Horsemen: The 2025 Claiming Crown is set for November 15 at Churchill Downs with eight races totaling $1.1 million in purses for all levels of horses on both dirt and turf. The minimum purse is $100,000 with the Claiming Crown Jewel offering a $200,000 purse. The fee is only $250 to request eligibility per horse [...]
Garry Simms Sr. in 2011 with Flashy Lassie, his first graded-stakes winner in the Grade 3 Debutante. Courtesy the Louisville Courier-Journal. Former racehorse trainer Garry Simms Sr. went 15 rounds, toe-to-toe, with the blood cancer multiple myeloma after being told in 2010 that he had mere weeks to live. It took a sucker [...]
The U.S. Supreme Court today issued a decision to grant, vacate, and remand (GVR) Nat’l Horsemen’s Benevolent & Protective Ass’n, et al. v. Horseracing Integrity and Safety Auth., Inc., et al. back to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, directing the lower court to reconsider the challenge to the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) [...]
Damon Thayer, left, and Corey Johnsen at England's Ascot Race Course in October, 2023, on British Champions Day. Photo courtesy Damon Thayer The Iowa Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (Iowa HBPA) is proud to announce the engagement of two nationally recognized industry leaders—Corey Johnsen, President of CJ Thoroughbreds, and Damon Thayer, President of Thayer Communications & [...]
D. Wayne Lukas delivering the keynote address at the 2022 National HBPA Conference at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark. The following statement is from National HBPA CEO Eric Hamelback on the passing of D. Wayne Lukas: "No one will match what D. Wayne Lukas did in horse racing. Others — and a few already have [...]
D. Wayne Lukas with a young fan at a public Q&A session at Ellis Park in 2021. (Photo by Gwen Davis/Davis Innovation) The following statement is from National HBPA CEO Eric Hamelback on behalf of the organization and its affiliates: We, the affiliates of the National HBPA, along with the entire horse racing community, [...]
The interactive, electronic version of The Horsemen’s Journal’s Summer 2025 issue is now available online. It is an enhanced version of the printed magazine, which is currently being mailed. To view it, click here. Features in the issue include: Big Questions Horse racing’s $342 per-start charge and escalating budget: Can the industry afford HISA’s 2025 [...]
To Our Valued Partners Across Horse Racing: At a time when our sport faces some of the most intense scrutiny in history, one truth remains crystal clear: the credibility of horse racing depends on the consistency, professionalism, and integrity of its officiating. Horse racing runs on stewards. Horseplayers demand consistency. The industry survives on [...]
Trainer Brittany Vanden Berg and her husband, jockey Chris Emigh, after Like a Saltshaker is declared the winner of the Claiming Crown Rapid Transit. (Gwen Davis/Davis Innovation photo) “Man, did he dig in! What an awesome horse!” That was trainer Brittany Vanden Berg as she watched the replay of the 6-year-old gelding Like [...]
Photo courtesy Coglianese Photography The National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA) joins the Thoroughbred racing community in mourning the passing of Christophe Clement, a distinguished horseman whose impact on our sport is immeasurable. “For decades, Christophe was the embodiment of professionalism, dedication and integrity in our industry,” said Eric Hamelback, CEO [...]