California

Edward Brown and Jeff Ganje's Lord Prancealot became the first U.S.-conceived winner for his globetrotting sire Sir Prancealot (Ire) in a Del Mar maiden special weight at first asking on July 29. Now based at Rancho San Miguel in California, the 13-year-old will no longer shuttle to Australia. Bred by Ganje, Lord Prancealot is the third foal and winner out of the stakes-winning Country Reel mare Disko Dasko (Fr). The bay won the five-furlong race by 3 1/2 lengths in :58.62 (video). He was a $45,000 buy-back at the California...

Whether someone had the biggest stable in Northern California or a two-horse operation, the news released Sunday that Golden Gate Fields, which opened in 1941, will shut down at the end of the meet in December was a punch to the gut and led to a great deal of uncertainty. Horsemen have just five months to figure out what they will do next. The possibilities are many. They could shift their operations to Santa Anita. They could stay put and hope that the California Authority of Racing Fairs (CARF) circuit...

A proposed Berkeley City Council ordinance has been introduced that, if passed into law, would put Golden Gate Fields' future in serious jeopardy. The proposed ordinance makes it illegal to keep a horse stabled for more than 10 hours a day and requires that every horse has access to a minimum of one-half acre pasture turnout. While reaffirming state and federal laws surrounding animal abuse and cruelty, the proposed ordinance also makes it a crime to conduct training and racing under a "reasonable expectation" that it could substantially injure or...

A permanent exhibition featuring photos, paintings, and tack of Hall of Famer Seabiscuit will be created in his original stud barn, which will also include a theatre with ongoing films, according to the Seabiscuit Heritage Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving Seabiscuit's legacy. The barn itself is from the 1930s and is listed as a National Historic Site. The exhibition will open Saturday, May 27 at 11 a.m. with a ribbon cutting ceremony, a presentation of the Seabiscuit Heritage Foundation's mission, and a tour at Ridgewood Ranch near Willits...

The ongoing stand-off between California's Veterinary Medical Board (VMB) and the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) has amounted to a regulatory turf war over California's backstretch veterinarians. So far, the state's VMB has flexed its primacy, issuing dozens of records requests and, in a number of instances, complaints against vets within this colony. The highest profile such case concerned a settlement last year with CHRB equine medical director, Jeff Blea. In that settlement, the VMB issued Blea a fine of more than $130,000, required him to undergo continuing education classes...

Last year, we conducted a popular Q and A series called 'Smaller But Still Super,' where we featured veteran trainers who have built a competitive racing stable with relatively small numbers (click here to view the archive). This year, we will highlight trainers who have already cut their teeth as novice trainers, but now have a few years of experience under their belt and are looking to make a name for themselves as they grow their stable. We'll talk about the challenges that come with hanging out your single, advice...

Due to ongoing inclement weather, Santa Anita has cancelled their Friday race card. Track officials said racing will continue as scheduled on Saturday and Sunday. Santa Anita will add a race day next week to make up for the cancellation. The track remains open for simulcasting on Friday.

Pete McCormick, a longtime Keeneland bid spotter and U.S. Marine Corps veteran, passed away Thursday at the age of 75.  A native of Ontario, California,  Pete was just a boy when given his first job in the auction business from Tom Caldwell, the longtime head auctioneer at Keeneland, who took McCormick under his wing. "The Keeneland family mourns the passing of Pete McCormick, who was an iconic presence in the Keeneland Sales Pavilion during his four decades as a bid spotter," Keeneland said Friday in a statement. "Pete famously said,...

Grade I winner and millionaire Mo Forza (Uncle Mo) was represented by his first foal, a California-bred filly out of Californiasunshine (Lucky Pulpit), Jan. 10. Mo Forza, who racked up a record of 15-8-3-1 and earnings of $1,034,460, which included wins in the GI Hollywood Derby and six other Grade II races, stands at Rancho San Miguel in California for a fee of $9,000. "She is quite a character already, thrilling everyone with her looks," co-owner and breeder Alice Bamford said of the newborn filly. "In addition to being correct,...

With additional rain forecast in the area, officials at Santa Anita have announced the cancellation of the live card originally programmed for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Monday, Jan. 16. As was announced when the track revealed that the Saturday, Jan. 14 program was also to be called off, racing will take place Friday, Jan. 20, originally a dark day due to the holiday racing. Santa Anita will remain open as planned for live racing this Sunday, Jan. 15, highlighted by the redrawn GIII La Canada S., which was transferred...

With a 100% probability of rain for this coming Saturday, officials at Santa Anita Park have announced the cancellation of the day's eight-race program. Following discussions with the California Thoroughbred Trainers, Thoroughbred Owners of California and the California Horse Racing Board, the races originally scheduled for Saturday will be offered as extras for Sunday, Monday (holiday racing) and Friday, Jan. 20. The GIII La Canada S. is currently listed as an extra for Sunday. Friday, Jan. 20 was meant to be a dark day given Monday's MLK-day program. "With the...

Riding full-time in the U.S. for the first time in his storied career, Frankie Dettori has brought his talents to Arcadia, California, where he has settled in as a regular in the Santa Anita jockey's colony. Dettori joined this week's TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland to discuss his three wins on opening day, his expectations for the Santa Anita meet, his search for a contender for the GI Kentucky Derby and his plans to retire after this year's Breeders' Cup. Dettori was this week's Green Group Guest of...