+ Trainer Katarina Vassilieva and Chiefswood Stables scored their first winner of the year and the 9-1 price was generous

+ We’ve got Kentucky Derby preps from Gulfstream and Aqueduct

+ Big news as Woodbine is bidding to host the Hambletonian for 3 years. Mark McKelvie breaks it down

+ Ho hum - a 6-win night at Mohawk for James MacDonald

+ Two Ontario-bred horses won big at the recent Dan Patch Awards in the U.S. We give props to Lexus Kody and Beau Jangles

+ Renaissance man, Santino DiPaola has won a Media Sovereign Award, and this year he is nominated in two horse categories as well as for outstanding photography, so we talk with Santino

+ The latest star stallion to arrive in Canada is Sergei Prokofiev. David Anderson talks about his acquisition and we play some of Sergei Prokofiev’s greatest hits

+ And a Pick-5 from Gulfstream in which all you had to do was... Pick 5

Kentucky Derby preps take us to Turfway Park in Kentucky and to Tokyo. We have Canadians winning at Gulfstream – Melanie Giddings, Kevin Attard and Marty Drexler in the winners’ circle.

We followed James MacDonald to Brisbane, Australia to see how he did in the Ultimate Driving Championship, and we also have a story about older brother Mark Macdonald, who has overcome some major health problems and is now ready to drive permanently at Mohawk.

If you had to choose between an overweight senior citizen podcaster or a slimmed down professional jockey, who would you predict could do the most pushups? We talk fitness with retired rider now racing judge Justin stein and you just might be surprised.

Are the slots at racetracks a deal with Satan? Trainer Mark Casse talks about the likelihood that Gulfstream’s casino will mean the end of Gulfstream’s horse racing.

And how did basketball superstar Nicola Jokic respond when asked what he would prefer – to be the MVP each year or to see his harness horses win?

From the Fairgrounds, the Risen Star Stakes and from Sunland Park the Sunland Derby as the 3-year-olds continue to sort themselves out for the first week in May. Then on to the King Abdulaziz racetrack for the $20 million Saudi Cup. Our Hot Gossip this week is about the stunning winner at Aqueduct for Canadian owner Elliott Logan. Mark Casse joins us to talk about Belmont’s new synthetic track, gives a tip that is much too late and tops the week off by giving himself the greatest birthday presents possible. We ‘sample’ the latest episode of Woodbine’s Free Rein - the first instalment of season 3 is all about our favourite jockey, Emma-Jayne Wilson and her determined comeback from an awful injury.

We start with wins at Gulfstream from Bill Tharrenos and Josie Carroll, then give you Kentucky Derby Preps from Aqueduct, Oaklawn, Tampa Bay and Santa Anita. A little boasting – the website MillionPodcasts has put Down The Stretch in the Top 10 in the world for harness racing coverage. Accordingly, we interview O’Brien Award winning driver, Damian Maclellan and Travis Cullen, who insists his lead in the Mohawk drivers’ standings is not permanent. And east coast race caller Boomer Gallant and his brood were on Family Feud. Too bad he broke stride in the bonus round.

We start with complete coverage of the O’Brien Awards, then award-winning writer, Dave Briggs talks about Lexus Kody who should have won in his category but was banned from the ballot. Only 1 Kentucky Derby prep – it was the Holy Bull at Gulfstream as the Withers and Southwest Stakes were snowed out. If you’re out for dinner with Jim and Susan Hill, make sure they pay – they had a prosperous Friday at Gulfstream. Woodbine’s Bill McLinchey breaks down this year’s Mohawk Million. Donnie Rankin hits a huge number at Western Fair and Travis Cullen pulls off the natural hattrick at Mohawk. And we throw the Eclipse Awards under the bus for not knowing how to say Pietro Moran.

This jam-packed episode includes:

+ Pietro Moran winning an Eclipse Award, even if they got his name wrong

+ The $3 Million Pegasus taken by a longshot

+ Wins in the US by Josie Carroll, the Ontario-bred Uncle Cat and John Bianco with Acoustic Ave at Aqueduct

+ Patrick Husbands is retiring...or is he? We’re not sure after talking with his agent Leroy Trotman

+ The Trotter Perfetto joins the million-dollar club

+ Daryl Ezra is back training and tells us why you need him to handle your horse

+ The wonderful Had to be Fabulous is once again Canadian Quarter Horse of the Year. We’ve got the filly’s owner, Carol Robertson talking about it

+ Who is Will Rixon and why is Australia singing about him?

+ And how would you feel after betting a ridiculous amount of money on a horse, seeing it win and then not cashing a cent?

Tall Oaks Farm sent out a winner at Delta Downs. Marty Drexler had a 12-1 victory at Gulfstream. How good is Golden Tempo who rallied from last to win the Lecomte Stakes at the Fair Grounds in just his 2nd career start? Emma Christoforou joined us to report on dad, Chris, who suffered an awful spill at Mohawk. Francine Villeneuve, the first woman in Canada to ride 1,000 winners tells us how she was inspired by the late Diane Crump. We ‘sample’ some of Woodbine’s Year in Review video, which reminds us of 3 jockeys – Pietro Moran, Rafael Hernandez and Emma-Jayne Wilson - who epitomize grit and talent, and then there’s 63-year-old Vernon Bush who retired from the saddle, but not until he won his final race.

Marvin Katz is this year’s Cam Fella Award winner. Katz tells us how surprised and grateful he is for this honor. This is - in Chinese astrology - the Year of the Horse. Astrologer Sam Mukherjee breaks down what this means and we identify famous people born in the Year of the Horse - Barbra Streisand, Clint Eastwood, Jerry Steinfeld, Adam Sandler, Joe Biden, Denzel Washington and Steven Bahen. Harness driver Tyler Borth kicked off 2026 with a tsunami of wins and we ask if he belongs among the elite drivers at Mohawk. We remember Dianne Crump, the first woman in North America to ride in a pari-mutuel horse race. We go to Charles Town racetrack in West Virginia for a win by trainer Steven Chircop and to Gulfstream for a longshot that came out of the clouds for Marty Drexler.. And 2 horses named Best Bet – one paid over $70 to win and the other flopped at even money.

Every racehorse celebrated a birthday on January 1 and racing fans celebrate that the now 4-year-old Sovereignty will race in 2026. Pychic Nikki gives us her predictions for horse racing this year and trainer Marty Drexler predicts he will be a Sovereign Award finalist. The Ontario-bred Full Screen won a Stakes race at Aqueduct recently and we kick off the year with the first Kentucky Derby preps – the Jerome Stakes from Aqueduct and the Smarty Jones at Oaklawn. The first night of harness racing in 2026 at Mohawk produced hattricks from Tyler Borth and Jody Jamieson. We tell you why Clive Cohen is a lock for what will be his 10th Joe O’Brien Award and wait until you hear Ryder Pallet call a horse race – the Australian racing fan is just 11 years old.

We wrap up the moments from 2025 with these great horses and people: Moria, Kevin Attard, Emma Jayne Wilson, Roger Attfield, James MacDonald, Chantilly, Patches O’Houlihan, George Millar, Robert Geller, Brooke Bays, Mansetti, Pietro Moran, Doug McPherson, Runaway Again, Ryan Munger, Sid Attard, Tom’s Magic, Rafael Hernandez, Travis Stone, Sovereignty, Jr. Alvarado, Journalism, Larry Collmus, Umberto Rispoli, Frank Mirahmadi, Hunter Meyers, Kelly Meyers, Peter Kleinhanz, Jason Ryan, Ricky Bobby, Brett MacDonald, Saulsbrook Victor, Mike De Paulo, Micah Husbands, Chad Rozema, Louprint, Notable Speech, Selawi, Maximus Miki, Scott Zeron, Lexus Kody, Yannick Gingras, Beau Jangles Bob McClure, Dr. Ian moore, Brett Sturman, Evan Louks, Louis Philippe Roy, Sugar Doyle, Dan Noble, Flavien Prat, Jody Jamieson, Doug Brown, Ken Middleton, Don McKirgan, Perry Ouzts and Bill Megens