Barbara Livingtson, the longtime chief photographer for Daily Racing Form, has donated a photographic collection of the late Jim Raftery to the Keeneland Library in Lexington, Keeneland announced on Thursday.
The donation numbers an estimated two million photographic negatives weighing approximately 3,300 pounds, according to Keeneland, and it spans nearly 60 years of racing history, from the late 1930s to the early 1990s. Livingston acquired Raftery’s collection from his estate in 2020.
No More Time, winner of the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs Feb. 10, will head back to the Oldsmar, Fla. track for his next start in the Grade 3, $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby March 9, owner Rich Mendez said Thursday.
“The logical place is the Tampa Bay Derby,” said Mendez, who heads the ownership group known as Morplay Racing. “We’re probably going to work him a week-and-half before the race, but the logical race to point to is the Tampa Bay Derby. He definitely liked the surface over there. We like our odds.”
Philip Oliver, a former trainer, died Monday in Indiantown, Fla., according to a statement from his family. Oliver was 53.
A native of England, Oliver trained from 1999 to 2017 and amassed 153 wins from 1,324 starts. His best horses included Last Full Measure, who won the Grade 1 Madison Stakes at Keeneland in 2013, and two Grade 3 winners, Middie and Closing Range.
Prior to his training career, Oliver was an assistant to Ian Jory, Bruce Headley, and Elliot Walden. After retiring as a trainer, he assisted in the operation of the racing stable of his wife, Victoria.
Churchill Downs Inc. had record revenue of $2.46 billion in 2023, but its net income fell 5 percent compared to 2022 due to lower gains from the sales of property, according to financial statements released by the company on Wednesday.
Revenue for the year increased 36 percent compared to 2022, largely due to new revenue provided by historical horse racing machines in operation in Kentucky and Virginia. Revenue from casinos operated by Churchill also increased markedly.
WHO’S HOT
Sierra Leone went from tepid favoritism on Derby Watch to clear-cut chalk following his solid comeback victory Feb. 17 in the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds. Sierra Leone’s price was trimmed from 12-1 to 8-1 by Derby Watch linemaker David Aragona.
Even as Japanese racehorses have ascended over the last decade, becoming the most powerful force in international competition, the race the Japanese most covet, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, has eluded them. In fact, a Japanese horse easily could win a Kentucky Derby before one wins an Arc. It could happen as soon as this year.
Led by Eclipse Award champion Just F Y I, 104 fillies, nearly identical to the number last year at this stage, have been nominated to the 150th running of the Grade 1, $1.5 million Kentucky Oaks on Friday, May 3, host track Churchill Downs announced Wednesday.
Fixed-odds betting on horse racing launched on Wednesday in Colorado after racing constituents in the state reached an agreement that will allow fixed-odds betting on racing signals imported to the state, according to the parties.
The agreement allows Bet365, a British company with operations in the U.S., to offer fixed-odds bets from tracks around the world, including two U.S. tracks, Evangeline Downs and Delta Downs, both in Louisiana. The agreement required consents from Arapahoe Park, the state’s horsemen, and the racing commission.
Sierra Leone, the 3-year-old colt who won the Risen Star Stakes on Saturday at Fair Grounds, closed as the lowest-priced individual horse in the fourth Kentucky Derby Future Wager pool, which wrapped up on Sunday night.
Sierra Leone was 6-1 at the close of the pool after running down Track Phantom in the late stages of the Risen Star, the only significant Derby prep held last weekend. Track Phantom ended up as the sixth individual choice in the pool, at 20-1.
Santa Anita canceled racing on Monday because of a forecast of extensive rain, the track announced on Saturday morning.
The $100,000 Tiznow Stakes for statebred milers on dirt was scheduled for Monday and may be run next Friday, the next scheduled day of racing, the track’s racing department said in a text message.
The track will race on Saturday and Sunday this weekend.
