The Supreme Court on Tuesday sided with the Trump administration and upheld the mass firing of tens of thousands of probationary federal employees, granting a request for an emergency administrative stay on a lower court order blocking the firings. The majority of the high court ruled that the plaintiffs, nine non-profit organizations who had sued to reinstate the employees, lacked standing to sue.  "The District Court’s injunction was based solely on the allegations of the nine non-profit-organization plaintiffs in this case. But under established law, those allegations are presently insufficient to support the organizations’ standing," the court said in an order. 

Oh come on Douggie boy the same old chestnut over and over ...no disrespect to our fantastic member Chestnut...Douggie you are very very boring, and tiring so maybe you need a spell for a rest, its all getting to much for you I feel.

Jockey Luis Saez, unseated in the second race April 8 at Keeneland after his mount bumped with another horse in midstretch, was in stable condition Tuesday afternoon and under evaluation by University of Kentucky HealthCare Medical Services.View the full article

Junko Kondo's Admire Daytona and Jim and Claire Limited's Heart of Honor, the respective top two finishers in the UAE Derby (G2), headline five 3-year-olds made eligible to compete in the 2025 Triple Crown with a late nomination fee.View the full article

The six categories selected by the Thoroughbred nominating committee for the 2025 Thoroughbred ballot are builder, female horse, jockey, male horse, trainer, and veteran—person or horse.View the full article

Future Is Now, last seen winning the 2024 Franklin Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland in October, returns April 13 as one of the favorites in the $350,000 Giant's Causeway Stakes (G3T). The 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint drew a field of 10 fillies and mares.View the full article

The Dubai World Cup's reach extended far beyond Meydan Racecourse, captivating a massive global audience via TV, digital platforms, and in-flight entertainment. Broadcast across 37 channels in 170 countries.View the full article

Less than 24 hours after La Cara won the delayed Ashland Stakes (G1), Casse was back in the winner's circle April 8 after Nitrogen topped a Casse-trained exacta in the $500,000 Appalachian Stakes (G2) April 8.View the full article

Maiden Watch: Week of March 31-April 6View the full article

The one in the Sydney Cup that surprises me is FRANCESCO GUARDI. I remember him winning the Moonee Valley Cup under JMac and he looked a star, but that was in 2022. He was one of the favourites for the Melbourne Cup after that win, but did nothing, and same the following year, and done nothing since. I can’t imagine Waller persevering with it unless he was showing something, so it is intriguing to see him there. Valiant King was similar and has probably taken time to acclimatise, but showed he was getting there last start.

I don't see why not it isn't as if any horse didn't have a fair chance.  So you would have similar thoughts about this race? https://loveracing.nz/Common/SystemTemplates/Modal/Video.aspx?v=http%3a%2f%2fwww.racingreplays.co.nz%2fmedia%2f202401%2fM4_WELL_R08_200124.mp4&i=%2fCommon%2fImage.ashx%3fw%3d565%26h%3d314%26a%3d1%26o%3d1%26z%3d1%26bg%3deeeeee%26p%3dhttp%3a%2f%2fwww.racingreplays.co.nz%2fmedia%2f202401%2fM4_WELL_R08_200124.jpg&r=Race 8 - HARCOURTS TEAM GROUP THORNDON MILE&rs=1&jwsource=cl    

On then to the final day of the Aintree Grand National meeting and a crowd of around 70,000 came to Liverpool's racecourse for its biggest day of the year. The weather remained fine, warm and sunny and the ground continued to be Good on the Mildmay course and Good to Soft on the Grand National track. Although the race over the big fences took centre stage, there were three Grade 1 championship races on a strong undercard. The Mersey Novices Hurdle over 4000m looked an open race and even more so with the late withdrawal of the 4-y-o LULAMBA due to the quickening ground. Support came for MIAMI MAGIC from the lesser known Stuart Edmunds yard,  the unbeaten HORACES PEARL and the Irish challenger HONESTY POLICY. After a frustrating week of places, Gordon Elliott, who often works in the shadow of Willie Mullins, got his Group 1 win as HONESTY POLICY cut down REGENT'S STROLL from the Nicholls yard and FUNICULI FUNICULAR from the Mullins stable in a close finish. REGENT'S STROLL was close to the pace throughout and battled on tenaciously but Mark Walsh brought HONESTY POLICY through and from three out always looked as though he was travelling the best - I'm not sure he found too much off the bridle but he did enough. This was the winner's first run in any kind of Graded race so this was a big step forward even though he was well fancied by the trainer. My each way play on REGENT'S STROLL returned a small profit and the horse looked to me as though he could make a decent chaser next year but the one to take out was probably the third who has had very little racing by comparison and found the hurly-burly of the Supreme too much on only his third run. A further 800m in distance looked to being out a lot of improvement and he looks a really interesting prospect. HORACES PEARL finished fifth, not beaten too far, and looks like another for whom a step up in trip would help. The Liverpool Hurdle over 4850m also saw a late scratching as TEAHUPOO, the Stayers' Hurdle runner up and favourite, was withdrawn because of the ground. Owners Robcour still had last year's third in this race, HIDDENVALLEY LAKE, but he faced, among others, the 2024 winner of this race, STRONG LEADER, on a retrieval mission after a couple of disappointing midwinter efforts on unsuitably slow ground. The first and third from 2024 were the first two this year but in the reverse order as HIDDENVALLEY LAKE beat STRONG LEADER who let himself down, in my view, by some indifferent jumping. Between this one, TEAHUPOO and the Stayers Hurdle winner, BOB OLINGER, Robcour have the kind of stranglehold on the staying hurdle division J P McManus enjoys in other parts of the jumping world. HIDDENVALLEY LAKE had run really well in defeat in the Long Walk at Ascot in December but had flopped badly on heavy turf in the Galmoy at Gowran Park. Back on this decent surface, HIDDENVALLEY LAKE turned a five length deficit to STRONG LEADER from 2024 into a three length victory. The second jumped indifferently and that did for him. JETARA was strongly supported at big prices each way before TEAHUPOO came out and those ante post players got a nice draw as she ran with credit in third. I thought she looked the winner two out but didn't quite get home. HOME BY THE LEE had been unlucky at Cheltenhham and was fancied to make amends here but he ran poorly and was pulled up a fair way out. Race favourite KITZBUHEL from the Mullins yard had never run beyond 3600m and he patently didn't stay this extended trip. After the excitement of the National, it's often a quiet end to the meeting but not so these days with the Maghull Novices Chase over 3200m which saw Arkle chase contender L'EAU DU SUD strongly supported after the late withdrawal of ONLY BY NIGHT. An impressive round of jumping and front running from KALIF DU BERLAIS to win this prize. He had been found out on much slower ground and over 4000m in the Scilly Isles at Sandown but this kind of ground is what he wants and while jockey Harry Cobden suggested post race trips up to 4000m would be fine for the horse you can't help but feel on this evidence the minimum trip will be the optimum. L'EAU DU SUD ran as though he'd done enough for the season and I'm sure he will be back next year. He was pipped for second by BROOKIE who ouran his 25/1 odds. The concluding Bumper capped a memorable day for Patrick Mullins as he steered home favourite GREEN SPLENDOUR who had finished fifth in the Bumper at the Dublin Racing Festival. He'll obviously be a novice hurdler of interest next season as will the second, DESTINATION DUBAI. A wonderful day for Team Mullins with five of the first seven home in the Grand National headed by NICK ROCKETT who had won the Thyestes and the Bobbyjo on his previous two starts but was largely untested on decent ground. I think GRANGECLARE WEST would have won but for hitting the last and the one from this year's finishers who could be a factor next year is SENIOR CHIEF.

Stodge - Middle Earth won his Australian debut, so he already has form on the board.

Favored at 2-1 to cross the wire first is Praetor, who enters the Lexington Stakes (G3) with a pair of wins going a mile over the dirt, including a 7 1/2-length romp in an allowance optional claimer at Gulfstream Park. View the full article

Patrick Reed previews the field for the April 11 Maker's Mark Mile Stakes (G1T) at Keeneland.View the full article

Overcoming a quality field that included two other top-10 sophomores, Journalism impressed with how he navigated trouble in the 1 1/8-mile Kentucky Derby (G1) prep. View the full article

It was a frigid morning at Churchill Downs April 8, but Rebel Stakes (G2) winner Coal Battle heated up his Kentucky Derby (G1) preparations by returning to the work tab for the first time since finishing third in the March 29 Arkansas Derby (G1).View the full article

Performing his first breeze since finishing third in the Arkansas Derby (G1), Coal Battle recorded a half-mile in :48 2/5 at Churchill Downs April 8. Assistant trainer Bethany Taylor discusses the breeze as they exit the track.View the full article

The review of the final day of the Grand National is on its way. I forgot to mention the opening Longchamp meeting of the season last Sunday which took place on Good ground (unusually). That seemed help MAP OF STARS who was a convincing winner of the Group 2 Harcourt over 2000m and, following his Exbury win last month, this Sea the Stars colt was presumably head for the Group 1 Ganay at the end of the month. Another busy weekend approaching up here - for the jump fans, the main focus is Ayr and the Scottish National. After his brilliant Aintree raid, Willie Mullins is reportedly sending up to 40 runners across the two days of the meeting as he aims to further reduce the gap on Dan Skelton in the British Trainers' Championship. Skelton led Mullins by £1.3 million before the Aintree meeting - that is now £120k. Mullins has entered seven in the Grade 2 Scottish Champion Hurdle and eleven in the Scottish National. On the flat, we head to Newbury for their opening fixture on ground described as Good to Firm, Good in places (watered) as the dry spell up here continues. The two classic trials are both Group 3 contests - the Fred Darling for the fillies and the Greenham for the colts. In the former, Aidan O'Brien has entered both BEDTIME STORY and HEAVEN'S GATE while Ollie Sangster has the Moyglare runner up SIMMERING and Charlie Appleby has Jumeirah 1000 Guineas winner MOUNTAIN BREEZE who will lack nothing for fitness. As for the colts, an intriguing race if they all stand. RASHABAR was the best as a juvenile winning the Coventry at Ascot and running second in both the Morny and the Jean Luc Lagardere but the likes of CHANCELLOR, FIELD OF GOLD and JONQUIL always looked like they would be better as 3-y-o. More on these races later in the week.    

Looking at some of the "foreign" entries, ROUSHAM PARK from Japan was second in the Breeders Cup Turf last year - his form is more at 2400m but if the ground is fast, he'll be right there and Japan had three winners on Dubai World Cup night. I'd put him well in front of GEOGLYPH who won the Japanese 2000 Guineas back in 2022. MIDDLE EARTH was a 2400m horse here last year and ran third in the Hardwicke at Ascot. He had a decent opening start behind LIGHT INFANTRY MAN the other day and could come on a lot for that but he'll need to. He was thought to have Melbourne Cup aspirations at one time.