Stakes Recap: Louisiana Derby & Essex

Bryce Miller, a San Diego Union-Tribune writer who earned a media Eclipse Award in 2019, died March 22. He was 56. Miller earned the media Eclipse in the News/Enterprise Writing category for his Dec. 8, 2018, story in the San Diego Union-Tribune: “Anniversary of Deadly San Luis Rey Fire Strains Still.” Del Mar plans to…

The 2022 class of first-crop sires is an impressive group. It comprises 20% of the current top 25 of the General Sires List based on progeny earnings. These sires—which include Justify  , Mendelssohn  , Bolt d’Oro  , and Good Magic  —have been spread throughout the rankings. One member of this up-and-coming group of sires has steadily grown in stature…

As major renovations continue at Belmont Park, NYRA officials expressed steadfast confidence in the project’s completion by fall 2026 at a June 13 meeting of the New York State Franchise Oversight Board. The board met for a regularly scheduled meeting following a Friday morning announcement by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and NYRA that the Belmont Stakes…

Kentucky’s horse industry is much more than the first Saturday in May. Driven by family farms, small businesses, and professionals from veterinarians to truck drivers, the industry contributes more than $6.5 billion to Kentucky’s economy every year. The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) Foundation launched Horses Work for Kentucky to shed light on the impact…

Consignor Ciaran Dunne routinely says there is no hiding a good horse on the sale grounds. Sure enough, during the fourth day of the under tack show for the Ocala Breeders’ Sales June 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale, some promising members of Dunne’s Wavertree Stables consignment were anything but incognito. Amidst clear skies and…

In a 4-3 vote during a contentious May 15 meeting in Sacramento, Calif., the California Horse Racing Board denied awarding race dates for the Humboldt County Fair at Ferndale in Northern California. Thoroughbred racing in California is consolidated in the southern part of the state. Last month, the CHRB rejected a request from the Alameda County…