LEXINGTON, Ky. — It’s all up to Bob Baffert now.

The 90-day suspension levied against horse racing’s most famous trainer by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and reciprocated by tracks around the country, including his home track at Santa Anita, ends July 3. After that date, the six-time Kentucky Derby winner can begin training horses ...Read more

In somewhat of a small victory, trainer Bob Baffert had his proposed two-year ban from racing in New York reduced to one year by a three-person panel appointed by the New York Racing Association. Baffert can resume racing horses in the state on Jan. 26, 2023, meaning he is eligible to participate in next year’s Belmont Stakes.

Baffert also ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Of all his trips to the winner's circle, Harry Hernandez takes special pride in the ones that no one saw coming. That philosophy came in handy last fall, when the young jockey met his new agent, former rider Scott Stevens, for the first time.

Stevens was just starting out as a jockey agent in Phoenix after an injury ended his 45...Read more

LOS ANGELES — In early May, Corey Martinez, who is in charge of Santa Anita’s video surveillance, was going through video of the stalls of horses entered to race on May 8, just double-checking whether the last administration of Lasix was within the time guidelines.

But what he saw was surprising. An employee of trainer Richard Baltas was ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — When Donegal Racing decided Belmont Stakes-winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. would receive a rare share of Mo Donegal's future work as a stallion, the ripples reached the shores of California.

Here was a Des Moines, Iowa-based group of 54 — famed for roots with everyone from teachers to prep coaches; some shares as small as a ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Texas is, well, Texas, a state with a strong independent streak. Unfortunately, that streak may be working to the detriment of horse racing in the Lone Star State.

Earlier this week, Amy Cook, executive director of the Texas Racing Commission, put out a memo saying the state would not abide by the Horseracing Integrity and ...Read more

The Belmont Stakes tends to find itself at the kids' table when there is no Triple Crown on the line. The buzz is muted, the mystique is softened and the race doesn't have the widespread appeal to those outside of New York or hardcore horse players.

But at 1 1/2 miles, the longest race in the Triple Crown series, the Belmont is generally a ...Read more

The final leg of horse racing's Triple Crown has but one question to answer: Will Rich Strike be forever lumped with A-ha, Dexys Midnight Runners and Norman Greenbaum or will he forever be saddled with another question, "What if only he had run in the Preakness?"

There is nothing typical about the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes in a normal year, as ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — After winning the Peter Pan Stakes by 10 1/4 lengths, We the People was installed as the 2-1 favorite for Saturday’s Grade 1 Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park.

Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike, who did not run in the Preakness on May 21, is the third choice at 7-2 with Wood Memorial winner Mo Donegal the second choice at 5-2 ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The infield at Santa Anita had once again been transformed into a carnival atmosphere during the three-day Memorial Day weekend. Besides the normal rides and games employed to occupy the attention of the non-betting members of the family, there were Corgi races. And who doesn't like to see something that resembles the everyday ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — OK, I’ve changed my mind.

It’s time to tweak the Triple Crown.

That’s not what I said a week go. Asked on a radio show if it was time to move the Triple Crown around, I said no. Just because Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike was turning his back on the Preakness did not mean we should turn our back on racing history.

...Read more

BALTIMORE — Here’s a recap of every race on Saturday’s program on 2022 Preakness Day at Pimlico Race Course.

Race 1

In the first race of a hot and muggy day, Shacks Way rose to the occasion.

In a 6-furlong race for 3-year-olds and up, Shacks Way, trained by Greg Compton and ridden by Jon Court, edged out Magic Mule down the stretch to ...Read more

BALTIMORE — They pulled it off again.

Five years after trainer Chad Brown and owner Seth Klarman took the 2017 Preakness with Cloud Computing, a horse that would never win another race, they targeted the 2022 edition with another fresh but lightly tested contender, Early Voting.

Their horse earned enough qualifying points to run in the ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Maybe there is something to the idea that two weeks' rest isn't enough time to run two of the most important races of your life.

Early Voting, coming off six weeks' rest, upset heavily favored Epicenter to win the 147th running of the Preakness Stakes. It was Chad Brown's second Preakness victory, having taken the second leg of ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Tugging on the curtain concealing the trainer of Fenwick, the longest shot in Saturday's Preakness Stakes, provides a hodgepodge of clues like a jeans pocket, ripped shirt and disturbing stories about thumbs.

In more than three decades, Kevin McKathan, of Ocala, Fla., has placed perhaps one horse under his name as a licensed ...Read more

BALTIMORE — In a sport where the slightest misstep can erase million-dollar dreams, predictability is good. Better, sometimes, than brilliant speed.

Two-time Preakness-winning trainer Steve Asmussen chuckled Thursday morning when asked how Epicenter, the morning-line favorite for this year’s second jewel of the Triple Crown, was doing. The ...Read more

BALTIMORE — One year ago, Medina Spirit entered the Preakness with a dark cloud over him — the Kentucky Derby champion whose defining victory was in peril because of a medication violation and whose famous trainer, Bob Baffert, was facing suspensions in multiple jurisdictions.

On top of that, he would run in front of a crowd capped at 10,...Read more

BALTIMORE — You don't hear about backyard Preakness parties. It's hard to pull off a blind-draw betting pool with only nine horses. Yes, there are still hats and a signature drink, but the Preakness has its own identity.

It's usually the first public appearance of the Kentucky Derby winner, but not this year.

It's a race that a filly has won...Read more