trainer

NYRA racing analyst Acacia Clement joins this week's TDN Writers' Room to discuss the start of the Saratoga race meet and provide a summer update on the Clement racing stable.

Nick Vaccarezza, 25, won his first race from 12 starts as a licensed trainer June 30 at Presque Isle Downs. Although every conditioner's first victory is a special accomplishment, Vaccarezza's was unique because it occurred in a stakes race. Off at even-money odds, Keeneland-based shipper Golden Afternoon (Goldencents) prompted the pace and drew off by 2 1/2 lengths to capture the $100,000 Tom Ridge Stakes over six furlongs. The win was also sweet because Golden Afternoon is owned by a partnership of friends (Eddie and Pat Greco, Scott Jaffe, and...

Some of the most influential people in the life of Wayne Lukas-and some of the people for whom he was the most influential--took part in a special TDN Writers' Room podcast in order to pay tribute to `the Coach,' who passed away Saturday night at the age of 89. Lukas worked almost up until his last days in the sport which he revolutionized upon his arrival in the early 1980s. Before it was over, he would win 20 Breeders' Cups, 15 Triple Crown races, five Eclipse Awards as leading trainer,...

On this week's TDN Writers' Room, we pay tribute to D. Wayne Lukas. Friends and mentees, including Todd Pletcher, Bob Baffert, Kiaran McLaughlin and Gary Stevens, share their favorite memories and stories of 'The Coach.'

Gary Subratie, a trainer who has saddled more than 800 winners in Jamaica, recorded his first U.S. win Saturday at Gulfstream Park. His charge Rogers Park (Kantharos) captured the sixth race, a $12,500 maiden claiming event going 1 1/16 miles on the all-weather surface. Trevor R. James owns the 4-year-old filly, whom Subratie claimed May 18 from Saffie Joseph, Jr. for $12,500. Saturday's win was her second start for Subratie. "I grew up in Jamaica, but I got my license at Calder. I ran a couple races at Calder [in...

It's rare for things to go exactly according to plan in the Kentucky Derby. Trainer Ethan West learned that lesson about five seconds into his first attempt. In the past, Chunk of Gold (Preservationist) had done his best work coming from off the pace, but in the Derby he broke sharply and, with Jareth Loveberry aboard, found himself just behind the frontrunners heading into the first turn. "That was not on the bingo card," West admitted. "We were hoping to be mid-pack and Jareth would find a nice little hole...

Saffie Joseph Jr. is no stranger to rejection. In the early years of his training career, there were moments when he wondered if chasing his dream had been a big mistake. In what is now a familiar part of Joseph's origin story, his father had warned him against leaving Barbados to launch a stable in America. Joseph came anyway. He arrived at Calder Race Course in 2011 only to be told that there was no stall space available, but he went back to the racing secretary week after week until...

It was another memorable year on the breeze-up circuit for Willie Browne. The 79-year-old broke his own long-standing record at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up by selling an Acclamation colt to Godolphin for 1.4 million gns. Roll on to Arqana and the Mocklershill maestro was at it again when selling a Siyouni colt to Coolmore for €1 million. Such results were welcome, according to Browne, who joked with Brian Sheerin on this month's edition of the TDN Conversations Podcast that 'it will be the first time in a few years where...

Trainer Jamie Osborne joins this week's TDN Writers' Room to discuss his Belmont contender Heart of Honor and share what it means to him to share the Triple Crown experience with his daughter, jockey Saffie Osborne.

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. The following rulings were reported on HISA's "rulings" portal and through the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit's (HIWU) "pending" and "resolved" cases portals. Resolved ADMC Violations Date: 05/20/2025 Licensee: John Servis, trainer Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Final decision by HIWU. Explainer: Medication violation for...

Knowing when a horse is ready to take a step up and when it's time to take a step back--it's one of the fundamentals of training. Get it right and you get rewarded. Get it wrong and, well, you'll likely know pretty quickly. Some trainers just seem to have a feel for where that line is, a sense of when to ask for more and when the horse might need a little more time and preparation. Cherie DeVaux is learning to hone that intuition. "It is a balance to be...

In a sport built on speed and stamina, the people behind the scenes rarely stop moving. And for the horsewomen who are also mothers, the pace is even demanding—but so is the purpose. They're used to remarks like, "I don't know how you do it all," "Do you ever sleep?" and "You're like superwoman!" "I'm definitely not superwoman," Tessa Walden responded when that last one was posed to her. "Being a stay-at-home mom is probably even harder than being a working mom. But I do think moms are kind of...