Friday, February 26 2010
Catalano Wins 2,000th race--Equibase North American Milestone Update
According to statistics provided by Equibase Company, trainer Wayne M. Catalano won his 2,000th race on Wednesday, February 24 when he sent out Dunscombe to victory in the third race at Hawthorne.
The following jockeys are approaching a major North American Thoroughbred milestone as listed below:
Thursday, February 11 2010
North American Race Records Notification from Equibase - Feb 11th 2010
Jockey Shaun Bridgmohan is approaching a personal milestone of 2,000 all time wins. Through racing yesterday, February 10, Bridgmohan was at 1998 wins. He has no scheduled mounts for today.
Jockey Oliver Castillo is approaching a personal milestone of 1,000 all time wins. Through racing yesterday, February 10, Castillo was at 992 wins. He has no scheduled mounts for today.
Tuesday, February 09 2010
North American Race Records Notification From Equibase
Jockey Shaun Bridgmohan is approaching a personal milestone of 2,000 all time wins. Through racing yesterday, February 8, Bridgmohan was at 1998 wins. He has no scheduled mounts for today.
Jockey Oliver Castillo is approaching a personal milestone of 1,000 all time wins. Through racing yesterday, February 8, Castillo was at 992 wins. He has no scheduled mounts for today.
Monday, February 01 2010
Veteran Turf Writer Borstein Dies at 67, Wrote for O.C. Register, Cal Breeders
ARCADIA, Calif. (Jan. 31, 2010)—Veteran turf writer Larry Bortstein passed away early Sunday morning at Arcadia Methodist Hospital after sustaining a pulmonary embolism Jan. 23. Bortstein, 67, never regained consciousness and had been on life support since being transported to Methodist following the embolism.
A native of New York, Bortstein was a versatile writer who covered horse racing for the Orange County Register for the past 17 years and had covered all major sports at various times over the past 40-plus years. In addition to his work at the Register, he was also a current contributor to the “California Thoroughbred” magazine, which is published by the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association.
Sunday, January 31 2010
BRIAN TROOP WINS $500,000 GRAND PRIZE IN 2010 DRF/NTRA NATIONAL HANDICAPPING CHAMPIONSHIP
Canadian Brian Troop won the $500,000 first-place prize and title of DRF/NTRA Handicapper of the Year at the 11th annual Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship (NHC) Saturday night.
The 61-year-old Troop, an accountant who resides in Barrie, Ontario, amassed a winning score of $266 from 30 mythical $2 win-and-place wagers over the two-day tournament held at Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa in Las Vegas. After putting up an NHC Day 1 record score of $232.60 on Friday, he held off a field of 300 other handicappers who earned their seats in the NHC XI finals in qualifying tournaments over the past year. Players represented the host tracks/OTBs/casinos/websites where they qualified. Troop earned his trip to NHC XI at the Turfway Park tournament on December 6 of last year. He finished fourth in the tournament that awarded three spots but was moved up when two of the players ahead of him had already qualified for the NHC.
Friday, January 22 2010
Top Horseplayers to Compete for $500,000 First Prize
Defending champion John Conte heads a record field of 302 horseplayers who will gather at Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa on January 29-30 to vie for horse racing’s official title of “Handicapper of the Year” and a first-place prize of $500,000 in the $930,000 Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship (NHC).
The NHC has enjoyed outstanding growth since its inception. By way of comparison, the first NHC in January 2000 carried a total prize pool of $200,000 and a winner’s share of $100,000.
Saturday, January 16 2010
UNDEFEATED CHAMPION MARE ZENYATTA TO RACE IN 2010
ARCADIA, Calif. (Jan. 16, 2010)—Zenyatta will race in 2010. The first female to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic and a finalist for 2009 Horse of the Year, Zenyatta’s retirement had been announced following her dramatic last-to-first victory against a stellar field in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Nov. 7.
But Saturday at Santa Anita, Jerry Moss, who owns undefeated the 6-year-old daughter of Street Cry with his wife, Ann, announced that the stretch-running mare, unbeaten in 14 career starts, will run this year.
Friday, January 15 2010
“Red Rock Shootout” to Kick Off 2010 NHC Tour on Day
Red Rock Casino, Resort & Spa in Las Vegas—host of the $1 million Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship (NHC) on January 29-30, 2010—will host the second annual “Red Rock Shootout” on Sunday, January 31. The handicapping tournament again serves as the new year’s first NHC Tour event.
The ‘Red Rock Shootout’ is a one-day tournament that will carry an entry fee of $100 and have a limit of one entry per person. All contest entry fees will be returned to participants in the form of prize payouts to the top five finishers on a 50%-20%-15%-10%-5% basis. The top two finishers will also receive qualifying spots to the 2011 NHC. Top finishers will also be awarded points as part of the 2010 NHC Tour.
Thursday, January 14 2010
Breeders’ Cup Win by Zenyatta Overwhelmingly Voted 2009 NTRA Moment of the Year
The historic victory by the undefeated Zenyatta in the Breeders’ Cup Classic—the first in the race by a female—has been voted the 2009 National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Moment of the Year. The connections of Zenyatta will be honored at the Eclipse Award ceremony Monday, January 18, in Beverly Hills, Calif., with the "NTRA Moment of the Year" award. This is the second consecutive year that Zenyatta has been honored with a Moment of the Year award. This year’s balloting was conducted at the NTRA Web site, ntra.com, and offered voters 14 different images illustrating a wide range of human emotions as well as outstanding displays of equine athleticism. The images and events that fans chose from, with percentage of votes they received in parentheses, were:
Tuesday, January 05 2010
Sean Clancy Wins Eclipse Award for News/Commentary Writing
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers Association today announced that Sean Clancy, veteran racing journalist in the Middle Atlantic region, has won the 2009 Media Eclipse Award for Writing in the News/Commentary category for his column “Life’s Work,” about the gamut of emotions he felt while attending an estate sale of the late Hall of Fame Trainer Sidney Watters, Jr., in 2008. The entry appeared in the January 3, 2009 edition of The Blood-Horse magazine.
“It’s a real thrill for anyone in the business to win an Eclipse Award,” said Clancy, born in Wilmington, Del., and currently residing in Middleburg, Va. “It’s the pinnacle to win one, whether it’s as a jockey or a trainer or for writing. It’s always out there, and you’re always chasing after it.”
Friday, January 01 2010
EQUIBASE ANNOUNCES FINAL NORTH AMERICAN EARNINGS LEADERS FOR 2009
For the first time, female Thoroughbreds occupy the top two spots on the list of leading North American earners in 2009, according to final statistics released today by Equibase Company LLC, the Thoroughbred industry’s official database for racing information.
Zenyatta earned $3,330,000 in 2009 to become the fourth filly or mare, and the first since Dance Smartly in 1991, to top the leading earners list. Runner-up Rachel Alexandra earned $2,746,914.
Wednesday, December 09 2009
TURF PUBLICISTS OF AMERICA ELECTS SLATE OF OFFICERS FOR 2010
TUCSON, Ariz. – The Turf Publicists of America (TPA) elected four regional vice presidents to serve the organization in 2010, it was announced Tuesday by organization President John Engelhardt at the TPA’s Mark Kaufman Workshop at the University of Arizona Symposium on Racing and Gaming.
Vice President-East Mike Kane, a freelance publicist; Vice President-Central Dan Leary of Lone Star Park; and President-West Julie Sarno, a California-based marketing consultant, freelance writer and past TPA president were re-elected to one-year terms while former TPA Vice President Bill Knauf of Monmouth Park was elected as Vice President At Large.
