“Cody's Wish was definitely one of my racing highlights of 2023.”
–Susan Anderson, Trainer

“There was no shortage of amazing horse racing memories in 2023. But one story that transcends racing is the incredible journey Cody's Wish and Cody Dorman (and his family) took us on. Beyond inspiring and heartwarming, it showed us in vivid color the genuine beauty of the magical connection between horses and humans. The Breeders Cup victory of Cody's Wish and celebration of Cody and his family is truly the feel good moment of the year.”
–Jeff Bloom, Bloom Racing Stable and TAA President

“There are several moments and races to choose from, but if I had to pick one, it would be the story of Cody's Wish and Cody Dorman, which was already incredible leading to the 2023 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. The excitement and anticipation was huge and the way the race unfolded all the way to the end was absolutely breathtaking!”
–Ramon Dominguez, retired Hall of Fame jockey

Cody Dorman with Cody's Wish | Kelly Dorman

“Cody's Wish showed his resolve and determination to win the 2023 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile by a narrow margin and to remember his namesake, Cody, who brought us all together this year to root him on.”
–John Dooley, track announcer

“My favorite moment was Cody's Wish giving everything he had to win one last time for his namesake, Cody Dorman. Cody is a special, gifted horse who understood and fulfilled his mission, one that transcends racing.”
–Deirdre Duke, racing fan

“Cody's Wish and the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. With a lot of talk throughout the year about what is wrong with the sport, the last eighth of a mile was a reminder of what makes horse racing so uniquely special.”
–Amy Zimmerman, Executive Producer, Santa Anita Park

The post What Was Your Favorite Moment Of 2023: Cody’s Wish appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

“Based on the poor air quality in Indiana today's races have been canceled,” a tweet from the track read. “This decision was made mutually with our horsemen based on the safety of the participants in our racing program coming first. A decision on bringing today's races back will be made shortly.”

Track announcer John Dooley tweeted a graphic from WRTV in Indianapolis indicating that the air quality index (AQI) in the state capitol was a 'very unhealthy' 257 as of 8 a.m. ET Wednesday. Racing is scheduled to return Thursday at 2:10 p.m. ET.

On a normal day you can see the tree-lined property of ours @HSIndyRacing Not today. A thick smokey haze. No racing today but we're going to work with our horsemen @IndianaHBPA to bring these races back as best that we can @RacingRachelM @JohnGDooley @MrBAnalyst @HSIndyTammy pic.twitter.com/vXba7MPnOL

— Eric Halstrom (@ericahalstrom) June 28, 2023

“Safety and consideration for our equine and human athletes always comes first, no matter what the circumstances are,” said Eric Halstrom, Vice President and General Manager of Racing. “We are fortunate to have a great partnership with our racing organizations, and as a group, we decided this decision was the best for everyone involved. We even want to take into consideration the safety of our racing fans who enjoy sitting trackside to watch the horses.”

The AQI as of 7 a.m. ET in Cicero, Illinois, was also in the very unhealthy range at 218, according to Hawthorne's Jim Miller, prompting track officials to take a similar decision. Miller said racing is expected to return Thursday.

Racing at Belterra Park near Cincinnati, at Presque Isle Downs in Erie, Pennyslyvania, and at JACK Thistledown outside of Cleveland was also called off.

Tracks on the eastern seaboard were also forced to cancel racing over the last few weeks, the result of wildfires in Eastern Canada.

For comparison sakes. A normal day @ClubHawthorne w/ the Chicago skyline behind me and then what it currently looks like today. Needless to say, horse and human health far more important and no live racing today. pic.twitter.com/zqOVamdRzx

— Jim Miller (@HawthorneJim) June 28, 2023

The post Air Quality Concerns Cause Midwest Cancellations appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

“We are elated to add such an accomplished track announcer to our racing team at Horseshoe Indianapolis,” said Eric Halstrom, Vice President and General Manager of Racing. “John Dooley's voice is associated with so many top races each year and having him in the announcer's booth in Indiana will be a big boost to our racing program.”

A native of Staten Island, N.Y., Dooley moved into horse racing following graduation from St. John's University in 1987 where he obtained a degree in sports management. After serving in the publicity offices of Monmouth Park in New Jersey and NYRA, he moved into his first announcing position at Thistledown in Ohio for six years before returning to NYRA as the assistant track announcer until 1997.

Dooley then became the announcer for Lone Star Park in Texas during their inaugural season in 1997 and relocated to Arlington International Park in 2000, a position he held until the track closed in 2021. In addition, Dooley joined the staff at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots as the track announcer in 2004 during the winter months, creating a circuit between Fair Grounds and Arlington for the past 18 years.

“I'm excited for this new opportunity to join the broadcast team for the newly branded Horseshoe Indianapolis,” said Dooley. “I think racing in Indiana is moving in a positive direction. Having lived and called races in the Midwest for the past 22 years, and knowing many horsemen and fans in the region, I look forward to being a part of the 20th anniversary season in Indiana.”

Dooley has been associated with some of the top races in North America over the past two decades, including the Arlington Million at Arlington Racecourse and the Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds. He has been the voice behind tens of thousands of races during his career with two calls holding a special place in his heart.

“I enjoy every race card I get a chance to do, but I'll never forget my first Grade 1 race,” said Dooley. “The race was Go for Wand winning the 1990 Beldame at Belmont Park while I worked for the NYRA Press Office. And I always think back to the great moment for Chicago racing fans when The Pizza Man rallied to win the Grade 1 Arlington Million in 2015. It was a thrilling finish to see the Illinois bred win it for the home team.”

Dooley will make a circuit out of calling races in Indiana as well as Fair Grounds moving forward. He also has a large following of fans on social media and is engaged in all aspects of promoting horse racing.

“In addition to being such a recognizable force in the announcer's booth, John (Dooley) will assist our race marketing team with several promotions and events throughout the year,” said Halstrom. “He's definitely very invested in our sport and having him as part of our program is a big boost to our entire production.”

The 20^th season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing is set to resume Tuesday, April 19 and run through Wednesday, Nov. 23. Racing will be held Monday through Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. with Thursday racing beginning at 3:30 p.m. A total of 12 Saturday racing programs will be held in 2022. For more information on events and racing, go to www.indianagrand.com.

Source of original post

A native of Staten Island, New York, Dooley graduated from St. John's University on Long Island and served as an intern at the Meadowlands and at the New York Racing Association before accepting his first announcer's job at Thistledown in 1991. After five years at the Cleveland-area oval and after calling the winter meet at Aqueduct in 1996 and 1997, Dooley relocated to the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and was on the mic at Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie from 1997-1999.

He got his major break in the year 2000 when he was given the nod to take over announcing duties at Arlington Park when the track reopened following a two-year closure. Dooley brought the curtain down on racing at Arlington this past September.

In 2004, Dooley added the Fair Grounds to his portfolio and has called the races in New Orleans ever since. The 2022 racing season at Horseshoe Indianapolis, highlighted by the GII Indiana Derby in July, begins Apr. 19.

Made my way to New Orleans to make it official…@JohnGDooley will be the new Announcer @HSIndyRacing We're lucky to have John as he's an A+ race caller and an A+ guy. Will fit in very well with our Team. Opening day April 19th! @RacingRachelM @HSIndyTammy pic.twitter.com/NmPZDTgtue

— Eric Halstrom (@ericahalstrom) February 4, 2022

The post Dooley Named Track Announcer at Horseshoe Indianapolis appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

According to friends of Cassidy, he died in his sleep. The cause of death was not immediately known.

Cassidy began his announcing career as the backup caller to Dave Johnson and then Chic Anderson. After Anderson passed away in 1979, Cassidy was promoted to the job of head announcer. In 1990, after the Saratoga meet concluded, he was replaced by Tom Durkin.

Over his years at NYRA, his calls could also be heard on WCBS radio, ABC, NBC, CBS and ESPN.

“He was my assistant for about five years,” Johnson said. “It was a real pressure cooker job because we were also doing the TV show on WOR at the time. In all that time, there was never a cross word between us. He was such a pro and such a good man.”

After leaving the announcers job, Cassidy worked on and off for NYRA as a racing official during the Saratoga meets. On Sept. 1, 2008, he ventured back into the booth and called a race at Saratoga.

Cassidy was known for his accuracy as a caller and for how he enunciated the names of certain horses. In a staccato fashion, there was often a brief pause between syllables and Cassidy liked to draw out the names. The name of the top filly Lucky Lucky Lucky became “Luck-Keeey, Luck-Keeey, Luck-Keeey.”

Cassidy's calls were usually straightforward, but when it came to Easy Goer, he showed some provincial pride. He was not “Easy Goer” but “New York's Easy Goer.” He wound down his call of the 1989 GI Belmont S., with the following words: “It's New York's Easy Goer in front.”

“I grew up listening to Marshall's calls and was always a big fan,” said Larry Collmus, who took the NYRA announcing job after Durkin left. “He had a classic and classy delivery that was so pleasant to the ear. When I became the NYRA announcer, Marshall and I developed a friendship that I'm so glad we had. He would visit me in the booth at Saratoga and would share so many great stories. Every summer Marshall and I would have dinner with Sonny Taylor [longtime NYRA racing official] and hearing their tales of the past was something special. I will miss Marshall and am so grateful to have had him as both an idol and a friend.”

“This is very sad news,” said Fair Grounds announcer John Dooley, who was an up-and-coming backup announcer at NYRA in the late eighties. “When I worked for the New York Racing Association, he really took me under his wing when I was starting off as a race caller. He was such a kind man, a great person. He took the time to help me, a wannabee announcer. It was because of him that I was eventually able to call races in New York. I owe him a real debt of gratitude.”

Cassidy came from one of the most prominent families in New York racing. His grandfather, Marshall Whiting Cassidy, worked as a head starter, a steward and as the executive secretary of The Jockey Club. He is credited with inventing the modern starting gate. Cassidy's great-grandfather, Mars Cassidy, was also a longtime starter at the NYRA tracks, as was Cassidy's great uncle, George Cassidy.

“I'm immediately stereotyped as a bright boy with a silver spoon in his mouth,” Cassidy said in 1974. “I have to overcome this image by proving myself with hard work. As many people loved my grandfather as many hated him. I don't want people to judge me off my grandfather, but for myself.”

The post Former NYRA Announcer Marshall Cassidy Passes Away at 75 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post