Thoroughbred Daily News

For the past two weeks, we have been telling you how some of racing's biggest names fell in love with the sport. Now it's our turn. Here are some of the stories behind the bylines you see every day in the TDN. Stefanie Grimm, Staff Writer For me, racing was a natural continuation born from a love of all things horses and athletics. Growing up as the only horse person in a very much non-horse family, my only exposure to racing was when I joined millions of viewers each year...

Emma Berry, European editor at Thoroughbred Daily News, is among the writers shortlisted for the 2024 HWPA Derby Awards, which take place at the Lancaster Hotel in London on Monday, December 2. Berry is nominated in the Specialist Writer of the Year category, along with Lee Mottershead, Tom Peacock and Alan Sweetman from the Racing Post. The shortlist for the Racing Writer of the Year features two previous winners in Mottershead, bidding for a fourth victory, and Peter Thomas, who lifted the trophy in 2022. The pair are joined by...

Three outlets will receive internship funding assistance for 2024, according to the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters. The organization will assist in funding internship expenses for positions with Thoroughbred Daily News, XBTV and the New York Racing Association. The organization had planned to award $5,000 to two outlets, but was met with a number of quality applications and decided to commit a total of $6,000 to three. "Last year we were happy to support two print media-based internship positions, and this year NTWAB is thrilled to assist media outlets in...

Gladys Weisbord, the mother of former Thoroughbred Daily News publisher Barry Weisbord and grandmother of BSW Bloodstock and Elite Sales founder Brad Weisbord, passed away Monday evening. She was 94. Barry Weisbord, who founded Matchmaker Breeders Exchange in the 1980's and started the American Racing Championship Series in the 1990's, credited his mother's early support of his love of racing with launching, not just his career as an innovator in the sport, but also that of his son. "Unlike a lot of people in our industry, I was not introduced...

Sue Morris Finley, Publisher & CEO of the Thoroughbred Daily News, spent her childhood driving back and forth to Aqueduct, Belmont and Saratoga with her family. In 1993, she was part of the team that took over the production of the Thoroughbred Daily News, and oversaw its move to Red Bank, NJ, becoming its co-publisher. For 12 years, she was the First Vice President of the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, a national organization dedicated to the humane retirement of former racehorses, and served three years on the board of the Thoroughbred...

Christie DeBernardis has been appointed regional manager of the United States and wider Americas and as senior media manager of the China Horse Club. An Eclipse Award-winning journalist, DeBernardis spent 10 years as editor at Thoroughbred Daily News. "Christie's appointment comes at a time when the China Horse Club's involvement in the United States, in particular, is maturing. The fruits of our efforts over many years are just starting to be seen," said Teo Ah Khing, China Horse Club's Chairman. "The management of this arm of the Club is understandably...

Marie Kizenko has joined the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association team as communications manager. A racing industry veteran, Kizenko served as a senior editor for 14 years at the Thoroughbred Daily News before working as a freelance writer and communications consultant. She returned to racing on a full-time basis in 2019 and most recently served as stakes coordinator for the Maryland Jockey Club. "This is a fascinating time for the racing industry in New York," Kizenko said. "NYTHA's core missions of benevolence, equine welfare, and safeguarding the interests of its...

Kelsey Riley will join Cornett, the award-winning, Lexington-based marketing agency, as a Senior Account Executive. Riley will lead the marketing team for Lane's End Farm. Riley joins Cornett after 10 years with Thoroughbred Daily News, including seven years as International Editor, a role that included managing the editorial content of TDN Europe and traveling to sales and races globally. Riley is a graduate of Darley Flying Start (now Godolphin Flying Start) and has a degree in media studies and journalism from the University of Guelph-Humber in Toronto, Canada. Riley succeeds...

The "Race to Give," an online giving and awareness program to support Thoroughbred aftercare was launched Wednesday by Hagyard Equine Medical Institute and Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA). RaceToGive.org is its website and central hub. "2021 marks our 145th anniversary of caring for the equine industry," said Dr. Luke Fallon, DVM, of Hagyard Equine Medical Institute. "These equine athletes have given us so much over the last century and a half. Our veterinarians created the Race to Give to demonstrate our appreciation.  Leading an effort to support the critical area of...

Tired of all the bad news? So were we. So, in our new series, we focus on the positive, asking people from non-horse racing families two questions: how they get hooked, and how they'll hook someone else on horse racing this year. CHRISTA MARRILLIA, VICE PRESIDENT & CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER, KEENELAND What was the experience that made you fall in love with horse racing? So like many who grew up in Central Kentucky, my passion for the sport sparked from my experiences at Keeneland. In high school, I would skip...

For the past three years, no trainer in America has won more races than Karl Broberg. He has been described as `the most driven man in horse racing' with an insatiable appetite for success. But Broberg's 2016 took a tragic turn when his wife Samantha was declared lost at sea after falling overboard from a cruise ship in May. This week, Broberg talks about putting his life back together and raising his four children after the tragedy.