California

Last year, we conducted a popular Q and A series called 'Smaller But Still Super,' where we featured veteran trainers who have built a competitive racing stable with relatively small numbers (click here to view the archive). This year, we will highlight trainers who have already cut their teeth as novice trainers, but now have a few years of experience under their belt and are looking to make a name for themselves as they grow their stable. We'll talk about the challenges that come with hanging out your single, advice...

Due to ongoing inclement weather, Santa Anita has cancelled their Friday race card. Track officials said racing will continue as scheduled on Saturday and Sunday. Santa Anita will add a race day next week to make up for the cancellation. The track remains open for simulcasting on Friday.

Pete McCormick, a longtime Keeneland bid spotter and U.S. Marine Corps veteran, passed away Thursday at the age of 75.  A native of Ontario, California,  Pete was just a boy when given his first job in the auction business from Tom Caldwell, the longtime head auctioneer at Keeneland, who took McCormick under his wing. "The Keeneland family mourns the passing of Pete McCormick, who was an iconic presence in the Keeneland Sales Pavilion during his four decades as a bid spotter," Keeneland said Friday in a statement. "Pete famously said,...

Grade I winner and millionaire Mo Forza (Uncle Mo) was represented by his first foal, a California-bred filly out of Californiasunshine (Lucky Pulpit), Jan. 10. Mo Forza, who racked up a record of 15-8-3-1 and earnings of $1,034,460, which included wins in the GI Hollywood Derby and six other Grade II races, stands at Rancho San Miguel in California for a fee of $9,000. "She is quite a character already, thrilling everyone with her looks," co-owner and breeder Alice Bamford said of the newborn filly. "In addition to being correct,...

With additional rain forecast in the area, officials at Santa Anita have announced the cancellation of the live card originally programmed for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Monday, Jan. 16. As was announced when the track revealed that the Saturday, Jan. 14 program was also to be called off, racing will take place Friday, Jan. 20, originally a dark day due to the holiday racing. Santa Anita will remain open as planned for live racing this Sunday, Jan. 15, highlighted by the redrawn GIII La Canada S., which was transferred...

With a 100% probability of rain for this coming Saturday, officials at Santa Anita Park have announced the cancellation of the day's eight-race program. Following discussions with the California Thoroughbred Trainers, Thoroughbred Owners of California and the California Horse Racing Board, the races originally scheduled for Saturday will be offered as extras for Sunday, Monday (holiday racing) and Friday, Jan. 20. The GIII La Canada S. is currently listed as an extra for Sunday. Friday, Jan. 20 was meant to be a dark day given Monday's MLK-day program. "With the...

Riding full-time in the U.S. for the first time in his storied career, Frankie Dettori has brought his talents to Arcadia, California, where he has settled in as a regular in the Santa Anita jockey's colony. Dettori joined this week's TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland to discuss his three wins on opening day, his expectations for the Santa Anita meet, his search for a contender for the GI Kentucky Derby and his plans to retire after this year's Breeders' Cup. Dettori was this week's Green Group Guest of...

Equine industry leaders and stakeholders across California announced the launch of the California Horse Power Coalition (CHPC) Tuesday. The new coalition's mission is to preserve and protect the state's vibrant equestrian culture by bringing together equine industry leaders, workers, families and fans of the sport to illustrate its significant benefits. Founded by Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Santa Anita Park, and Thoroughbred Owners of California, the coalition is creating a space for the public to learn about the significant impacts that the industry has on California's economy, tourism, agricultural sustainability, and...

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez won a pair of races on the opening day of the Bing Crosby meet at Del Mar and his presence is something that Southern California is about to get more used to. The 50-year-old is using his time at Del Mar as a steppingstone to the winter stand at Santa Anita Park, where he plans to ride full time. "I wanted to get it started here so the trainers and owners know I'm going to be here for the winter," Velazquez told the Del...

Longtime Northern California trainer Duane Offield passed away on Thursday after a lengthy illness. He was 82-years-old. Offield began his training career in 1976 and saddled 721 winners from 8,038 starters, with lifetime purse earnings of $10,009,202. His most significant win came in the 1990 GI Haskell Invitational S. at Monmouth Park with Restless Con. Services are pending. "Our racing community here at Golden Gate will greatly miss Duane Offield," said Golden Gate Fields Vice President and General Manager David Duggan. "Duane was a soft-spoken man who simply loved coming...

The fourth annual Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings and Horses of All Ages Sale returns to the Fairplex Sales Pavilion in Pomona Tuesday. Bidding for the single session gets underway at 11 a.m. PST, which is 2 p.m. EST. The catalogue is comprised of 279 yearlings, which will sell first, and 55 horses of racing age. The majority of the horses are California-breds, but there are several yearlings by Kentucky-breds sired by the likes of Mineshaft, Outwork, Coal Front, Tapwrit, West Coast, Tiznow, Frosted, etc. "We have a very strong group...

Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup of key official rulings from the primary tracks within the four major racing jurisdictions of California, New York, Florida and Kentucky on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public (or not) and where. With the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) having gone into effect on July 1, the TDN will also post a roundup of the relevant HISA-related rulings from the same week. California Track: Los Alamitos Date: 09/16/2022 Licensee: Victor Espinoza, jockey Penalty: $500 fine Violation: Excessive use of...