News | Horse Racing Free Tips

TCA Awarded More Than $821,000 in Grants in 2023

Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) in 2023 awarded grants totaling more than $821,000, the organization announced on Tuesday.

A total of 75 organizations were approved for grants, which included 45 aftercare organizations, 20 backstretch and farm worker programs, six equine-assisted therapy organizations, three Thoroughbred incentive programs, and one research organization.

TCA's 2023 grants to aftercare organizations were bolstered by support from Hagyard Equine Medical Institute's Race to Give online fundraising campaign, which last year helped raise more than $35,000 for approved organizations.

“Thanks to our generous donors, we are thrilled to be able to award grants to 75 organizations working tirelessly on behalf of Thoroughbreds and backstretch and farm workers,” Erin Halliwell, executive director of TCA, said. “We are so proud of the impact our grantees make and we are pleased to support their work.”

Grant recipients can be found on the TCA website. Grant applications for the 2024 grant cycle will be available in mid-January.

The post TCA Awarded More Than $821,000 in Grants in 2023 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Wesley Ward: Sale X-Rays Only One Component Of Possible Purchase Picture

Thoroughbred Daily News, in conjunction with the Consignors and Breeders Association (CBA), has an ongoing series that addresses what sales X-rays can show and their impact on success on the track.

Trainer Wesley Ward detailed what he feels is important when buying a horse to race – and what is not.

One piece of vet work Ward will not negotiate on is scoping. The horse has to scope “fine,” with no airway abnormalities.

When Ward buys yearlings, he forgives a lot of the issues people seeking to resell consider death knells, like OCDs or chips. A lot of the horses he has purchased would not have passed vet exams as yearlings or 2-year-olds, he noted.

He works around any issues by tailoring training programs to any veterinary issues a horse may have. If a horse has issues, he doesn't train them very hard and his riders are all under 110 pounds. He's also adds in a lot of jogging to get the horse fit.

Ward also has success with his homebreds. He focuses heavily on allowing the horses to be horses as they grow, with minimal human interaction and a near-constant outdoor lifestyle. Though the foals do get petted so that they are not afraid of people, there is minimal handling until the foals are weaned.

Once weaned, the horses come into the barn for about a week, leaning to wear a halter and walk before being turned back out. When they turn one, the horses begin swimming – more for the mental component than the fitness component, Ward explained. Then they're turned back out until September when breaking begins.

Breaking in Kentucky is a group affair, with two or more horses being worked together. Once the horses ship to Florida, they learn to do things on their own.

Dr. Tami Gillon x-rays all of Ward's horses to check for issues. If a joint issue is found, Dr. Wayne McIlwraith will often clean it up. Though sometimes Ward may wait up to a month for McIlwraith to come see the horse, the extended time away from work and stall rest helps the horse's joint calm down before the surgery.

Into Mischief Continues Spectacular Book 1 with $1.1-Million Colt

Spendthrift sire Into Mischief stepped smoothly into Day 2 of the Keeneland September sale off his runaway Day 1 success with a $1.1-million colt early in the session. Hip 218, consigned by Gainesway, was signed for by Donato Lanni, agent for SF Bloodstock/Starlight/Madaket. The colt is out of Magical World (Distorted Humor), whose MGISW daughter Guarana had a colt by the same sire sell Monday for $1.4 million to Winchell Thoroughbreds. Bred by Three Chimneys Farm, LLC and Whisper Hill Farm, LLC, the Magical World colt is an Apr. 20 foal. Whisper Hill also bred the $1.3-million Tapit filly earlier in the hour, while Three Chimneys bred the earlier Volatile filly that went for $1.15 million.

The post Into Mischief Continues Spectacular Book 1 with $1.1-Million Colt appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Arcangelo ‘Looking To Do More’ In First Work Since Travers Victory

Arcangelo breezed over Saratoga's main track on Tuesday morning, reports the Daily Racing Form, the first move for the 3-year-old son of Arrogate since his Grade 1 Travers Stakes win on Aug. 26. Regular exercise rider Robert Mallari was aboard for the half-mile move, completed in 47.62 seconds.

“Wasn't looking for anything eye-popping, just a maintenance get-back-into-a-routine kind of thing,” trainer Jena Antonucci told DRF. “Robert was very pleased and very happy and took hold of him a little bit earlier than he thought; horse was looking to do more.”

An emphatic 1 1/2-length winner of the 12-furlong Belmont Stakes on June 10, Arcangelo turned back a quarter mile in the Travers but still prevailed by a length over Disarm. Arcangelo also scored by a head over Bishops Bay in the Grade 3 Peter Pan in May at Belmont.

Bred in Kentucky by Don Alberto Corporation, Arcangelo was a $30,000 purchase at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. He has now won four of his six career starts for earnings of $1,754,900.

Current plans call for the Blue Rose Farm-owned Arcangelo to work once more at Saratoga, then ship to Southern California later this month. He will have three more breezes at Santa Anita Park before the Breeders' Cup Classic.