“He's doing amazingly well,” said his owner, Julie Izzo. “But he has slowed down a bit.”

Of course he has. He's 38.

New Years Eve | Sarah Andrew

As New Years Eve crept into his mid-thirties Izzo, who resides in Pennsylvania, began to do some research. Was there an older Thoroughbred out there? She has asked around, checked social media and touched base with Daily Racing Form photographer Barbara Livingston, who has looked high and far for an even older horse. As best as Izzo can tell, the horse she calls Axl (Izzo is a big Guns N' Roses fan) is in fact the oldest former race horse in the U.S.

“I found some people who claimed they had older horses, but when I asked for their Jockey Club names they disappeared or their horse wasn't a race horse,” Izzo said. “Barbara said that this has been a passion of hers for 25 years and she didn't know of an older horse. One lady said her horse was a day older. I asked what was the horse's Jockey Club name because I wanted to see if her horse and mine had ever been to the same tracks. She also disappeared on me.”

New Years Eve was born on March 17, 1986. His career was about as unexceptionable as it gets. He debuted on June 9, 1989 at the Nebraska racetrack Atokad Park. He ran 18 times, won two races and earned the grand total of $3,140.

None of which mattered to Izzo, who was looking for a pleasure horse and bought the gelding in 1993 when he was seven.

“He was literally my dream come true,” Izzo said. “My mother had a horse when I was born and she put me on a horse before I could walk. All I ever wanted was my own horse. I rode in stables during my childhood and teen years. But I was always riding other people's horses. My dream was to have a big bay Thoroughbred. In my brain, it had to be a big bay Thoroughbred. An ad popped up advertising him for sale and I knew, before I even saw him, that I was buying him. OTTBs (off the track thoroughbreds), they have always been my passion. I just love them. I love the fire. I love the power. I wanted a horse that was going to be fun and exciting and one where I wouldn't know what I was getting into every day. He was always that.”

New Years Eve at Atokad Park in 1991 | Durham Museum/Bob Dunn Collection

Izzo never tried to turn New Years Eve into a show horse. She was happy to just have him around and to be able to ride him whenever she wanted.

“He's never been in a show,” she said. “All I ever wanted was to have a horse where I could just go out and have some fun with them. I have done some trail riding and some light dressage with him. He loves to jump. Two years ago, he took off on a dead run in the pasture and decided to jump all the wild rose bushes. He will take himself jumping. He loves to jump.”

That Julie Izzo owns what may be the oldest living Thoroughbred in the U.S. probably isn't a coincidence.  She also owned  a Quarter Horse mare who lived to be 40. She believes the key to a horse having a long life is to keep them out of a stall.

New Years Eve and Julie Izzo | Sarah Andrew

“Since I bought him, he has almost always been pasture boarded,” she said. “I do not believe in keeping horses in stalls. I think it is a horrible thing to do to them. He was always pretty much out in the pasture as much as possible.  If you put them in a box and they are standing still trying to eat that means you're affecting their digestive system and you're affecting their respiratory system because they are stuck in a dusty building. It's not good for a horse mentally to be stuck in a box all day.”

Then there is his diet. Izzo is careful about what she feeds her horses.

“He went from eating a low protein sweet feed and having free access to hay,” she said. “Now, we've converted him over to Sentinel Senior. It's easier for him to digest. Like any horse at his age, he's starting to lose teeth. In fact, we're on the fence about starting to do some major extractions. Up until two or three years ago, he ate dry pellets and had access to all the grass he could eat. Now he gets a mash because his teeth have gotten bad enough where he's not going to be able to keep eating grass. He gets a mash twice a day with alfalfa cubes, Sentinel Senior and a couple of low-carb horse cookies that I throw in there. Plus, we give him a high-quality probiotic.

“I did a lot of research about their diets and read all the educational materials Cornell put out and have read books by people who know what they are talking about. People ask me all the time, what do you feed him? I tell them the feed is just one part of it. Obviously, genetics play a big factor and so does keeping him out of a stall.”

The only problem of late has been that Axl is alone after having the Quarter Horse mare as his pasture mate for 28 years.

New Years Eve | Sarah Andrew

“Sometimes I think he is lonely,” Izzo said.

But he keeps going, year after year. And while it can't last forever, Izzo continues to marvel at how healthy and spry her horse is. He might have a few more years left in him. From a horse who is special in his own unique way, you never know.

The post The World’s Oldest Thoroughbred? We Think We Have Found Him appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Horse of the Year: Angel of Empire (Classic Empire), Caravel (Mizzen Mast), Nimitz Class (Munnings), Neecie Marie (Cross Traffic), Roses For Debra (Liam's Map) and Twisted Ride (Great Notion).

Broodmare of the Year: Armony's Angel (To Honor and Serve), Diva's Gold (Tenpins), Essential Rose (Bernardini), Five Diamonds (Flatter), Home Ice (Iam the Iceman), Katarica Disco (Disco Rico) and Zeezee Zoomzoom (Congrats).

2-Year-Old Filly: Aoife's Magic (Smarty Jones), Carmelina (Maximus Mischief), Dancing Spirit (Social Inclusion) and Greavette (Austern {Aus}).

2-Year-Old Colt: Capo (Peace and Justice), Drum Roll Please (Hard Spun), Going Up (Mineshaft), Notice of Action (Hoppertunity) and Uncle Heavy (Social Inclusion).

Older Female: Caravel (Mizzen Mast), Disco Ebo (Weigelia), Morning Matcha (Central Banker) and Roses for Debra (Liam's Map).

Older Male: Nimitz Class (Munnings), Our Shot (Kantharos), Twisted Ride (Great Notion) and Witty (Great Notion).

The full list of finalists can be viewed here.

The post PA Horse Breeders Association Names 2023 PA-Bred Award Finalists appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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According to stories first reported by the Pennsylvania news outlet the Times Leader and the gaming industry site Casino.org, security officials at the Mohegan Pennsylvania casino in Wilkes-Barre began more closely monitoring a dealer there Dec. 30 after detecting a “sudden large win rate” at his table.

Citing court records filed by the Pennsylvania State Police's Bureau of Gaming Enforcement, the Times Leader reported that “Jason Richard Kutney, 52, was a dealer for the craps electronic table game responsible for pushing a button at the end of a 30 second clock allowing patrons to place bets. Kutney pushed the button early, allowing casino patron Louis Attilio Grasso, 66, to see the numbers prior to placing his bet.”

The Times Leader's reporting continued: “State police in court records said the scheme occurred on Dec. 30, when Grasso won $17,521, and again [Jan. 5], when Grasso won $4,125. Kutney admitted to pushing the button on the machine earlier, giving Grasso the benefit of seeing the numbers.”

Casino.org added that “Surveillance video captured Kutney allegedly hitting the dice button early at least nine times. During the incidents, police say bettors were given as much as 20 seconds to place their bets even though the dice had been rolled and the winning numbers were displayed on the electronic [table].”

“Police said in an affidavit that Kutney admitted to law officers that he was assisting Grasso through a difficult time. Grasso declined to speak with police and instead requested an attorney,” Casino.org reported.

Casino.org reported that Kutney was arrested and charged with three felony charges for receiving stolen property, theft by unlawful taking, and conspiring to trick, fraud, or manipulate a casino, plus a first-degree misdemeanor for knowingly tricking and/or defrauding a business.

The Luzerne County court docket noted that Grasso's charges are similar, reporting them in court shorthand as “Knowingly by trick/fraud/manipulation win or reduce loss” without designating them as felonies or misdemeanors.

Although the Times Union additionally reported on Friday that both defendants “were jailed at the county correctional facility for lack of $25,000 unsecured bail,” neither was listed on the inmate roster as of Saturday afternoon.

In May 2022, when Grasso entered a guilty plea in the racehorse doping conspiracy case, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District Court issued a press release in which U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said, “In peddling illegal drugs and selling prescriptions to corrupt trainers, Louis Grasso abdicated his responsibilities as a medical professional to ensure the safety and health of the racehorses he 'treated.'”

The website Sports Litigation Alert reported on Dec. 16,. 2022, that Grasso's doping conspiracy conviction was hardly his first brush with the law or state racing regulators.

“In 1992, Grasso was previously convicted in federal court of selling anabolic steroids and his license to practice equine medicine was suspended by the State of New York. In 1993, based on Grasso's guilty plea in New York to three counts of possession and distribution of anabolic steroids, his New Jersey license to practice veterinary medicine in New Jersey was also suspended for five years.

“[In 2000] Delaware authorities suspected Grasso of practicing without a license and when police tried to arrest him Grasso led the police on a wild car chase. When the police finally stopped Grasso they found needles, syringes and banned drugs in his car. In 2005, New York State Racing and Wagering Board upheld a refusal to license Grasso to participate in pari-mutuel harness racing as a veterinarian,” Sports Litigation Alert reported.

Beyond his upcoming federal prison sentence in the doping conviction, the court has also mandated that Grasso pay restitution in the amount of $47,656,576 and a forfeiture of $412,442.

Just prior to his Nov. 15 sentencing, Grasso wrote a letter to the judge asking for leniency because of health issues and his modest financial means.

“I am a physical wreck,” Grasso wrote. “I am not a rich man. I don't have much in the way of money or possessions. I have no savings, I have little cash available… While I don't live hand to mouth, I don't have the ability to withstand any catastrophic events in my life.”

Grasso is due to appear in Luzerne County Court next on Jan. 17 for a preliminary hearing on the casino charges.

The post Awaiting Prison In Doping Scandal, Vet Charged With Cheating Casino Out Of $21,646 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The penalties were announced after her barn at Parx was inspected June 22. During the inspection, investigators also found hypodermic needles, syringes and injectable substances. The suspension is scheduled to run from Sept. 11, 2022 through Jan. 12, 2028.

The Paulick Report was first with the story and has also reported that Pearce has filed an appeal.

Pearce began training in 2012 and, prior to 2021, never won more than 16 races in a year. During the 2012-to-2020 period, her winning rate was 11%. That changed in 2021 when she went 32-for-137 (23%). Her success has continued this year as she has posted a record of 23-for-84 (27%).

In June of 2021, Pearce reportedly hired former trainer Ramon Preciado as a groom. In 2016, Preciado's owner and trainer licenses were revoked after a horse he trained named Purcell (Jump Start) tested positive for clenbuterol in a post-race test. In the ruling covering Purcell, the racing commission noted that Preciado had a record of “multiple medication violations.” Despite Preciado's record of violations, the racing commission decided to grant him a groom's license and he went to work for Pearce.

The Pearce-trained horses that tested positive for clenbuterol were Mischievous Jones (Smarty Jones), Musamaha (Jack Milton), Relativlea (Lea), Call Me GQ (Weigelia), Market Maven (Super Ninety Nine) and an unnamed horse. Had there been just one clenbuterol positive, Pearce would have received a suspension of just 30 days. Instead, the commission used an escalating scale, with the number of days she was suspended increasing with each subsequent positive. For the sixth positive, she was suspended for 960 days.

“In accordance with ARCI medication and penalty guidelines, based upon the number of medication positives, the board of stewards finds aggravating circumstances in these matters,” the ruling reads.

In June, Monmouth Park stewards suspended Pearce for 15 days and fined her $500 after a horse she trained tested positive for clenbuterol following a May 29 race at the Jersey Shore track.

The post Parx-Based Trainer Pearce Hit With 1,950-Day Suspension appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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A winner of both the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity and the GI Blue Grass S., Brody's Cause is the sire of three black-type winners, including GI La Brea S. winner Kalypso and GIII Iroquois S. winner Sittin On Go. He is currently ranked in the top 20 of third-crop sires and has 64 individual winners, including two current 2-year-olds from a 2022 juvenile crop numbering 43. His progeny earnings top $4 million. In 2021, he covered 147 mares, his largest book to date.

The post Brody’s Cause Moves from Kentucky to Pennsylvania appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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“I'd rather be a big fish in a little pond,” said Lopez, who co-owns Chub Wagon with George Chestnut. “We've made a lot of money ($593,600) with her and, by taking it easy with her, she's going to last longer.”

That's pretty much been the play book for Chub Wagon since she debuted with a win on Nov. 16, 2020 at Parx. After two more wins, both in allowance company, Lopez and trainer Guadalupe Preciado got a bit ambitious and sent Chub Wagon to Aqueduct, where she won an April 2, 2021 allowance race by 4 3/4 lengths. She was four-for-four at that point and looked to have more than enough ability to successfully take the next step and compete in a graded race. Instead, she went back to Parx and beat state-breds in the Unique Bella S.

“The name of the game is to win,” said Lopez, a former trainer, who also owns Chub Wagon's sire, Hey Chub.

There were a couple of major races for 3-year-old fillies on the calendar that would have been a good fit, including the GII Eight Belles S. or even the GI Acorn, but the connections didn't waver. There were plenty of races out there worth good money and where Chub Wagon would be going against overmatched rivals. Starting on May 15, Chub Wagon ran three times during a 46-day period and won all three, the Skipat S., the Shine Again S. and the Dashing Beauty S.

The winning streak ended at eight when she caught a sloppy track and finished second in the Dr. Teresa Garofalo Memorial S. at Parx. She went back to work two weeks later and won the Roamin Rachel S. and, in her lone career try around two turns, the Plum Pretty S. for Pennsylvania-breds.

Lopez and Preciado had hoped to bring their filly back some time in early or mid-spring, but they had a problem establishing a regular work pattern.

“The weather was a big problem,” Lopez said. “Every two or three days it would rain. She would work and then she would walk, jog, gallop and then it would be raining again. That went on forever. So I had to be patient. After a while everything cleared up with the weather”

Chub Wagon returned on Monday in the Power by Far S., a five-furlong race at Parx for Pennsylvania-breds that came off the turf. Winning by three-quarters of a length, she didn't dominate, but it was a game performance in which she showed there was no rust.

What's next? More of the same. It will be the $100,000 Alma North S. at Laurel July 16. The Alma North is part of the Match Series.

“Right now, I'm just thinking about her next race, which will be at Laurel on July 16,” Lopez said. “That gives her 19 days between starts. After that, I'll go from there. After that, it's all open.”

While Lopez understands that people want to see Chub Wagon take on tougher rivals, he said it makes more sense from a bottom-line standpoint to keep doing what he's been doing.

“I'm going to let her tell me, which is the way I have always played it out with her,” Lopez said. “That's why I was able to run all those races together toward the end of last year. She overshadows those horses she's been running against. So instead of running for $300,000 once every six weeks she ran for $100,00 every two or three weeks and wound up making the same amount of money. There is no goal. It's just one race at a time. After her race at Laurel there are all these races at Parx for Pennsylvania-breds. I can come back this year in the Plum Pretty, and that's a $200,000 race for Pennsylvania-breds and we don't have to go anywhere to run. What more could you ask for?”

While Lopez has not yet decided whether or not Chub Wagon will run next year, it's all but certain that once she stops running she will be sold at auction as a broodmare prospect.

“Do I want a broodmare that might not produce anything? No. You see some of these great race mares don't make it as a broodmare,” he said. “Do I want to be stuck with horses that can't run?”

But wouldn't a graded win enhance her value as a broodmare? We may never find out.

The post For Chub Wagon, Tougher Spots Will Have to Wait appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The Broks will move to a smaller farm near Georgetown, Ky., to be closer to their daughters.

Diamond B's roster in 2021 included Boisterous, Eastwood, Rowayton, Social Inclusion, Talent Search, and Uptowncharlybrown, all of which have been relocated to new farms.

The Broks purchased the 100-acre Diamond B property when Glenn was about 25. The operation was perennially one of Pennsylvania's leading breeders, taking home the top spot in 2017. Notable horses foaled at the farm include Grade 1 winner Real Solution, Grade 2 winner Emotional Kitten, and Grade 3 winner Hollywood Talent.

Read more at BloodHorse.

The post Brok Family Closes Diamond B Farm After Two Decades appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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“This list is a living and breathing list,” Chuckas said. “There are going to be changes obviously, it is not the end-all, be-all. It's a start, but it is an important start.”

The action plan is a result of the late-summer formation of a working group to address equine welfare, as well as examinations of what has worked in other states and the upcoming federal regulations.

The PSRC action plan is as follows:

1. Tracks will conduct an independent third party analysis of the racetrack two times per year. The first analysis for the Thoroughbred tracks is to be completed within 60 days and submitted to commission.
2. Increased monitoring and oversight of AM works, employing additional veterinarians to conduct oversight and examination. That will require a reshuffling of some of the vets and putting more vets in place, but the commission believes that what occurs in the morning is important to racing and moving forward.
3. Require the practicing veterinarians to attest that the horses are in fit, serviceable, and in sound condition and suitable to race.
4. Trainers must submit a pre-entry form to a racing panel for permission to race. It will require the submission of the most recent 30-day medical reports for the horses. The panel should consist at a minimum of the race secretary, commission vet, steward, and horsemen's representative. 
5. Institute a rule for lower-level conditions or classes: a horse that doesn't finish in top four positions in five consecutive races is deemed non-competitive and not eligible to race in Pennsylvania.
6. Requiring the practicing veterinarian to conduct an examination within 48 hours of a horse being placed on the vet's list due to lameness. This examination will assist in determining the cause and if diagnostics are warranted. The practicing veterinarian will provide a verbal report to the commission vet.
7. Intra-articular injections: The initial injection is permitted based on the practicing veterinarian's examination and recommendation. Any additional injections require diagnostics to support further injections. If any injection is a corticosteroid, the horse is placed on the vet's list for 30 days.
8. Establish stricter criteria for removal from the vet's list, utilizing diagnostics, scanning, and imaging. 
9. Establish a program to install either a pet scan machine or an MRI or the like at the racetrack in effort to detect issues.
10. Create a fatality database.

Chuckas added that some of 10 action items might be made via commission regulation, while others might be made by individual racetrack policy.

The PSRC also plans to create an integrity hotline which whistleblowers can call to report violations.

“We're not proposing anything that's never been tried before,” said commissioner Thomas Jay Ellis. “These are the best ideas to protect our horses, not some pie in the sky concepts, but things that can actually be done.”

Commissioner Dr. Corinne Sweeney motioned to approve the action plan, and commissioner Thomas Jay Ellis seconded. The motion carried.

The post ‘An Important Start’: Pennsylvania Commission Approves 10-Step Action Plan To Improve Equine Safety; Implementation Targeted For March 1 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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There is no better example of this than Li'lbito'charm, who earned her connections $144,546 in 2021 through the end of October racing exclusively below the stakes level. That placed her 11th among Pennsylvania incentive earners through October, and all ten of the horses in front of her reached their spots in part with stakes earnings.

The daughter of Smarty Jones had a career season in 2021, winning six of 15 starts and finishing in the money in five additional starts, all coming at Parx Racing.

That steady campaign of wins and placings meant Li'lbito'charm generated incentive earnings in nearly all of her starts last year.

That included $67,041 for breeder Nick Polydoros. As a Pennsylvania-bred and -sired horse, Li'lbito'charm was eligible for a 40 percent purse bonus for races run in her home state.

Li'lbito'charm is out of the Polydoros-bred stakes-placed Dixieland Heat mare Li'lbito'sunshine, whose seven foals to race are all winners. She is a half-sister to stakes winner Sunshine Included and stakes-placed Sunshine's Son Bob.

Li'lbito'charm changed hands through the claim box three times in 2021, landing most recently with owner Ylliehus 5 Star and trainer Ralph Riviezzo.

The mare's multiple owners divided an owner bonus of $30,744 through the end of October, which was the third-biggest payout in that column at that point of the year. For races at Parx, Pennsylvania-breds are eligible for a 40 percent purse bonus, meaning the mare's frequent wins and top-three finishes saw a significant boost because of where she was born.

Finally, Li'lbito'charm raised $16,760 in stallion awards for Patricia Chapman, the owner of sire Smarty Jones. Registered Pennsylvania-breds by Pennsylvania sires generate a 10 percent bonus on purse earnings for top-three finishes run within the Keystone State.

Smarty Jones, the fan-favorite dual classic winner, will stand the 2022 season at Equistar Training and Breeding in Annville, Pa. He generated $43,774 in stallion awards last year through the end of October, ranking him seventh in that category.

The post Pennsylvania Leaderboard Presented By Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association: Li’lbito’charm Earned A Lot Without A Stakes Start appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The foal cams are streamed live from Pine Grove-based Blackstone Farm, where 60 expectant mares are expected to give birth from now through the spring. 

This year, PHRA is inviting elementary school teachers and students to take a virtual educational field trip to Blackstone Farm for a fun day where they can “bring a horse to class” via a video call. Students will have the opportunity to gain a closer look at the expectant mares, the new foals, and learn about the variety of jobs needed on the farm during foal season. Online educational activities will accompany the virtual field trip. Elementary school teachers who are interested in bringing this virtual educational activity into their classroom can register for more information at https://pennhorseracing.com/foalcams-education.

“We are excited to once again be able to provide horse racing enthusiasts, new fans, and students the opportunity to witness the beauty of a foal being born through our foal cams,” said Pete Peterson, president of the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Association. “The addition of our virtual field trips provides elementary school classrooms the opportunity to learn more about the foaling season, and provide students a fun, educational activity that highlights the breeding basics and the various jobs needed on the farm when a foal is born and raised.”

Visitors tuning in to the PHRA's foal cams can watch the live camera feeds and will see the expectant mares in their stalls as they anticipate the arrivals of their foals, day-to-day interactions between the mares and their caregivers, and — when the timing is right — the opportunity to witness the births of the next generation of racehorses. In addition to the foal cams, the PHRA website includes breeding basics, videos, interactive polls and gender reveals. 

Follow PHRA's Facebook and Instagram for live foaling season updates.

The post Pennsylvania Horse Racing Association Offers Educational Foal Watch Program appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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