Kentucky

Applications for the 2023 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America, are now open for submission, the Retired Racehorse Project announced Tuesday. The application period closes at 5:00 p.m. EST on Jan. 20. Accepted trainers will be announced no later than Feb. 15. Interested applicants can start the application process now by logging on to Retired Racehorse Project website. Entering its ninth year at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, horses and trainers will compete for more than $110,000 in total prize money, plus the coveted...

As part of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA)'s month-long Holiday Giving Campaign, Aidan Butler and his beloved off-track Thoroughbred Cannonstone have pledged to match all donations up to $2,500 made to the TAA Dec. 24. A member of TAA's Board of Directors and CEO of 1/ST RACING AND GAMING, Butler continues to be an advocate for the sport through safety, innovation, and aftercare initiatives. "The TAA is vital to the success and longevity of our racing industry," said Butler. "On a personal level, I wouldn't have my beloved horse Cannonstone...

by Margaret Ransom A one-two finish from Communication Memo and Two Rocket in Friday's 6th race at Oaklawn Park and their combined earnings of $72,000 helped Bolt d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro) extend his lead over Good Magic (Curlin) and Justify (Scat Daddy) in the first-year stallion earnings race heading into the weekend. Not willing to wave the white flag just yet, Good Magic's Almurtajiz, a $290,635 ARQMAY purchase earlier this year, finished second in the G3 Ministry of National Guard Cup at Riyadh in Saudi Arabia on Friday and picked up...

Within minutes of Flightline crossing the wire in another jaw-dropping victory in the Breeders' Cup Classic, the question buzzing across the racing world was whether we would get the chance to see him race again. Many argued against his retirement, saying racing needs a hero and, at least right now and for the foreseeable future, he is certainly it. Some 16 hours later, we got our answer. The unbeaten sensation was retired to the Lane's End stallion barn, where he is already in high demand. Many were saddened to see...

Edited Press Release Keeneland has purchased historic Manchester Farm. Located on the northern boundary of Keeneland Race Course, Manchester Farm is one of the most recognizable farms in Kentucky. Originally named Manchester Springs Plantation after a creek that runs through the property, the farm has a rich history that dates back to the 1700s. In 1804, Francis Keen (first generation of the Keene family) passed 200 acres of Manchester Springs Plantation to his son. The land remained in the Keen/Keene family for five generations until 1935, when J.O. "Jack" Keene...

Lexington, KY - Spendthrift Farm opened the doors to its new B. Wayne Hughes Visitors Center on Tuesday, Nov. 1 as part of the lead-up to the Breeders' Cup World Championships. Named in honor of the farm's late founder, the 7,000 square-foot, two story facility will serve as the home for Spendthrift's tourism. The building is located between the farm's stallion complex and main office and features a trophy room, which showcases Spendthrift's collection of trophies, artifacts and racing memorabilia, as well as a gift shop.   Spendthrift owners Eric...

The 2022 Breeders' Cup Festival Week in Lexington features a series of events aimed to bring together locals and visitors alike in the days leading up to the main event at Keeneland. The week-long celebration kicks off on Sunday, Oct. 30, with the Isaac Murphy Art Garden Party and Family Stroll. Participants have the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of legends as they stroll from the Isaac Murphy Art Garden to Oliver Lewis Way along the newly-completed Town Branch Commons, a public-private trail system that follows Town Branch Creek...

The Jockey Club has released its Report of Mares Bred (RMB) statistics for the 2022 breeding season. Through Oct. 18, 2022 and based on the RMBs received, a total of 925 stallions covered 27,163 mares in North America this year, a decrease of the reported 27,829 mares from 2021. In Kentucky, the state's 196 reported stallions served 16,689 mares, a number which translates to 61.4% of all breeding activity in North America. That number reflects a decrease of 0.2% from last year when 16,727 mares were reported as bred in...

Stuart Fitzgibbon has been named Stallion Director of Darby Dan Farm. He previously served as stallion seasons sales manager at Ashford Stud and Coolmore, and as general manager, commercial, at Castleton Lyons. "I am delighted to be joining the team at Darby Dan headed by John Phillips," Fitzgibbon said. "Darby Dan has a very celebrated history in the world of bloodstock racing and breeding and continues to offer breeders stallions the caliber of Dialed In and Tapiture that are proven on the track. It's an exciting time to become a...

Through the conclusion of racing at Keeneland Sunday Oct. 15, more than $1.1 million has been returned to bettors since the introduction of penny breakage--rounding pari-mutuel winnings to the penny and not the dime--less than two months ago, according to a blog post from the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation (TIF). TIF was a vocal supporter and champion of the penny breakage provision, the first of its kind in North America as part of broader legislation designed to standardize pari-mutuel taxation. "The total is even higher than $1.1 million, that is just...

In this new TDN column, Christie DeBernardis will tell the stories of accomplished and/or popular former racehorses who are now enjoying second careers as show horses, track ponies, etc. Champion sprinter Whitmore (Pleasantly Perfect) and Laura Moquett's relationship goes back to when he was just a 2-year-old who refused to go around the racetrack without some coaxing. Fast forward seven years and that cantankerous juvenile is now an Eclipse winner and Breeders' Cup winner and has been retired from racing as Moquett's personal riding horse. On Thursday, less than 13...

The phrase is traced to Bob Hope, apparently when challenged by a heckler during one of his military morale-boosters to explain why he wasn't in uniform. "Don't you know there's a war on?" he replied. "A guy could get hurt!" It would have been perfectly legitimate for one of the Keeneland auctioneers to respond in similar vein to the torrent of bidding that elevated the September Sale to unprecedented highwater marks. Somehow, the kind of factors that traditionally send markets into nauseous free fall have failed to stem a breathless...