Woody Stephens

The walls of David Donk's stable in Saratoga can't talk, but there are two horsemen spending their mornings there this summer who have plenty of memories to share about the barn at the top of the far turn that once housed five consecutive Belmont Stakes winners. Donk and Phil Gleaves, a former trainer who now runs a small racing partnership, were both assistant trainers to legendary Hall of Fame trainer Woody Stephens early on in their careers and they still have stories to tell from the barn where Woody once...

Maybe our sport is still capable of bringing together four such people round a dinner table. But you have to doubt it. "They were comparing the theaters that they had played on the Vaudeville circuit," Dave Johnson recalls. "Which had the best backstage dressing rooms? Which had the best eating places, that you could walk to still with your costume and makeup on?" These memories were being shared between Johnson's mother and Fred Astaire. Moreover, both of those who were listening on, fascinated, had remarkable stories of their own: Astaire's...

ELMONT, NY - Breathe easy. Following significant improvement in air quality conditions throughout New York State, the 155th GI Belmont Stakes--celebrating the 50th anniversary of Secretariat's performance of a lifetime in the final leg of the Triple Crown--will go on as scheduled Saturday evening. If there's one sire's name that you want to see when handicapping the 1 1/2-mile Classic, it's Tapit. Responsible for a co-record four Belmont winners, two second-place finishers and two third-place finishers, the 22-year-old Gainesway kingpin will be represented by potential race favorite Tapit Trice (Tapit)...

Grade I winner and 2020 Louisiana Horse of the Year No Parole (Violence--Plus One, by Bluegrass Cat) has been purchased by Coteau Grove Farms and Whispering Oaks Farms and will stand at Whispering Oaks Farm in Carencro, Louisiana, for $3,500 live foal, stands and nurses. Coteau Grove's bloodstock advisor Andrew Cary of Cary Bloodstock brokered the deal. "We are very excited to be standing Louisiana-bred Grade I winner No Parole at Whispering Oaks, said Whispering Oaks owner Carrol Castille. "We are big supporters of the Louisiana breeding industry and it's...

The concept of the super trainer is by no means a new phenomenon in horse racing, but the huge stables run by super trainers have undoubtedly changed the landscape of the sport in many ways, from the backside to the racing entries. Are super trainers bad for the sport? Are there any benefits for an owner in using a "smaller" trainer? We asked these questions and more to a few trainers who may not be considered super trainers in terms of their stall numbers, but they have made the most...

David Richardson, M.D., a distinguished Kentucky-based surgeon who owned and bred Thoroughbreds for nearly half a century and was known as a thoughtful, cerebral racing regulator whose zeal for the sport shone through in his volunteer service on numerous industry-related boards, died Sept. 7 in Saratoga Springs, New York, after developing pneumonia related to COVID-19. Richardson had been briefly hospitalized in the intensive care unit at Saratoga Hospital; he was believed to be 76 years old. Chauncey Morris, the executive director of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association and Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners...

Drain the Clock (c, 3, Maclean's Music--Manki, by Arch) outslugged favored Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) by a neck to lead home a one-two finish for his sire in a thrilling renewal of the GI Woody Stephens S. at Belmont Park Saturday. It was 7 1/4 lengths back to Nova Rags (Union Rags) in third. With Jose Ortiz subbing for his sidelined brother Irad Ortiz, Jr., the last out GIII Bay Shore S. winner broke sharply and very briefly cleared the field of six. Jackie's Warrior, off a step slowly after...

ELMONT, NY -- 'TDN Rising Star' No Parole (Violence) exited his rail draw with his mind on business, and ran four quality rivals off their feet to collect a first top-level score in Saturday's GI Woody Stephens S. at Belmont Park. The Louisiana-bred cruised on the front end through an opening quarter in :22.31 with slightly favored 'Rising Star' Meru (Sky Mesa) and GIII Gotham S. winner Mischevious Alex (Into Mischief) giving chase in second and third. Mischevious Alex made his move into second and the turning- back 'TDN Rising...

The streaking Mischevious Alex (Into Mischief) will look for his fourth straight score, third at the graded level, versus four fellow sophomores in Saturday's GI Woody Stephens S. at Belmont Park. A jaw-dropping seven-length winner of Gulfstream's GIII Swale S. at this same seven-furlong distance, the speedy bay outslugged 10 rivals for a sharp decision in the GIII Gotham S. going a one-turn mile last time at the Big A Mar. 7. "I'd love to be running in the Belmont," trainer John Servis said. "But I wanted to run him...

The terms 'best' and 'favorite' are typically two subjective concepts when it comes the Thoroughbred racehorse. The TDN's Gary King reached out to key players from different facets of the industry to hear their thoughts. Email Gary King (garyking@thetdn.com) to have your say. I was a terrible hotwalker. In fairness, I didn't grow up around horses; I grew up going to the track. And by the time I got my first full-time job in racing in the NYRA press box, I had seen enough people get thrown, trampled and seriously...

Elizabeth 'Betty' Ranney Moran, who raced the likes of 1985 GI Belmont S. winner Creme Fraiche (Rich Cream) and bred the likes of champion Unique Bella and Hard Spun, passed away peacefully at her home in Malvern, Pennsylvania, Thursday, Jan. 23. She was 89 years old. "She was probably the most generous person I've ever met, not to just write a check, but ring a bell for the Salvation Army in downtown Philly. She was a tough, enthusiastic, hard-driving woman and we will all miss her very much," said Eaton...