Aidan Butler

Free contest entries for the $5-million 1/ST GRAND 3 Pick 'Em Challenge are now open, 1/ST announced in a release. The 1/ST GRAND 3 Pick 'Em Challenge closes at 6:55 p.m. ET May 18, prior to the post time for the 149th GI Preakness S. Fans can register and submit their picks for free at www.1st.com/contest or at www.preakness.com/contest. The 1/ST GRAND 3 Pick 'Em Challenge connects the Preakness (May 18 at Pimlico Race Course), GI California Crown (Sept. 28 at Santa Anita Park) and the 2025 GI Pegasus World...

Wyoming-based Cowboy Racing will partner with 1/ST to boost racing, breeding and wagering opportunities in the state, the organizations announced in a joint statement Monday. The newly-planned Thunder Plains Park, a racing and training facility planned for Cheyenne, will welcome 1/ST as its exclusive racing operator through a planned 16 day live-racing meet. "We are excited to expand upon our success and continued support of racing and HHR in Wyoming to lend 1/ST's industry-leading operational experience and passion to Cowboy Racing as they work to develop a new racing and...

It's still not clear exactly what went wrong Saturday when a tote failure impacted several tracks, including Tampa Bay Downs. The Oldsmar, Florida track took a huge hit when it was forced to run the GIII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby as a non-wagering event and to also cancel the last race of the day. Tampa Bay Downs Vice President and General Manager Pete Berube estimates that the track lost as much as $4.5 million in handle because betting wasn't available. There was a massive telecommunications network failure Saturday afternoon...

Coming off a highly successful Pegasus World Cup Day at Gulfstream, which handled $47.3 million, $3.4 million more than last year, the 1/ST Racing team will now set its sights on creating a similar afternoon of racing at Santa Anita. 1/ST Racing CEO Belinda Stronach announced on NBC's broadcast of the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. that a day similar to the Pegasus is being created for Santa Anita and will be held Sept. 28. The event will be called the California Crown and the premier race on the...

Aidan Butler, who has served 1/ST RACING AND GAMING as its Chief Executive Officer since September 2022, has been appointed the president of the organization by Belinda Stronach, the Chairwoman and CEO of 1/ST. According to a release, the expansion of Butler's role into president 'reflects and supports Stronach's mandate of continued growth in the company's racing and gaming assets.' Stronach, the daughter of Frank Stronach, has held the position of president in addition to her other roles since the introduction of 1/ST in 2020. Butler's primary focus will be...

Gulfstream Park's GII Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf Invitational, just upgraded this week from a Grade III to Grade II event, got another boon Wednesday when 1/ST Racing announced the race will serve as an automatic qualifier for the G1 Qatar Nassau S. at England's Qatar Goodwood Festival Aug. 1. The Filly & Mare Turf will be held Jan. 27 as part of Gulfstream's Pegasus World Cup Day presented by Baccarat, which features the $3 million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational and six other graded races. "Goodwood Racecourse...

What is already arguably the deepest jockey colony in the country has grown even stronger this year as two of Europe's top riders, Oisin Murphy and Sean Levey, are joining the riding colony at Gulfstream Park for the championship meet. Murphy, 28, is the more familiar of the two. He was the British flat champion jockey three years running in 2019, 2020 and 2021 and has ridden Group I winners in Great Britain, Ireland, France, Canada, Germany, Japan, the UAE and in the U.S. His three Grade I wins in...

The position of New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NYTHA) president is up for grabs at a time of great upheaval for horse racing in the state. Belmont Park is poised to undergo a $455-million overhaul, after which Aqueduct is set to close its doors. Within a few years, horse racing in New York will look drastically different to what it looks like today. This is also a period of tremendous existential challenge for the sport, as evidenced by a recent 60 Minutes expose on the industry's doping problems. Among the...

A dead horse was found Wednesday, Oct. 4 at Maryland's former Bowie Training Center, closed since 2015 and owned by 1/ST Racing. The horse was determined to be recently deceased and was in a remote area. The Paulick Report was the first with the story. 1/ST's CEO, Aidan Butler, released the following statement: "Horses are the center of the racing community. They are curious, beautiful animals and that someone, anyone, would treat a horse in this way defies comprehension. Everyone at our organization is simply sickened by this discovery. "As...

1/ST RACING and FanDuel TV will return as presenting sponsors for the 2023 Horse Racing Women's Summit held Sept. 27-29 at Santa Anita Park. "1/ST is committed to ensuring the racing industry continues to expand through inclusivity and diversity," said Aidan Butler, CEO of 1/ST RACING & GAMING. "The Horse Racing Women's Summit is aligned steadfast with this vision, and we are proud to be co-sponsoring this event with FanDuel TV for the second year." "After the inaugural Horse Racing Women's Summit was such a resounding success, the FanDuel Group...

There's no easy fix for the Triple Crown or one that satisfies all three tracks. But a fix is needed. With most trainers reluctant to run their horses back on just two weeks' rest, the GI Preakness S. is reeling. The connections of Rich Strike (Keen Ice), the GI Kentucky Derby winner, committed what would have been considered blasphemy 20 years ago and skipped the Preakness to rest up for the GI Belmont S. This year, Derby winner Mage (Good Magic) was the only Derby starter to run back in...

1/ST Racing & Gaming is ready to shake up the Triple Crown. The company, which operates Pimlico Race Course, has confirmed to the TDN that it is giving strong consideration to moving the date of the GI Preakness S. so that it is run four weeks after the GI Kentucky Derby. "We have discussed it internally and believe it's in the best interests of horses and horse safety to move the race four weeks after the Kentucky Derby," said Aidan Butler, Chief Executive Officer of 1/ST Racing & Gaming. "This...