September, 2020 | Horse Racing Free Tips

KEEP: Kentucky’s Horse Industry Would Suffer ‘Massive Blow’ If Historical Horse Racing Ends

The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) released the following statement in response to the Kentucky Supreme Court's Opinion calling into question the operation of historical horse racing (HHR) in the Commonwealth:

“Thursday's ruling by the Kentucky Supreme Court is devastating to the Commonwealth, the horse industry and the tens of thousands of Kentuckians who work in the industry.

“The result of this ruling, if there is no action by the state legislature to enact law permitting wagering on HHR, would severely impact the horse industry at a time when Kentucky is leading all competing states in nearly every metric. That success is largely based on HHR and the financial incentives it has funded that have led to more horse operations moving to Kentucky, more horses being bred in Kentucky and more horses racing in Kentucky. The competitive advantage that Kentucky has over competing states will disappear overnight with the absence of HHR.

“The potential elimination of HHR will have an immediate negative impact on the value of Kentucky horses and investment in Kentucky. This will lead to hardships for Kentucky's racetracks and horse operations, loss in real estate values and tourism and, ultimately, to job losses across the industry. Kentucky's signature industry has suffered a massive blow, from which recovery will be very difficult. This does not affect just the horse industry, it affects all Kentuckians as tax revenues from HHR and other industry programs will decline.

“While this is devastating news for Kentucky's horse industry, there are possible solutions and there may be an opportunity to create a permanent legislative fix for HHR. KEEP will continue working with the industry, the state legislature and the governor to advocate for policies to address immediate and long-term needs to build not just a stronger horse industry, but a stronger Kentucky.”

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Art Collector, Thousand Words Breeze At Churchill Downs

Bruce Lunsford's Blue Grass Stakes (Grade II) winner Art Collector and Albaugh Family Stables and Spendthrift Farm's multiple graded stakes winner Thousand Words logged their final breezes Saturday morning at Churchill Downs prior to competing in the $1-million Preakness Stakes (G1) in Baltimore, Md., on Oct. 3 – the third jewel of the 2020 Triple Crown.

Art Collector, with Brian Hernandez Jr. in the saddle, worked a half-mile in :48 while Thousand Words and Florent Geroux breezed five furlongs in 1:00.60.

Another possible Preakness contender to work Saturday at Churchill Downs was Peter Callahan's $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) runner-up Swiss Skydiver who went five furlongs in 1:00.80 with Tyler Gaffalione aboard.

Art Collector, the classy 3-year-old son of Bernardini, was the seventh fastest of 78 horses at the distance Saturday and worked through fractions of :12.40, :24.40, :35.80 and :48. The five-time winner galloped out six furlongs in 1:13.60.

Thousand Words, who was scratched from the Kentucky Derby (G1) after he flipped in the paddock, worked with blinkers on through fractions of :11.80, :24.40 and :48.20. He completed his work with a six-furlong gallop out time of 1:13.60.

“I thought he worked a lot better today with blinkers,” Geroux said. “Last week was his first work over the track so he didn't wear them but went very easy. It was a bit more of a serious work today.”

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert is scheduled to arrive in Louisville on Sunday for Kentucky Derby winner and fellow Preakness contender Authentic's work on Monday.

Also working Saturday morning was possible Preakness Stakes contender Swiss Skydiver who completed early fractions of :12, :23.60 and :35.80 before galloping out six furlongs in 1:15.20. Swiss Skydiver's Preakness Stakes status remains in question, according to trainer Kenny McPeek.

In total, there are seven possible Preakness Stakes contenders based at Churchill Downs. They are scheduled to leave Louisville and fly to Baltimore on Tuesday. The locally based Preakness contenders are (with trainer): Art Collector (Drury), Authentic (Baffert), Excession (Steve Asmussen), Max Player (Asmussen), Mr. Big News (Bret Calhoun), Swiss Skydiver (Kenny McPeek), and Thousand Words (Baffert).

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Preakness Hopefuls Tune Up

A trio of candidates for the GI Preakness S. at Pimlico Oct. 3 turned in their final serious moves Saturday morning at Churchill Downs.

Bruce Lunsford’s Art Collector (Bernardini), who was forced to miss the Sept. 5 GI Kentucky Derby owing to a minor foot injury, tuned up for the final leg of this year’s reconstituted Triple Crown by drilling a half-mile in :48 flat with big-race rider Brian Hernandez, Jr. in the saddle. The GII Toyota Blue Grass S. and Runhappy Ellis Park Derby hero was caught in fractions of :12.40, :24.40 and :35.80 before galloping out six furlongs in 1:13.60. The half-mile clocking ranked as the seventh-fastest of 78 works at the distance.

“Brian and I discussed it beforehand, and that’s what we were shooting for,” said trainer Tommy Drury about the methodical splits, “I told Brian, ‘He’s a 12s kind of horse. He seems to do that easy enough, so let’s just do what he does easily.’ Kind of textbook: 48, out in a minute. I think they had him three-quarters (of a mile) in 1:13. He seems to have bounced out of it well. Now we just stay out of his way for a week.”

“I think he got plenty out of his work last week, so we were just looking for something maintenance this week,” Drury said, “and that’s kind of his maintenance work. Brian was letting him cruise along. I didn’t see that he ever moved his hands. We got exactly what we were looking for.”

With jockey Florent Geroux at the controls and blinkers back on, Albaugh Family Stables and Spendthrift Farm’s Thousand Words (Pioneerof the Nile) went five furlongs in 1:00.60 in splits of :11.80, :24.40 and :48.20. He, too, was out three-quarters of a mile in 1:13.60. The $1-million Keeneland September yearling purchase was scratched from the Derby after flipping in the paddock.

“We were hoping that he would do something like this,” Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert said from California. “He had to work better than he did last week. Last week, he was just sort of lazy and didn’t get into it, but now he worked really well. This week he was very willing, which is very good. You want to see a horse that is very willing and he was very willing today.”

“I thought he worked a lot better today with blinkers,” Geroux told the Churchill notes team. “Last week was his first work over the track so he didn’t wear them but went very easy. It was a bit more of a serious work today.”

Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) breezed five panels in 1:00.80 beneath Tyler Gaffalione. The GI Alabama S. winner and recent runner-up in the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks clicked off fractions of :12, :23.60 and :35.80 before pulling up six furlongs in 1:15.20. Trainer Ken McPeek later told Daily Racing Form that Swiss Skydiver has been given the green light for the Preakness.

Country Grammer (Tonalist), winner of the GIII Peter Pan S. and fifth-place finisher in the GI Runhappy Travers S., breezed a half-mile in :50.25 Saturday morning at Belmont in preparation for a scheduled Preakness start.

Liveyourbeastlife (Ghostzapper), runner-up in the GII Jim Dandy S., worked six furlongs in 1:16.20 at Belmont.

“He had a nice maintenance breeze this morning; nice and steady. I wasn’t looking for anything crazy,” trainer Jorge Abreu said.

Jesus’s Team (Tapiture), third in the Jim Dandy S., breezed five furlongs in 1:03.40 at Monmouth Park Saturday morning in preparation of the Preakness.

Undefeated Federico Tesio S. winner and ‘TDN Rising Star’ Happy Saver (Super Saver) and GI Belmont S. runner-up Dr Post (Quality Road) will both bypass the Preakness. Trainer Todd Pletcher said the former will target the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup Oct. 10 at Belmont Park.

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Envoutante Set for Graded Breakthrough in Remington Oaks

Envoutante (Uncle Mo) may not have been up to the likes Speech (Mr Speaker) and stablemate Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) in her two most recent tries, but she looks poised to be the headline act in a field of eight for Sunday’s GIII Remington Park Oaks in Oklahoma City.

The $250,000 Keeneland September yearling, raced in partnership by Walking L Thoroughbreds and Three Chimneys Farm, was an easy allowance winner at Churchill in May and was hardly disgraced when third behind Speech in the GI Ashland S. at Keeneland July 11. Connections kept the faith and gave their charge another top-level attempt in the GI Alabama S. at Saratoga Aug. 15 and she split the field of seven while finishing nearly 11 lengths adrift of Swiss Skydiver.

Ken McPeek will also send out the progressive Curls and Bows (Curlin) who broke her maiden for a $50,000 tag at Keeneland–a claim for her was subsequently voided–and exits an Ellis allowance score Aug. 21 in which she was bumped and hit the rail at the furlong grounds, but managed to get home a neck best. Curlin supplied last year’s Oaks winner Lady Apple.

Paige Anne (Take Charge Indy) raids from California for trainer Simon Callaghan. Fourth to Donna Veloce (Uncle Mo) in the GIII Santa Ysabel S. at Santa Anita Mar. 8, the bay was third in the May 31 California Oaks on the Golden Gate Tapeta and was a distant third to Harvest Moon (Uncle Mo) when last seen in Del Mar’s GIII Torrey Pines S. Aug. 22.

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