July, 2020 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Owlette Eyes Woodbine’s Selene

Ten Broeck Farm’s Owlette (Frac Daddy) looks to record her fourth stakes win in Saturday’s GIII Selene S. at Woodbine.

Conditioned by Wesley Ward, the Ontario-bred filly took last year’s Shady Well S. and Victorian Queen S. and subsequently won the June 13 Star Shoot S. in her 2020 bow. Never worse than second in six career starts, including four wins over Woodbine’s Tapeta, Owlette will be joined for the first time by Luis Contreras.

Always armed and dangerous at Woodbine, Mark Casse saddles a pair of fillies for Gary Barber–American Tap (Tapiture) and Two Sixty (Uncaptured)–in addition to Diamond Sparkles (War Front), campaigned by the partnership of Barber and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners.

Diamond Sparkles made her North American debut in last September’s GI Natalma S., finishing fourth behind Abscond (Blame). In her latest start, while making her debuting over Woodbine’s main track June 13, she finished second.

“She came over from Europe, ran pretty good in the Natalma, and then struggled a little bit through the winter,” said Casse of Diamond Sparkles. “I thought her last race was good and she’s training well. We’re going to give her a shot.”

A victory by Casse in Saturday’s Selene, a stepping stone to the Aug. 15 Woodbine Oaks, would be a record sixth win, tying him with Yonnie Starr. Casse and Barber teamed to take the 2018 edition with Miss Mo Mentum followed by Power Gal last year.

Also a fan of the Woodbine Tapeta, Merveilleux (Paynter) was runner-up in last falls’s Princess Elizabeth S. and Ontario Lassie S. Trained by Kevin Attard, she came home a winner in her sole 2020 start, a June 21 allowance over 8 1/2 furlongs.

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TDN Rising Star Shirl’s Speight Heads Marine

Despite facing more seasoned rivals in Saturday’s GIII Marine S. at Woodbine, Shirl’s Speight (Speightstown) looms large in the traditional primer for the Queen’s Plate, scheduled for Sept. 12. Sent off at 3-1 for a trainer not typically known for his first-time starters, the Roger Attfield trainee took control in the early going of the seven-furlong turf test July 4 and rolled home an emphatic eight-length winner under Rafael Hernandez, becoming a TDN Rising Star in the process. The Charles Fipke hombred is out of Perfect Shirl (Perfect Soul {Ire})–a daughter of GISW Lady Shirl (That’s Nice)–who annexed the 2011 GI Breeders’ Cup F/M Turf.

On the other end of the spectrum, John Oxley’s Lucky Curlin (Curlin) will be making his 10th start in the 1 1/16-mile contest. The Mark Casse-conditioned colt needed six tries to get off the duck at two, and finally earned the distinction via DQ in a sloppy six-panel affair at the Fair Grounds in December. Off the board in a pair of stakes at the New Orleans oval over the winter, the homebred came from off the pace to score last time in Etobicoke over the Marine’s course and distance June 14.

“He’s a horse that’s disappointed me, to be honest,” said Casse. “We were always thinking, ‘If he ever gets his act together..’ He was a horse early on that we thought was as good as [Grade III winner] Enforceable [Tapit]. And of course, Enforceable is going to the [GI] Kentucky Derby.”

“His last race, from a Beyer standpoint, was very good. I wasn’t surprised, but it was pleasant. He’s been extremely frustrating for us because we’ve had high hopes for him. There are horses whose abilities are limited. He hasn’t been that way. So, we’ll see how he handles two turns. I’m still not positive that he isn’t a come-from-behind sprinter. But we’re going to give it a try.”

Among Queen’s Plate eligible runners is Dotted Line (Signature Red), listed at 18-1 in the Queen’s Plate winterbook. The winner of three starts in 2019, including a pair of stakes over the Tapeta, the Sid Attard trained gelding finished fifth in Woodine’s seven-panel Queeneston S. against fellow Ontario breds July 4.

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CHRB Votes to Settle Justify Santa Anita Derby Case

Mick Ruis has announced that he has reached an agreement in principle with the California Horse Racing Board regarding a settlement of pending litigation in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

The preliminary agreement is intended to resolve claims against the CHRB for failure to hold a purse disqualification hearing related to the 2018 GI Santa Anita Derby, in which the first-place finisher and subsequent Triple Crown winner, Justify, tested positive for the prohibited substance scopolamine. Bolt d’Oro, owned and trained by Ruis, finished second.

Members of the CHRB, the state agency charged with regulation of California horse racing, voted in favor of settlement at a recent closed session. Attorneys for the respective parties are finalizing the exact terms of the agreement and expect it to be completed in the coming days, according to a press release from Ruis’s attorney, Darrell Vienna.

The agreement would include a provision that the CHRB will file a complaint against the owners of Justify and conduct a purse disqualification hearing.

CHRB spokesperson Mike Marten said, “Mick Ruis’ lawsuit against the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) is still active, ongoing litigation. At this point, no settlement has been signed, and because it is ongoing litigation, the CHRB has no further comment.”

The detection of the prohibited substance scopolamine in the official test collected from Justify following the running of the 2018 Santa Anita Derby was confirmed by a split sample test requested by Justify’s connections.
CHRB rule 1859.5 requires forfeiture of purse and disqualification of a horse that tests positive for a class 1-3 prohibited substance regardless of the trainer’s responsibility.

“I am pleased that the leadership of this newly constituted CHRB appointed by Governor Newsom has taken seriously the Governor’s intention to ‘hold the group accountable on matters of drugs, safety, and integrity.’ It is only fair that the current CHRB voted to finally have a hearing related to the Justify matter. This settlement would be a major step toward restoring public confidence in the CHRB,” Ruis said.

Ruis continued, “This legal action was never just about the purse money, I wanted to stand up for what’s right and to make sure that every horseman, from the little guy to Bob Baffert, is treated fairly and equally. I commend the current CHRB for reviewing this matter and look forward concluding negotiations regarding a public hearing.”

“It has been a pleasure to work with Mr. Ruis,” Vienna said. “He is an individual who truly believes and has proven
that one man can make a difference. We look forward to presenting the agreement with the CHRB to the court so we can resolve the litigation.”

Vienna told TDN that the agreement would be “in exchange for the dismissal of the entire litigation,” including any possible damages.

Vienna added that a separate hearing under the trainer “insurer rule” would provide Baffert “an opportunity to clearly prove whether or not this was environmental contamination.”

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CHRB To Hold Hearing On 2018 Justify Scopolamine Positive As Part Of Settlement With Bolt d’Oro Owner

The following press release was distributed to media Friday by Darrel Vienna, counsel for owner Mick Ruis:

Mick Ruis announced today that he has reached an agreement in principle with the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) regarding a settlement of pending litigation in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The preliminary agreement is intended to resolve claims against the CHRB for failure to hold a purse disqualification hearing related to the 2018 Santa Anita Derby in which the first place finisher, Justify, tested positive for the prohibited substance scopolamine. Members of the CHRB, the state agency charged with regulation of California horse racing, voted in favor of settlement at a recent closed session. Attorneys for the respective parties are finalizing the exact terms of the agreement and expect it to be completed in the coming days.

The agreement would include a provision that the CHRB will file a complaint against the owners of Justify and conduct a purse disqualification hearing. The detection of the prohibited substance scopolamine in the official test collected from Justify following the running of the 2018 Santa Anita Derby was confirmed by a split sample test requested by Justify's connections. CHRB rule 1859.5 requires forfeiture of purse and disqualification of a horse that tests positive for a Class 1 – 3 prohibited substance regardless of the trainer's responsibility.

“I am pleased that the leadership of this newly constituted CHRB appointed by Governor Newsom has taken seriously the Governor's intention to 'hold the group accountable on matters of drugs, safety, and integrity.' It is only fair that the current CHRB voted to finally have a hearing related to the Justify matter. This settlement would be a major step toward restoring public confidence in the CHRB,” said Mick Ruis, the owner of Bolt d'Oro, who finished second in the 2018 Santa Anita Derby.

The prior CHRB departed from its standard procedures when it refused to file a complaint following the split sample confirmation of scopolamine in Justify's official sample. The prior CHRB swept the Justify matter under the rug by dismissing the matter in a closed session in August of 2018 where it remained until Joe Drape uncovered the scandal in an article published in the New York Times in September of 2019.

“This legal action was never just about the purse money, I wanted to stand up for what's right and to make sure that every horseman, from the little guy to Bob Baffert, is treated fairly and equally” Ruis said. “I commend the current CHRB for reviewing this matter and look forward concluding negotiations regarding a public hearing.”

Ruis is represented by attorneys Darrell Vienna and Carlo Fisco.

“It has been a pleasure to work with Mr. Ruis. He is an individual who truly believes and has proven that one man can make a difference,” said Vienna. “We look forward to presenting the agreement with the CHRB to the court so we can resolve the litigation.”

Carlo Fisco added “This decision was a no-brainer for the CHRB,” added Fisco. “It's very encouraging for racing in California to see this new board being able to make the obvious and positive move, a task that the old board found to be, for some unknown reason, too daunting.”

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