The American pharaoh broke the record of thirty- seven years when he crossed the wire in the Belmont’s stakes last year.  He won the America’s premier awards races set aside for the three- year olds thoroughbreds which include; the Belmont, Preakness Stakes, and Kentucky Derby. The most challenging test in horse racing is the five week test. There have been only twelve known horses that have finished the triple since 1919, where Sir Barton was the first to win the series. As the Kentucky Derby nears, one of the competitors in the year’s crop of the 3- year olds has been marked with having the capability of matching the American pharaoh‘s achievement of 2015.

Nyquist is expected to premier in the Kentucky Derby on May 7^th with an unbeaten record and one of the great chances of earning himself an unforgettable position as the thirteenth Triple Crown champion. In his 2- year old season, Nyquist scored his first win at Santa Anita Park in California including four straight classified prizes which were surpassed by his most remarkable win in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in the month of October. Nyquist was competing with the country’s greatest two- year olds when he was jolted by another horse in the beginning of the race, this resulted in him being stuck too wide in every turn and thus bringing about considerable ground loss. However, he still held on strong and managed to win by half a length.

Brody’s Cause who finished third place in the Breeder’s Cup Juvenile lately won the Bluegrass Stakes. The Santa Anita Derby was won by Exaggerator who managed to scoop the fourth place in the Breeder’s Cup. Exaggerator and Brody’s Cause are expected to participate in the Kentucky Derby as the main competitors. Nyquist marked his third birthday by premiering in the seven furlong San Vicente stakes at Santa Anita in February. He started with a quick pace and gave Exaggerator a challenge thus managing to win the race by one and a half lengths. Nyquist resumed the races in Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park in March where he competed against the unconquered Mohaymen who is the known winner of four straight classified prizes in the races that took place in New York and Florida.

Travelling across the country all the way from California seemed too great a task since there was only one pending race which also included racing in the 1 1/8^th mile in the Florida Derby. Nyquist proved himself a conqueror and the best 3- year old horse in the country with an influential and a very easy win. He is currently in Kentucky waiting for the Derby. Nyquist has proved to be the best horse in all his races by the way he faces his challenges with determination and perseverance. He is always the winner in every of his seven racing careers. He is the kind of horse that adapts too well in different races. Nyquist has two human trainers, Dough O’ Neil and jockey Mario Gutierrez who push him to greatness.

The pedigree of Nyquist has been doubted too many times. This also includes his ability to finish first in long races. Uncle Mo is Nyquist’s sire and had the title of the 2 –year old champions but he was forced out of the Kentucky Derby after he sustained an injury. Nyquist is a registered sprinter; however the Triple Crown distance has proved difficult for him. In the 2016 Triple Crown race, Nyquist is believed to be the next undefeated winner after the American Pharaoh.

The 116 years old Edmonton’s Northlands Track in Alberta will close down after 2016 season of horse racing. We know of a number of eye catching fun places that goes to shatters because of a new investment plan and, well, the Northlands track is no different.

Vision 2020, as the redevelopment plan of Northlands track is known, will shut down the 64 hectares of the site on August 20, 2016 after the 87^th running of a Canadian derby.

The Northlands Track is run by a non-profit organization and boasts of creating employment to over 7000 people in the province. Cathy Kiss, Northlands vice president said, “There is going to be change”.

Brian Bygrave, director of Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association of Alberta said, “Without Northlands, racing in Alberta would look awfully bleak”.

This does not go without saying that the industry will have to look at new venues. Horse owners and clients are concerned whether to breed their mares or to cancel their investments respectively.

There is a Balzac track but it is not yet complete since it has facilities of thoroughbred horse racing. Thoroughbred horses cannot use similar tracks to those of standard bred since they need stable and different track surface.

The only option left will be that of using local casinos to bet in the off track betting system.

The fall down of more than a century old racing track will bring rise to a new investment that will also benefit the community around Northlands track.

Virginia Park to the south and Bellevue to the east will benefit from increased amenities and their property values will be tripled as well. Safe to say it also has its perks.

Tony Caterina, Northlands councillor and board member said, “The possibilities are endless”.

A number of Hong Kong based raiders have found it hard to make it to the international arena. However, good news will be at their feet as the Hong Kong Jockey Club claimed that it was given mandate by the International Association of Jockey to initiate their 17 domestic races which was mainly meant for Hong Kong based horses to the international level. This compliment will be functional from the 2016/2017 season. This will be a massive step for the raiders based in Hong Kong as well as the entire Hong Kong Jockey fraternity as they will now have a total of 31 international raiders.

As it stands, there are a total of 14 races based in Hong Kong that have the eligibility of venturing in the international competition. Among these, 11 of them are at Group 1 level. The new rules have clearly indicated that all Group races are eligible to international racing. It doesn’t matter where a horse is born, trained or is owned by who. There were also some restrictions of rating bands that was initiated by the 14 newly opened races but were abolished following the new update.

The Executive Director of Racing Business and Operations Tony Kelly claimed that it was a huge step taken by the Hong Kong Jockey Club for the globalization as well as development of the Hong Kong racing. This portrayed the willingness of the Club to take the racing in another dimension of international level. This made the Asian Pattern Committee very pleased when they met earlier in the week at the Asian Racing Conference in Mumbai, India.

He continued to say that this is a unique logical move for Hong Kong which will concur with the new advancement in direction and consistency that the Club has incorporated over time. There has been a long existence in the LONGINESS World’s Best Racehorse Rankings and this has seen an outstanding growth in the World’s Top 100 Group 1 Races to the Hong Kong raiders.

However, this international exposure will not be awarded to the four year olds as BMW Hong Kong Derby, Hong Kong Classic Cup and Hong Kong Classic Mile will involve participants based in Hong Kong.

Sunday 31st would see a total of 10 entries in the Keith Gee Memorial race named in memory of the late Keith Gee, who was the former executive director of the Louisiana Horsemen’s Benevolent Protective Association. Each horse should be three years and will be hoping to scoop the $50,000 prize.

The event attracts some notable entries including Sheikh of Sheikh owned by Abdulla Saeed Almaddah, who will be on the verge of taking his form to a better start after he ranked third during the Grade III $1000,000 Hutcheson Stakes held at Gulfstream Park in January 2nd.

Twirling Cinnamon trained by Brad Cox is another contender at the event. Cinnamon also comes off a late defeat at the $51,000 Sugar Bowl staged on a Fair Ground’s main course. He has however made some tremendous comeback in different classes having narrowly won at the Indian Grounds back in October.

Dell Ridge Farm’s Tiznoble and Dede McGehee’s Dolphus who are both trained by Joe Sharp are other notable rivals at the event. Dolphus has made an outstanding comeback after making a mile cross-entry under the command of jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. to finish off with a 70-yard distance. Tiznoble too has been in excellent form having won the Churchill Downs on November 1st in a Fair Ground.

The son of Tiznow came in fifth during the $75,000 Pulpit Stakes at Gulfstream Park West on November 28 and had since worked hard to improve his form. Among his trials is the five furlongs on the 17th day of January.

The sons of Kitten’s Joy will be on stage too as he comes off the two victories of the $75,000 from Bill Mott. He has been preparing for the event at Gulfstream Park. The four-time winner of the Fair Grounds in the last 13 months Miguel Mena will be picking the post six from the mount.

Other entries in the event include; Gotsomemojo (Mitchell Murrill, post seven), One Mean Man (Colby Hernandez, post four), Cashel Rock (Florent Geroux, post two), Wild Man (Shaun Bridgmohan, post five) and Mending Fences (Richard Eramia, rail).

It is said that hard work will always pay. In most cases achieving an objective is not enough to be deemed as the best of the best. Maintaining that objective and never subsiding in any way is fundamental for the glorious trend each individual will die to have. In essence this high form and morale maintenance will bring in other top awards to anyone or anything that has the guts to keep rolling high.

Horse racing has been one sport that has seen heroes and heroine in the last two centuries. If you ask many of these heroes, some will disclose the main secret of being at the top is maintaining the top form and winning one race after another. The 2015 LONGINES World Best Racehorse went to American Pharaoh. The US three times Crown winner broke the silence kept by American horses in the last seven years as it was back in 2008 when an American horse scooped the title.

Pharaoh deserved to be crowned the winner of the LONGINES honor in 2015 after his amazing form and effort saw him scoop three outstanding trophies at the same time. His three wins starting with the US Grand Slams held at Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes as well as the Belmont Stake were enough to make him the first ever horse to scoop the three awards in 37 years. He now adds the LONGINES title to his name having claimed the American Horserace of the 2015 year.

It was amazing to see the Pharaoh dominating the American horse races under the command of jockey Victor Espinoza and the ownership of Ahmed Zayat. The three awards prompted the media to accord the Pharaoh with the Grand Slam King and Once in a lifetime horse titles.

In his last race before retiring, Pharaoh scooped $5 million during the Breeders Classic Cup held at Fort Knox, Kentucky. He now holds the gold stallion fame among the Zayat Stables in Hackensack in NJ.

Coral had tried to incorporate the 7.5% flat offer on its online as well as retail horseracing profits which was later dispelled by the British Horseracing Authority. This follows the introduction of the Authorized Betting Partner Scheme (ABT). This scheme by the British Authority claims that all bookmakers should pay a substantial amount that the authority stipulates failure to which they will be subjected to no event sponsorship deal.

The Authority however failed to bring out the real percentage that bookmakers should pay which is seen by these bookmakers as a way their profits are being exploited. This comes after the betting shops were awarded with 10.75% pay to British Horseracing Authority with the exception of the online business.

Chief Executive at Coral Carl Leaver sent a letter to the Authority claiming that his firm was willing to pay 7.5% of all the profits accrued. He further cited his negative idea on the new scheme of ABT which he claimed to be a way of making bookmakers pay more than what they are supposed to. 7.5% is between 10.75% which betting shops pay as well as 5% paid by online operators. This seemed to be an appealing value in standardizing all profits that a company should be levied by the British Authorities.

Nick Rust, Chief Executive of the British Horseracing Authority claimed that they remained firm on their scheme and he hoped that that entire firm at loggerheads will see the benefits accrued by ABT and all bookmakers have the right to be open and stage their queries.

A spokesperson from Ladbrokes came out in defense of Coral who will be their future merge claiming that the arguments represented by Coral are genuine and this will be fundamental in recognizing the main viable reality represented in their daily market as well as bringing justice to the present.

Ladbroke may also lose its sponsorship of the Cheltenham festival if it fails to abide to the new policies stipulated by the ABP before March. Sponsorship deal have now become the subject of the day as bookmakers will be forced to dig deep into their pocked by the racing in order to acquire the right to sponsor certain events.