Tag: The Biz

Over the first two days of racing at Churchill Downs this year, two horses from the barn of trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. suffered “sudden deaths,” meaning their cause was not immediately apparent and did not seem to be due to external trauma or musculoskeletal injury.

Parents Pride collapsed and died after failing to finish a race on April 29, and Chasing Artie suffered a similar fate after finishing last, beaten 28 ¾ lengths, in a May 2 turf sprint. Joseph trained the horses for Ken Ramsey.

Read our reporting about those two fatalities, and the challenges with diagnosing sudden deaths here.

The attention ahead of the track's biggest event prompted track management to release a statement, reassuring fans that it will “continue to press for answers.”

Joseph scratched his lone entrant at Churchill on Wednesday, May 3, and the Daily Racing Form reports that Joseph now plans to scratch all his other entrants at the Louisville, Ky. track this week, except for Kentucky Derby runner Lord Miles.

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission told DRF that it approved Joseph's request to scratch both of his entrants for Thursday and Friday's cards, Concrete Glory in the third race on Thursday, and Lady Emily Kathryn from the first race on Friday.

Joseph told DRF he also plans to scratch three of his seven entrants on Saturday, though he'll be leaving Kentucky Derby entrant Lord Miles in the entry box.

All the scratched horses were stabled with Joseph's string at Keeneland, as were the two horses to suffer sudden deaths, the trainer said. Joseph added that he ordered bloodwork on all his horses at Keeneland, but that preliminary results showed no abnormalities.

Read more at the Daily Racing Form.

The post After Two Sudden Deaths, Trainer Saffie Joseph Plans To Scratch Five Churchill Entrants; Lord Miles Remains In Kentucky Derby appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Stewards at Turf Paradise in Phoenix, Ariz., issued a summary suspension on Tuesday of trainer Miguel L. Hernandez and ordered two horses he had entered in that day's races to be scratched.

Jason Hart, chief steward for the Arizona Department of Racing, confirmed that Hernandez has been summarily suspended but declined to offer any details on why.

Hart said a  hearing date will be set when live racing at Turf Paradise resumes on Friday, May 6. Hernandez has three horses entered on May 5 and five on May 6, closing day of a meet that began on Nov. 4. Hernandez told the Paulick Report he plans to seek an injunction in court to stay the suspension.

Hernandez, a native of Mexico City, Mexico, has trained horses since 2014. A former jockey who registered 1,846 career victories, he retired from riding after being hospitalized following a spill at Ruidoso Downs in July 2013. Hernandez is third in the current Turf Paradise trainer standings by races won, with 36 victories from 152 starts, a 24 percent success rate. He's saddled 350 career winners.

The best horse trained by Hernandez is Conquest Mo Money, a son of Uncle Mo who won the Mine That Bird Derby and finished second in the G3 Sunland Derby and G1 Arkansas Derby, then ran seventh in the G1 Preakness Stakes won by Cloud Computing.

The post Turf Paradise Trainer Miguel Hernandez Summarily Suspended appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Woodbine Entertainment, Canada's largest racetrack operator, announced Wednesday that grandstand tickets to the first King's Plate in over 70 years go on sale to the general public this Saturday, May 6 at 10 a.m., coinciding with King Charles III's coronation. Woodbine Entertainment also unveiled The Plate's new logo Wednesday.

The Plate, which is the longest continuously run stakes race in North America and Canada's most prestigious race for three-year old Canadian Thoroughbreds, has been run under the moniker of The Queen's Plate for decades. Following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022 and the accession of King Charles III, Woodbine Entertainment announced in December that it would rename the race to The King's Plate. The race was known as The King's Plate from 1902 to 1951.

“We are thrilled to launch tickets sales and unveil this new brand for The King's Plate which honours tradition while showcasing the prestigiousness of the event in a progressive and contemporary way,” said Jim Lawson, CEO of Woodbine Entertainment. “The Plate is Canada's biggest race for Canadian Thoroughbreds, but it's become so much more – a true celebration of our sport and a can't miss social occasion on the Toronto summer calendar. We look forward to celebrating The King's Plate later this year and launch this new era of our marquee event.”

This year's 164^th running of the $1 million race at Woodbine Racetrack will be contested on Sunday, August 20. Tickets start at $45 and can be purchased by visiting Ticketmaster.ca. Information about tickets for additional event spaces and dining rooms will be made available in the coming weeks.

The Plate is the first of leg of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown and is followed by the Prince of Wales Stakes run at Fort Erie Race Track, and the Breeders' Stakes run at Woodbine Racetrack.

The post Woodbine: King’s Plate Tickets Go On Sale Saturday, May 6 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Canterbury Park Holding Corporation has announced that it has completed the sale of 37 acres of land to Bloomington Investments, LLC, an entity related to Swervo Development, for total consideration of $8.8 million. The land sold is situated adjacent to County Road 83 and Unbridled Avenue in the northeast corner of Canterbury's campus.

With the land sale and government approvals now complete, Swervo expects construction of its planned 19,000-capacity open air amphitheater to begin this Spring, with the venue opening anticipated to be Summer 2025. Following the land sale, Canterbury will continue the redevelopment of the horse stabling area, which serves its racing business, with new barns and a new dormitory complex.

“We are thrilled to complete this land sale to Swervo and excited to work with them as they begin to transform the northeast corner of our campus into a premier destination for live music and entertainment,” said Randy Sampson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Canterbury. “We believe the amphitheater will create long-term opportunities for our companies to collaborate as we further enhance the entertainment product we offer at Canterbury Park and Canterbury Commons. Furthermore, the amphitheater represents a critical first step in the evolution of our entertainment district that ultimately will include more than 40 additional acres for development.”

Canterbury Park announced plans for Canterbury Commons in 2018, laying out its vision for the creation of a multi-use redevelopment of underutilized property in Shakopee, Minnesota that complements the Company's existing operations and creates an entertainment district where people will “live, work, play and stay.” A 28,000 square foot premium office building was completed by Greystone Construction in 2021, and a new brewery and restaurant are scheduled to open in early Summer 2023. In addition, more than 1,000 units of upscale residential apartments and for-sale townhomes are in various stages of completion or construction.

“There is tangible construction momentum across Canterbury Commons and our efforts continue to show promise on the business development front,” added Canterbury's Vice President of Real Estate, Jason Haugen. “Our team recognizes the tremendous potential of Canterbury Commons, and we are committed to curating a number of uses as we target entertainment options and brands that are new to the greater Shakopee community and the State of Minnesota. We look forward to sharing more about our plans in the coming months and believe this project will be a source of pride for our community.”

The post Canterbury Park Completes Sale Of 37 Acres For Entertainment Amphitheater appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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