Wise Dan

Celebrating 40 Years of the Breeders' Cup John Henry famously didn't make it to the Breeders' Cup. Da Hoss famously did, after a two-year layoff with a mere allowance prep. In this industry, where geldings at the elite levels are the exception and not the norm, those geldings tend to become beloved fan favorites. Perhaps it's because they often have longer race careers than their compatriots whose breeding careers must be considered. Right up there in the lexicon of the special 31 geldings to have won a Breeders' Cup are...

Churchill Downs Racetrack officials have opted to suspend racing over the Matt Winn Turf Course for four stakes events on Saturday and Sunday "to allow the root system on the new course to continue to develop", the track said in a release.. Racing on turf at Churchill Downs was initially paused June 11 with hope for a possible return on closing weekend of the Spring Meet. The decision to cease was made following turf training over the seven-furlong grass oval Tuesday. "The root system for the new Bermuda-hybrid continues to...

Nobody was paying a great deal of attention to him back then, either. But before ceding the weekend headlines to those storied Oaklawn handicaps, the GI Apple Blossom and GII Oaklawn, perhaps we can all take a step back and pay an overdue tribute to a novice who came to Hot Springs in the winter of 1977. Charlie LoPresti had just turned 20 and, learning the ropes under trainer Joe Cantey, was able to count Cox's Ridge and Miss Raja among the first Thoroughbreds to stimulate the skill and devotion...

Trainer Charlie LoPresti, who conditioned Morton Fink's Wise Dan (Wiseman's Ferry) to victories in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile and Horse of the Year titles in 2012 and 2013, told Daily Racing Form that he is retired from training. A New York native, LoPresti began training horses in 1993 and fully 16 years later wa s represented by his first winner at the graded level when Successful Dan (Successful Appeal), a Fink-owned and -bred son of Lisa Danielle (Wolf Power {SAf}) won the GIII Northern Dancer S. His half-brother Wise...

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame announced the 2020 Hall of Fame induction ceremony and the Museum Ball has been canceled as a result of the ongoing health and safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. "We are incredibly disappointed we won't be able to have these time-honored special events this summer, but the health concerns we are facing right now take precedence," said John Hendrickson, president of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. "The Hall of Fame ceremony is an experience we want...

Seven new members have been elected to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. The class of 2020 is comprised of trainer Mark Casse and racehorse Wise Dan (Wiseman's Ferry) in the contemporary category; jockey Darrel McHargue and racehorse Tom Bowling via the Historic Review Committee; and Pillars of the Turf selections Alice Headley Chandler, J. Keene Daingerfield, Jr., and George D. Widener, Jr. The Hall of Fame induction ceremony is tentatively scheduled for Friday, Aug. 7 at the Fasig-Tipton sales pavilion in Saratoga. The Museum is monitoring...

Six racehorses, four trainers, and one jockey make up the 11 finalists to be included on the National Museum of Racing's 2020 Hall of Fame ballot. The list, released Monday, includes racehorses Blind Luck, Game On Dude (first year of eligibility), Havre de Grace, Kona Gold, Rags to Riches, and Wise Dan (first year of eligibility); trainers Mark Casse, Christophe Clement, Doug O'Neill, and David Whiteley; and jockey Corey Nakatani. The finalists were selected by the Hall of Fame's Nominating Committee from a total of 91 initial candidates suggested by...