Blood-Horse

Dual group 1-winning sprinter Home Affairs, the son of I Am Invincible who will chase international glory at Royal Ascot in June, will retire to Coolmore this season as the most expensive first season sire in Australian Thoroughbred breeding history.

Multiple grade 1 winner and second-crop sire Dortmund died April 18 due to colic caused by a twisted colon, according to Great Hill Farm in South Korea, where the stallion was exported in 2021.

Trainer Richard Baltas goes for the three-peat, having won the last two editions of the San Francisco Mile (G3T) with Whisper Not and Neptune's Storm. He sends up Vanzzy, a grade 3-placed 5-year-old who won the Jersey Derby at Monmouth Park in 2020.

Andthewinner is from the first Kentucky crop bred by Safari North owner Susan Moulton. The colt won a 5 1/2-furlong turf race for 2-year-olds offered for the second season during Keeneland's spring meet.

Unbeaten star colt Native Trail will face 14 rivals when bidding to justify short-price favoritism in the April 30 Qipco Two Thousand Guineas (G1) at Newmarket.

The principal action April 28 for the May 7 Kentucky Derby (G1) occurred more than 2,000 miles west of Churchill Downs, as Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner Taiba put in his lone work before the Run for the Roses.

Longtime breeder and owner of New Jersey-bred horses, in the final year of her six-year term as president of the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association of New Jersey, has been named the recipient of Virgil "Buddy" Raines Distinguished Achievement Award.

Mystic Guide, a sensational winner of the 2021 Dubai World Cup (G1), has been retired due to a soft tissue injury and will take up stallion duties at Jonabell Farm for the 2023 breeding season.

For Frank Gabriel, a lifetime of work in the racing industry has allowed him to see the world from many different perspectives.

While the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) is nine days away, Churchill Downs Inc. officials also provided some good news April 28 for Northern Kentucky racing.

Express Train will likely be a short-priced favorite in the Californian, coming off three graded victories at the current Santa Anita meeting.

While the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) takes about two minutes, most years the Louisville-area events that lead up to the race at Churchill Downs go on for weeks.

Anyone who tends to discount the chances of Japan's Crown Pride in the Kentucky Derby (G1) has not been paying attention to the results of some major international races during the last six months.

The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance will have a presence at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event from April 28 to May 1, 2022.

The New York Racing Association announced April 27 that single-day tickets for reserved seats in the clubhouse, grandstand, and cutwater stretch at Saratoga Race Course will go on sale beginning at 10 a.m. May 4. 

Churchill Downs Inc. announced April 27 the transformative paddock project that will debut for the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby (G1) in May 2024. The redesign is the final phase of a previously-announced three-year capital investment plan.

April 27 jury selection kicked off the trial of a Delaware woman who prosecutors say helped veterinarian Dr. Seth Fishman supply illegal performance-enhancing drugs to trainers who used them to secretly dope horses to win races.

C R K Stable's Beyond Brilliant has proved well named, becoming a top-level stakes competitor with a victory in the 1 1/8-mile Hollywood Derby (G1T) and a close fourth-place finish in the Frank E. Kilroe Mile Stakes (G1T).

The Twin Spires. The Garland of Roses. The Mint Julep. The fashion, and of course, the horses. Many know and love the Kentucky Derby (G1), but how did it become the beloved and world-renowned race that it is today? 

The $250,000 Princess Rooney Invitational Stakes (G2) highlights the spring/summer stakes action at Gulfstream Park, where the seven-furlong stakes for fillies and mares will be featured during Summit of Speed Weekend.