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☆ How Humans Failed Racehorses
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Joe Drape | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It was a welcome conclusion for the multibillion-dollar sport imperiled by frequent racing fatalities, reckless breeding, dodgy doping practices and the old-fashioned greed of veterinarians, trainers and owners. Last year, 12 horses perished at Churchill Downs in the days surrounding the famous race. Two weeks later, a horse trained by one of the sport’s most recognized trainers died at Pimlico Race Course. Ambulances rumbled onto the track, emergency workers erected privacy screens and, behind them, vets euthanized the horses with injections. All of it put the social acceptability of one of America’s oldest sports at risk.

Persons: Dan, Forever Young Organizations: Sierra, Forever, Kentucky Derby Locations: Sierra Leone, Japan, America’s, Churchill, Saratoga, New York

☆ Horse Racing’s Loudest Critic Is Favored in Its Biggest Race
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Joe Drape | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the world according to Mike Repole, everyone involved in horse racing is a dummy. Except him, Mike from Queens or the Commish, as some of his followers on X call him. Stuart S. Janney III, chairman of the nonprofit Jockey Club, is clueless and tone deaf and has run the sport into the ground, Repole says. Churchill Downs Inc., which hosts the Kentucky Derby, is cheap: The $3 million purse for America’s most famous race should be much more, and the racetrack treats Repole and other owners badly. Forget about John Stewart, a new owner bringing fresh energy and big money into the game.

Persons: Mike Repole, Mike, Stuart S, Janney III, John Stewart Organizations: Jockey Club, Churchill Downs Inc, Kentucky Derby Locations: Queens, Churchill

We were cleared as we knew we would be.”HISA investigated the deaths at Churchill and Saratoga and concluded that several factors, including frequency of high-intensity exercise, likely contributed. Some of the horses who died received corticosteroid injections in their joints within 30 days of racing. At its center was a veterinarian and drug compounder named Dr. Seth Fishman, who bragged on wiretaps about “having a relationship with top trainers and top owners” in the horse racing world. “What I’m trying to say is anytime you give something to a horse, that’s doping. agent posing as a New Jersey racing official pulled samples from a group of horses and sent them to a Hong Kong laboratory considered one of the finest in the world.

Persons: ” Mr, Joseph, “, ” HISA, HISA, compounder, Seth Fishman, Dr, Fishman Locations: Churchill, Saratoga, Florida, New Jersey, Hong Kong

☆ How S.M.U., Once the Rogue of College Sports, Got Back to the Big Time
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Joe Drape | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Instead, he drove from his hometown, Sealy, Texas, to Dallas and Southern Methodist University. At the time, Mr. Dickerson’s cars (S.M.U. gave him one, too) were a symbol of the wretched excess of big-time college sports. It was a time when boosters in the Southwest Conference doled out “$100 handshakes” and the S.M.U. Mustangs went 34-11-1 over Mr. Dickerson’s four years — the team’s vaunted Pony Express era.

Persons: Eric Dickerson, ”, Dickerson’s Organizations: Pontiac, Texas, Southern Methodist University, Southwest Conference, Mr, titans, Petroleum Club of Houston Locations: Sealy , Texas, Dallas

Texas Rangers fans are hoping the slugger Adolis Garcia can blast the franchise to its first World Series title. Arizona supporters know the Diamondbacks need to continue being greedy on the basepaths if they’re to capture a second championship. More than 70.7 million people attended a regular-season game, a nearly 10 percent increase over last season. That was the highest percentage of growth in 30 years, and the league recorded record revenue in merchandise and sponsorship sales. Major League Baseball estimates that the rule changes resulted in a $500 million increase in its revenue.

Persons: Adolis Garcia Organizations: Texas Rangers, Diamondbacks, Major League Baseball Locations: Arizona

☆ Racehorse Deaths in Saratoga Renew Old Worries and Prompt Reforms
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Joe Drape | More About Joe Drape | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

This past Saturday at Saratoga Race Course, an undefeated colt named New York Thunder was just strides from winning a $500,000 stakes race when he stumbled and unseated his rider. New York Thunder had to be put down after shattering his left front fetlock. It was the 12th horse fatality — the eighth while racing — at the Saratoga summer meet. In the wake of the deaths, New York racing officials have vowed to spend millions on PET and CT scans and outfit horses with sensors in the hopes of diagnosing pre-existing injuries before they become fatal. And a synthetic racing surface, which equine injury data shows to be significantly safer than dirt and turf tracks, is being installed for winter racing at Belmont Park and is being considered for both Aqueduct and Saratoga.

Persons: Tyler Gaffalione Organizations: Saratoga, New York Thunder, Kentucky Derby, Belmont Locations: New, Churchill, New York, Saratoga

☆ Arcangelo Holds Off the Pack to Win the Belmont Stakes
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Joe Drape | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Finally, a happy ending to a fraught Triple Crown. Arcangelo thundered down the stretch of the Belmont Stakes to win the 155th running of the Belmont Stakes by a length and a half and made a little history: His trainer, Jena Antonucci, became the first female trainer to win a Triple Crown race, a series that spans more than a century. The colt held off a late run by Forte and gave his jockey, Javier Castellano, his first Belmont victory. Castellano, a Hall of Famer, won his first Kentucky Derby five weeks ago aboard Mage. Arcangelo is a 3-year-old ridgeling who cost owner Jon Ebbert of Blue Rose Farm $35,000 as a yearling.

Persons: Arcangelo thundered, Jena, Forte, Javier Castellano, Castellano, Arcangelo, Jon Ebbert Organizations: Triple, Triple Crown, of Famer, Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs, Derby Locations: Jena Antonucci, Churchill, Kentucky

☆ Two Complicated Princes of the Sport of Kings
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Joe Drape | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Since the two shared that moment eight years ago, the two trainers — both members of the Hall of Fame — have continued to reign over the sport, for better and for worse. Both Baffert and Pletcher have a gift with horses and their demanding owners. One of the horses, a colt named Forte, will face off against the Baffert-trained National Treasure and seven other thoroughbreds in the 155th running of the Belmont Stakes on Saturday. Horses that he trains have failed 30 drug tests over four decades — most notably Medina Spirit, who won the 2021 Kentucky Derby but failed a test for a prohibited drug and was disqualified. That colt was only the second horse in the Derby’s 149-year history whose victory was revoked because of a drug violation.

Persons: —, of Fame —, Pletcher, Forte, Baffert Organizations: of Fame, The New York Times, Kentucky Derby Locations: Medina, Kentucky

☆ Churchill Downs to Cease Racing as It Investigates Deaths of Horses
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Joe Drape | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Horse racing will be suspended at Churchill Downs and moved to a different Kentucky racetrack as federal and state regulators continue to investigate the deaths of 12 horses at Churchill in the past five weeks, the company said in a statement on Friday. Live horse racing will continue at the home of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday and Sunday and move next week to another Churchill Downs-owned racetrack, Ellis Park, in Henderson, Ky. The Churchill meet was to have ended on July 3 before moving on to Ellis Park for the traditional summer race meet scheduled from July 7 to Aug. 27. Diagnostics of the racetrack have not raised concerns and dirt and grass surfaces appear consistent with measurements from Churchill Downs in past years. Still, the company said it was relocating the meet even though it said “no issues have been linked to our racing surfaces.”

Persons: Churchill, — Organizations: Churchill, Kentucky Derby, Ellis Park, Safety Authority Locations: Churchill Downs, Kentucky, Churchill, Henderson, Ky, Ellis

☆ Preakness Stakes Live Updates: Another Death Adds to Triple Crown Cloud as Mage Looks to Continue Run
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Joe Drape | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

PinnedA horse trained by Bob Baffert suffered a fatal injury in an undercard race in the hours before the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, as deaths continued to haunt the road to the Triple Crown. His colt National Treasure is a 3-1 morning line choice in the Preakness and could provide the stiffest challenge to Mage, this year’s Kentucky Derby winner. Baffert was suspended after Medina Spirit failed a drug test after winning the 2021 Kentucky Derby. Last year, Baffert was serving his Kentucky suspension during the Triple Crown, so the racing commissions in Maryland and New York kept him from the Preakness and the Belmont. After the seven deaths at Churchill Downs ahead of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes officials were taking a cautious approach to pre-race examinations.

☆ What to Watch for in the 2023 Preakness Stakes
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Joe Drape | Melissa Hoppert | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Another challenge for the Delgados when they came to the United States was finding good horses and owners who believed in them. They liked that the horse was a near replica of his sire, Good Magic, who finished second in the Derby and fourth in the Preakness. And so that melting pot of a group rode Mage straight into the winner’s circle on the first Saturday in May, leading to perhaps the biggest winner’s circle party in Derby history — even Mage looked small in the middle of it. About 70 of the 382 people who invested in Mage through Commonwealth were there. When her wheelchair got stuck on the track, Gerardo Corrales and Jose Ortiz, who had just rode in the Derby, carried her the rest of the way.

☆ Expert Picks: Who Will Win the Preakness?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Joe Drape | Melissa Hoppert | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mage, ridden by Javier Castellano, executed a frantic stretch run to capture an unpredictable Kentucky Derby that saw five contenders, including the favorite, scratched ahead of the race. Now, in only his fifth race, Mage moves on to Baltimore and the 148th Preakness Stakes, where he will be a Triple Crown contender and the only Derby horse in what is considered a weak field. First Mission, considered to be his biggest challenger, was scratched on Friday morning with a left hind ankle injury. Below, the Preakness horses are listed in order of post position, with comments by Joe Drape and Melissa Hoppert of The New York Times. The morning-line odds, set by Keith Feustle of Pimlico Race Course, were revised to reflect the scratch.

☆ Forte, Once the Derby Favorite, Failed a Drug Test in September
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Joe Drape | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After a disquieting period in which seven horses died at Churchill Downs during the run-up to last week’s Kentucky Derby, horse racing is again caught up in a controversy, this one a doping case involving one of its biggest stars. On a rainy September afternoon last year, a colt named Forte eased into the starting gate of the Hopeful Stakes, an early and important race on the road to the Derby, at odds of nearly 7-1. He apparently relished the sloppy racetrack in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., unleashing a powerful kick in the stretch to win by a length. Shortly after leaving the winner’s circle, however, Forte was given a post-race drug test, which he failed but has yet to be adjudicated before New York regulators, according to two people who are familiar with the matter but are not authorized to speak about it. The positive test was for a substance used to relieve pain and reduce inflammation, according to those two people.

☆ At Churchill Downs, Humans Failed the Horses Again
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Joe Drape | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The modestly bred Mage rumbled down the stretch to win this year’s Kentucky Derby on Saturday at 15-1 odds. But their accomplishments were eclipsed by the death of seven horses at Churchill Downs in the lead-up to the Derby. Four horses were scratched because of veterinarians’ concerns about their health. A fifth was scratched because, well, the Lords of Churchill were suspicious of the trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. after two of his horses collapsed and died following races. Long after the Derby was over and the lights were going out on a tragic day, first, Churchill Downs, then the newly minted Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, released statements with the same message: It wasn’t them.

☆ Mage Captures the Derby After an Agonizing Week at Churchill Downs
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Joe Drape | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The best thing you can say about the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby is that the 18 horses who made it to the starting gate on Saturday survived. That came as a relief after at least seven horses died at Churchill Downs in the past week, two of them on Saturday in races leading up to America’s most famous race. In the past week, seven horses died, one trainer and his horse were kicked off the grounds by regulators under a cloud of suspicion and four other Derby horses were declared out of the race. Forte was trained by a Hall of Famer, Todd Pletcher. He was co-owned by a passionate champion of horse racing, Mike Repole, who by his own estimate has sunk $300 million into buying horses, even as he confessed that he was confounded by the dysfunction that is tolerated in horse racing.

☆ Forte, the Derby Favorite, Is Scratched Hours Before the Race
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Joe Drape | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky state veterinarians on Saturday morning scratched Forte, the favorite to win the Kentucky Derby, after examining him and finding him unfit to compete. State veterinarians have reason to be cautious at the 149th running of the race after four horses died in six days at Churchill Downs. Forte was named last year’s 2-year-old champion and had won six of his seven races. He was to be ridden the by the nation’s top jockey, Irad Ortiz Jr.Now only 18 horses will compete in the Derby. In 2011, Forte’s co-owner, Mike Repole, had to scratch another 2-year-old champion, Uncle Mo, the day before the race.

☆ What to Watch for in the 2023 Kentucky Derby
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Joe Drape | Melissa Hoppert | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Forte, who was named last year’s 2-year-old champion, has won six of his seven races. So no wonder Forte is the 3-1 morning-line favorite for the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. In 2011, Repole had to scratch another 2-year-old champion, Uncle Mo, the day before America’s greatest race. “I’m 0 for 7 in the Derby,” Repole said. Four other Derby horses were scratched, the first time that many horses were taken out of the field since 2015.

☆ Expert Picks: Who Will Win the 2023 Kentucky Derby
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Joe Drape | Melissa Hoppert | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The horses in the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby are listed in order of post position, with comments by Joe Drape and Melissa Hoppert of The New York Times. The morning-line odds were set by Mike Battaglia of Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., where the race will be held. Skinner was scratched Friday, and the morning-line favorite, Forte, was scratched Saturday, reducing the field to 18 horses. The last time four entrants were scratched from the Derby was 2015. Because of the scratches, more than half the horses in the field will break from post positions that don’t match their program numbers.

☆ First, a Run for the Roses. Then, a Dash to the Breeding Shed.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Joe Drape | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

VERSAILLES, Ky. — Flightline had put on 100 pounds in the five months since the end of his brief but astonishing racing career. He was still light on his feet, though, as he high-stepped into a breeding shed last month as if he were on a red carpet. After her career, she fetched $1.2 million at auction to do what she was about to do. Bernina Star whinnied. The two tangoed and tangled, oblivious to the man holding the mare’s tail or the two other chaperones circling this tryst.

☆ On the Eve of the Derby, Four Horse Deaths Renew Safety Concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Joe Drape | Melissa Hoppert | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Only days before horse racing’s signature event, the Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs is looking into the recent deaths during training of four horses, including a colt who was scheduled to run in Saturday’s Derby. Wild on Ice, a 3-year-old who had three wins in five career starts and was in the Derby field, was euthanized after he was injured while training on the dirt track on Thursday, Churchill Downs said in a statement. Two horses trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. died suddenly for unknown reasons, the track said. “This is something that doesn’t happen,” Joseph said on Wednesday morning at his Churchill Downs barn. I run almost 4,000 horses and it’s never happened.

☆ Six N.F.L. Players Show Football’s Grind on Their Feet and Hands
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Ken Belson | Joe Drape | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +19 min

Players Show Football’s Grind on Their Feet and HandsOver the course of the long and brutal N.F.L. season, players’ feet and hands take a beating on nearly every snap. But in practice a few days later, he was running drills and landed awkwardly, spraining an ankle and stretching the tendons in his right foot. The next week Jones caught six passes for 109 yards and three touchdowns as the Jaguars shocked the Dallas Cowboys, 40-34. “The therapist spends a lot of time on my hands and feet,” he said.

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