Belmont Park

Chad Brown was trackside Saturday to watch eight of his Breeders' Cup hopefuls breeze over the Belmont Park dirt training track, including GI Breeders' Cup Classic contender 'TDN Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) and the dual Grade I-winning GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile contender 'TDN Rising Star' Chancer McPatrick (McKinzie). The four-time Eclipse Award-winning conditioner is well positioned for more main-track success heading into next weekend's World Championships with Sierra Leone, Domestic Product (Practical Joke) (Dirt Mile), 'TDN Rising Star' Ways and Means (Practical Joke) (Filly & Mare Sprint), Raging...

Sportsmen Stable, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Photos Finish, Corms Racing Stable and trainer Jorge Abreu's Grade I-winner Scottish Lassie (McKinzie) worked Sunday at Belmont Park in preparation for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Nov. 1 at Del Mar. The 2-year-old filly was among the first to breeze after the training track reopened at 7:30 a.m., and was guided through her exercise by jockey Jose Lezcano, who piloted her to victory last out to the graduate in the GI Frizette Stakes Oct. 5. Scottish Lassie worked outside of Jody's Pride (American Pharoah),...

Timelines for the massive-scaled, $455-million rebuild of Belmont Park were brought more clearly into focus Wednesday during a construction update presented by the New York Racing Association (NYRA) at a meeting of the New York State Franchise Oversight Board (FOB). In chronological order: 1) Belmont's new one-mile Tapeta track could open for training as early as the spring of 2025. 2) NYRA is keeping open the option of running the 2026 GI Belmont Stakes back downstate at the new facility under a festival-meet scenario in which all four racing surfaces...

Raging Sea, who upset champion Idiomatic (Curlin) in the GI Personal Ensign Stakes at Saratoga last time out, will likely head next to the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff after outbattling a stubborn Batucada in the GII Beldame Stakes at Aqueduct Sunday. The 1-9 favorite was allowed to settle into stride and was unhurried while racing off the early pace. She rushed up into contention on the bend and came with a full head of steam as longshot Batucada turned for home with a one-length advantage. Raging Sea eyeballed the gray...

Expectations were high for the three Grade I preps for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile run Saturday as the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity, the GI Champagne Stakes and the GI American Pharoah Stakes all included horses who seemed to have vast potential. And most came through. Chancer McPatrick (McKinzie) was the star performer in the Champagne, staying undefeated and adding a second Grade I to win to his resume. In the American Pharoah it all came down, as it so often does, to which Bob Baffert would win, and the...

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) has promoted Rob MacLennan, effectively immediately, to the position of racing secretary, according to a press release from the track on Wedensday. MacLennan joined NYRA in April 2021 as a racing official and was serving as the assistant racing secretary. He arrived at NYRA after employment as the racing secretary at Century Mile and Century Downs in Canada. A licensed racing official, MacLennan joins Keith Doleshel, senior director of racing, who also holds the secretary title in overseeing the writing of condition books...

   The long-awaited U.S. debut of Chilean superstar Kay Army (Chi) (Katmai {Chi}) will have to wait. His current trainer Bill Mott confirmed Monday that the 4-year-old colt will be scratched from Saturday's GII Woodward Stakes at the Belmont at the Big A meet. When asked where the horse may start next, Mott said he did not know. He also declined to elaborate when asked why he was passing the Woodward, which will now have only four starters. Mott revealed his plans on the same day that Kay Army worked...

Saratoga works for many reasons. The combination of great racing, a historic venue, iconic races like the GI Whitney S. and the GI Travers are reasons why more than one million fans file through the turnstiles every meet and the handle for the season now tops $800 million. But Saratoga's success also has a lot to do with its exclusivity. It's only open for eight weeks and there are just 40 racing days. That, as much as anything else, is what makes it special. There's an opening day and there...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - There could be another weekend of racing at Saratoga Race Course in 2025, if a plan being considered by the New York Racing Association is adopted. Although the racing would take place at the historic upstate facility, NYRA officials said it technically would not be an expansion of the 40-day Saratoga season. If the proposal is approved, the Fourth of July weekend--July 4 falls on a Friday--at Saratoga would be the final days of the Belmont of Aqueduct meet. The Saratoga season would begin on Thursday,...

As renovations continue at Belmont Park, The New York Racing Association (NYRA) divulged a plan July 1 to conduct approximately three months of winter racing annually at Belmont exclusively on an all-weather surface. A one-mile Tapeta track is currently under construction at Belmont, while the facility is scheduled to reopen in 2026. Lisa Lazarus, the CEO of the Horseracing Integrity & Safety Authority (HISA) provided a letter Friday to NYRA in support of the decision. The letter appears in full below. To Whom it May Concern: The Horseracing Integrity and...

Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey tells us how he got his unique nickname. He also lets us know who he doesn't like to play golf with. Who do you think is the horse that is closest to his heart out of all of those he has trained? If you thought Easy Goer, you would be wrong. Shug also tells us what his favorite race track is and how long he wants to keep doing this (hint: he isn't going anywhere anytime time soon). Here is the Saratoga Conversation. TDN:...

The Thoroughbred Education and Research Foundation (TERF) has awarded $10,000 to the Belmont Childcare Association, Inc. (BCCA) for their early childhood education program, the organization said in a release Thursday. 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 NYRA's three tracks. BCCA has received funds from TERF over the last five years and will once again use the grant to prepare students for elementary school as they develop physically,...