The mint juleps are your responsibility, as are the party decorations and hats. But Churchill Downs promised a big event in 2020 on the first Saturday in May — and Kentucky Derby fans will get one, virtually. No, the Kentucky Derby hasn’t been un-postponed. It’s still scheduled to run on […]
Horse Racing
With Strict Safety Rules, French Racing Plans a Return to the Track in May
Racing officials in France outlined a plan this week to resume racing at French tracks on May 11, a move that could signal a return to racing across Europe in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. After meetings between French racing officials from the various governing bodies and government ministers, […]
Nebraska’s Fonner Park Receives Extension, Will Race Through May
Horseplayers from around the world get another 12 days of Fonner Park races after Wednesday’s announcement that the Nebraska State Racing Commission unanimously approved the track’s extension for a second season of racing. Originally set to end its racing season April 29, Fonner Park gets an additional 12 days of […]
Tampa Bay Downs Might Extend Racing Meet Well Into May
Welcome news greeted horsemen as they read Friday’s overnight entries list for one of the few North American racetracks still running live racing amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “Attention horsemen: We are seriously considering extending the meet. We need everyone to adhere to the protocols for COVID-19 that were handed out […]
Oklahoma’s Remington Park Suspends Pick Six after Payout Controversy
The Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission ordered Remington Park to stop offering its Sooner 6ix jackpot wager after a bettor complaint created a controversy over the wager’s payout. Jeff Arthur, a Virginia bettor, filed the complaint with the OHRC last week. He argued he had the only winning Sooner 6ix ticket […]
After Month Off, Award-Winning Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. Returns To The Pack
Irad Ortiz Jr. is used to being out in front. Now, with the announcement the two-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey is returning to racing after a month’s hiatus, Ortiz is returning to the pack. Ortiz’s agent, Steve Rushing, confirmed to Horse Racing Nation his client plans returning to the saddle Saturday […]
Overflowing Arkansas Derby Field May Require Two Divisions
It’s the only Kentucky Derby prep currently on the calendar, which explains why the Arkansas Derby is popular these days. But 99 nominations popular? To paraphrase Roy Scheider’s character from “Jaws” – “Someone’s gonna need a bigger race.” Oaklawn Park published the Arkansas Derby nominations list over the weekend, a […]
Yes, There’s a Triple Crown Race Sunday — Japan’s Satsuki Sho
This being mid-April, let the speculation begin on which horse can pull off one of the hardest feats in sports: winning the Triple Crown. By this Sunday – Saturday in the United States – we’ll know who took that first step by winning the Satsuki Sho. The Satsuki Sho? Also […]
Apple Blossom Handicap Blooms As Brightest Filly and Mare Race To Date
This is the field quality you usually see racing in the Breeders’ Cup in November, not the Apple Blossom Handicap in April. Deep, talented, accomplished, versatile in terms of running styles – it’s all there. And it’s there at Oaklawn Park. The $600,000, Grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap is typically […]
Belmont Park Opening Date TBD, Belmont Stakes Still Scheduled for June
The status of the Belmont Stakes remains up in the air while the New York Racing Association has grounded racing at Belmont Park. The organization delayed the spring/summer meet due to the coronavirus pandemic. Belmont Park’s meet was to last 51 days, running from April 24 through July 12. From […]
Apple Blossom Favorite Serengeti Empress Blazes a Roller-Coaster Trail
She looms over the Apple Blossom Handicap field as a first-among-equals favorite. But royal resume, career victories and pedigree aside, Serengeti Empress wears the uneasy crown of a favorite with more to prove, and a desire to exit the roller coaster marking her career to date. Not that you’d turn […]
British Race Officials Extend Racing Shutdown Past Target Date
With no new date established to resume racing, the British Horse Racing Authority this week extended its coronavirus shutdown to sometime after May 1. But the BHA did leave wiggle room to resume racing without spectators in May. This wiggle room did not spare York Racecourse officials from canceling their […]
Gulfstream Park to Host First 2-Year-Old Race of 2020
Gulfstream Park’s 11-race Thursday card isn’t one to send the blood racing. There isn’t a stakes race, let alone a graded-stakes race, to be found. And the two “feature” races are both allowance claimers. But the otherwise ordinary Thursday card does feature something kind of special in its second race. […]
Nebraska’s Fonner Park Enjoying Record Handle, Global Interest
In a normal year, most horse racing fans living on either end of the United States couldn’t find Fonner Park without GPS or Google maps. Not even TVG, your go-to video source for all things horse racing, has spent much time examining the happenings from Fonner Park, about an hour-and-a-half […]
Backstretch Essential: Santa Anita Pushes to Resume Racing on Humanitarian Grounds
Amid harrowing tales of isolated backstretch workers facing layoffs, and with a planned move to Los Alamitos now dead, Santa Anita Park executives proposed a meeting with Alameda County health officials for Saturday in another effort to resume spectator-free racing. The horsemen contend it’s essential for the health and safety […]
Officials Freeze Saudi Cup Purse Pending Internal Investigation
In the latest fallout from a long-running horse doping scandal ensnaring some of the sports top trainers and veterinarians, the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia announced it is withholding the purse distribution for the $20 million Saudi Cup pending its own internal investigation. Maximum Security won the Feb. 29, $20 […]
Oaklawn Stakes Vaults Into Prominence as Biggest Game in Any Town
Ignore for the moment that there are no Kentucky Derby qualifying points up for grabs at Saturday’s $200,000 Oaklawn Stakes. Instead, follow the lead of Hall of Fame trainers Bob Baffert and Steve Asmussen and pay attention to the opportunity. In Baffert’s case, it’s an opportunity to see how Thousand […]
Queen Elizabeth Stakes Headlines Day 2 of The Championships
The fact there is a main event in the COVID-19 era took a back seat for Day 2 of tonight’s The Championships from Royal Randwick in Sydney. The biggest question horse racing fans across racing-mad Australia have is this: How do you follow a superhorse in the main event? That […]
Is Florida Horse Racing Booming amid Shutdown? New Races Added for April
With most horse racing canceled throughout the country in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gulfstream Park in Florida finds itself a surprising beneficiary due to horsemen staying put in one of the few states still featuring live racing. As a result of a deeper-than-usual horse population – both in numbers […]
New Jersey’s Monmouth Park Delays Opening Day To July 3
Responding to the state’s prolific number of COVID-19 cases, New Jersey’s Monmouth Park became the latest American racetrack to push its opening day back when officials announced the facility will open on July 4 weekend instead of on May 2. As a result, Monmouth Park whittled its racing schedule down […]