To talk about Touchuponastar, his love affair with racing and even a bit about his NFL career, Delhomme joined this week's TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland. He was this week's Green Group Guest of the Week.

The Delhommes bought Touchuponastar for $15,000 at the Texas Thoroughbred Association Yearling sale, which has turned out to be quite the bargain as the horse has earned $708,100.

Jake Delhomme Joins the TDN Writers' Room from Thoroughbred Daily News on Vimeo.

“He's been a dream come true, to be quite honest,” Delhomme said. “I was lucky enough to purchase him at the Texas yearling sale. He was one that I followed, along with the breeders, Coteau Grove Farms. They have done a marvelous job of bringing along some fine animals. Andrew Cary is their bloodstock advisor, and I've been involved with Andrew since 2007. The first time I went to Keeneland and bought my first mare there, off of Hill 'n' Dale Farms, he was the director of sales then. We developed a friendship over the years. We'll go to Coteau Grove and see the horses. There was something about this horse I always liked and I watched him grow up. He looks very much like his sire, Star Guitar, who was a great regional racehorse here in Louisiana. So this was one that I had my eye on. I try to buy a couple of yearlings every year, try to breed a couple. We're a fairly small stable, eight to 10 horses. So we went to the Texas sale and I bid just one time. I was watching the action and I was prepared to go a lot higher. It was just one of those good deals and we were lucky enough to get him.”

While his brother Jeff is listed as the trainer, Jake is very hands-on and works right alongside his brother and father.

“I do pretty much anything and everything,” Delhomme said. “I'd like to think we're a selfless stable, to be quite honest. Set-Hut is the owner and Dad and Jeff both train. But I'll be honest, it's all of us. We're there every day. It's a family affair. Had I not played sports, I have a pretty good inclination that I would have gone into racing right away.”

Like many retired athletes that have gone into racing after their careers are over, Delhomme said that the sport fills a need in his life and keeps his competitive juices flowing.

“Racing helps fill that competitive void,” Delhomme said. “I mean I retired when I was, what, 37 or 38 years old? But I retired from football, not from real life. At that age, you're just kind of getting started, so to speak. Racing has given me that avenue. I've never looked for anything else to do once I finished playing. You need something to do because you're used to just this lifestyle of work, work, work, work. I think anyone can attest that being in the horse racing business is just that, work, work, work. It's all the time.”

In our breeding spotlight section we took a look at the Coolmore stallion Jack Christopher and the WinStar stallion Global Campaign.

Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders' Association, Coolmore, 1/ST Racing, West Point Thoroughbreds, WinStar and XBTV.com, the team of Randy Moss, Bill Finley and Zoe Cadman discussed the news that Nysos (Nyquist) has been sidelined and will probably miss all of the Triple Crown races and the latest developments in Maryland, where 1/ST Racing is donating Pimlico to the state. And they previewed the big weekend cards coming up at Fair Grounds and at Turfway Park, where 3-year-olds will vie for Derby points in the GII Louisiana Derby and the GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks S.

To watch the podcast, click here. To listen to an audio of the podcast, click here.

The post Jake Delhomme Joins TDN Writers’ Room Podcast appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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While he did not argue the fact that the horse tested positive, he has said that it is grossly unfair that the HISA/HIWU continues to suspended trainers for minute amounts of drugs that aren't considered performance-enhancing.

Advocating for a major change in how these infractions are dealt with, Arnold was this week's guest on the TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland. He was the Green Group Guest of the week.

“I can't deny that the horse raced on Tramadol,” Arnold said. “I took my positive and I didn't argue it. I didn't say anything. But after taking it, I wanted to point out that I don't think it's fair. I don't think the system is right on these trace limits. I'm trying to create some positive movement to change the rules and bring about some positive changes.”

Arnold said the only way the drug could have gotten into the horse's system is through environmental contamination and that HIWU's zero tolerance stand on drug positives is unrealistic.

Rusty Arnold Joins the TDN Writers' Room from Thoroughbred Daily News on Vimeo.

“I have no doubt that it came from contamination,” he said. “But my major objection is that in today's society, there is no such thing as zero tolerance. There needs to be a level and if the medication is under that level it won't be a drug positive. I'm trying to move forward and trying to make a positive change. Too many people are getting involved in similar situations right now. It's one every day or one every few days. And I disagree with it.”

Arnold said he heard from over 300 people since his ordeal became public and said the overwhelming sentiment was that he was being treated unfairly.

“The response has been very good, a little bit overwhelming actually,” he said. “I answered over 300 emails and texts over the next 48 hours. I would say 99.9% were positive and that included support I received from several Jockey Club members, which very much surprised me. The one thing that was the theme that echoed between every one of them was, 'this isn't what we signed up for with HISA. This isn't what we thought it was going to be. We thought we were going to catch guys that were clearly cheating. We didn't know that the everyday guy that's out there trying to do his job was going to be snared by the gotcha mentality.'”

In our breeding spotlight section we looked at the Coolmore stallion Tiz the Law and the WinStar stallion Audible.

Domestic Product | SV Photography

Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, Coolmore, 1/ST Racing, West Point Thoroughbreds, WinStar https://www.winstarfarm.com/and XBTV.com, the team of Randy Moss, Bill Finley and Zoe Cadman reviewed the major races from last week, which included the one nobody could bet on–the GIII Tampa Bay Derby–won by Domestic Product (Practical Joke). Cadman said she was impressed by the performance of the Chad Brown-trainee, while Finley said he was underwhelmed because of the weak field.

There was also talk of the win by Kinza (Carpe Diem) in the GIII Santa Ysabel S. Kinza is arguably the best 3-year-old filly in training but because she is trained by Bob Baffert she cannot run in the GI Kentucky Oaks. Cadman was in Ocala for the March OBS 2-Year-Old Sale and gave a scouting report on which freshman sires she thinks will stand out during the sale.

To watch the Writers' Room, click here. To view the show as a podcast, click here.

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The margin was a nose. Did he know he had won and what made the difference this time?

“Just a little less bad luck is all that we really needed for this to happen,” Fincher said. “Because every time he puts himself in a terrible position. The Japanese jockey (Yuga Kawada, the rider Ushba Tesoro) really did a good job. He had me in a bad position for a long time. We didn't have anywhere to go. He had us in a bad spot, and we had to wait down the stretch. When that horse finally cleared us that was when we could move out and make our run. Junior (Alvarado) timed that perfectly. That's why we were so emotional. Because we never thought he was going to win until the last second, and we still didn't know if we won because the finish was so close.”

Senor Buscador will now head to Dubai for the GI Dubai World Cup. Run at a mile-and-a-quarter and around two turns, that race seems like a better fit for Senor Buscador than the one-turn, mile-and-an-eighth Saudi Cup. But Fincher said the real key to victory in Dubai will be whether or not the early pace is fast enough to set up his late run.

“He needs some kind of setup,” Fincher said. “I don't know why he does it, but he takes himself back right out of the gate. If you watch the Pegasus, he out broke National Treasure and then, three jumps later, he's four lengths behind him. So, he does that to himself and he's not going to change that style. And we can't change it. So, you're still going to need a pace because he's not going to get up there mid-pack and hang around. So, he needs an honest pace.”

Fincher has been training since the late nineties and has been the proverbial big fish in the small pond that is New Mexico racing. Does he ever see himself moving on to a tougher circuit?

“You have to have the horses to make a move like that and I just don't have them,” he said. “I have a ton of New Mexico breds. We break usually 30 to 50 horses a year, and 95% of them are New Mexico breds. Last year, we broke two Kentucky breds and one Louisiana bred, and the rest were New Mexico breds. So, it's not like I normally have the right horses to do it. But this year, we actually broke 15 Kentucky breds and a couple of Louisiana breds. So, we might have an opportunity to take a stable somewhere. But you can't go somewhere with two or three horses and set up a stable and think people are going to bring you horses”.

During the stallion spotlight segments of the podcast, the crew sang the praises of the WinStar stallion Improbable, who stands for $15,000, and the Coolmore stallion Tiz the Law, who stands for $20,000. His first crop are now 2-year-olds and will be hitting the track shortly.

Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by WinStar Farm, the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, Coolmore,  the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association,https://www.kentuckybred.org/https://www.nyrabets.com/ 1/ST Racing, West Point Thoroughbreds, https://www.winstarfarm.com/and XBTV.com, the team of Randy Moss, Bill Finley and Zoe Cadman reviewed the Saudi Cup, the GII Rebel S. and the GIII Honeybee Stakes at Oaklawn. They also looked ahead to this weekend's races, which will include major preps for the GI Kentucky Derby in the GII San Felipe S. at Santa Anita and the GII Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream. There was also a discussion of the Jeffrey Englehart story and whether or not HISA should expand its role so that it can oversee the sales.

To watch the Writers' Room, click here. To view the show as a podcast, click here.

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What he didn't know at the time was whether or not farms would be willing to take a chance on individuals that had been in prison and/or struggled with drug addiction. He soon found out. His programs have been embraced in the Lexington area and several graduates have landed steady jobs and have moved on to meaningful lives.

Taylor joined this week's TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland to talk about his programs and their many success stories. He was this week's Green Group Guest of the week.

Taylor said he arrived at the idea of starting the program when confronting his own alcoholism.

“Once I did it and quit, I started feeling better,” he said. “I was having more fun than I've ever had. It was that that kind of spurred me on to start the School of Horsemanship. It was going to be a 90-day program to teach the basics of horsemanship, to get people started off at, say, a groom level, either for Taylor Made or another farm. I had kind of a tough sales job. I went to my brothers and said, 'I've got this idea, I want to bring in a bunch of heroin addicts and alcoholics and felons in here to work with these horses.' They were looking at me like I had two heads. I just wanted a chance to make it work. They were reluctant because there were a lot of concerns. But here we are, 3 1/2 years into it. We have had a hiccup here or there, but not many. I really think we have changed a lot of lives. We've introduced a lot of people to the horse business and trained a lot of people. The results have been amazing.”

The program has been so successful that Taylor would like to expand, but, for now, it's a matter of one step at a time.

“If we wanted to have 500 people in this program by the end of the year, that wouldn't be a problem,” he said. “We need the space, money and management. The need for something like this is way beyond what we can serve at this point and always will be. It's just such a crisis and a terrible situation. It's destroying society, is destroying families. It's just absolutely one of the worst epidemics in the history of mankind. The beautiful thing is, is we have that huge problem and that we have a huge problem with labor in this country. If you blend those two together, they can help solve each other.”

It's been proven that working with horses can solve all kinds of problems for people, whether that be soldiers suffering from PTSD or individuals with drug issues. Taylor knows that the horses deserve a lot of the credit for the success of these programs.

“The horses, they are like the secret sauce for stable recovery,” Taylor said. “That's something we have that other recovery places don't have. I was born into the horse business and I love horses and they're my passion. But I didn't really realize how therapeutic horses were or understand that part of it until I started seeing people that are broken interacting with those horses and seeing the peace and joy that comes to them immediately. It's just an amazing thing.”

In the stallion spotlight segments, the podcast featured Coolmore's Corniche, who stands for just $15,000. The focus was also on Improbable, who stands at WinStar Farm for a fee of $15,000.

Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, Coolmore, the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association,https://www.kentuckybred.org/https://www.nyrabets.com/ 1/ST Racing, West Point Thoroughbreds, https://www.winstarfarm.com/and XBTV.com, the team of Randy Moss, Bill Finley and Zoe Cadman delved back into the Bob Baffert ban at Churchill Downs, which also extends to the GI Kentucky Oaks, which means the impressive winner of the GIII Las Virgenes S. Kinza (Carpe Diem) will be shut out. Moss agreed that the Derby week races might deserve an asterisk if Baffert's horses are all banned, but he argued that it's not too late for Churchill to change its mind and to lift the Baffert ban. The team took a look at the GII Risen Star S., to be run this Saturday at the Fair Grounds and all agreed it will be by far the deepest Derby prep run so far this year.

For the podcast video, click here. For audio only, click here.

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How has he done? Has the experience made him a better rider? Those were questions we asked Murphy when he joined this week's TDN Writers' Room podcast sponsored by Keeneland. Murphy was the Green Group Guest of the Week.

“On dirt, I always knew that if you get stopped at any stage, it can be race over for you,” Murphy said. “Watching those top riders riding on a daily basis has been great. And I've ridden for some top trainers while I've been here and I've enjoyed that. Hopefully, this week, I've got some chances to ride another winner or two. I just have a lot of admiration for the lads I've been riding against.”

Murphy has ridden five winners at the meet, not at all bad considering he came here with few connections and is riding every day against the likes of Irad Ortiz Jr., John Velazquez, Tyler Gaffalione and the rest. But he said he had hoped to do better.

Irish Jockey Oisin Murphy Joins the TDN Writers' Room from Thoroughbred Daily News on Vimeo.

“I'd like to have ridden a lot more winners,” he said. “I've tried. In fairness, I knew coming here that it wasn't going to be easy. I got some really good results on Saturday, which was fulfilling, and I felt like I rode well over the weekend. But, of course, I always want to do better. I knew coming here that the jockey colony was very strong. But I want to do better. If I get another chance to come here, I'd like to ride many more winners.”

Will he be back next year?

“I'll definitely aim to come back and do a similar stint,” Murphy said. “I know I'm not going to earn loads of money in the month of January here, but I think the connections I can develop here will serve me well in the future. Some of those top jockeys are going to retire in the next number of years, like to Johnny V. and Frankie Dettori. Those top dirt races like the Saudi Cup, Dubai World Cup, Breeders' Cup Classic are worth an awful lot of money. If I have enough experience on dirt, and can prove myself, hopefully I can put my hand on the phone and call a trainer or an owner and ask is your horse available in this race because I'd love to ride them?”

In the stallion spotlight segments, the podcast featured Coolmore's Tiz the Law (Constitution), who stands for a fee of $20,000. The focus was also on four-time Grade I winner Improbable (City Zip), who stands at WinStar for $15,000.

Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by WinStar Farm, the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association,https://www.kentuckybred.org/https://www.nyrabets.com/ 1/ST Racing, the KTA & KTOB, West Point Thoroughbreds, https://www.winstarfarm.com/and XBTV.com, the team of Randy Moss, Bill Finley and Zoe Cadman gave their opinions on the fact that owners are not planning to transfer their 3-year-old stars out of the Bob Baffert barn even though that means they will not be eligible to run in the GI Kentucky Derby. The Derby could be missing some of the best horses in the division. They discussed a successful Pegasus World Cup Day at Gulfstream and looked ahead to a quartet of Derby preps set to be run this weekend, which include an appearance by 'TDN Rising Star' and 2-year-old champion Fierceness (City of Light) in the GIII Holy Bull S. at Gulfstream.

To watch the Writers' Room, click here. To view the show as a podcast, click here.

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And they saved the best for last, as Cody's Wish (Curlin), whose story resonated with nearly every fan of Thoroughbred racing and beyond, was named Horse of the Year and champion older dirt male for a season in which he won four times from five starts for trainer Bill Mott, including a towering victory in the GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan H. in June and a nails-tough defense of his title in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, overcoming plenty of adversity in the process.

For all they have accomplished in their rich history on the North American continent, Godolphin was being represented by its first Horse of the Year and Mott was named outstanding trainer for the fourth time in his Hall of Fame career, but first since 2011.

The Brendan Walsh-conditioned 'TDN Rising Star' Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief) became Godolphin's first winner of America's premier race for sophomore fillies, the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks, and largely on the strength of that effort was named champion of her generation. She is an eighth champion for her sire, whose daughter Covfefe won the same award in 2019. And while falling short of championships, Godolphin's GI Breeders' Cup Mile hero Master of the Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and the narrowly defeated 'TDN Rising Star' Mawj (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) received the third-most number of first-place votes in the male and female turf divisions, respectively.

With 27 victories in North American graded stakes, including 12 at Grade I level, Godolphin was the outstanding owner for the fourth year in a row and outstanding breeder for a third straight time.

A year after accounting for three divisional champions, Hill 'n' Dale Farm's sensational Curlin was responsible for another trifecta in 2023. In addition to Cody's Wish, the recently turned 20-year-old was also represented Thursday evening by Elite Power (Curlin), who took home a second consecutive award as champion sprinter; and by Idiomatic (Curlin), whose meteoric rise through the ranks was capped by an ultra-tough victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff. Curlin's daughter Malathaat was champion older dirt female of 2022. While Elite Power has joined the stallion barn at Juddmonte Farms in Lexington, Idiomatic will aim for another championship, as she remains in training in 2024.

The female sprint division also saw a repeat champion, as Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper) parlayed a second straight victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint into an Eclipse Award, easily outpointing 'TDN Rising Star' Echo Zulu (Gun Runner), whose chances were dashed by a career-ending injury while prepping for the Filly & Mare Sprint.

There were no surprises in the male turf category, as Up to the Mark (Not This Time) became a second champion in two years and third overall for his rising stallion, having won Grade Is at a mile, mile and an eighth and mile and a quarter before finishing second to 'TDN Rising Star' Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf going 12 furlongs. While the voters did not go for the latter off his single American appearance, they did in large numbers for Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who–in perhaps the evening's most surprising result–took home the hardware for turf female following her scintillating score in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf. She is a first American champion for the Banstead Manor resident and his sixth all totaled.

Arcangelo (Arrogate) was much preferred to Auguste Rodin and became his much-missed sire's first champion in the 3-year-old male division, with victories in the GI Belmont S. and GI Travers S. Scratched on the eve of the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, the gray stands his first season at Lane's End in 2024.

Courtesy of his bounceback success in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, 'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness also gave his sire City of Light a first champion in the 2-year-old male division. There was also little suspense in the 2-year-old filly ranks, as the undefeated GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies heroine Just F Y I (Justify) became the first North American champion for her sire.

Merry Maker (Ire) (Malinas {Ger}), who won the G1-Stp Lonsome Glory H. at Aqueduct in September, was a relatively narrow winner of the Eclipse for champion steeplechase horse.

In the other human divisions, Irad Ortiz, Jr. won his fifth Eclipse in six years as outstanding jockey and Axel Concepcion was the runaway winner of the Eclipse for the country's top apprentice. Stuart S. Janney III received the Eclipse Award of Merit, broadcaster Tom Hammond the Special Eclipse Award for Career Excellence and Paul Calia for Horseplayer of the Year.

The TDN Writers' Room Podcast was among the media award winners recognized for the 'Wade and Carson Jost' episode from Sept. 20, 2023. On hand to accept the award were co-producer Anthony LaRocca, editor Alia LaRocca and podcast panelists Zoe Cadman and Randy Moss.

The Eclipse Awards are voted upon by the NTRA, Daily Racing Form (DRF) and the National Turf Writers And Broadcasters (NTWAB). The votes are tabulated and certified by LBMC. Voters are asked to identify their top three candidates when submitting their ballots and the three finalists in each division were made public on Jan. 6. Eclipse Award winners are determined by first-place votes only. Of 250 eligible voters, 219 (88%) completed a ballot.

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What brought Iavarone back to the sport, what are his goals and what on earth is the story with the crazy outfits he wears when he shows up at the track? Those were some of the questions we had for Iavarone when he appeared on this week's TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland. Iavarone was this week's Green Group Guest of the week.

“So when I left in 2013, obviously I ran a syndicate at the time and we were unwinding the syndicate but I always wanted to essentially come back,” Iavarone said. “I just didn't know when, but I wanted to come back, just not as a syndicate. I wanted to come back with only my own money and have a couple partners. Very much low key, more for the entertainment than a business side of it. So I had to wait for the right time. I went back into the securities industry for an extended period of time. In 2017, I talked it over with my wife and we felt the time was good for a reentry point. So that's when we dipped the toe in, per se.”

Michael Iavarone Joins the TDN Writers' Room from Thoroughbred Daily News on Vimeo.

He said he never enjoyed having the responsibilities that go hand in hand with running a big syndicate. One of his worst memories was having to tell the partners that I Want Revenge (Stephen Got Even) was being scratched the morning of the 2009 GI Kentucky Derby.

“I can tell you that having a conversation with 125 or 150 people that day was so incredibly difficult that at no moment did I get a chance to even accept or even understand myself what just happened,” he said. “It felt like the worst thing in the world for them. And it was one of the worst things in the world for me to have to tell them why we're being scratched. And from that moment forward, it kind of sucked the life out of me because nobody cared or asked me the question, why did the horse scratch? Is the horse okay? It was more of a question of what does that mean to us financially? What does it mean to my investment? What does it mean to my money? And I would say to them, I can't control that. I'm not going to put a racehorse on the racetrack that has the opportunity or even the remote possibility of breaking down. Nobody really cared about that.”

And his outfits? In his IEAH days Iavarone looked and dressed like a Wall Streeter, wearing expensive and conservative suits. Now, he shows up in outfits that look like he stole them from Elvis Presley or maybe Michael Jackson. There are the jump suits, the bling, the deep tan and the ever present sunglasses.

“When I met my wife, she was very much into fashion,” Iavarone said. “So I first tried on something that I thought was kind of outrageous and ridiculous. I was against wearing it out, but I did anyway. I got some compliments. Some people looked at me like I was crazy, but I started to grow more comfortable with it. I felt like I could express myself in an older age. When I was younger I felt like I needed to be molded. I'm comfortable in my skin and I feel like it's fun. I know some people don't like it. Some people, they love it. The good news is I don't have to answer anybody anymore. That's the best part of not being part of a syndicate. So I can kind of do it my way. I feel like the way I dress now and go to the racetrack, it's all about fun.”

In the stallion spotlight segments, the podcast featured Coolmore's Epicenter (Not This Time), who stands for a fee of $40,000. The focus was also on Always Dreaming (Bodemeister), who stands at WinStar for $5,000. His best son, Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming) was this week's Fastest Horse of the Week. He ran a 105 Beyer in his victory in the GIII Louisiana S. at Fair Grounds and is on his way to the Saudi Cup.

Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by WinStar Farm, the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association,1/ST Racing, the KTA & KTOB, West Point Thoroughbreds, and XBTV.com, the team of Randy Moss, Bill Finley and Zoe Cadman looked at a trio of 3-year-olds who were impressive winners last weekend. All three agreed that GIII Lecomte S. winner Track Phantom (Quality Road) and maiden winners Hall of Fame (Gun Runner) and Maymun (Frosted) are horses to watch on the road to the GI Kentucky Derby. There were also discussions of the news that Bob Baffert and Amr Zedan had dropped their last lawsuits challenging the decision to disqualify Medina Spirit (Protonico) from the 2021 Kentucky Derby and the developments out of Saudi Arabia where The Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia announced that it is, finally, moving closer to disqualifying Maximum Security (New Year's Day) from his win in the 2020 Saudi Cup.

To watch the Writers' Room podcast video, click here. To listen to an audio version, click here.

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It is his work with the MTROA that has received the most attention of late as the Authority recently issued a plan that would completely overhaul Maryland racing. Pimlico will be rebuilt and when that is done, racing will cease at Laurel. The Stronach Group will turn the tracks over to the state, which will become the new operator, but will maintain the rights to the GI Preakness S. and the GII Black-Eyed Susan S. A new training center will be built.

This is the evolution of a 2020 plan which called for the rebuilding of both Laurel and Pimlico. A total of $375 million was put together for that project, which eventually stalled because of a number of factors. Those same funds will be used to for a new Pimlico.

“Pimlico became the hub property for this project, and working with the Maryland Stadium Authority and other experts that we worked with over the past six months, we have a plan to go forward and it is within range of the cost of the bonds that were initially authorized by the Maryland General Assembly,” Foreman said. “So that's the genesis of this project going forward. It's a mountain of work that's been done in the last six months. But now the rubber hits the road.”

It is still not clear what the agreement means, which allows The Stronach Group to retain the rights to the Preakness and Black-Eyed Susan. Major questions remain, like, how will the revenue from those two days of racing be divided up?

“There's a framework for an agreement that is now being negotiated between the state and Stronach,” Foreman said. “It's estimated that agreement will be finalized within the next 30 to 60 days. It's critical that the agreement be finalized because we have started the legislative session. Legislative leadership and the governor are going to be very interested in the outcome of those negotiations. But I think both sides are confident that they will come to a final written agreement because the ink is not dry on this deal and there are still matters to be negotiated. But the framework is that because Stronach owned the rights to the Preakness, they will license the event to the state of Maryland and the state of Maryland will, as a not-for-profit, run the Preakness. The division of revenues is being negotiated. It will be a fair agreement to both sides.”

As far as his work with HISA/HIWU goes, Foreman admits that there have been problems, particularly when it comes to trainers receiving hefty fines and suspensions for infractions that may be the result of environmental contamination. He says work is being done to make a fair system.

“I've never seen an intentional administration of a cocaine or a methamphetamine to a horse, and there wouldn't be a reason to do it,” he said. “The industry pre-HISA did a very good job of handling these cases. This was something that was not broken and needed to be fixed. And somehow in the new system it got broken. Fortunately, it's being fixed under new rule changes that we're waiting for the Federal Trade Commission to approve that will give HIWU the discretion to determine that it is more likely than not that the positive was a case of contamination or inadvertent exposure, as we like to call it, and not an intentional administration. The penalties have been substantially reduced per this rule change that's coming.”

This week's look at a Coolmore sire focused on champion 2-year-old Corniche (Quality Road). He was undefeated as a juvenile with wins the GI American Pharoah S. and the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. He was purchased for $1.5 million at the 2021 Ocala April Sale by a team that included TDN Writers' Room regular Zoe Cadman, who recalled how she was blown away the first time she saw the horse. Standing for $25,000, Corniche's first foals are arriving this week.

Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by WinStar Farm, the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association,1/ST Racing, West Point Thoroughbreds and XBTV.com, the team of Randy Moss, Cadman and Bill Finley looked back at the impressive maiden win at Gulfstream by 'TDN Rising Star' Conquest Warrior (City of Light) who overcame a ton of trouble to post the victory. A $1 million Keeneland September purchase, he's one to keep an eye on as the road to the GI Kentucky Derby progresses.

The team was united in its praise of Churchill Downs for raising the purse of the Derby from $3 million to $5 million, while also calling on the two other Triple Crown tracks to match Churchill's move. Cadman also brought up the point that the GI Kentucky Oaks goes for $1.25 million and is deserving of a substantial purse hike.

To watch the Writers' Room podcast video, click here. To listen to an audio version, click here.

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But now he has decided to retire, 20 years after he opened Old Friends, and turn the reins over to John Nicholson. On this week's TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland, Blowen discussed why he is retiring and some of his fondest memories from a job he instantly loved.

“When you get a certain age and you can see the finish line, you know,” Blowen said. “It's like you're turning for home and you go, 'Oh, there's a finish line.' So you better figure out what's going to be happening or what you can do to make everything a little better. And so I started looking for somebody a couple of years ago to take over, and I could never find the right person. Then I ran into John Nicholson. And I would probably still be doing this if I hadn't run into John, because John was the perfect person. I thought, 'boy, oh boy, if he'll do this, it would be great'. People who know John know that he ran Kentucky Horse Park for a long time. He loves the horses.”

His favorite horse? Silver Charm.

“It's hard for me to explain it in one way, because it's hard to explain why you fall in love with somebody,” Blowen said. “No matter who or what you fall in love with your life is going to change. When Sandy Hatfield called me in November of 2015 and said, how would you like an old gray stallion at your farm, I freaked out. The only problem was I couldn't tell anybody. They're supposed to keep it a secret. And then I did keep it a secret, which is probably the only secret I ever kept in my life. But I kept that one. And when he got here on Dec. 1, 2015 that was the greatest day of my life. I didn't even know him, because the first time I ever laid eyes on him in person is when he got off the trailer on that day, but I know I was totally enthralled.'

Though retiring, Blowen plans to spend plenty of time at Old Friends.

“You'll have to drag me out of here,” he said. “I told my wife, when I die, the house where we live in, we have a great house here, and the back backyard is one of the two places where we have cemeteries. I told my wife, when I die, get me cremated, throw my ashes out the back. Just don't put my lifetime earnings on the side.

This week's look at a Coolmore sire focused on Jack Christopher (Munnings). He won three Grade I races and was five-for-five around one turn. He was such a special specimen that Zoe Cadman never forgot her impressions of him when she saw him at Saratoga before he ever raced, noting that he was so perfectly put together that she knew he would be a star.

Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by Elite Power, WinStar Farm, the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association,https://www.kentuckybred.org/https://www.nyrabets.com/ 1/ST Racing, the Green Group, West Point Thoroughbreds and XBTV.com, the team of Randy Moss, Cadman and Bill Finley expressed their gratitude for having earned an Eclipse Award in the Multi-Media category. Our interview with Wade Jost was selected as the winner. Jost is the father of Carson Jost, who, like Cody Dorman, suffers from Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome. Jost, a classmate of Terry Finley at West Point, went in with his syndicate on Carson's Run–named in his son's honor. All agreed that it was Jost who made the podcast so memorable and the team decided it will gift the Eclipse Award trophy to the family.

The team also touched on the big shakeup in Maryland, where a new entity, the Maryland Thoroughbred Operating Authority, which will be similar to NYRA, is set to take over the operation of Maryland tracks and, finally, will rebuild Pimlico. That will also mean that the GI Preakness S. will be run at Laurel in 2025, 2026 and 2027. The group also examined the 2024 economic indicators for racing, which included a 3.7% decline in total handle and a small decrease in purses.

To watch the Writers' Room, click here. To view the show as a podcast, click here.

The post Michael Blowen Joins TDN Writers’ Room Podcast appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The 2023 Media Eclipse Award winners are as follows:

Multimedia – TDN Writers' Room Podcast – “Wade and Carson Yost,” Sept. 20, 2023; Thoroughbred Daily News

Gulf War veteran Wade Yost and his son, Carson, joined TDN Writers' Room podcast hosts Bill Finley, Randy Moss, and Zoe Cadman on Sept. 23 for an in-depth and emotional discussion of Carson, a 31-year-old stricken with Wolf-Hirschorn Syndrome and a Grade I-winning 2-year-old, Carson's Run, named in his honor.

“I was watching the NYRA show the day that Carson's Run made his first start at Saratoga, and Maggie Wolfendale interviewed Terry Finley in the winner's circle after he won, and they talked about the story behind the naming of the horse,” said Susan Finley, Thoroughbred Daily News Publisher. “Bill Finley contacted Terry and wrote a story for that day's TDN, and when Carson's Run won the GI Summer S., Bill decided to invite Wade Jost onto the Writers' Room. We were all very moved by his openness and honesty, and his willingness to discuss Carson's situation and struggles, and what Terry's friendship and the naming of the horse has meant to him.”

“All the credit to Wade Jost, and the incredible team that combines to produce the TDN Writers' Room every week; our hosts Bill Finley, Randy Moss, and Zoe Cadman, to our producers, the TDN's Katie Petrunyak and Anthony LaRocca, and our editors Alia LaRocca and Nathan Wilkinson from the PW Media Group.”

Wade Jost added, “It's phenomenal. Overwhelming is the only word I can use. It makes us feel good that people look at this and hear this type of story and say, 'you know what, we have a story we want to tell, too.' That's awesome. It's about Carson, but also the stories written about him and, of course, your podcast. You did a great job with that and I appreciate the opportunity to have had that conversation. We continue to grow with Carson's Run and the whole horse racing industry and can't wait to see where it takes us and where it takes Carson. All the stories that go along with him are pretty phenomenal.”

Writing – Feature/Commentary – Tim Layden, NBCSports.com – “Maple Leaf Mel and the long arc of a horse racing tragedy,” Nov. 1, 2023

Tim Layden, a writer-at-large for NBC Sports, won his fourth Media Eclipse Award for “Maple Leaf Mel and the Long Arc of a horse racing tragedy.” Layden related the story of Melanie Giddings, the trainer and cancer survivor of undefeated 3-year-old filly Maple Leaf Mel–named after Giddings–who suffered a fatal injury while leading the GI Test S. at Saratoga Aug. 5.

Writing- News/Enterprise – Sean Clancy, The Saratoga Special – “The Worst Test,” Aug. 6, 2023

Sean Clancy was not originally assigned to cover the Test S. at Saratoga on Aug. 5, but sprang into action and wrote a news account of the race of the tragic consequences of the fatal accident to Maple Leaf Mel and the reactions of individuals surrounding the event.

Clancy is the co-editor and publisher of The Saratoga Special along with his brother, Joe, which they co-founded in 2001. This is the second Eclipse Award for Clancy.

Live Television Programming – NBC Sports – “The Breeders' Cup World Championships,” Nov. 3-4, 2023; Lindsay Schanzer, Senior Producer

For the fourth consecutive year, NBC Sports has won the Eclipse Award for Live Television Programming for its broadcast on NBC, Peacock, and the USA Network, of the two-day coverage of the 40th Breeders' Cup World Championships from Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California.

Feature Television Programming – Woodbine Entertainment: “SECRETARIAT The Last Race,” – Oct. 8, 2023. Airing on TSN (The Sports Network) in Canada. Tammy Gillanders, Producer

“In SECRETARIAT The Last Race,” the Woodbine Entertainment broadcast team produced a retrospective of the last race of the 1973 Triple Crown winner's career in the Canadian International on the turf at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto. The feature aired on Oct. 8, 2023, on TSN (The Sports Network) during the 2023 running of the Canadian International.

Photography – Carolyn Simancik – “Trading Horse Paint,” (Cody's Wish/National Treasure battle in Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile) The Press Box, Nov. 4, 2023

Carolyn Simancik, who has been photographing for Eclipse Sportswire since 2018, captured the most dramatic finish of the 2023 Breeders' Cup World Championships in “Trading Horse Paint,” which appeared on the Press Box website on Nov. 4, 2023.

Media Eclipse Award winners will be presented their trophies at the 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards Ceremony and Dinner at The Breakers Palm Beach in Florida on Thursday, Jan. 25.

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