retirement

After riding over 1,500 winners in a 25-year career, Tom Scudamore retired on Friday, the 40-year-old announced. He bows out with 10 Cheltenham Festival winners under his belt, highlighted by Thistlecrack (GB) (Kayf Tara {GB})'s World Hurdle victory in 2016. Scudamore took his last ride at Leicester on Thursday and after being unseated from Ya Know Yaseff (Ire) (Jet Away {GB}), he decided the time was right to exit the stage. He said, "I've had a fantastic time and all good things must come to an end. Unfortunately my time...

   In this TDN series, 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. This "Where Are They Now" story is a bit of a personal one for me. I first met popular New York-bred stakes winner Blindwillie McTell (Posse), affectionately known as Willie, back in 2018 when he was just a 2-year-old. I was there the day he made his debut, finishing a game second at 19-1 in a state-bred maiden special weight at...

Britain's winningmost trainer Mark Johnston is set to cease training under a joint-licence on Jan. 1, 2023 and cede his licence. His son Charlie, with whom he has trained in partnership throughout 2022, will now hold the licence solely. However, the elder Johnston and his wife, Deirdre, will continue in their roles at Johnson Racing, Ltd. Charlie has a number of entries in his own name for the first week of 2023. The Johnstons released the following statement to the TDN on Friday, "With effect from 1st Jan. 2023, the...

Group 1 winner Salios (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}--Salomina {Ger}, by Lomitas {GB}) has been retired from racing and will stand at Shadai Stallion Station beginning in 2023, www.winkeiba.jp reported on Tuesday. The Northern Racing-bred chestnut had been due to contest the G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile at Sha Tin on Sunday but was withdrawn after he was found to be lame in his left foreleg. A fee will be announced later for the Silk Racing Company colourbearer. Undefeated as a juvenile with his three-race campaign culminating in the G1 Asahi...

Red Oak Stable and Madaket Stable's Mind Control (Stay Thirsty), who has competed in 27 stakes since his debut in 2018, closed out his career in style Saturday, scoring his 11th black-type victory and third at the highest level in Aqueduct's GI Cigar Mile. With GI Pennsylvania Derby runner-up Zandon (Upstart) bet down to 3-5, Mind Control was dispatched as the 3-1 second choice, a gift to his faithful fans in his career finale. Away quickest of all, the bay was outrun by 58-1 shot Outlier (Not This Time) and...

Edited Press Release Forty-two Thoroughbred aftercare organizations have been awarded accreditation for 2022, including one that received accreditation for the first time, according to a press release from the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. The TAA, the only accrediting body in Thoroughbred aftercare, now has a network of 81 organizations with approximately 180 facilities in North America. "Congratulations to the 42 organizations who earned their Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance accreditation," said TAA President Jeffrey Bloom. "Earning TAA accreditation is a true testament to an organization's dedication to providing the best care possible for...

Group 1 winner Bayside Boy (Ire) (New Bay {GB}--Alava {Ire}, by Anabaa) has been retired and will stand at Ballylinch Stud in Ireland in 2023. A fee will be announced in due time for the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. hero and a limited number of shares will be available to breeders. Bred by Ballylinch and raced by Teme Valley Racing and Ballylinch in partnership, the Roger Varian-trained bay won the G2 Champagne S. as a juvenile and was also third at Group 1 level in both the Dewhurst S....

Mick Channon, who began training in 1989, will retire at the end of 2022, he announced on Saturday. The former football player will give his training operation to his son Jack. Now 73, Channon has saddled over 2,500 winners on the Flat in Britain, and his Group 1 winners include Piccolo (GB) (Warning {GB}), Zafeen (Fr) (Zafonic), Tobougg (Ire) (Barathea {Ire}) and Queen's Logic (Ire) (Grand Lodge). Channon said, "The licence will be handed over to Jack as from the start of next year. It's been a great way of...

The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP)'s executive vice president, Elisabeth Jensen, will retire from her position at the end of the year. During Jensen's leadership, which began in 2018, she oversaw the daily operations of the organization and was integral in expanding KEEP to address new issues facing the industry, as well as advancing the goal of preserving and promoting the horse industry's role as Kentucky's signature industry. KEEP is a highly visible advocate in Frankfort, Ky. and Washington, D.C. for both expanding the number of visas available to the...

Marc Van Gestel, currently Racing New South Wales's General Manager of Integrity and Chairman of Stewards, will become the next Hong Kong Jockey Club Chief Stipendiary Steward (CSS) in January 2023, the HKJC announced on Friday. He replaces current HKJC CSS Kim Kelly, who is retiring after joining the HKJC in 2002 and became the CSS in 2009. Van Gestel began his career as a stipendiary steward in 1992, and became Racing NSW's Deputy Chairman of Stewards in 2006. He was appointed Racing NSW's Chairman of Stewards in 2016. Van...

There has been no shortage of talking points at Royal Ascot this week but, perhaps the most controversial incident of them all came in the opening race on Thursday, when Paul Hanagan received a 10-day careless riding ban for veering halfway across the track en route to victory in the G2 Norfolk S. aboard The Ridler (GB) (Brazen Beau {Aus}). From that controversy to another forgettable afternoon's work for Frankie Dettori, out of luck aboard Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in the G1 Gold Cup and The Queen's 2-5...

Sam Waley-Cohen, who was riding in his final race before retirement, booted home 50-1 shot Noble Yeats (Ire) (Yeats {Ire}) to a 2 1/4-length victory in the G3 Randox Grant National. The amateur rider had announced his pending retirement on Thursday. Any Second Now (Ire) (Oscar {Ire}) was second after running third in 2021, 20 lengths ahead of Cheltenham winner Delta Work (Fr) (Network {Ger}). "He ran for me, he couldn't go the early pace and I just tried to find pockets to give him a bit of space to...