British Columbia

Hastings Racecourse and Casino, a track located in Vancouver, British Columbia that began racing in 1889, has ceased the conduct of thoroughbred horse racing at the facility with immediate effect, the track announced Friday evening. In a statement posted to social media, the track noted that racing is typically conducted between the months of April and October and as such, there were no horses currently stabled on site. "This was an extremely difficult decision, especially given the historical legacy of Hastings Racecourse in the local community and its importance to...

A racetrack and gaming inspector for the province of British Columbia is due in a Vancouver court May 26 to answer to 36 breach-of-trust and bribery charges that allege he took money from Hastings-based trainers in exchange for supplying fake racing licenses so Mexican nationals without work permits could be employed as grooms. Canada's CBC News first broke the story Tuesday, citing information contained in a search warrant involving Darren Scott Young. The investigation dates to 2018, and was fleshed out after sources came forward to the government when immigration...

Canadian-based stallion Value Plus (Unbridled's Song--Roll Over Baby, by Rollin On Over), sire of Grade I winner and sire Long On Value, has been pensioned from stud duty due to failing health. Recruited from the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale by Steen and Cathy Reggelsen to stand at their Stride Away Thoroughbred operation in British Columbia, the 21-year-old stallion has sired the winners of over 200 races to date. "Value Plus has been a true friend to us and it was only right to be a friend to him and...

The British Columbia Thoroughbred Owners & Breeders Association (BCTOBA) and Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association of British Columbia (HBPA of BC) have banded together to help owners and breeders of British Columbia after noticing a decline in mares bred and a decline in entries to local sales, both believed to be due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. A five-year, two-part plan has been established. Internal adjustments to the purse accounts will provide a 35% bonus to those owners racing a BC-bred in 2022 through 2026, an increase from the current...

The Turf has no other odyssey quite like the one that ends at Churchill Downs. Where the Epsom original becomes ever less diverse, thanks to an inundation of two-bit speed in the European gene pool, the Kentucky Derby remains a faithful index of the grandeur and variegation of America's cultural self-image. From coast to coast, the thousands of potential winners who grazed their first spring pasture three years ago are now being winnowed down, trial by trial, to the 20 who finally share that momentous walk from the backside on...