NTRA

Fresh off his gutsy win in the inaugural GI California Crown Stakes Saturday, Subsanador (Arg) (Fortify) jumped into the fourth slot of the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. Last year's champion juvenile colt Fierceness (City of Light) sits at the top just 7 points ahead of top filly Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna). Top sprinter Cogburn (Not This Time) sits third while Highland Falls (Curlin) and National Treasure (Quality Road) share fifth to round out the top five. Idiomatic (Curlin), Next (Not This Time) and Seize the Grey (Arrogate) fill out the...

Saturday's GII Ainsworth Turf Sprint Stakes winner Cogburn (Not This Time) jumped from 13th to fifth in this week's NTRA Top Thoroughbred poll. The top four remain unchanged with Fierceness (City of Light) leading the way ahead of Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna), Adare Manor (Uncle Mo) and National Treasure (Quality Road). Highland Falls (Curlin) held steady in sixth while Dornoch (Good Magic) dropped to seventh. New to the Top 10 this week is another son of Not This Time in Next who last won the Birdstone Stakes at Saratoga Aug....

Off a strong performance in Saturday's GI Whitney Stakes, Arthur's Ride (Tapit) jumped to sixth in this week's NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. He currently ranks behind G1 Saudi Cup winner Senor Buscador (Mineshaft), top filly and the top-ranked 3-year-old Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna), National Treasure (Quality Road), Adare Manor (Uncle Mo) and Idiomatic (Curlin). GI Belmont Stakes and GI Haskell Stakes winner Dornoch (Good Magic) is the top 3-year-old colt in seventh.  Rounding out the top 10 are Kingsbarns (Uncle Mo), The Chosen Vron (Vronsky) and Master of the Seas...

As it has in virtually every conversation that involves horse racing over the past year, safety played a central role at the 72nd annual Jockey Club Round Table Conference in Saratoga Springs, New York Thursday.   California: Safety and Collaboration In two presentations focusing on California, Gary Fenton, Chairman of the Thoroughbred Owners of California and a managing partner of Little Red Feather Racing, spoke from a TVG set in the Del Mar paddock about the importance of California racing to the overall racing ecosystem, while Dionne Benson, the Chief...

The fifth installment in the 2024 OwnerView webinar held July 9 focused on the economics of the Thoroughbred industry, the series said in a release on Thursday. Guests Everett Dobson, owner of Cheyenne Stables and Candy Meadows Farm; Tom Rooney, president and CEO, National Thoroughbred Racing Association; and Dr. Marshall Gramm, co-founder, Ten Strike Racing, discussed a myriad of topics including record purses, incentives to race and breed horses and strong top-end sales with a declining foal crop. Five additional Thoroughbred Owner Conference virtual panels are scheduled for 2024. The...

The United States Supreme Court will not hear a challenge to the Horse Racing Safety and Integrity Act (HISA) filed by Oklahoma, Louisiana and West Virginia after the Sixth Court Circuit's Court of Appeals found that HISA is constitutional, according to an announcement from the Supreme Court Monday. "Certiorari denied," was the only statement coming from the court regarding the ruling, which was included among a monthly list of numerous other writ approvals and denials that the Supreme Court made public in batch format June 24. A writ of certiorari...

The 54th Annual Eclipse Awards, honoring Thoroughbred racing's human and equine champions of 2024, will return to the Breakers Palm Beach in Florida on Jan. 23, 2025 according to an announcement Thursday by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, the Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters. The Awards will be held two days before Gulfstream Park hosts the GI Pegasus World Cup. "We are thrilled to be returning to the Breakers Palm Beach for our third year in a row," said NTRA President and CEO Tom Rooney....

With a 34 to 25 vote on Thursday, May 23, the House Appropriations Committee approved the Fiscal Year 2025 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, which will allocate up to $5 million in grants for equine therapy under the Veterans Affairs (VA) Adaptive Sports Program, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association said in a press release on Friday. The initiative, led by Congressman Andy Barr (R-KY) and the NTRA, will award grants by the VA to eligible organizations to plan, develop, manage and implement equine therapy programs for...

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) hosted its second Annual Kentucky Derby Kick-off Reception on Capitol Hill this week, the organization said in a release Friday. On hand were more than 600 attendees, including many congressional staffers from the offices of Congressman Andy Barr (R-KY-06), Congressman Morgan McGarvey (D-KY-03), Congressman Ralph Norman (R-SC-05) and Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY-20). For the event, the National Museum of Racing lent the Count Fleet Triple Crown and Kentucky Derby trophies, and Coolmore provided halters worn by Triple Crown Winners American Pharoah and Justify. This...

With $800,000 and the Horseplayer of the Year Eclipse Award to the winner, the official prize structure of this weekend's 25th National Horseplayers Championship in Las Vegas was posted in a Friday release by the host of the contest, the NTRA. At the conclusion of the Final Table on Sunday, total cash prizes offered over the three days come to $3,013,550. The top 77 are guaranteed money with that final finisher receiving $10,150. The top five payouts are: First Place--$800,000 Second Place--$250,000 Third Place--$200,000 Fourth Place--$150,000 Fifth Place--$125,000 Along with...

Terrence Frank, the top rookie contestant at the National Horseplayers Championship, will be honored with the James Nace Trophy. The 25th edition of the Championship, presented by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, begins Friday, March 15 and continues through Sunday, March 17. "Receiving the Jim Nace Trophy is a great honor and a moment II'll cherish, but it's also a reminder of the journey ahead," said Frank. "The pursuit of excellence doesn't stop with an award; it's an ongoing process of learning, adapting, and thriving amidst the challenges." "To all...

The 25th National Thoroughbred Racing Association National Horseplayers Championship presented by Caesars Entertainment, Horseshoe Las Vegas, and Racetrack Television Network kicks off Friday, Mar. 15, running through Sunday, Mar. 17, at the Horseshoe Las Vegas. The field of an estimated 750 entries will yield one ultimate winner, who will go home with $800,000 and an Eclipse Award as the Horseplayer of the Year. The NHC features more than 600 top horseplayers (including approximately 150 individuals with two entries), awarding nearly $4.5 million in cash and prizes. All qualifiers will receive...