Warren Groce, who served for many years as a racing official in the Midwest, including stints as racing secretary at a handful of tracks, died Aug. 4 in Louisiana following a lengthy illness. He was 73.
Besides working as racing secretary at Hoosier Park, Ellis Park, Jefferson Downs, and Evangeline Downs, Groce also worked as a racing official at a number of other tracks. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Brenda.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Barbara Minshall, speaking on behalf of her late husband, Aubrey Minshall, delivered what was perhaps the most emotional acceptance speech of the evening at the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame induction ceremonies on Thursday night.
Aubrey Minshall was honored in the builder category and Jamie Martin, senior vice president of racing for the Woodbine Entertainment Group and a director of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, made the presentation.
The Kentucky Licensing Review Committee on Wednesday suspended an outrider at Keeneland for 16 months after it was determined he was the trainer of a horse that raced under another trainer’s name, officials for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission said.
The outrider, John Neal, will be unable to apply for a license until Jan. 1, 2014, because of the suspension, said Marc Guilfoil, the commission’s deputy executive director. The horse trained by Neal, Superstardom, had started at Keeneland on April 26 under the name of trainer Larry Lay.
See the questions HERE.
1. Before the Civil War and, in some cases, for years after, the names of jockeys were omitted from charts of races. When jockeys were identified – mostly in the North – often only the first names were used.
Among the most famous jockeys at the time was Gilbert Watson Patrick, a tiny man who became a darling of the press and the most famous rider of the era when he began winning races with regularity in the late 1830s.
Tracing to 1864, the history of the Travers Stakes is filled with many of racing’s greatest stars as well as its most memorable and exciting moments.
As for the greatest Travers winner, that honor probably goes to the immortal Man o’ War, who won the 1920 running in 2:01.80, a stakes record that lasted more than four decades.
There might be more candidates for the most memorable moment, but the one most mentioned is the Travers Stakes run 50 years ago this month.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Arravale’s star burned brightly in 2006 as she won the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks and Woodbine’s Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes.
Those successes led to Sovereign Awards as Horse of the Year and champion turf female for Arravale, and her long-term reward will come Thursday when she is inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.
Arravale, the choice in the female horse category, will be one of five Thoroughbred inductees honored at Thursday’s annual Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame gala at the nearby Mississauga Convention Centre.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Jockey Robby Albarado had a $500 fine upheld Tuesday in Jefferson District Court from his jury conviction last month, but a revocation hearing on whether he will have to serve a 10-day jail term was postponed until November. The conviction is for fourth-degree wanton assault stemming from an April 30 domestic incident that involved a woman named Carolina Martinez.
Delaying breeding would benefit in several ways
Among the myriad of problems facing this sport, it appears there are three major issues: The fragility of the Thoroughbred, the need to build a larger fan base, and a severe overpopulation of racehorses.
These issues can be addressed in one simple, albeit temporarily painful move: Eliminate the breeding of racehorses until their 5-year-old year.
I know breeding farms and some horse owners may shudder at the idea of losing a year’s stud fees, but look at the potential long-term results of doing this.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Class and speed are two of the primary ingredients for success in horse racing. Class and speed were common threads at Friday’s National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame induction ceremonies at the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion up the street from Saratoga Race Course.
