investigation

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) is opening an investigation into antisemitic comments allegedly made on social media by young trainer Kevin Bond, son of long-time New York-based trainer H. James Bond and his wife, Tina, who is the president of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NYTHA). The aggressively antisemitic remarks allegedly attributed to Bond were in response to a Facebook post regarding the murder of Hollywood producer, director, screenwriter, and actor Rob Reiner and his wife over the weekend. Kevin Bond reached out to TDN, saying his...

Cathy Sheppard, the widow of Hall of Fame trainer Jonathan Sheppard, was found dead Monday in a hotel room in Dania Beach, Florida. Her passing was confirmed by the Broward County (Fla) Sherriff's Offices (BSO). She was 69. The Sheppards were married in 1990 and Jonathan Sheppard passed away on Aug. 29, 2023. According to a spokesperson for the BSO, "deputies in Dania Beach responded to an unresponsive person at a hotel in the 100 block of Southwest 18th Avenue. Upon arrival they located a deceased adult female. BSO's Homicide...

Toby Sheets, a longtime assistant trainer to Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, was found dead Sunday on a beach on the Greek Island of Mathraki, Sheets's family has confirmed to the TDN. Sheets's death is the most recent in a series of foreign tourists to disappear or be found dead on the Greek islands in the past week, according to the Associated Press. According to Reuters, Sheets was 55 years old. The confirmation was provided by Greg Sheets, who said he was Sheets's cousin. "He did pass away in...

In a press release Monday, the New York Racing Association (NYRA) announced that it had amended its ongoing Statement of Charges issued against trainer Bob Baffert to include a pair of positive tests for phenylbutazone (bute) in 2019 in California and a subsequent inspection of the trainer's barn which allegedly uncovered an unlocked medication cabinet, improperly labeled medications and the presence of unsecured phenylbutazone paste. NYRA has charged Baffert with engaging in conduct detrimental to the best interests of racing and has sought to temporarily ban the trainer from its...

Following the broadcasting of the BBC's programme Panorama: The Dark Side of Horse Racing on Monday evening, the British Horseracing Authority announced its support to investigate the images of horses being euthanized in situations which may have harmed their welfare. In addition, several leaders from the British racing industry including the BHA, as well as the Horse Welfare Board will be meeting to discuss further issues raised by the Panorama programme on Tuesday. The BHA will also be in contact with Horse Racing Ireland over the contents of the programme....

Irish amateur jockey Rob James, who was shown climbing aboard and sitting astride a dead horse in an eight-second video that circulated on social media last week, has received a 12-month suspension of his qualified riders license and handlers permit from the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board, which tweeted the result of its investigation late on Wednesday evening. The last eight months of the ban have been suspended by the IHRB, though terms of the suspension were not immediately disclosed. The statement from the IHRB reads as follows: "The Referrals Committee,...

Following the appearance of a distressing image of Gordon Elliott sitting astride a dead horse on his gallops, a further video has emerged from a separate stable of a jockey pretending to ride what appears to be another dead horse stricken on the gallops. The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB), which is already investigating the circumstances surrounding the photo showing leading National Hunt trainer Elliott, has indicated that it is now doing the same in regard to the eight-second video clip, which is believed to have been filmed at an...