remembered at the Curragh in the naming of the International Stakes, and a day after Peter Easterby was laid to rest, another great of the training ranks was lost...

“As we remember them, it is easy to feel an extra sorrowful pang of 'things ain't what they used to be'.”

Seven Days: Lamenting The Four Horsemen by @emmacollingsberry.bsky.social

Lambourn Dances to the Tune of his Forefathers on a Derby Day to Savour THE CURRAGH, Ireland — The sun came out as he came in. Lambourn, a dual Derby winner, just like his sire before him, and his grandsire before that.  He had to work for it, mind. This was no procession...

“That's why I'm here. A bit of
maintenance and a few Group 1 winners, that will do me.”

Lambourn Dances to the Tune of his Forefathers on a Derby Day to Savour by @emmacollingsberry.bsky.social

Hail to the King: Hall of Fame Trainer D. Wayne Lukas Passes at 89 One of the most iconic personalities in horse racing and a man that helped transform the face of the industry over the past half a century, D. Wayne Lukas passed away at his home in Louisville Saturda...

D. Wayne Lukas passed away at his home in Louisville Saturday night from complications from a severe infection. The Hall of Fame trainer was 89.