trainer

Ronald "Ronnie" C. Cartwright, a Maryland-based trainer who conditioned multiple graded-stakes winners throughout his career, passed away Nov. 11 at the age of 93. A steeplechase jockey who then trained from the late 1960's through 2005, Cartwright won almost 700 races and his horses earned more than $13 million. His graded-stakes winners included Mz. Zill Bear (Salutely), Castelets (King's Bishop), Miss Slewpy (Slewpy), Palliser Bay (Frosty the Snowman) and Mymet (Mehmet). "I've been in this for 60 years and will miss it," Cartwright said soon after he retired in 2005....

Trainer Whit Beckman recaps his first graded stakes victory with Honor Marie in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S.

Two Labradors grace the front steps of the main house at Shawnee Farm. Their dark coats glossy in the sunlight, the affable mother-daughter pair are among the eight generations of hunting dogs bred by G. Watts Humphrey Jr. and his wife Sally. As much as the sport of horse racing has been an unwavering passion for the Humphreys throughout their many years together, so too has their shared penchant for bird hunting. In fact, the sport led them into forming a business relationship that evolved into a lifelong friendship--one that...

Veteran trainer Larry Demeritte stayed vigilant through the very end of last year's Keeneland September Sale, taking a close look at every yearling going through the ring during the final session. With less than 20 hips to go, when most buyers were long gone and many consignments were already packed up, he raised his hand on Hip 4146. Coming in with a winning bid of $11,000 for the son of Exaggerator, Demeritte signed the ticket for his longtime client Harry Veruchi. "I stay at the sale and look at every...

Doug Cowans, trainer of graded stakes-winning marathon specialist Next, joins the TDN Writers' Room.

Veteran trainer Dick Clark, who was based at Prairie Meadows this summer, has received a 90-month suspension and an $62,500 fine from the Horse Racing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU). The lengthy suspension and the fines were the result of five different positive tests that occurred with horses trained by Clark from June 19 to July 24. He was suspended 18 months and fined $12,500 for each offense. Clark's suspension is the lengthiest one handed down so far by HIWU. According to the HIWU website, in each case there was,...

John Ortiz draws the analogy of playing cards to what it feels like going into a stakes race at Saratoga. Everyone keeps their hand close and you never can tell who might be bluffing. But the trainer of Brightwork (Outwork) may have let his poker face slip when he spoke with Irad Ortiz Jr. in the paddock ahead of the GIII Adirondack S. on Sunday. "I walked in there confident and with a smile," Ortiz shared. "Irad had worked her and I said, 'You know what you've got and I...

Melanie Giddings had originally planned on a no-stress summer when she decided to move her fledgling stable from its home base at Palm Meadows up to New York for the Saratoga meet. "I had said, 'Why don't we just go up to Saratoga and enjoy ourselves?'" Giddings recalled with her signature easy smile. "No pressure, no nothing. Just take the horses there and see what we can do." Those expectations went out the window pretty quickly when a filly named Maple Leaf Mel (Cross Traffic) landed in her barn. The...

Dallas Keen, the Texas-based conditioner who has been training since 1986, has reportedly retired and will work alongside his wife, Donna Keen, at Remember Me Racehorse Rescue, according to Daily Racing Form. Accredited by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA), Remember Me is a well-known and high-profile retraining and rehoming program that often features bridleless horses. "I just want to make a difference with horses, especially off-track Thoroughbreds," Keen told DRF. "They're a little different than other horses. They're high-spirited. It's amazing how well they adapt to their second career. It's...

The British EBF, British horseracing's most active sponsor, has welcomed the appointment of two new Trustees to its board this month. Julian Dollar, the general manage of Newsells Park Stud since 2006 and prior to that the manager at Castleton Lyons in Kentucky, has joined the EBF as a trustee. He was also the assistant manager to Chris Richardson at Cheveley Park Stud. Currently standing at Newsells Park are A'Ali, Without Parole and Nathaniel. Joining Dollar as a trustee is recently retired Newmarket trainer Chris Wall, who will bring race...

It was a day Greg Foley will never forget when his stable got to the winner's circle for not just one, but two stakes wins last Saturday at Ellis Park. The barn's beloved Bango (Congrats) added to his already impressive resume when he took the Kelly's Landing S. Not long after, Stitched (Mizzen Mast) pulled a 46-1 upset in the GII Wise Dan S. to give Foley his second career Grade II victory. "It was an exciting day for sure," Foley said later the following week. "It was one of...

Attorney Alan Pincus Discusses HIWU Suspensions on the TDN Writers' Room.