stewards

The final three races of the Qatar Goodwood Festival Saturday card were cancelled after the racecourse failed to pass inspection after the Coral Stewards' Cup. A group of officials, trainers and jockeys went to inspect the track, and paid particular attention to the bend into the home straight. After the running of the G2 Lillie Langtry S. at 3 p.m, which took place during a torrential downpour, some jockeys were concerned regarding the state of the round course. Ed Arkell, Goodwood's director of racing, told Racing TV, "The jockeys expressed...

Dear TDN Editor: Some may argue that Thoroughbred racing is a contact sport. Twelve-hundred-pound athletes running at 40 mph around an oval and navigating through holes as tight as the eye of a needle might support that reasoning. Our racing stewards are there to guard against the worst from happening and protecting the integrity and safety of the sport of Thoroughbred racing. With the eyes of a hawk, they are doing their job well from their perch atop the clubhouse. All are accredited with experience and must be commended for...

While veterinary scrutiny has increased, communication has not, as U.S. racing has fallen short in the transparency space both this year and many years in the past, the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation (TIF) said on their website on Wednesday. According to the TIF report, there were more than 33,000 races for Thoroughbreds in the U.S. in 2022, but if you asked the public to name just three of them, chances are they would be the GI Kentucky Derby, the GI Preakness S. and the GI Belmont S. The report takes the...

John Veitch, a Hall of Famer who trained numerous stars, including Alydar, whose legendary battles with Affirmed were part of one of the sport's greatest rivalries, passed away Tuesday in Lexington, Kentucky. He was 77. The news of Veitch's passing was first reported by the Blood-Horse. Veitch's training career ran from 1974 through 2003. According to Equibase, he had 410 career winners and his stable amassed earnings of $20,097,980. He won 76 graded stakes and 93 stakes races overall. Veitch's best years came as the head trainer for Calumet Farm....

When Trevor McCarthy went down in a spill Friday at Aqueduct and broke his collar bone and his pelvis, retired rider Richard Migliore said he was upset but not surprised. Migliore, whose son Joe Migliore is McCarthy's jockey agent, said he had been growing increasingly concerned as New York riders continued to be more and more aggressive while the stewards seem to look the other way. Something like this, he figured, was bound to happen, he said. "People run into each other now with impunity," said Migliore, an analyst on...

Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup of key official rulings from the primary tracks within the four major racing jurisdictions of California, New York, Florida and Kentucky. Here's a primer on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public (or not) and where. With the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) having gone into effect July 1, the TDN will also post a roundup of the relevant HISA-related rulings from the same week.California Track: Del Mar Date: 08/11/2022 Licensee:  Derrick Brown, owner Penalty: Suspension Violation:...

Last month, the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) issued a complaint against trainer Richard Baltas alleging that between Apr. 15 and May 8 this year, 23 horses in his care had been administered on race-day a substance containing the plant extracts higenamine and paenol in violation of the board's rules. A hearing on the complaint, originally scheduled for early and then possibly late July, is now set for Aug. 3 with the Del Mar stewards beginning at 9 a.m., according to CHRB spokesperson, Mike Marten, in an email Friday afternoon....

The NYRA stewards have decided not to take action against Jose Lezcano for his controversial ride aboard Foxtail (Mizzen Mast) in last Sunday's first race at Aqueduct. Lezcano's mount lost the race by a neck after what the chart caller described as, "the rider took a peak behind him at the five-sixteenths, took the advantage while the rider took five more looks to his inside into upper stretch, was asked while surprised by the presence of the winner to her outside at the three-sixteenths then lost the advantage, kept on...

John Herbuveaux and Daryl E. Parker were recognized as the 2021 Pete Pedersen Award by the Racing Officials Accreditation Program (ROAP) at the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program's Global Symposium on Racing and Gaming Awards Luncheon in Tucson, Arizona Tuesday. The award is presented to stewards who have demonstrated professional excellence, integrity, and benevolent consideration in the performance of their duties. Contributions of time and expertise to the horse racing industry on the local and national levels are also significant factors in the selection of Pedersen award winners....

The Authentic (Into Mischief) who won the GI Haskell S. at Monmouth by a nose didn't look like a horse that could win the GI Kentucky Derby. Against a field decidedly weaker than what he would face seven weeks later at Churchill Downs, he nearly squandered a 2 1/2-length lead in the stretch and seemed to be running on fumes in the last few yards of the mile-and-an-eighth race. The mile-and-a-quarter loomed as a major obstacle. Even trainer Bob Baffert acknowledged that Authentic needed to take things to another level....

Samantha Randazzo has been named The Jockey Club steward at Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack upon the resignation of Don Combs. Randazzo will start at Finger Lakes Aug. 3. The appointment was announced by Stuart S. Janney III, the chairman of The Jockey Club. "Samantha brings a diverse background to her new position as The Jockey Club's steward at Finger Lakes," said Janney. "Her time as an assistant trainer, state steward, and safety steward, combined with a law degree, make her well-equipped to uphold the integrity of horse racing in...

The following is an open letter from the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation: "Will this action foster increased participation and confidence from horseplayers and horse owners?" This should be the question considered by all decision-makers in horse racing. Strong storms cascaded through the area around Gulfstream Park on Saturday morning. Besides races on grass being shifted to the dirt and that course being downgraded to sloppy, there was another significant change on the day. The storm knocked-out several camera positions, including head-on views and a remote camera positioned to capture starts deep...