Tony Leonard, considered one of the most acclaimed equine photographers of all time, died Saturday night in Lexington, Ky., at age 89.
Leonard, born Leonard Anthony Bergantino, gravitated to equine photography after performing in nightclubs and on Broadway following his stint in the Army in World War II. His first benefactors were Brownell Combs of Spendthrift Farm, and the Madden family of Hamburg Place. His conformation shots became the standard in the industry.
It appears as though Shackleford will be kept in races at a mile or shorter – at least for the foreseeable future.
On Saturday, trainer Dale Romans said Shackleford would not run in the Grade 1 Whitney Handicap, a two-turn 1 1/8-mile race, at Saratoga on Aug. 4. Instead Shackleford will be pointed to the Grade 1, $500,000 Forego, a seven-furlong race at Saratoga on Sept. 1. Romans left the door open for a start in the Grade 1, $400,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt, a six-furlong race on Aug. 5.
Rider's fatal spill feels like loss in the immediate family
Our latest loss: Jorge Herrera ("Herrera dies in spill at Pleasanton," July 8). The death of one of these brave souls is an incredible tragedy. They give their talent and effort for those of us who own horses and those who are racing fans without fear of the most horrible possible outcome. I did not know this man personally, but due to my involvement with racing for more than 40 years, I can't help feeling connected to the event.
Kentucky stewards have suspended a trainer, an outrider, and a horse identifier because of their roles in the running of a horse under a false trainer’s name at the spring Keeneland meet, the chief steward, Barbara Borden, said Friday.
Stewards discovered that the horse was not being trained by the listed trainer after the horse, Superstardom, tested positive for the bronchial dilator clenbuterol following a third-place finish in a $25,000 claiming race at Keeneland on April 26. The horse has been disqualified, and the purse redistributed.
A six-person Jefferson District Court jury in Kentucky on Thursday convicted jockey Robby Albarado of one misdemeanor count of assault, a charge that may put the rider’s immediate career in jeopardy.
The jury voted to fine Albarado $500 for the assault, which occurred five days before this year’s Kentucky Derby. Albarado had pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Albarado, 38, was arrested on the Friday before the May 5 Derby, four days after a former girlfriend, Carolina Martinez, alleged the assault occurred, costing him mounts in the Kentucky Oaks and the Derby undercard.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A Jefferson County, Ky., jury has found jockey Robby Albarado guilty of fourth-degree wanton assault of a former girlfriend in a high-profile domestic violence case that occurred Kentucky Derby week.
Albarado was accused of assaulting Carolina Martinez in late April, and arrested May 4, the day he was to ride at Churchill Downs in the Kentucky Oaks, among other races. He was suspended by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission shortly thereafter, but after obtaining a court order, he was able to resume riding, doing so at Arlington Park in June.
The prominent Texas-based Asmussen racing family is facing public questions this week after 10 Thoroughbred broodmares with links to the Asmussen operation were found at a Texas horse auction that horse welfare advocates say is frequented by buyers for Mexican slaughterhouses.
Once the leading female jockey in wins, Cooksey retired from a 25-year riding career (1979-2004) with 2,137 wins, now third behind Julie Krone and Rosemary Homeister. She was the first woman to ride in the Preakness when she finished sixth aboard Tajawa in 1985. She has worked for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission since 2005, currently serving as director of public relations, and she was recently hired as a state steward at the Ellis Park meet that began July 4.
On Aug. 10, 1995, Russell Howard Caputo, a distraught 38-year-old man, was taken into custody and sent to a county mental health facility after he jumped the outer grandstand fence, ran on to the track and threw a duffel bag in the middle of a stretch run of a race.
Riding mostly short-priced horses − the average win payoff for a $2 bet was $5.30 − Victor Espinoza became the first jockey to win more than six races on a Del Mar card when he clicked with seven of 10 mounts on Labor Day, 2006.
Key Contender, a two-time track record setter and winner of the 1995 Suburban Handicap, died in late June after a bout of colic at the Old Friends Cabin Creek facility in Greenfield Center, N.Y. He was 24.
The family of the late Carl Lizza pensioned Key Contender from Highcliff Farm in Delanson, N.Y., in February, and the horse moved to Old Friends, where he “spent his days sleeping in the sun, begging for treats [which everyone gave him], and racing the four-wheeler down the hill of his paddock at feeding time,” according to a June 30 Facebook post by Old Friends.
