PHBA

There may not be a harder-working man in racing journalism that Nick Luck. In addition to his work on NBC's racing broadcasts, he hosts the podcasts Nick Luck Daily and Nick Luck on Sunday, and has covered major racing events for networks in the U.K. Australia, Hong Kong, and throughout the Middle East. In 2017, he became the BBC Equestrian commentator, and has since covered the Olympia Horse Show, Badminton Horse Trials, Burghley Horse Trials, and the Olympic Games for the BBC. Luck has been named Horserace Writers' & Photographers'...

There was some good news and some bad news this week for rising star trainer Cherie DeVaux. On Saturday, she will send out Reagan's Honor (Honor A.P). in the GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes. The horse is coming off a sizzling performance at the allowance level in New Orleans and is expected to run a big race at Keeneland--one that could make him eligible for a start in the GI Kentucky Derby. DeVaux also has 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard', Golden Tempo (Curlin) in her barn and he has...

Riley Mott, the son of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, has come a long way in the 3 1/2 years he has been training on his own. He's already won more than 100 races and collected a pair of Grade I wins, including World Beater (Oscar Performance)'s score in last year's GI Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes. And now it looks like he'll have a starter in this year's GI Kentucky Derby. In winning the Virginia Derby, the Mott-trained Incredibolt (Bolt d'Oro) earned enough points to guarantee himself a spot in...

On May 22, the HISA Board of Directors will take a vote that could result in the ban of Lasix in all races. Any decision made by the Board, whether to keep the rules as they are, or to enact a full ban, must be unanimous. In response, five trainers and Eric Hamelback, the CEO of the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, signed a letter imploring HISA to continue to allow the use of the medication in most races. Trainer Ron Moquett was among those signing the letter. To...

The 2026 Pennsylvania-Bred stakes schedule will offer $1,700,000 in purses across 20 stakes races. All three of Pennsylvania's racetracks will host stakes. Beginning Apr. 22, Parx Racing will feature three Pennsylvania-Bred stakes, including the $75,000 Wait for It Stakes for 3-year-old PA-Sired runners, which was carried over from December 2025. Contested over six furlongs, the Wait for It is restricted to Pennsylvania-Breds sired by registered Pennsylvania stallions. Also featured on the Wednesday card are the $100,000 Unique Bella Stakes for fillies and mares and $100,000 Page McKenney Handicap, both over...

It was a good year for the new management team at the Maryland racetracks, where the average daily handle at Laurel was up 13.49 percent and average per-race handle increased by 14.29 percent. To talk about what went right for Maryland racing last year, the future of the GI Preakness Stakes, the decision to form a circuit with Colonial Downs, and to report on the rebuild of Pimlico, Bill Knauf, the president and general manager of the nonprofit Maryland Jockey Club, joined the team for this week's TDN Writers' Room...

The Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association (PHBA) will host the Commonwealth's first-ever Pennsylvania Yearling Show. The event, which is free and open to the public, will take place Saturday, June 21, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Brandywine Polo Club in New Garden, PA (232 Polo Road, Toughkenamon, PA 19374). Pennsylvania-Bred horses will be vying for more than $5,000 in awards and prizes. Horses will be placed in one of four classes depending on whether they are colts, geldings or fillies, as well as whether they were sired by...

Longtime owner and breeder Deanna Manfredi has been named the new president of the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association, the organization announced Wednesday. Most recently secretary of the association, she succeeds Gregory Newell who has held the role since 2019. "I haven't been a very political person, which is why this has been a long time coming," said Manfredi. "I don't have a political bone in my body. Unfortunately, we find ourselves now where our whole future, our whole program, the sport essentially, has become a political issue. Owner of Ascoli...

In the wake of Smarty Jones's first appearance on the Hall of Fame ballot, announced Thursday, the Pennsylania Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, Bob Hutt, issued a statement indicating how meaningful the nomination was to the organizations around the state. Roy and Patricia Chapman's champion three-year-old of 2004 won his first eight races, including the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, before falling a length short in the Belmont Stakes, where a record 120,000 people turned out to see him bid for the Triple Crown. He was retired after that race. "On behalf...

The Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horse Breeders Association's (PHBA)annual Stallion Season Auction will commence Monday, Jan. 13 and continue through Sunday, Jan. 19. Details can be found at www.Thoroughlybred.com. "We are proud that our annual auction attracts so many stud farms every year," said Brian Sanfratello, Executive Secretary of the PHBA. "The diversity of stallions gives breeders the opportunity to obtain stallion seasons both in Pennsylvania and other regional states, as well as some of the top young sires." Proceeds of the sale benefit the PHBA, the retirement programs Turning for Home...

Last year's GI Arkansas Derby winner Angel of Empire (Classic Empire) was honored as the 2023 PA-Bred Horse of the Year and Champion 3-year-old Male at the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association's 45th annual Iroquois Awards held May 10. Racing in 2023 for Albaugh Family Stables LLC and trained by Brad Cox, Angel of Empire won two of six starts during his 3-year-old season. He was Pennsylvania's richest state-bred of the year, with earnings of $1,446,375. The complete list of divisional champions is below: 2-year-old Female: Carmelina (Maximus Mischief) 2-year-old Male:...

Wanamaker's will host the second annual Pennsylvania-bred Sale in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association (PHBA), with bidding scheduled from Dec. 4-8. Pennsylvania-bred weanlings, yearlings, broodmares, and horses of racing age will all be offered. "I think the Pennsylvania-bred online auction hosted by Wanamaker's is just one more added benefit to the Pennsylvania program," said Brian Sanfratello, executive secretary for the PHBA. "It gives some of our breeders the ability to sell their horses without all the costs involved in sending them to a regular sale." Entries for the...