TDN Podcast

After he won the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic with Accelerate (Lookin at Lucky) John Sadler said the story wasn’t about him. He wanted all the glory to go to the horse. But he was only partially right, as Sadler was widely admired for how he guided Accelerate’s year and for how he withstood the scrutiny that came with an 0 for 41 record coming into the Breeders’ Cup. Sadler is this week’s guest on the Thoroughbred Daily News podcast, brought to you by Taylor Made.

It’s not the least bit uncommon for European jockeys to win a Breeders’ Cup race, but the names are usually familiar ones…like Frankie Dettori, or Ryan Moore. But this year it could be that the star among the European jockeys in the Breeders’ Cup is a 23-year-old baby-faced jockey from Ireland who you may not have heard of. His name is Oisin Murphy and on the other side of the Atlantic, there is no hotter rider. Murphy is this week’s guest on the Thoroughbred Daily podcast, brought to you by Taylor Made.

Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale has been known for his innovative nature, his enthusiasm, his philanthropy and for owning some fast horses. Now, he’s about to make his mark as a stallion owner. Runhappy (Super Saver), the brilliant sprinter he owned who won the 2015 GI Breeders’ Cup Sprint and nominated for three Eclipse Awards that year, will be represented for the first time at this fall’s breeding stock sales as 23 of his weanlings will go through the ring. Runhappy broke records at Keeneland and Saratoga, while racing 100% medication free. Mattress Mack is our guest on this week’s TDN podcast, brought to you by Taylor Made.

It its 34-year history and over hundreds of races, the Breeders’ Cup has provided many a thrill and many a great race. But virtually everyone agrees that one race stands alone, that the 1988 Distaff, won by Personal Ensign, was the greatest Breeders’ Cup race ever run. This year marks the 30th anniversary of that race and on this week’s Thoroughbred Daily News podcast, brought to you by Taylor Made, we’ll look back at this great race with trainer Shug McGaughey and jockey Randy Romero.

Tom Ludt has done a lot in the horse racing industry. He was the president of Vinery, the chairman of the Breeders’ Cup and has worked for the Stronach Group. But never has he been involved with a project as ambitious as Phoenix Thoroughbreds. Ludt was hired in December to head the U.S. operations for the trailblazing stable that has emerged in less than two years as a major force on the global racing scene and is spending millions at the sales in order to achieve its goals. Ludt is this week’s guest on the Thoroughbred Daily News podcast, brought to you by Taylor Made.

Trevor Denman burst onto the announcing scene in 1983 when the South African was hired to call the Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita. American racing fans had never heard anyone quite like him. He didn’t just announce a race; he painted a picture. He had a collection of colorful terms and he wasn’t afraid to editorialize if he thought a horse was “moving like a winner.” Now 65, Denman works only the Del Mar meets, but with the meet in full swing, he remains as good as ever. Denman is this week’s guest on the Thoroughbred Daily News podcast, brought to you by Taylor Made.

What is The Thoroughbred Idea Foundation? According to the press release announcing its formation, it been established to create an active forum for the exchange and curation of ideas which will improve the overall prospects for the Thoroughbred industry, its stakeholders and fundamentally, the horse. Those are huge goals and the person running the ship will be Patrick Cummings, the former Executive Manager, Public Affairs (Racing), for the Hong Kong Jockey Club, who is now the executive director of TIF. He starts his new job  August 1, and is this week’s guest on the Thoroughbred Daily News podcast, brought to you by Taylor Made.

A new chapter in the career of American Pharoah will begin July 10 in Lexington, Kentucky when his first crop of yearlings sells at the Fasig-Tipton July Sale. This is not just another first crop sire, but a sire who become the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years and took owner Ahmed Zayat and his family on the ride of their lives. Zayat is this week’s guest on the Thoroughbred Daily News podcast, brought to you by Taylor Made.

The Supreme Court has ruled that the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 is unconstitutional and the floodgates are about to open, with legalized sports betting expected to be up and running in dozens of states within the next few years. There’s little doubt this wouldn’t be the case if not for Dennis Drazin, chairman and CEO of Darby Development, operator of Monmouth Park. Never giving up despite several defeats in lower courts, Drazin spearheaded the effort to have legalized sports betting in New Jersey and, in particular, Monmouth. Drazin is this week’s guest of the Thoroughbred Daily News podcast, brought to you by Taylor Made.

He did it again. On May 5, Bob Baffert won his fifth Kentucky Derby and did so with style as Justify lived up to the tremendous hype that followed him into the starting gate after his win in the GI Santa Anita Derby. The Preakness is next and already there are whispers that racing may have another Triple Crown winner. So, who else but Bob Baffert, who spoke to TDN correspondent Daniel Ross, would be this week’s guest on the Thoroughbred Daily News podcast? The TDN podcast is brought to you by Taylor Made.