October, 2020 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Justify, Hoppertunity Disqualification Hearings Should Be Held, California Judge Rules

The connections of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify and Grade 1 winner Hoppertunity on Thursday were thwarted in their attempt to stave off an Oct. 29 hearing before California Horse Racing Board stewards concerning possible disqualification from April 2018 victories by the two horses at Santa Anita Park because of failed drug tests.

Both horses tested positive for the banned substance scopolamine: Justify, after his win in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby; and Hoppertunity in the Grade 3 Tokyo City Cup.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant denied an application for a temporary restraining order requested by attorneys for WinStar Farm, China Horse Club, Head of Plains Partners, and Starlight Racing, the owners of Justify, and Michael Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, the owners of Hoppertunity. Trainer Bob Baffert and jockeys Mike Smith and Flavien Prat were also named as petitioners in the case.

Earlier this year, the CHRB settled a lawsuit filed by Mick Ruis, owner of Santa Anita Derby runner-up Bolt d'Oro, conditional on the stewards conducting a hearing into Justify's positive drug test. The case was not pursued in 2018 after CHRB members voted unanimously in closed-door executive session – upon the recommendation of equine medical director Dr. Rick Arthur and then-CHRB executive director Rick Baedekr – not to file complaints. Arthur and Baedeker had investigated the cases and concluded the positive tests were a result of hay contaminated with jimson weed.

Ruis filed suit after learning of the CHRB's actions from a 2019 report in the New York Times.

Attorneys for the connections of the two horses argued that the CHRB was violating government code by reopening a case more than two years after the fact. Attorneys for the state said the petitioners were premature in seeking judicial review because the cases had not yet gone through the administrative process (i.e., a stewards hearing).

“At this hearing, the parties will have the opportunity to present evidence and make argument,” the state said in its opposition to the restraining order. “After the hearing, the Board of Stewards will render a decision. The decision by the Board of Stewards could be in favor of Petitioners or could be against Petitioners. If Petitioners take issue with the decision by the Board of Stewards following the Oct. 29, 2020, hearing, they can file a petition for writ of mandate. … Instead of following the procedures set forth by California law, Petitioners want this court to prematurely intervene and short-circuit the administrative processes of the CHRB.”

Darrell Vienna, an attorney for Ruis, issued a statement after the ruling that stated: “We are pleased that Judge Chalfant saw through this flimsy attempt to delay or avoid a long overdue and proper treatment of the positive tests involving these two horses.”

The post Justify, Hoppertunity Disqualification Hearings Should Be Held, California Judge Rules appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

TRF Blackburn 2020 Horse Show Goes Virtual

Building on the success of the 20th Anniversary TRF Blackburn Horse Show hosted in 2019, the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF) and the Blackburn Correctional Complex (BCC) will host a virtual edition of the TRF Blackburn 2020 Horse Show. A global audience will tune in to experience a compelling demonstration of horse-handling skills, equine knowledge and transformational impact of the TRF Second Chances Program.

Event Details:

Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020
8pm Eastern Time (one hour duration)
Streaming live on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter (Thoroughbred Retirement accounts)
No Tickets or RSVP Required. Details at: https://www.trfinc.org/event/blackburn2020/

“Last year, we welcomed the Lexington community to Blackburn to see the men and horses of the TRF Second Chances Program “in action” and the response was extraordinary,” Paul Saylor, Chairman of the TRF Blackburn Advisory Committee said. “This year we've re-imagined the Horse Show and will make the experience accessible to individuals across the country and around the world.”

“The awareness and understanding created by the 2019 Horse Show has had a powerfully positive impact on the TRF Second Chances Program at Blackburn”, shared Acting Warden Abby McIntire. “By bringing employers and business leaders to meet the men and horses at the Second Chances barn last November, we have significantly improved the impact of the program on the long-term future of the offenders in our program. We are optimistic about the impact of this year's event, and hope it will inspire even more engagement in the program across Kentucky and the country.”

As a direct result of the 20th Anniversary Horse Show, three graduates of the TRF Second Chances program have received job offers from employers in the equine industry. Thus far in 2020, despite the challenges of COVID-19, two program graduates have completed their sentences at BCC and re-entered society with jobs in hand. These men will share their stories within the TRF Blackburn 2020 Horse Show program.

A Collaborative Cross-Industry Effort

Notable support from Horse Show Media Sponsor, the Thoroughbred Daily News (TDN), and Workforce Development and Promotional Partners, the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP), have contributed meaningfully to the 2020 Horse Show. The TDN editorial team has undertaken the filming and production of the live-action demonstrations and interviews which will be presented on October 20th via Livestream. This in-kind support has made the 2020 Horse Show possible. Meanwhile, the Horse Show Workforce Development Partner, the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce (through the work of the Kentucky Chamber Workforce Center and KEEP) has facilitated invaluable connections with employers across the Commonwealth of Kentucky to promote fair chance hiring in the workplace and connect Kentucky's returning citizens with meaningful employment.

Sponsorship donations received for the Horse Show directly support the care of the 49 horses residing at the program at Blackburn. The 2020 Horse Show has been generously sponsored by Mary and Gary West, the Heider Family Foundation with supporting sponsorship from Churchill Downs, Godolphin and the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association.

More than fifty Promotional Partners have joined the TRF to promote the 2020 Horse Show to their audiences. Several partners will be cross-posting the livestream event on their websites on October 20th and more than a dozen “watch parties” have been scheduled across the country and around the globe. This diverse team of individuals, nonprofits, membership organizations, racing partnerships and businesses are expanding the reach of the livestreaming event to more than 250,000 people through their social media networks.

Promotional Partners include: America's Pastime Stables, Amplify Horse Racing, Belmont Child Care Association, Bergen Stables, Brookledge Horse Transportation, Community Ecology Institute, Dark Horse Mercantile, Denali Stud, DV8 Kitchen, Fasig-Tipton, The Fletcher Group, Florida Thoroughbred Owners' and Breeders' Association (FTBOA), Groom Elite, Herringswell Stables, Horse Country, Impressions of Saratoga, Jaeger 2, Joanne Y. Pierce Fine Art, Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP), Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Managers Club (KTFMC), Lex on Tap, Making Strides Therapeutic Horsemanship, Inc., Maryland Horse Council, Maryland Equine Transition Services (METS), Midway University, New York Racing Association (NYRA), New York Horsemen's Association, National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Old Smoke Clothing Co., Pierce the HeArt Lessons, Rainbow's End Racing Stable, Renaissance Equestrian Foundation, Retired Racehorse Project (RRP), Rood & Riddle, Semper Fortis Financial LLC, Spy Coast Farm, Stable Duel, Starlight Racing and StarLadies, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA), Thoroughbred Charities of America, VisitLex, WinStar Stablemates and numerous passionate individuals are also spreading the word to their personal and professional networks.

Horse Show Media Partners include: At the Races with Steve Byk, The Daily Racing Form (DRF), The Equiery, Equidaily.com, Going in Circles Podcast, Horseracing Nation, In the Money Media, StreamHorseTV, The Paulick Report, Thoroughbred Daily News (TDN) and Wire to Wire.

The post TRF Blackburn 2020 Horse Show Goes Virtual appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Claiborne’s Wayne Clem Named Finalist for Leadership Award in Breeding

Congratulations to Wayne Clem, a finalist in the Leadership Award in Breeding category of the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards (TIEA), presented by Godolphin. The assistant yearling manager at Claiborne Farm, Clem has been employed by the storied nursery since 1967.

“Wayne is one of the most selfless and best people I’ve ever worked with,” said yearling manager Robby Hertzel.

In addition to his duties during his 53 years at Claiborne, Clem has implemented an internship program mentoring and teaching students about all aspects of yearling care.

“It is because of his hard work and thoughtful spirit,” said Claiborne’s Seth Hancock, “that we can trust [Clem] to fulfill Claiborne’s motto of doing the usual unusually well.”

Click for the video feature on Clem done by TIEA.

Other finalists for the Leadership Award in Breeding are Christy Holden of Country Life Farm and Matt Lyons of Candy Meadows Farm, who will both be recognized on these pages in the coming days. The Leadership Award in Breeding is presented annually to an individual who displays exceptional leadership qualities while in a managerial or supervisory position on a Thoroughbred farm.

A total of seven award categories will be honored by TIEA for 2020. Maria Cristina Silva of New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (NYTHA) has already been announced as the winner of the Community Award, while the winners in the other categories will be announced live in a virtual ceremony hosted by Jill Bryne and streamed at the TDN homepage Thursday, Nov. 5, at 12 p.m. ET. All finalists will be spotlighted in TDN in the days leading up to the ceremony.

The post Claiborne’s Wayne Clem Named Finalist for Leadership Award in Breeding appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Decorated Invader Cuts Back In Distance For Sunday’s Hill Prince Stakes

West Point Thoroughbreds, William Sandbrook, William Freeman and Cheryl Manning's Decorated Invader will see a cutback in distance when competing against fellow sophomores in Sunday's 46th running of the Grade 2, $150,000 Hill Prince going one mile over the Widener turf at Belmont Park.

Trained by Christophe Clement, who saddled Have At It [2018], Summer Front [2012] and subsequent multiple-champion Gio Ponti [2008] to Hill Prince triumphs, Decorated Invader arrives off a close fifth-place finish in the Saratoga Derby on August 15. The son of Declaration of War tracked in second position and made a three-wide bid at the top of the stretch before engaging in a stretch battle while in-between horses, but was overtaken inside the sixteenth pole to finish three-quarters of a length back to winner Domestic Spending.

The Saratoga Derby was the first loss of the year for Decorated Invader, who captured the Cutler Bay on March 28 at Gulfstream Park in his 2020 bow before winning the Grade 2 Pennine Ridge on June 20 at Belmont Park and the Grade 2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame on July 18 at Saratoga.

Decorated Invader will be cutting back to one mile for the Hill Prince.

“He didn't run great going a mile and three sixteenths, but he only got beat three-quarters of a length,” said Terry Finley of West Point Thoroughbreds. “We aren't necessarily thinking about going past 1 1/8 miles because it's not in front of us at the moment. With Christophe, Gio Ponti is a good comparable. He was an incredibly talented horse and Christophe and the owner [Castleton Lyons] did a great job in managing him. The good thing with these types of horses is that you have good comparables. You can see the good moves and the ones that didn't work.”

During his 2-year-old campaign, Decorated Invader scored a breakthrough win in the Grade 1 Summer last September over a yielding turf at Woodbine, which came after a second-out maiden victory over the Mellon turf at Saratoga over next-out winner and eventual graded stakes-placed Summer to Remember.

“He's getting a bit of a breather here,” Finley said. “He's been at it once a month pretty much since the end of March when he made his 3-year-old debut and Christophe and his staff have done a great job with the horse.”

Finley praised sire Declaration of War for producing quality runners. In addition to Decorated Invader, the fourth crop sire by War Front has produced Grade 1 winner Gufo, also conditioned by Clement, as well as stakes winners Peace Achieved, Silver Prospector and Shesonthewarpath.

“Declaration of War's progeny have been winning everywhere,” Finley said. “They show brilliance, but it seems like they're durable on top of that. You're in a good spot when you have those two things.”

With three graded stakes victories and a record of 8-5-1-0, Decorated Invader boasts the highest amount of lifetime earnings in the field with $473,035.

Jockey Joel Rosario will target his fourth stakes victory of the meet aboard Decorated Invader, who drew post 3.

Mary Abeel Sullivan Revocable Trust's Get Smokin commanded the pace in the Saratoga Derby and seeks his first stakes victory for trainer Tom Bush.

Sure to show speed, the front-running son of Get Stormy broke his maiden last September going one mile over the Widener turf and has since been stakes-placed four times. Two starts after his maiden win, he made his sophomore debut in the Grade 3 Kitten's Joy on Jan. 4 at Gulfstream Park, where he attempted to wire the field at 11-1 odds but ended up finishing a half-length back to Island Commish.

Following another pair of stakes placings at Gulfstream Park in the Dania Beach on Feb. 1 and the March 28 Cutler Bay, Get Smokin was second in the Hall of Fame to Decorated Invader, where he established a 7 ¼-length lead before ultimately being overtaken by the winner at the top of the stretch.

Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano will ride from post 1.

After sending Buy Land and See to Belmont Park to a victory last October in the Awad, trainer Steve Klesaris will seek another stakes triumph on the NYRA circuit with the Pennsylvania-bred son of Cairo Prince.

Owned and bred by Joseph Imbessi, the lightly-raced Buy Land and See did not race again after the Awad until July 28, where he bested his Pennsylvania-bred counterparts going 7 ½ furlongs over the Parx turf by 5 ¼ lengths and registered an 84 Beyer Speed Figure for the win. In his most recent start, he cut back to 5 ½ furlongs for the Mahony at Saratoga, where he closed late to get third, beaten 4 ¾ lengths to frontrunning winner Jack and Noah.

Jockey Jose Lezcano will be in the irons from post 7.

Rounding out the field are Glynn County [post 2, Jose Ortiz], Bodecream [post 4, Irad Ortiz, Jr.], Starting Over [post 5, Dylan Davis], Chocolate Bar [post 6, Kendrick Carmouche], and Assiduously [post 9, Luis Saez]. Money Moves [post 8, Luis Saez] entered for main track only.

The Hill Prince honors Christopher T. Chenery's 1950 Horse of the Year, who scored victories in that year's Preakness Stakes, Jockey Club Gold Cup and Wood Memorial. Trained by Casey Hayes, Hill Prince was named Champion 2-Year-Old the year prior, when he won the Cowdin at Aqueduct. Upon retirement, Hill Prince stood at Claiborne Farm. He was inducted into Racing's Hall of Fame in 1991.

The Hill Prince is slated as Race 9 on Sunday's 10-race program, which offers a first post of 12:20 p.m. Eastern. America's Day at the Races will present daily television coverage of the 27-day fall meet on FOX Sports and MSG Networks. For the complete America's Day at the Races broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

The post Decorated Invader Cuts Back In Distance For Sunday’s Hill Prince Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post