TDN Podcast

On this week's episode of the TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland, the writers were joined by Oaklawn Park owner and president Louis Cella to discuss the challenges and logistics of running a race meet in the coronavirus era. Oaklawn, along with Gulfstream and Tampa, have led the way for major tracks continuing operations uninterrupted through the pandemic, and Cella, as the Green Group Guest of the Week, talked about the advice they can impart as other ones start to reopen. "Some of the details that we've shared with other tracks:...

Fresh off a dominant weekend at Oaklawn Park in which he swept both divisions of the GI Arkansas Derby, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert joined the TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland this week for a wide-ranging video interview. Calling in via Zoom as the Green Group Guest of the Week, Baffert talked about plans for his undefeated trio of Charlatan (Speightstown), Nadal (Blame) and Authentic (Into Mischief), why it was important to support California backstretch workers at last week's protest, taking over the training of Maximum Security,...

Thoroughbred Idea Foundation executive director Pat Cummings joined the TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland Wednesday to discuss a wide-ranging assortment of macro issues the sport is facing, and how it can be more efficient post-pandemic. Calling in via Zoom as the Green Group Guest of the Week, Cummings was asked about last week's #FreeDataFriday white paper posted by the TIF, in which he focused on the shockingly small percentage of purse money that is derived from wagering dollars. "It's been happening like this for a very long time...

Editor's note: Last week, the TDN ran a video urging people to donate to the New York Race Track Chaplaincy food pantry, which helps to provide food for the roughly 3,500 people who work with racehorses in New York. It has been viewed over 10,000 times, and the response has been heartwarming. Chaplain Humberto Chavez asked for the opportunity to say thank you. He recorded this podcast with the TDN's Patty Wolfe. Excerpts appear below. Click the play button to hear this as a podcast.  [audio mp3="https://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Humberto-Chavez-Thoroughbred-People-v1.mp3"][/audio] PW: This has...

In this week's TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland, NYTHA president Joe Appelbaum joined the crew as the Green Group Guest of the Week to talk about when we can expect to see racing again in New York, the efforts to help Belmont backstretch workers, his personal betting strategies and much more. "The situation on the backstretch has improved considerably, not unlike the rest of the situation in New York City," Appelbaum said. "In Nassau County, we're functioning. We have close to 1,500 horses there. They're training six days a...

It has been a tough couple of months for trainer Tom Amoss, whose father Jim passed away due to the coronovirus earlier this month. Amoss had his own personal scare as he went into quarantine after shaking the hand of New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton after a race at Oaklawn Park. Payton announced a few days later, he was positive for the virus. But Amoss remains upbeat as he tries to manage his stable through these difficult times.

As an organization with enormous interests in both the racing and sales worlds, Keeneland has been quick to act in response to the coronavirus pandemic, canceling its April 2-Year-Old Sale and Spring Meet in the early days of the sport's shutdown. They also were quick to reassure nervous buyers and sellers of yearlings that this year's marquee September Yearling Sale would proceed as scheduled, Sept. 14-26. President and CEO Bill Thomason joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland Wednesday, calling in via Zoom from his home as the Green...

Having ridden here, there and everywhere, British-born jockey Darryll Holland has announced that he will spend the 2020 season in Canada at Woodbine. That is...if he can get there.

The experimental rules regarding whipping that were in place during the final two months of the 2019 Woodbine meet will likely become permanent in 2020, Woodbine CEO Jim Lawson said on this week's TDN Writers' Room podcast, presented by Keeneland. Starting Oct. 18 and running through the end of the meet on Dec. 15. Woodbine riders were prohibited from striking horses with an overhanded motion. The rules were considered the most restrictive in North America when it comes to whipping. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) will have...

This week's Green Group Guest of the Week on the TDN's Writers' Room Podcast, Thoroughbred Idea Foundation Executive Director Pat Cummings, implored the racing industry to learn from what has happened in Pennsylvania and to end what he sees as decades of complacency. Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf has submitted a budget that calls for $204 million to be diverted from the state's Race Horse Development Fund and used for a program that would provide college scholarships for Pennsylvania residents. Should the money, which comes from slot machines proceeds, be taken...

Drew Mollica started his career in racing as a jockey agent, but had an epiphany at the age of 47: he was miserable. While keeping his day job, Mollica enrolled in law school, and today, is the most popular and affable lawyer on the New York Racing circuit. Mollica joins Joe Bianca, Bill Finley, Brian DiDonato and Jon Green to talk about Ahmed Zayat and other legal issues in this edition of the Writers' Room. Listen to this week's TDN Writers' Room Podcast here. 

Drew Mollica started his career in racing as a jockey agent, but had an epiphany at the age of 47: he was miserable. While keeping his day job, Mollica enrolled in law school, and today, is the most popular and affable lawyer on the New York Racing circuit. Mollica joins Joe Bianca, Bill Finley, Brian DiDonato and Jon Green to talk about Ahmed Zayat and other legal issues in this edition of the Writers' Room.