Castleton Lyons

An extraordinary time-hopping, historical novel; a compelling biography of potential greatness and a life cut short; and a powerful, category-bending work of fiction told as the oral history of a hard-luck horsewoman. Horse, by Geraldine Brooks, Landaluce: The Story of Seattle Slew's First Champion, by Mary Perdue, and Kick The Latch, by Kathryn Scanlan are the three finalists for the 17th Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award, decided upon by a panel of racing and literary judges. "The 2022 nominees included a refreshing group of voices new to this Book Award,...

Frank Fletcher Racing Operation's Rocket Can (Into Mischief) turned in his penultimate workout ahead of the May 6 GI Kentucky Derby with a five-furlong drill in 1:01.00 (11/41) at Churchill Downs Sunday. The gray colt, who broke off six lengths behind stablemate Game Warden (Tapit), completed early fractions of :12.20 and :36.60 with regular exercise rider Guelser Cardona in the saddle. He finished even with his stablemate at the wire and galloped out several lengths in front through six furlongs in 1:14.20. "It was a nice, steady work," trainer Bill...

6th-Keeneland, $99,588, Msw, 10-19, 2yo, 1 1/16m, 1:46.95, ft, 5 1/4 lengths. CYCLONE MISCHIEF (c, 2, Into Mischief--Areyoucominghere, by Bernardini) nearly wired the field at first asking, just getting nailed by a pair of closing ivals on the line to be third by three-quarters of a length at Churchill Downs Sept. 16. With an extra sixteenth to work with Wednesday, the $450,000 Keeneland September grad raced closest to pacesetter Permafrost (Frosted) into the first turn. Settled just a path off the rail for the backstretch run, Cyclone Mischief stuck a...

Three finalists, selected by a panel of judges from nearly two dozen submissions, have been announced for the 2021 Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award. The finalists are: Death by Equine, a fictional mystery about a young racetrack veterinarian named Jessie Cameron who fills in for her vacationing mentor, only to be faced with his sudden and startling death, written by Annette Dashofy; Racetrack Rogues: One Woman's Story of Family, Love and Loss in the Horse Racing World, a fictional story of loss, love, and redemption, written by Dawn LeFevre; and...

Second Crop sire Protonico (Giant's Causeway-Alpha Spirit, by A.P. Indy), standing at Castleton Lyons, will stand for $10,000 LFSN in 2022, up from $5,000 this season. From his initial crop, the dark bay is responsible for GI Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit, who is also among the leading candidates for Champion 3-year-old colt honors this season. Campaigned by Zedan Racing Stables, the Florida bred won this year's GI Awesome Again S., GIII Robert B. Lewis S. and Shared Belief S. Additionally, he finished runner up in GI Breeders' Cup Classic,...

The entry deadline for the 2021 Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award, presented annually by Castleton Lyons, is Dec. 31. The award is given to the author of the best book--as judged by a panel--on any aspect of Thoroughbred racing for work published this past year. Named for the late Castleton Lyons owner, the award rewards the winner with $10,000 and a Tipperary Crystal trophy. For further details, including the entry form, visit castletonlyons.com.

Edited Press Release Veteran turf writer Mark Shrager has won the 15th Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award, presented by Castleton Lyons, for Diane Crump, A Horse-Racing Pioneer's Life in the Saddle. The winner was announced on May 10 via Zoom conference for the second straight year due to pandemic concerns. Shrager, a previous Book Award finalist for The Great Sweepstakes of 1877, took top honors for his biography of Crump, who represented the face of hope for aspiring young women in the Sport of Kings in the late 1960s. She...

For all the round-the-clock pedigree scrutiny and conformation analysis that goes into finding a stallion that will produce a winner on the first Saturday in May, it took a horse standing for $5,000 and lacking that coveted Grade I win on their race record to get the job done. Of the 26 fifth-year stallions standing in Kentucky today, Protonico was one of five to breed less than 20 mares last year. And yet, here he is now sitting atop the Leading Second-Crop Sires list after his son Medina Spirit charged...

A trio of finalists have been announced for the 15th annual Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award. The three finalists are Diane Crump, A Horse-Racing Pioneer's Life in the Saddle, by Mark Sharger; Good Things Come, by Linda Shantz; and Sylvia Rideoutt Bishop, Had a Way With Horses, by Vicki Moon. "This was the year of debut authors, including the fiction finalist [Vicki Moon]," said judge Kay Coyte, a former Washington Post and racing publications editor. "Part of the mission of the Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award is to encourage new...

For the first time in its 14-year history, the Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award has gone to a multi-collaborative effort. The winner for works published in 2019 is "Better Lucky Than Good: Tall Tales and Straight Talk from the Backside of the Track," published through the Louisville Story Program and edited by Joe Manning.    The book features perspectives and pieces from a diverse cast of racetrackers based at Churchill Downs including exercise riders, grooms, assistant trainers, hotwalkers, outriders, security guards, silks makers and touts. "'Better Lucky Than Good' is a...

Stuart Fitzgibbon, formerly with Castleton Lyons in Central Kentucky, has been appointed director of sales and client development for the new U.S. division of Open Nutrition. The horse supplement company specializes in all-natural amino acid-based products and has products ranging from joint supplements to performance and recovery supplements, as well as others. Open Nutrition founder Julian Norrish initially developed the supplements in Australia and the United Arab Emirates. "When I met Julian it was clearly evident through his enthusiasm, knowledge, and expertise of amino acids science that Open Nutrition's products...

Panelists have selected three finalists for the 14th annual Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award, which will honor titles published in 2019. The three books include "Better Lucky Than Good: Tall Tales and Straight Talk from the Backside of the Track," by various authors, from Louisville Story Program, edited by Joe Manning; "Justify: 111 Days to Triple Crown Glory," by Lenny Shulman; and "The Triumph of Henry Cecil: The Authorised Biography," by Tony Rushmer. A total of 15 submissions were made this year before being narrowed down to the top three...