Month: September 2020

Former NYRA Starter Brosseau Passes at 74

Richard “Richie” Brosseau, the head starter at the NYRA tracks from 2003 to 2007, passed away Sept. 5. He was suffering from a number of illnesses, including leukemia.

A native of Montreal, Brosseau started out in harness racing before coming to the New York Thoroughbred tracks in the early 1970s. He accepted a job as an assistant starter in 1976 before working his way up to head position. He retired in 2007. In 2011, he became a U.S. citizen.

“He was a really, really good guy,” said Raymond DeStefano, who worked alongside Brosseau on the gate crew. “He never had an agenda. He was just a genuine person , a good person. He was very kind and he loved animals. At the racetrack, everybody just knew him as ‘Frenchie.’ This one really hurts.”

Brosseau was named head starter after the retirement of Bob Duncan.

He is survived by his children, daughter, Corine Rishkel, of Goshen, NY, son, Connor Brosseau of Chester, NY, and son-in-law, Joseph Rishkel IV of Goshen, NY, as well as his brother-in-law, Andre Gregoire, and beloved niece and nephew, Chantal and Stephane Gregoire, and their partners, Andree, Melanie, and Linda.

Funeral services are to be private.

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His Story Captured In Children’s Book, `Baby Haynes’ Debuts at Emerald

When a Washington-bred 2-year-old who debuts Wednesday at Emerald Downs was a month old, he needed a mother. His dam had died of colic. And a paint mare on a nearby farm in Washington needed a baby to care for after her foal died shortly after birth. The two came together and the result is a healthy, now 2-year-old colt, who will make his debut Wednesday at Emerald Downs.

It’s a sweet story of two very different horses coming together to fulfil each other’s needs and one that so resonated with breeder Tim Floyd that he turned it into a children’s book, “Baby Haynes, a True Story About Adoption and Unconditional Love.”

The next chapter will be written in the day’s sixth race when the book’s star, now appropriately named Myuddermamasapaint (Haynesfield), will begin his racing career.

“He’s working like he’s a runner and I know the barn is pretty high on him,” said Floyd, also a co-owner of the colt.

But Myuddermamasapaint doesn’t have to be star to stay close to Floyd’s heart. Floyd was adopted and saw similarities in his story and that of the foal and the nurse mare. He knows that adopted parents and children can love each other just as much as biological parents and children, a sentiment he shares throughout the book.

“I couldn’t have had better parents,” he said. “They were just unbelievable.”

The first month of Myuddermamasapaint’s life was routine, but that changed when the dam In Vitro (Demon Warlock) was stricken with colic and had to be put down. It is Baby Haynes or Myuddermamasapaint who tells the story in the book, describing the ordeal and how it ended. “She kissed me goodbye and went to heaven,” the book reads.

Floyd had heard that there was a breeder in the area that had a paint mare whose foal has just died and he arranged to see if the mare would accept Baby Haynes. The two acted like they had known each other forever.

“It ended up working out really well,” Floyd said. “The grafting process went great and the baby took to the mare really nicely. The baby was hungry and the mom wanted a baby.”

The mare’s instincts kicked right in. On the first night they were together, the two were separated and then brought together every two hours for a feeding. Floyd said the mare pined for her new child.

“We separated them and each time we took the baby away she got more and more upset,” Floyd said. “You could tell that she wanted that baby. We knew that this was going to work because every time we separated them she would get upset.”

Local television station WKHQ got wind of Baby Haynes’s story and came to Floyd’s farm to do a feature. (Click here to watch.) There was so much positive feedback that Floyd decided he would write the children’s book (which prompted this feature). It is his first.

“When we posted videos of the paint mare and the baby running around our farm it got over 20,000 views,” he said. “I thought that people love stories like this. I’m also adopted, so the adoption part of it kind of hit home with me. I knew there would be a lot of interest in this so I decided to write a book. I wanted to do a children’s book with the story being told by the horse.”

Maybe there will be a sequel as Floyd believes Myuddermamasapaint has a bright future.

“He’s a big beautiful, long-striding horse,” he said. “I think he’ll get even better with distance. I’m glad the race is at six furlongs and not five. For this race, we want him to hit the board. If he wins it will be a bonus.”

The book, which is 22 pages long, is geared toward smaller children, 10 or younger. It was released in March and Floyd said he has gotten nothing but good reviews. Selling for $14.99, the book isn’t the sort of thing Floyd can expect to make much money off of, but that wasn’t the idea behind the book. He wanted to tell a story, one of unconditional love.

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TDN Top-to-Bottom Derby Rundown

This week’s TDN Triple Crown feature examines the GI Kentucky Derby runners in detail from first to last.

1) AUTHENTIC (c, Into Mischief–Flawless, by Mr. Greeley)
O-Spendthrift Farm LLC, MyRaceHorse Stable, Madaket Stables LLC & Starlight Racing. B-Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds LLC (KY). T-Bob Baffert. Sales History: $350,000 yrl ’18 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: MGISW, 6-5-1-0, $2,871,200.

Front-running Authentic bested 14 Derby foes in admirable, take-the-heat fashion. But it was the way this $350,000 KEESEP Into Mischief bay overcame a long season’s worth of focusing issues to finally put forth a polished, seasoned effort that truly stands out. Although Authentic might have given his connections an anxious moment or two when he came away flat-footed at the break from the outermost 15 stall, jockey John Velazquez didn’t rush the colt at all. In fact, the bent-necked Authentic had his head cocked out to the near-empty grandstand while ranging up widest to attain a prominent early placement. Ridden with restraint, Authentic hit the top just past the finish wire the first time, but he still had to safely clear three inside rivals through the first turn, costing him some ground. Onto the backstretch Velazquez maintained a margin of about a length while remaining several paths off the rail. Authentic really only had to put away one serious “first run” bid off the far turn, but that one challenger loomed menacingly in the form of legit Derby fave Tiz the Law (Constitution). Tiz got his nose in front at the quarter pole, but that affront only emboldened Authentic, who dug in determinedly and responded to left-handed stick work (this per trainer Bob Baffert’s instructions, Velazquez later said) despite shifting out for several strides before finishing with purpose inside the sixteenth pole. The Preakness now awaits the 5-for-6 Derby champ.

2) TIZ THE LAW (c, Constitution—Tizfiz, by Tiznow)
O-Sackatoga Stable. B-Twin Creeks Farm (NY). T-Barclay Tagg. Sales History: $110,000 yrl ’18 FTNAUG. Lifetime Record: MGISW, 8-6-1-1, $2,615,300.

If you had your crystal ball fired up and had been able to correctly predict that Tiz the Law would enjoy a primo, trouble-free Derby stalking trip in third for most of the race while zeroing in with metronomic precision on a lone leader who had worked hard to attain that top spot, most backers would have jumped at the proposition that Tiz was more likely than not to have blown right by Authentic at the quarter pole. Yet despite having everything his own way, that’s not how it worked out for this $110,000 SARAUG Constitution colt. Although Tiz briefly seized the lead, he came figuratively unglued when Authentic punched back with authority, and that battle represented the first time in his career that Tiz encountered any serious resistance inside the eighth pole. You can parse this performance all you want, but trainer Barclay Tagg summed it up best in just a few words: “He ran a good race today. He got beat.” Jockey Manny Franco even admitted that “the trip was perfect–no excuse.” Tiz’s only two lifetime losses have now come at Churchill Downs nearly 10 months apart, but the track surface isn’t the likely culprit. Rather, having only four weeks between races (his shortest layoff yet) and the extreme difficulty of maintaining elite-level form for over a year now both look like the more legitimate toll-taking factors. Here’s hoping Tiz rebounds in his training and that a Preakness rematch is in the cards.

3) MR. BIG NEWS (c, Giant’s Causeway—Unappeased {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) O-Allied Racing Stable LLC; B-Don Alberto Corporation (KY); T-Bret Calhoun. Sales History: $95,000 Ylg ’18 FTKOCT. Lifetime Record: SW & GISP, 8-2-1-1, $468,553.

At 46-1, Mr. Big News outran his odds while running true to his distance-centric pedigree (by Giant’s Causeway out of a Galileo mare). He broke alertly and settled willingly, and when the main body of eight runners peeled off from the pack into the first turn, jockey Gabriel Saez was content to track the action behind that bunch well in the clear and without being covered up. He edged closer into the far turn, and in several rapid strides just prior to the five-sixteenths pole blew by five fading horses all at once (although this move was legit on its own, it did appear more explosive than it actually was because of the backpedaling of the spent horses). In the stretch Mr. Big News couldn’t close the gap on the top two, who were unquestionably in a different league. His projected Beyer Speed Figure of 101 means that Mr. Big News has now topped his previous Beyer every single time out over eight career starts, which is something you don’t often see.

4) HONOR A.P. (r, Honor Code—Hollywood Story, by Wild Rush)
O-C R K Stable LLC. B-George Krikorian (KY). T-John Shirreffs. Sales History: $850,000 yrl ’18 FTSAUG. Lifetime Record: GISW, 6-2-3-0, $532,200.

Honor A.P. was never in it to win it last Saturday. Yet considering how tactically adrift he was for the first mile of the race, his fourth-place effort is better than it might seem. “He spun out from the word go. Really did,” said jockey Mike Smith, who cited this $850,000 FTSAUG Honor Code ridgling’s inability to grab hold of the “deeper, cuppier” track as the chief obstacle to a better placing. He broke hesitantly and was allowed to lag near last for most of the trip before unwinding with a long-striding move through the far turn that left him parked way out in the 10 path for the home straight. But he didn’t pass a single horse in mid-stretch who was not already backing up. Honor A.P.’s Derby has a “too bad to be true” aura to it, and as the only horse to ever finish in front of Authentic (in the GI Santa Anita Derby), it’s reasonable to think he’s capable of a more spirited showing if and when they meet again.

5) MAX PLAYER (c, Honor Code—Fools in Love, by Not For Love)
O-George E. Hall & SportBLX Thoroughbreds Corp. B-K&G Stables (KY). T-Steve Asmussen. Sales History: $150,000 RNA yrl ’18 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW & MGISP, 6-2-1-2, $463,500.

Max Player inherited the dreaded one hole after a scratch, and this first-crop Honor Code colt ($150,000 KEESEP RNA) got a decent schooling out of the experience while rallying nicely through traffic to snag fifth with a late spurt. Even before the field completed the first furlong, you could see Max was getting pelted with kickback while down inside, and jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr. guided him to the back of the pack to save ground through the first turn and onto the backstretch. As the field tightened up entering the far turn, Santana opted to move out rather than try to weave through traffic at the fence. But even being eight paths wide into the lane Max could still not avoid shifting off heels and having to maneuver for better positioning. When a clear hole did finally materialize, Max dove through with interest. That could be the “Ah-ha!” moment that signals advancement into the upper echelon of the sophomore ranks might not be as far off as it seems for this colt.

6) STORM THE COURT (c, Court Vision–My Tejana Storm, by Tejano Run) O-Exline-Border Racing LLC & David A Bernsen LLC; B-Stepping Stone Farm (KY); T-Peter Eurton. Sales History: $5,000 Ylg ’18 FTKFEB; $60,000 2yo ’19 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: Ch. 2yo, GISW, 10-2-1-3, $1,310,451.

If there’s a such thing as a sneaky-good sixth, Storm the Court ran it in the Derby. He was actually the between-calls leader first time through the homestretch, and although jockey Julien Leparoux opted not to slug it out on the front end with Authentic, he didn’t concede an inch at the fence positionally while transitioning to stalk mode. On the far turn, this $60,000 OBSAPR Court Vision bay (previously a $5,000 FTKFEB yearling) had four horses parked directly to his outside and one just behind him ratcheting up the mid-pack pressure, but Storm the Court still didn’t crack. By virtue of saving so much ground, the juvenile champ was able to re-bid and briefly fight for a share of third as the field swung for home, but he could not sustain that momentum and ran on respectably despite being spent. Ten furlongs on dirt is probably not his thing, but this was still a better-than-it-looks performance.

7) ENFORCEABLE (c, Tapit—Justwhistledixie, by Dixie Union)
O-John Oxley. B-Clearsky Farm (KY). T-Mark Casse. Sales History: $775,000 RNA yrl ’18 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW & GISP, 11-2-2-2, $397,150.

Stout-pedigreed Enforceable made his early-career mark as a deep closer who didn’t mind taking the overland route, and he was bet down to 22-1 in the Derby primarily on the angle that he’d be motoring late when many others would be struggling with the final furlong. Thus it was a surprise to see him involved in the early jostling for the lead, mixing it up in the front vanguard. He essentially followed Storm the Court’s rail trip while looking comfortable covered up, and he vacated the fence turning for home only to be dropped back down inside after finding neither the running room nor the spark to sustain a serious deep-stretch bid.

8) NY TRAFFIC (c, Cross Traffic–Mamie Reilly, by Graeme Hall)
O-John Fanelli, Cash is King LLC, LC Racing & Paul Braverman. B-Brian Culnan (NY). T-Saffie Joseph, Jr. Sales History: $27,000 RNA 2yo ’19 EASMAY. Lifetime Record: GISP, 10-2-3-2, $565,470.

Ny Traffic veered out at the break and then was sent for speed, cutting back inward in front of five other rivals in jockey Paco Lopez’s all-costs zeal to have this gray near the head of affairs. This $27,000 EASMAY RNA by Cross Traffic attended the pace outside of Authentic, but at no time did he ratchet up the pressure to the point where it made the frontrunner uncomfortable. Ny Traffic briefly sparred with Tiz the Law when the favorite engaged him three-eighths out, but Tiz swatted Ny Traffic away handily, and this colt backpedaled out of contention while shifting outward and contributing to the logjam of fading horses in the wider paths of the upper stretch. In the aftermath of the race, trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. reported Ny Traffic lost a front shoe and had some cuts on his legs.

9) NECKER ISLAND (c, Hard Spun—Jenny’s Rocket, by Mr. Greeley) O-Raymond Daniels, Wayne Scherr & Will Harbut Racing LLC; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY); T-Chris Hartman. Sales history: $250,000 Ylg ’18 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSP, 11-2-0-3, $199,730.

The game plan for blinkers-off Necker Island was to be close to the pace along the inside. Instead he was next to last for most of his Derby trip and made a belated far-turn run while 10 wide into the stretch. “Outclassed” was trainer Chris Hartman’s post-race summation.

10) MAJOR FED (c, Ghostzapper—Bobby’s Babe, by Smart Strike) O-Lloyd Madison Farms IV LLC; B-Lloyd Madison IV (KY); T-Greg Foley. Lifetime Record: MGSP, 7-1-2-1, $215,600.

This Ghostzapper homebred out of a Smart Strike mare was boxed and blocked the first time through the stretch and into the first turn, and thereafter held a mid-pack stalking position well enough to be fourth between calls at the five-sixteenths pole. He’d had enough by the final furlong, though. “He had no business being up there where he was,” trainer Greg Foley said Sunday. “Bumper cars going into that first turn. I mean, he was a length off the lead. I don’t know if he was too fresh and broke like that and was down in there. That was the end of our chances. Everything had to go good for us. It didn’t. He came back good. He looks fine. He ate up. We’ll regroup in a little bit. He’s eligible for a [NW1X] allowance. That’s about where he’ll show up next. Go from there. He’ll look pretty good in that.”

11) SOLE VOLANTE (g, Karakontie {Jpn}—Light Blow, by Kingmambo) O-Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Andie Biancone & Limelight Stables Corp. B-Flaxman Holdings Limited (KY). T-Patrick Biancone. Sales History: $6,000 yrl ’18 KEESEP; $20,000 2yo ’19 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: GSW, 8-4-1-1, $323,310.

Sole Volante was guided down to the inside shortly after the break but he ate quite a bit of kickback when he should have been settling. He rode the rail in last for most of the trip and was picking off stragglers late with 13 Derby horses all parked to his outside in the stretch. “He obviously took a lot of dirt in his face, but he scoped clean,” said co-owner Andie Biancone, who is also the assistant to her father, trainer Patrick Biancone, and the regular exercise rider for the gelding. “He’ll probably get a break now and maybe go back to the turf.”

12) WINNING IMPRESSION (g, Paynter—Unbridled Sonya, by Unbridled’s Song) O-West Point Thoroughbreds & Pearl Racing; B-WinStar Farm LLC (KY); T-Dallas Stewart. Sales History: $17,000 Ylg ’18 KEESEP; $77,000 2yo ’19 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: GISP, 10-1-1-2, $98,552.

Winning Impression got hustled straight from the gate but quickly had Ny Traffic and Tiz the Law blow by him with better bursts of speed. This Paynter gray opted out of the early crush into the far turn, settling willingly at the rail to lead the second flight as the Derby broke into eight tightly packed horses in the first group and seven others scattered behind with a bit more breathing room between them. But Winning Impression was having trouble holding his spot into the far turn, and he dropped back to last before passing three laggards late in the lane.

13) MONEY MOVES (c, Candy Ride {Arg}—Citizen Advocate, by Proud Citizen) O-Robert V LaPenta & Bortolazzo Stable; B-Whitehall Lane Farm (KY); T-Todd Pletcher. Sales history: $975,000 2yo ’19 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: 4-2-1-0, $67,400.

This $975,000 OBSAPR Candy Ride (Arg) colt was the surprise bet-down in the Derby, going off at 13-1 while light on experience (just three career races) but long on potential. He kicked out of the gate well from post five, but fought an early rating hold as jockey Javier Castellano scrambled to get good position within the top tier. Money Moves raced well despite being hemmed in between rivals for most of his backstraight journey, and was never more than four or five lengths out of the hunt. But he was punchless on the far turn and had called it a day before the quarter pole. Given the ambitious placement at this early juncture of his career, you can expect Money Moves got quite a bit of valuable experience out of his Derby journey.

14) ATTACHMENT RATE (c, Hard Spun—Aristra, by Afleet Alex) O-Jim Bakke & Gerald Isbister; B-Mr & Mrs C Oliver Iselin (VA); T-Dale Romans. Sales History: $100,000 Wlg ’17 KEENOV; $200,000 Ylg ’18 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSP, 9-1-3-1, $143,732.

This Virginia-bred ($100,000 KEENOV, $200,000 KEESEP) broke with the pace but immediately had to adjust outward to stay off the heels of the inward-swerving Ny Traffic and (to a lesser extent) Tiz the Law. Shifting outside, he was four wide through the first bend and onto the backstretch. Although he didn’t lose touch, Attachment Rate never truly fired either, and when it was obvious he would wind up well beaten jockey Joe Talamo did not hammer on him for more run late in the lane.

15) SOUTH BEND (c, Algorithms—Sandra’s Rose, by Old Trieste) O-Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable, Peter Deutsch & Pantofel Stable LLC; B-Highclere Inc (KY); T-Bill Mott. Sales History: $47,000 RNA Ylg ’18 FTKJUL; $70,000 2yo ’19 OBSMAR. Lifetime Record: SW & MGSP, 13-3-2-2, $390,114.

South Bend couldn’t find a tactical spot to settle the first time through the stretch. This $70,000 OBSMAR Algorithms bay (RNA’d for $47,000 at FKTJUL) backed off a bit, and then had the most uncovered trip of anyone in the Derby through the first turn and onto the backstretch, with no one directly in front, behind, or to his sides. He rallied a bit three-eighths out, but jockey Tyler Gaffalione had to go five wide to try and gain any ground with this brief burst of momentum. South Bend was actually making mild headway toward a minor placing in deep stretch when the hit a figurative wall at the eighth pole, capitulating to last.

The post TDN Top-to-Bottom Derby Rundown appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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O’Brien Sends Three on St Leger Mission

Trainer Aidan O’Brien sends a well-credentialed trio-including G1 Irish Derby hero Santiago (Ire) (Authorized {Ire})-to the G1 Pertemps St Leger S. at Doncaster on Saturday. Third in the G1 Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup S., the bay is joined by Irish Derby third Dawn Patrol (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud third Mythical (Fr) (Camelot {GB}). Another Galileo colt, Irish Derby runner-up Tiger Moth (Ire), will contest the Sept. 13 Grand Prix de Paris in France or closer to home, Leopardstown’s G3 Kilternan S. the day prior.

“We’re going to run three at Doncaster–Dawn Patrol, Mythical and Santiago – that’s the plan at the moment,” said O’Brien. “Tiger Moth could either go to Leopardstown or Longchamp, the Grand Prix with Serpentine or the Kilternan (Paddy Power ‘Is It 2021 Yet?’ S.) at Leopardstown.”

Discussing the riding assignments, O’Brien added, “We have Frankie [Dettori] booked, obviously, and I think Adam Kirby might be booked. But what happens is the horses will all have their tests in the next few days, and we’ll confirm everything after that.”

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