Equibase

Equibase has added new gate-to-wire timing to all racing result charts, the company announced Thursday. The gate-to-wire times will be in addition to the fractional and official final times already included in charts. Per their report, gate-to-wire times include the run-up distance, which is the untimed, extra distance horses travel from the starting gate to the designated point where the official race distance begins and the timer starts. Official final times do not include the run-up distance, which can vary from zero feet up to a sixteenth of a mile...

Equibase Company, the Thoroughbred industry's official database for racing information, has incorporated two changes to its performance-based horse rating that takes into consideration the weight of accomplishment at the highest levels and early career recognition for maiden special weight winners with limited starts, the data gather said in a press release on Wednesday. The Equibase rating--which is intended to provide an unbiased performance score based on race outcomes and measurable factors such as speed, race strength, track conditions and trip factors--launched last fall with inaugural ratings races conducted at Santa...

On Apr. 15--the eighth day of Keeneland's 15-day Spring Meet--the Condition Book offers a new type of race: a "ratings handicap." Worth $84,000, the 6 1/2-furlong event for 4-year-olds and up is for horses with performance numbers (85-75) derived from previous performances based on speed, finish position, competition and other factors. Developed by Equibase, the Thoroughbred industry's official database, the ratings system was designed to simplify eligibility requirements, improve race competitiveness and attract larger fields. It differs from Equibase Speed Figures, which measure how fast a horse has run in...

Wagering on U.S. races during the month of January experienced just over a six percent downswing from a year ago, but the number of race days was roughly 12 percent lower, according to information released by Equibase on Thursday. Total wagering of $753,930,913 on races during the month represented a 6.09% decrease over the same period from 2025, while available purses of over $73-million were lower by almost 13%. The figure of over $68.5-million for paid purses in January was also down by 13.69%. As for the total number of...

Godolphin LLC, who campaigned 13 North American graded stakes winners during 2025, including dual classic winner Sovereignty (Into Mischief), set a single-season record in earnings as the leading owner for the fifth consecutive year, and Irad Ortiz, Jr., established a single-season record as the leading jockey by earnings according to final year-end statistics released by Equibase Company on Friday. Godolphin--with 104 North American wins from 448 starts--amassed record earnings of $22,395,556, surpassing their previous mark of $20.2 million set in 2024. When including earnings from the Dubai and Saudi Cup...

News last week about the loss of this year's GIII Bob Hope Stakes after receiving just three entrants--all from the Bob Baffert stable--wasn't exactly a shock. But is it a canary in the coal mine concerning the health of California's horse inventory? Not on its own. It is, however, one among a flock of important indicators. Growing attention has been spent on the implications from the consolidation of top bloodstock between fewer and fewer stables, with many observing how a greater distribution of horses among more stables would help the...

Keeneland's Horses of Racing Age, slated to begin Wednesday, Nov. 12 at noon ET, has 216 catalogued entries including the latest supplement in Grade III-placed Crevalle d'Oro (Constitution), the auction house announced Monday. The daughter of Constitution, consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, was third in the GIII Selene Stakes in Canada and came a half-length short of hitting the board last out Nov. 1 in Del Mar's GIII Goldikova Stakes in a blanket finish for the minors. The winner of that race, MGSW & GISP Special Wan (Ire) (Belardo...

Wagering on U.S. races during the month of October experienced nearly a nine percent uptick and purses also saw significant growth compared to a year ago, according to information released by Equibase on Wednesday. Total wagering of $867,928,259 on races during the month represented a 8.99% increase over the same period from 2024, while available purses of over $115 million were higher by 8.13%. The figure of over $109 million for paid purses in October was also up by 7.59%. As for the total number of race days, they decreased...

This Saturday at Santa Anita could prove something of a watershed moment in North American horse racing--the carding of two handicaps built upon a new national ratings system. One race, a $35,000 handicap over six furlongs for dirt horses rated between 70 and 79, has drawn seven entries. The next race on the card, a $65,000 handicap over 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course for fillies and mares rated between 80 and 95, has drawn six entries. The impetus for launching a ratings system in the U.S. has...

In an industry that always seems petrified by the idea of change, the announcement that a new performance-based rating system based on an Equibase algorithm is about to debut at Santa Anita probably didn't go over too well with horsemen.  Each horse will be assigned a number generated by Equibase and then races will be written using the system. One of the first races that may come up, if it fills, is open to horses rated between 80-95. The rating number is different from Equibase's speed figures. Santa Anita is...

A new performance-based rating system for Thoroughbreds has been launched by Equibase to provide "more options for tracks to consider when developing race conditions," the company said in a release Thursday. The first such race using the Equibase rating will be contested at Santa Anita on Friday, Oct. 24. The Equibase rating provides an algorithmically generated predictive performance score based solely on race outcomes and measurable factors such as speed, race strength, track conditions, and trip factors and was developed with the input of industry stakeholders with the goal of...

Wagering on U.S. races declined 5.93% in September, according to year-to-year comparison figures released Monday by Equibase. For the month of September, $737,296,717 was wagered on U.S. races--including worldwide commingled wagering on races in the country--down from $783,788,708 for the same month in 2024. With 36 fewer race days and 210 fewer races in September this year, average wagering per race day increased 3.63% to $2,082,759. Similarly, while total available purses for the month decreased 6.98% to $128,545,895, average available purses per race day increased 2.48% to $363,124. In year-to-date...