Gulfstream Park announcer Pete Aiello is headed west for a three-day race-calling excursion. Aiello will take over in the Santa Anita Park announcer’s booth June 6-8 as regular announcer Frank Mirahmadi will be at Saratoga Race Course to call its five-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival. Filling in for Aiello at Gulfstream Park will be young up-and-comer Liam…
Bill Luster, a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer for The Courier Journal and regular contributor to BloodHorse, died May 29. He was 80. Luster, who covered 55 editions of the Kentucky Derby (G1), shot photos for feature stories in BloodHorse magazine and provided event coverage. “Luster was a giant in the world of photojournalism,” wrote Joseph…
The enforcement arm for the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority has announced suspensions of a pair of Ohio veterinarians in resolving cases that date back to the fall of 2023. In a resolution posted May 30 to its website, the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit noted that Dr. Barbara Hippie and Dr. Margaret Smyth each…
The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today announced the sponsored stakes lineup for the 2025 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at historic Saratoga Race Course which will take place from Wednesday, June 4 through Sunday, June 8. Headlined by the 157th running of the Grade 1, $2 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets, the…
Charles Allen will not take up his role as chair of the British Horseracing Authority from the start of next month, British racing’s governing body confirmed May 30. A statement from the BHA said he wanted to speak to stakeholders “to better inform his vision for the sport,” but was looking forward to starting once…
The New York Racing Association and the New York State Gaming Commission have placed Barn 85 at Saratoga Race Course under a 14-day precautionary quarantine until further notice due to a positive case of strangles in that barn. Strangles is a bacterial infection of the equine upper respiratory tract and highly contagious. The disease can be…
The Belmont Stakes (G1) has a rich history dating back to its inception in 1867, which means there is no shortage of interesting numbers associated with the race that is often called the “Test of the Champion.” This year’s 157th running of the Belmont will be June 7 at Saratoga Race Course. Read on for…
The full field set for the June 1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby-G1) includes the first five finishers from the Satsuki Sho (Japanese Two Thousand Guineas-G1)—Museum Mile, Croix du Nord, Masquerade Ball, Giovanni and Satano Shining. And Shohei. We’ll get to him in a minute. Museum Mile was a bit of a long shot in that…
Dr. Connie Brown, an equine veterinarian who also bred a number of winning Thoroughbreds, died May 15. She was 71. Born July 22, 1953, to the late Coney and Jewel Cornett, Brown was raised in Greenville, Ohio, where her lifelong love of animals was sparked. She graduated from The Ohio State University with her veterinary…
In terms of race spacing, should the sport get the Belmont Stakes (G1) showdown it’s hoping for of Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Sovereignty and Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Journalism , there are some positive trends for each horse that should bring a smile to the faces of their connections and backers. Godolphin homebred Sovereignty would be…
