Ocala

On a day where the rain gave way to cloudy skies and swirling winds in Ocala, Florida, two more 2-year-olds put up a sharp :9 3/5 time during Thursday's fourth under-tack preview show at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. First of the pair was a New York-bred colt (hip 805) by Mind Control from the consignment of Grassroots Training & Sales. "He's an athletic, nice moving horse," said David McKathan of Grassroots Training & Sales, which he co-owns along with Jody Mihalic. "We were...

With Eclipse Award-winner Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro), who will be heavily favored in Saturday's GII Azeri Stakes at Oaklawn, having won her 2026 debut in the GIII Bayakoa Stakes, D.J. Stable could well be on its way to another successful year. But not everything has gone right in 2026 for the Green family and its stable. Two of its most prominent horses--Sandman (Tapit) and Ewing (Knicks Go)--have been surprisingly disappointing in recent races. In hopes of getting them back on track, the stable will be sending both to Mark Casse's farm...

You might have a lifelong passion for horses, and even devote your whole working life to their welfare. But sometimes there is no substitute for sitting on their backs. A few years ago, Dr. Jeff Berk took a vacation from his relentless schedule as an equine veterinarian in order to-well, spend a little time with horses. His next trip to Britain was not to Tattersalls, as usual, but to an eventing course run by two former Olympians. Though Berk was a perfectly accomplished rider, with years of foxhunting behind him,...

At 78 years of age, Dana Halvorson is looking to move out of Washington State and live permanently at his farm in Ocala, Florida. He leaves behind a decades-long, storied career in the bloodstock world in Washington. He also leaves behind a state breeding industry in free-fall. Between 2005 and 2025, the number of mares bred dropped 94%, from 1214 to 70. Only two major farms remain in the whole state. "The West Coast has just taken a beating," said Halvorson, president of the Washington Thoroughbred Breeders & Owners Association...

Edited Press Release Ahead of the OBSOnline January Sale and January Winter Mixed Sale, OBS has upgraded its internet bidding platform for both live and timed auctions. For new users, please go to the login page bid.obssales.com/login and register to be a new bidder. Instructions for NEW users: Go to the login page--bid.obssales.com/login Select the "Register Now" button Follow the prompts Be sure to check your emails for account activation invitations   For existing users, as part of the migration process, existing passwords could not be moved over. To regain...

The Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association (FTBOA) is in the process of taking initial steps to activate a long-dormant, non-profit, Thoroughbred-specific state racing permit with the goal of building a "modern, new Thoroughbred racing track and entertainment complex" in the Ocala area. Lonny Powell, the FTBOA's chief executive officer, made the disclosure Tuesday during a panel discussion at the Global Symposium on Racing hosted by the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program in Tucson. Powell said it was the first time the FTBOA has revealed the initiative outside...

Valerie Dailey, a Thoroughbred breeder in Florida since 1985, has been elected President of the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association at a board meeting following the annual member meeting, the organization announced Friday. "I'm honored to have been selected to serve as president for a second time," Dailey said. "The industry has definitely changed since my initial term in 2022 and we have a challenging road ahead. My goal is to educate and get the word out about greatness of the Florida-bred Thoroughbred and our significant impact on the...

Ocala Breeders' Sales Company has partnered with Carlos Morales of Agentes 305 to provide Spanish-language coverage on site for the upcoming October Yearling Sale taking place Oct. 7-8, the auction company said via a release on Wednesday. Founded by Morales in 2019, Agentes 305 provides bilingual coverage of Thoroughbred racing's top events through video interviews with owners, trainers, jockeys and backstretch workers. "As the second largest segment of the United States population, the impact of the Spanish-language community cannot be overstated," said OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski. "Our partnership...

The catalogue for the OBS October Yearling Sale is now online at www.obssales.com and features 459 yearlings. The two-day auction is set for Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 7 and 8, with sessions beginning at noon ET. The opening day of trade will see hips 1-230 (plus supplements) go under the hammer, while the Oct. 8 session will see hips 301-530 proceed through the ring (plus supplements). Supplemental entries for the sale will be accepted through Sept. 24. Those horses will be offered in order of the first letter of the...

'TDN Rising Star' Gulfport (Uncle Mo--Fame and Fortune, by Unbridled's Song) will join the Pleasant Acres Stallions roster ahead of the 2026 breeding season, the farm announced. The 5-year-old earned his 'Rising Star' with a debut win at Churchill Downs as a 2-year-old and followed that up with a next-out victory in the Bashford Manor Stakes. He then ran second in the both the GII Saratoga Special Stakes and the GI Hopeful Stakes before capping his juvenile campaign with a third in the GI Champagne Stakes at Belmont. Raced only...

Marcelo Cardoso, who suffered two extensive brain bleeds when the horse he was breezing June 12 at the OBS June breeze-up show broke down, has been transferred to the Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, where he will undergo intensive physical and speech therapy. His friends are starting a Gofundme account to help defray the expenses of what will be a long, if not a lifetime, recovery. Cardoso, 41, a father of three who had a 12-year career as a jockey, was riding hip number 482, an Upstart filly, when...

A total of 772 2-year-olds in training and additional horses of racing age have been catalogued for the OBS June Sale, newly consolidated over the course of two sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday, June 17 and 18 beginning each day at 10 a.m. ET. Five under-track previews are scheduled between June 10 and 14, with a start time of 7:30 a.m. ET The opening day of the sale will see hips 1-386 plus supplemental entries go under the hammer with the session on June 18 encompassing hips 451-833, along with...