all in Lifestyle

Over the course of two days Aug. 10-11, approximately 200 colts and fillies will go through the sales ring, their hoof steps echoing the thousands who have come before and the dreams that go forward with them. As each yearling dances to the tune of the auctioneer’s patter, a drama plays out, spotters gesturing frenetically as bids crisscross the arena.

The Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award has selected six semifinalists in the competition that annually recognizes excellence in Thoroughbred sport literature. These titles, published in 2025, include three nonfiction historical studies from racing’s earliest years, a fictional pre-Civil War saga of racing and race in Mississippi, a deeply reported investigation of recent high-profile racing drug violations and the evolution of federal horse safety regulation, and a coffee table tome that profiles nearly 100 American racetracks, past and present.

Coverage of the Thoroughbred industry expands as America’s Best Racing will host three livestreams over the next week, highlighting a sensational day of racing at Saratoga and then the two-day Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale of selected yearlings.

Long before Bella Rodrigues became a consignor of Thoroughbreds, she was already well versed in buying and selling horses – just not racehorses.

Taylor Kingsley was in the midst of a smoky drive home from Delaware Park, where the races had been canceled due to poor air quality caused by Canadian wildfires, when her phone rang.

“What are you up to on Monday?” her former boss, Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, asked.

“Not much,” Kingsley replied. “Probably just breezing some horses at Fair Hill [Training Center in Maryland].”

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