August, 2020 | Horse Racing Free Tips

MJC Extends Quarantine Policy for Jockeys

Pending further developments in ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, officials at the Maryland Jockey Club have announced that its existing jockey quarantine policy will remain in place through September.

Jockeys that are currently riding out of state and come to Maryland racetracks are required to quarantine for 14 days from their return from another state and must produce a negative COVID test obtained within 72 hours of riding a race in Maryland.

Racing on the Maryland circuit continues at Laurel Park, which will host the state’s first stakes races since the pandemic began Sept. 5 and Labor Day, Sept. 7. The summer meet continues through Sept. 19. There will be no racing this year at the Maryland State Fairgrounds at Timonium. Pimlico will stage three days of racing Oct. 1-3, featuring the final leg of this year’s reconstituted Triple Crown, the GI Preakness S. on closing day.

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Math Wizard, Runnin’toluvya Top Nominees For Aug. 28 Charles Town Classic

Led by 2019 Pennsylvania Derby (G1) winner Math Wizard, defending race champ Runnin'toluvya and 2019 Frizette (G1) heroine Wicked Whisper, a total of 141 nominations were received for the $600,000 Charles Town Classic (G2) and $200,000 Charles Town Oaks (G3) which closed this past Friday. When the two races are run together on Friday, August 28, it will mark the first time Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races will hold both of its graded stakes on the same day. The 12th running of the Charles Town Classic, postponed from its original April 18 date following the track's closure due to the COVID pandemic, and the Charles Town Oaks, moved up from its September 19 spot on the calendar are only two of seven total stakes races on the card totaling $1,250,000 in purse money.

Steve Asmussen, who trained Four Gifts to a win in the inaugural running of the Charles Town Oaks in 2009, led the way with 15 nominations for the two races, with the Charles Town Classic brigade headlined by 2019 Pimlico Special (G3) victor and 2018 Preaknesss (G1) runner-up Tenfold who scratched out of Sunday's Alydar Stakes at Saratoga.

Trainer Brad Cox looks to send out his first runner in the Charles Town Classic and has a trio of older horses to choose from in Night Ops, a winner of the Cornhusker Handicap (G3) in his last start, multiple graded stakes winner Owendale and Warrior's Charge, most recently a good fourth behind Vekoma, Network Effect and Code of Honor in the Metropolitan Handicap (G1) at Belmont Park.

Much like Cox, Bret Calhoun would be saddling his first Charles Town Classic starter and appears possible to do so with Mr. Money, a winner of four straight graded stakes events as a three-year-old, including the West Virginia Derby (G3), before seeing that winning streak snapped by a close-up second place effort in the Pennsylvania Derby. Calhoun also has the multiple graded stakes winning six-year-old Silver Dust nominated to the Classic.

Others nominated to the Charles Town Classic include 2019 race runner-up Diamond King, 2019 Woodward (G1) runner-up Bal Harbour, Monmouth Cup (G3) winner Global Campaign, Santa Anita Handicap (G1) second place finisher and expected starter Multiplier, Challenger (G3) victor Trophy Chaser and War Story, a winner of more than $3.2 million over his career that includes three previous efforts in the Charles Town Classic.

While Math Wizard stands as his lone Charles Town Classic nomination, trainer Saffie Joseph was well represented amongst Charles Town Oaks nominees with four sophomore fillies, including the multiple graded stakes winner Tonalist's Shape and Loriloupies, an impressive winner in consecutive starts earlier this year at Gulfstream.

Others nominated and possible for the Charles Town Oaks include Boerne, winner of the Azalea in her last start at Gulfstream, Hopeful Growth, most recently victorious in the Monmouth Oaks (G3) and Project Whiskey, who scored in the Delaware Oaks (G3) at odds of nearly 40-to-1.

Entries for the August 28 Charles Town Classic card will be taken on Tuesday, August 25.

Nominations for three more unrestricted stakes all run at seven furlongs – the $150,000 Dance to Bristol for older fillies and mares, the $100,000 Russell Road and the $100,000 Robert Hilton Memorial for three-year-olds – close this upcoming Friday, August 14.

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Saudi Cup Purse Money To Be Paid Out To All But Maximum Security

The Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia (JCSA) announced Monday its decision to award prize money to the connections of horses placed second to tenth in the 2020 Saudi Cup, a race held at King Abdulaziz Racecourse, Riyadh on Saturday, Feb. 29.

Prize money will be withheld from the winning horse, Maximum Security (USA) trained by Jason Servis, until the JCSA is able to satisfactorily complete its investigation and any inquiry.

This decision has been taken in the interests of safeguarding the integrity of racing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and is based on the following considerations:

Following the running of the 2020 Saudi Cup Jason Servis and others were indicted on charges in the USA. The sealed indictment, which covers a period of time between 2018 up to February 2020, alleges that Jason Servis administered performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) to horses in his care, including Maximum Security.

The administration of PEDs is prohibited under the JCSA Rules and the Horseman's Guide to the Saudi Cup, to secure the integrity of racing and the welfare of racehorses. Prior to the race the JCSA received no allegation and no indication that Maximum Security had ever been administered PEDs.

However, as a result of the USA indictment the JCSA received an objection to the participation of Maximum Security in the race. As a result of that objection and the indictment, the JCSA commenced its own investigation into the allegations which was notified to all connections of runners in the race, and to the wider public.

That investigation remains ongoing but has been hampered by the Covid-19 crisis and the fact that the JCSA is not a party to the ongoing legal proceedings in the USA. Therefore, unless and until the evidence that supports the sealed indictment in the US Proceedings is placed in the public domain, that evidence is unavailable to the JCSA's investigation and to any JCSA inquiry.

The JCSA is bound to reach a fair and reasonable decision on the objection and circumstances of Maximum Security's running in the race and it cannot do so without the consideration of relevant evidence that has been gathered by the prosecution authorities in the US Proceedings in respect of the sealed indictment.

Therefore, the JCSA cannot properly conclude its investigation and any inquiry by its Stewards' Committee cannot be commenced without consideration of all relevant evidence including that gathered by the prosecution authorities in the US.

The JCSA will make no further comment until the conclusion of the investigation.

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JCSA Withholding Saudi Cup Earnings from Maximum Security

The Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia (JCSA) announced Monday that it will continue to withhold payment from the $20-million Saudi Cup to the connections of Maximum Security (New Year’s Day) as it continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the horse and former trainer Jason Servis. While that money is being withheld, a decision has been made to go ahead and pay the owners who had horses finish second through 10th in the Feb. 29 race.

Shortly after Saudi Cup, Servis was among 27 people indicted on federal charges involving the doping of race horses. In April, Saudi authorities announced they would withhold paying out the purse to all connections while an investigation was ongoing. The Saudi Cup winner is due to collect $10 million.

Monday’s announcement revealed for the first time that there was an “objection to the participation” of Maximum Security after the race. It did not spell out who lodged the objection and when. The JCSA said the objection and the indictments were what led to the investigation.

It also appears that no final decision will be reached until the case against Servis is adjudicated in the U.S. courts, as the JCSA said their investigation has been hampered by not being a party to the legal proceedings that are ongoing.

The statement read: “That investigation remains ongoing but has been hampered by the Covid-19 crisis and the fact that the JCSA is not a party to the ongoing legal proceedings in the USA. Therefore, unless and until the evidence that supports the sealed indictment in the US Proceedings is placed in the public domain, that evidence is unavailable to the JCSA’s investigation and to any JCSA inquiry. The JCSA is bound to reach a fair and reasonable decision on the objection and circumstances of MAXIMUM SECURITY’s running in the race and it cannot do so without the consideration of relevant evidence that has been gathered by the prosecution authorities in the US Proceedings in respect of the sealed indictment. Therefore, the JCSA cannot properly conclude its investigation and any inquiry by its Stewards’ Committee cannot be commenced without consideration of all relevant evidence including that gathered by the prosecution authorities in the US.”

That could mean that the payment of the purse will be withheld until Servis’s case has made its way through the courts, something that could stretch on for a couple of years.

The JCSA said it would make no further comment until the conclusion of the investigation, which leaves a handful of questions unanswered, including the results of drug tests performed on Maximum Security before the race.

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