September, 2020 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Belardo’s Isabella Giles Bounds To Rockfel Triumph

Paul and Clare Rooney’s Isabella Giles (Ire) (Belardo {Ire}) registered a pair of six-furlong wins–at Leicester in June and at Newbury in July–but lost her unbeaten tag when fourth in Ascot’s July 26 G3 Princess Margaret S. before bouncing back to claim a first black-type score for her freshman sire (by Lope de Vega {Ire}) in Goodwood’s Aug. 29 G3 Prestige S. when upped to seven furlongs last time. Aided by a strong tailwind over the same distance in Friday’s G2 Shadwell Rockfel S. at Newmarket, the 11-5 chance continued on an upward trajectory with a decisive two-length defeat of Nazuna (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}). Racing second after breaking on the lead, she regained control before halfway and kept on relentlessly under a drive once shaken up at the quarter-mile marker to double her stakes tally in game fashion. Nazuna threatened throughout the final quarter mile, but was unable to strike a late blow. She finished 3 1/4 lengths ahead of Alba Rose (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}), while even-money favourite Monday (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) came under pressure far too early for comfort and was 5 1/2 lengths further back in a well-beaten fourth.

“She put up a very classy performance, she’s got a wonderful temperament, she settles into a lovely rhythm and can find her own way in a race,” said winning trainer Clive Cox. “She doesn’t have to lead, but is so relaxed that finding a rhythm and setting your own fractions worked perfectly. Adam [Kirby] got his fractions right and she made a good job of it. I think she is definitely a filly to get a mile next year, which is really exciting, and I’m delighted for Clare and Paul Rooney to have such an exciting possibility as a Classic contender. I’m over the moon.” Looking ahead to possible targets, Cox added, “She is very well balanced, she has won at the track and is a filly that has a little bit of scope. She’s got a wonderful mind and clearly a big level of ability. She is in the [G1] Fillies’ Mile [back at this venue], but she has done pretty good this year. She wouldn’t have blown a candle out there, but we will see how she comes back. It was a ‘Win and You’re In’ race for the Breeders’ Cup, but I’m not sure. Next year beckons over a mile, and I think we will be looking that way.”

Roger Varian, trainer of runner-up Nazuna, expressed delight with his charge and also revealed short-term options. He said, “She is a lovely filly and we were not here just to make up the numbers. I really like her and I’m delighted she has run up to our expectations. Andrea [Atzeni] thinks she will stay a mile and there are lots of nice options. There’s the [G3] Oh So Sharp back here in a couple of weeks or there is the [GI] Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies’ Turf, which is a race we were second in with Daahyeh last year after winning this.”

Isabella Giles, one of three scorers out of G3 Firth of Clyde S. victress Majestic Dubawi (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), is a half-sister to MSW G3 Goldene Peitsche and G3 Silberne Peitsche placegetter Majestic Colt (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}), a yearling colt by Nathaniel (Ire) and a weanling filly by Fascinating Rock (Ire). Descendants of her third dam South Shore (GB) (Caerleon), herself a winning half-sister to MG1SW sire Soviet Line (Ire) (Soviet Star), include MG1SP G3 Round Tower S. winner Lope Y Fernandez (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) and G2 Vintage S. and G2 Oettingen-Rennen victor Dark Vision (Ire) (Dream Ahead).

Friday, Newmarket, Britain
SHADWELL ROCKFEL S.-G2, £80,000, Newmarket, 9-25, 2yo, f, 7fT, 1:22.55, gd.
1–ISABELLA GILES (IRE), 126, f, 2, by Belardo (Ire)
1st Dam: Majestic Dubawi (GB) (GSW-Eng), by Dubawi (Ire)
2nd Dam: Tidal Chorus (GB), by Singspiel (Ire)
3rd Dam: South Shore, by Caerleon
(€45,000 Ylg ’19 GOFSPT). O-Paul & Clare Rooney; B-Ballylinch Stud (IRE); T-Clive Cox; J-Adam Kirby. £45,368. Lifetime Record: 5-4-0-0, $96,759. *1/2 to Majestic Colt (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}), MSW & MGSP-Ger. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Nazuna (Ire), 126, f, 2, Kodiac (GB)–Night Fever (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). (60,000gns Ylg ’19 TATOCT). O-Mrs H Varian; B-Barouche Stud Ireland Ltd (IRE); T-Roger Varian. £17,200.
3–Alba Rose (GB), 126, f, 2, Muhaarar (GB)–Reckoning (Ire), by Danehill Dancer (Ire). (100,000gns Ylg ’19 TATOCT). O-Dr J Walker; B-Mascalls Stud (GB); T-Mark Johnston. £8,608.
Margins: 2, 3 1/4, 5HF. Odds: 2.20, 10.00, 10.00.
Also Ran: Monday, Santosha (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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The House that Awesome Again Built

All eyes will be on Santa Anita for their opening weekend feature in the GI Awesome Again S. as Bob Baffert trainees Maximum Security (New Year’s Day) and Improbable (City Zip) go head to head for the first time since that consequential first Saturday in May last year.

The $300,000 Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” contest could mark the emergence of an unusual stablemate rivalry.

Over two decades ago, the race’s namesake was part of a different rivalry– one for 1998 Horse of the Year.

Awesome Again had gone undefeated that year, claiming five consecutive victories in the GII Stephen Foster H., GI Whitney, GII Saratoga Breeders’ Cup H., GIII Hawthorne Gold Cup H. and finally the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic.

While his chief competitor Skip Away ended up finishing sixth in that year’s Classic, his five Grade I wins from earlier in the year were enough for Skip Away to be named Horse of the Year.

Adena Springs Stallion Manager Bill Drury admits his bias, but he said he still believes Awesome Again should have received the title from his Classic victory.

“That year’s Classic was the strongest field of horses ever put together in the same race,” he said. “I think he should have got Horse of the Year off that. Had he beat Skip Away twice, he would have.”

To prove his point, Drury can rattle off the field’s Grade I winners by heart: Awesome Again, Skip Away, Silver Charm, Arch, Gentlemen (Arg), Coronado’s Quest, Touch Gold, Swain (Ire) and Victory Gallop.

The horseman remembers being in the Churchill Downs’ grandstand that day.

“I didn’t see him cross the finish line because I knew I wanted to be in that winner’s circle,” he recalled. “When I saw Pat Day lead him between those horses, I knew he had it. It was such a thrill. I knew he was coming to my stallion barn and I was on cloud nine when he won that race.”

Drury said that Awesome Again got his Horse of the Year vengeance soon after taking up stud duty.

Awesome Again wins the Breeders’ Cup Classic with Pat Day aboard | Horsephotos

“I tell people that when he didn’t get it, it ticked him off so he said, ‘I’ll make my own Horse of the Year,’ and he produced Ghostzapper in his first crop.”

2004 Horse of the Year and Hall of Fame inductee Ghostzapper is one of the 14 Grade I winners, 13 millionaires and four Breeders’ Cup Champions that Awesome Again has produced. Ghostzapper’s win in the Breeders’ Cup Classic made his sire the first Classic winner to also sire a Classic winner.

After 21 years at stud, Awesome Again was officially pensioned last year from stud duty.

“After all that he’s done for us, we decided to let him enjoy his retirement,” Drury said. “We had people begging, ‘I’ve got a mare I want to breed to Awesome Again,’ and we literally had to keeping saying no. He deserved retirement.”

Even still, when Drury introduces guests to the farm, the homebred for Frank Stronach is still the headliner.

“I always start by telling my visitors to Adena Springs, ‘Welcome to the house that Awesome Again built.’ He’s our corner-post stallion. He’s still a crowd favorite when people come. He’s our first homebred champion and we’ve gotten several champions by him.”

Drury and Awesome Again have formed a close bond over their many years together, and the 26-year-old bay will always have a place in Drury’s heart.

“We’re pretty good buddies,” he said with a smile. “I believe the saying that cream rises to the top. Well he’s got to be one of the sweetest creams there is. His personality is one in a million. He’s got the heart of a champion and he’s just a classy horse.”

Adena Springs Stallion Sales Manager Ken Wilkins spoke on the success the farm has had with the son of Deputy Minister.

“A phenomenon you don’t see that much anymore is people taking the time and patience to develop sire lines,” Wilkins said. “Deputy Minister had a huge impact in Canada and of course in the United States. Awesome Again was one of our foundation sires and that led to Ghostzapper, who’s been a star in his own right.”

Wilkins noted that the sire line has come full circle at this year’s yearling sales.

“This will be Awesome Again’s last crop of yearlings that will go to sale. But at the same time, the sire line has been carried on by our Shaman Ghost (Ghostzapper), whose first crop of yearlings are offered this year. So it’s kind of a transition. Our hope is that Shaman Ghost will carry the baton.”

Wilkins added that he expects breeders will soon find many of the same characteristics in Shaman Ghost as they did in his grandsire.

“Breeders recognized the quality and consistency that Awesome Again had as a sire,” he said. “One of the things he brought to the table was that he was a proven bet. We certainly bet on him over and over again, and we cashed a lot of tickets from making those bets.”

Frank Stronach greets Shaman Ghost after his win in the GI Santa Anita H. | Benoit

Game on Dude, an eight-time Grade I winner and record three-time GI Santa Anita H. winner, is Awesome Again’s leading earner and one of his five multi-millionaires.

“Game on Dude is probably Awesome Again’s fan-favorite offspring,” Wilkins said. “It seems like a week doesn’t go by without someone coming out here and mentioning him. The career that horse had was tremendous.”

Awesome Again’s four other multi-millionaires include Ghostzapper, Eclipse Champion Older Mare Ginger Punch, GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Champion Wilko and Awesome Gem.

Drury explained that he has found a common trait in many of his charge’s top progeny.

“He’s not a big horse, but he put a giant’s heart in his horses,” he said. “Ginger Punch, Wilko, Game on Dude- they’re not big horses, but they could run. You can’t even see Ginger Punch in the photo finish [of her win in the 2007 GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff] because she was behind the horse that came in second. If there was one trait he passed on more than anything, it was the heart he put in the horse.”

In recent years, Awesome Again’s most successful progeny include last year’s GI Belmont S. winner Sir Winston, as well as Grade II winners Bravazo, Always Shopping and Something Awesome.

“That’s the sign of a great sire,” Wilkins said. “Great sires keep coming up with good horses. Then the next thing you see from a great sire is that they become a great broodmare sire.”

Awesome Again’s daughters have produced six Grade I winners, including Eclipse Champion Accelerate (Lookin At Lucky). Ghostzapper looks to continue the trend as the broodmare sire of Triple Crown hero Justify (Scat Daddy) and champion sprinter Drefong (Gio Ponti).

With Awesome Again’s final crops now hitting the track, Adena Springs hopes he can pass on the baton to the stallion empire he has constructed.

“He’s the center post of my stallion barn,” Drury said. “We’ve got his son, we’ve got his grandson and we have his half-brother Macho Uno (Holy Bull). He’s Adena Springs’ legacy, and I’m proud as I can be to have been with him.”

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Racing Welfare Auction Raises Over £50,000

Racing Welfare’s Great Racing Welfare Auction has raised £53,195 for the charity’s COVID-19 Emergency Appeal. Bidding on over 100 items ran for four weeks and closed on Thursday night.

Racing Welfare’s Chief Executive Dawn Goodfellow said, “The generosity of both those who donated lots to our auction and those who placed bids has been truly astounding. Given the incredibly difficult times we are all facing, to have received this level of support is testament to the wonderful spirit of the racing community. A total of over £53,000 provides a huge boost to our Emergency Appeal and I cannot extend enough thanks to everyone involved.”

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Ring Ring: New Resources For Vet Clinics Taking After-Hours Colic Calls

Telephone triage is a critical part of modern patient care in both humans and horses. A British study explored how suspected colic cases called into a veterinarian's office were handled; from there the research team created resources to support decision making.

Drs. Katie Lightfoot, John Burford, Gary England, Mark Bowen and Sarah Freeman created an online survey targeting veterinary practices that took calls from horse owners outside of normal work hours. The team used 116 responses in their analysis: half were from veterinary surgeons, a quarter of responders were members of client care teams, 18 percent were management staff and 4 percent were veterinary nurses.

Of the group, management and client care staff felt less confident offering advice to owners and recognizing critical colic indicators, though they were the ones most likely to answer after-hours emergency colic calls. People in these roles often would not offer advice to horse owners who called the clinic, stating that it was not their role to provide suggestions. Often, information that could affect the speediness of treatment were not asked, like those dealing with equine insurance or transportation to a clinic.

The research team then created evidence-based materials that provide current information about colic and support decision-making made by those taking the calls. The materials included a form for recording information from clients and a flow chat for decision making.

Client care teams were then recruited to employ the new resources and provide feedback. The four teams used worked for East Midlands veterinary practices; they were interviewed before they used the resources and six months after their implementation. All teams reported that the information and resources were helpful, and that they had increased confidence in recognizing critical colic cases and offering owners advice.

The success of the standardization of call response led the researchers to suggest that more should be done to ensure veterinary team members were supported for after-hours emergency calls, including by implementing formal training and standardized protocols. They also acknowledged that some barriers to implementation would include the use of computerized booking systems, practice protocol and owner familiarity may be barriers to implementation.

The resources are available for free through the British Equine Veterinary Association website; they can be used in their current form or adapted to suit other requirements.

Read the full study here.