Horse Racing News

2008 Hall of Fame Inductees

On the 4th of August 2008, at Saratoga Springs in New York, six new names will be added to distinguished list of people and horses who have made it into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame. When the nominees were announced earlier this year, everyone knew that it would be a tough decision for the Historic Review Committee, as many deserving names had made it onto the nominations list. But they finally decided on Edgar Prado (Jockey), Carl Nafzger (Trainer), Ismael Valenzuela (Retired Jockey), Ancient Title (Winning horse of the 1970’s), Inside Information (Champion Filly) and Manila (A grass champion during the 1980’s).

The Return of the New York State Harness Breeders Awards

The New York State Harness Breeders Awards were put into place in the year 1977, and for fourteen years the program gave monetary awards to breeders who were able to breed horses that excelled on the track. Due to the revenue of the sport becoming too low, the New York State Harness Breeders Awards fell away in 1991. Now, after seventeen years of absence from the world of New York harness racing, it has been announced that the awards will be returned.

Great Leighs is Unveiled

Not many people are fortunate enough to see their dreams become a reality. John Holmes had the dream of building a racecourse in Essex, and once the British Horseracing Authority gave him the authorization to erect a racecourse, his dream started taking shape and Great Leighs Racecourse became the sixtieth racecourse in Britain. What makes it even more historic, is that it is the first new racecourse to be built in eighty-one years, with the last racecourse to go operational being Taunton in 1927.

Inglis Yearling Sale Success

The last few days at the Inglis Yearling Sale have been electrifying to say the least. Trainers, bloodstock agents and owners descended on the sale with determination, pushing the sales over two days up to a staggering $A85 million, with 320 horses being sold. With top bloodlines being up for sale, tension rose as bidders waited for specific horses and then started hoping that their wallets were big enough to secure the buys. A few sales stood out above the rest, as the Inglis Yearling Sale proved to be more successful than anticipated.

Iris De Balme Speeds into the Spotlight

When trainer, Sean Curran, and owner, Lee Power, entered Iris De Balme into the Coral Scottish Grand National at Ayr, which took place on Saturday, all they were hoping for was a good and steady performance. If he had come in in tenth position while running a consistent race, they would have been overjoyed. Winning the Coral Scottish Grand National was never the main goal for them, but it was obvious that winning was the goal for Iris De Balme.

Sovereign Duty is made for Steeplechase

William S. Farish Jr., from Kentucky, bred Sovereign Duty from the magnificent Nijinsky II mare, Duty Dance. With his unmistakably superior genes, everyone thought that he would become a formidable force in the flat racing arena, but that was not to be. The best Sovereign Duty could pull out the hat was a third place and career earnings of $1 919. It was clear that he would not excel in flat racing, and was put up for sale. Fortunately, trainer Jonathan Sheppard decided to take a chance on breeding, and bought Sovereign Duty with steeplechase racing in mind.

Goodwood Gears Up

Goodwood Racecourse has always had an air or royalty surrounding it since the days when the Duke of Richmond III brought horse racing to Goodwood for the first time in 1802. It has been the proud home of horse racing in Sussex Downs for over two hundred years, and has retained its high style standards, breathtaking racecourse and quality racing. This year will be no different, as staff and racing enthusiasts await the season’s opening on the 3rd of May 2008 in anticipation of what is to come.

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