thoroughbreds | Horse Racing Free Tips

Trey Gordon Named West Point Thoroughbreds President

West Point Thoroughbreds has appointed Trey Gordon as its new President, while Terry Finley continues as Chief Executive Officer, the racing partnerships company said in a Wednesday release.

In his new role, Gordon will work closely with Finley, who remains fully involved in the company's strategic direction and commitment to operating North America's largest public racehorse syndicate.

“Trey has been a West Point Partner since 2021 and has an incredible passion for the game,” said Finley. “Our company has grown tremendously over the past several years and with over 130 horses in training and 650 Partners, we see bringing him on board as a natural expansion of our executive team. He is passionate about introducing new people to the sport and helping us execute on the highest level of Partner service. To know Trey is to like Trey, he's personable, kind, and a great ambassador for racing.”

A graduate of the University of Notre Dame and Texas Tech University School of Law, Gordon practiced law for 33 years in Fort Worth, Texas. Additionally, he has 17 years of experience as a certified mediator. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo.

“I am honored to join the West Point Thoroughbreds team,” said Gordon. “I've had a wonderful experience as a Partner and this opportunity presented itself organically, combining my passion for racing and decades of experience working with people and organizations. Terry and I share the same values and I look forward to enhancing West Point's reputation as a world leader in racing partnerships.”

The post Trey Gordon Named West Point Thoroughbreds President appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Saturday Insights: ‘Rising Star’ Pirate Returns After Break To Raid Keeneland

2nd-KEE, $110K, OC/N1X, 3yo, 6f, 1:32 p.m. ET.
PIRATE (Omaha Beach) begins his 3-year-old campaign after he broke his maiden at first asking and secured 'TDN Rising Star' honors last July at Saratoga. The dark bay then ran third to Nutella Fella (Runhappy) and fellow 'Rising Star' Timberlake in the GI Hopeful S. just before the meet upstate closed for the summer.

A $350,000 purchase by Starlight Racing and Harrell Ventures at the Keeneland September Sale, the Todd Pletcher trainee is a half-brother to GI Preakness S. and GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. hero National Treasure (Quality Road) and SW Ultimate (Speightstown). Pirate's dam is a half-sister to MSW Inspired (Unbridled's Song), who produced GSP Carmel Road (Quality Road). TJCIS PPS

3rd-KEE, $100K, Msw, 3yo, 7f, 2:04 p.m. ET.
TIMEOUT (Curlin) has posted some sharp recent works for trainer Bill Mott at Payson Park in preparation for this debut. The hombred for Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider, out of MGSW Lull (War Front), has an extended female family which includes Horse of the Year winners Saint Liam (Sant Ballado) and Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}.

Under the colors of Charles Fipke, another homebred set for his first start is D'oro Unbridled (Medaglia d'Oro). The Ignacio Correas trainee's dam GISW Unbridled Forever (Unbridled's Song) counts as a full-sister Forever Unbridled. Both are out of GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Lemons Forever (Lemon Drop Kid).

Finally, Counter Attack (Gun Runner) makes the races for an ownership group which includes his breeder Three Chimneys Farm. Trained by Steve Asmussen, the colt was an $825,000 Keeneland September buy for M.V. Magnier and Breeze Easy. Counter Attack's third dam is responsible for GISW Midnight Storm (Pioneerof the Nile). TJCIS PPS

The post Saturday Insights: ‘Rising Star’ Pirate Returns After Break To Raid Keeneland appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

March Economic Indicators; Wagering And Purses Rise While Number Of Races Decline

Wagering on U.S. races, available and paid purses and the average field size, all saw increases to varying degrees, while the number of races declined during the month of March, according to information released by Equibase on Friday.

Total wagering of over $972 million on races during the month represented a 0.99% increase over the same period from 2022, while available purses of $102.8 million were up by 8.41%. The figure of over $98 million for paid purses in March was up 7.55%. However, the total number of race days dropped from 294 to 284 (3.40%) and the number of U.S. races was down from 2,469 in March 2023 to last month's tally of 2,398.

Average field size in March was up over a year ago, however, and checked in at an average of 7.54 runners, an increase of 0.82%. Average daily wagering was up by 4.54% to $3,422,734 and the average available purse number per race day was up 16.79% to $362,067 from the figure of $310,014 in 2022.

For the first quarter of 2024, wagering on U.S. races declined 4.04% to $2.590 billion. Available purse money was up 0.41%, while the paid purse money was down 0.53%. Average daily wagering of $3.44 million was up by 4.75% while the average available purses per race day increased by 14.11% to $354,826.

The post March Economic Indicators; Wagering And Purses Rise While Number Of Races Decline appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Belmont Park Redevelopment Proceeds To Demolition Phase

Expected to require four to six months of work, on Friday, Apr. 5 the New York Racing Association, Inc. will embark on the initial stages of the demolition of the current Belmont Park grandstand and clubhouse, the track said in a release Thursday.

To bring down a 1.25 million square foot building will require a host of engineers and experts tasked with deliberately removing usable materials from a building that opened to the public in 1968. A total of 75 percent of the materials will be recycled including concrete, steel, copper and aluminum. NYRA will be processing this material onsite, which will significantly reduce truck traffic and emissions.

Over the last year, NYRA has preserved and stored Belmont's extensive collection of racing artwork, as well as some of its best-known artifacts, such as the track's wrought-iron gates. The Japanese White Pine in the paddock will be surveyed and protected to the greatest extent possible throughout the demolition and construction phases.

Additionally, John Skeaping's bronze statue of Secretariat has been transported to Saratoga Race Course where it will be placed in a public area adjacent to the Walk of Fame through the duration of the project downstate.

The post Belmont Park Redevelopment Proceeds To Demolition Phase appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post