October, 2020 | Horse Racing Free Tips

McPeek, Gaffalione’s Agent Pointing Fingers Over Preakness Decision With Swiss Skydiver

Tyler Gaffalione rode top 3-year-old filly Swiss Skydiver to win the G1 Alabama and then to a second-place finish in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks, and according to her trainer Ken McPeek, was scheduled to ride her in her next start, as well. This week, McPeek told the Thoroughbred Daily News that Gaffalione's agent, Matt Muzikar, had reneged on their agreement.

“I announced that we're going to run in the Preakness and Tyler was on board,” McPeek said on the podcast. “By maybe 6:00 that night, his agent tells us that he can't ride. And I'm like, 'Look, you've given us a two-race commitment [GI Kentucky Oaks and Preakness].' He said, 'Oh well, sorry, I've got to ride for Chad Brown at Keeneland.' I said, 'You can't do this. It's dishonorable.' I've been doing this for 35 years and I've never had something like that happen. I still find it dishonorable. Shame on Tyler Gaffalione and his agent.”

Muzikar responded Friday, telling TDN that McPeek had informed him, nine days prior, that Swiss Skydiver would be running in the Spinster Stakes at Keeneland, held on the day after this year's Preakness Stakes. Thus, Muzikar began booking Gaffalione mounts for Keeneland that weekend.

When McPeek announced that he planned to run the filly in the Preakness at Pimlico instead, seven days ahead of the race, Muzikar wasn't able to get out of his commitments at Keeneland on Saturday. McPeek wound up giving the Preakness call on Swiss Skydiver to Robby Albarado, who won the race.

“What did he expect us to do? Not take business for the Preakness card or at Keeneland and sit there and wait for Kenny McPeek because the world revolves around him?” Muzikar said. “Knocking me and the jockey, he crossed a line.

“Tyler had nothing to do with this whole situation, so I don't like him knocking the jockey. Tyler is the greatest kid and the greatest jock I have had in the 26 years I have been doing this. He did nothing to him.”

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

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Gulfstream West: Saturday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Guaranteed At $100,000

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool will be guaranteed at $100,000 Saturday at Gulfstream Park West.

The popular multi-race wager went unsolved for the fourth day in a row for the Fall Turf Festival Meet Friday, when multiple tickets with all six winners were each worth $8,281.98.

The carryover jackpot is only paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day's pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners, while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.

Saturday's Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 4-9, including five races with full fields of 12, three of them on turf. The featured Race 8, a 1 1/6-mile optional claiming allowance on turf, attracted a field of 12 3-year-olds and up, plus three also-eligibles. Carlos David-trained Sir Seamus, the 3-1 morning-line favorite, had won three turf races in a row before finishing fourth last time out in an off-the-turf optional claiming allowance. Patrick Biancone-trained Prince of Arabia enters Saturday's featured off a troubled third-place finish in the Richard Henry Lee Stakes at Gulfstream. Rohan Crichton-trained American Phenom, who recently captured an maiden special weight race impressively, is one of four last-out winners in the field.

First-race post time is set for noon Saturday, kicking off a three-day Columbus Day holiday weekend. There will be live-racing program at Gulfstream Park West on Monday.

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Equine Drug Research Council Approves Funding For Study On EIPH

The Kentucky Equine Drug Research Council approved an expenditure of up to $30,000 in funding for a new study of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) in 2-year-olds. A study proposal from Washington State University's Dr. Warwick Bayly would have at least sixty 2-year-olds in Kentucky scoped post-race to check for signs of EIPH, and would also allow data collected from those horses to be used as part of a national study on the immune response to exercise in 2-year-olds.

Dr. Bruce Howard, equine medical director for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, said Bayly has gotten commitments from at least eight entities to help collect data that can be used in the study. Across those entities there are three different furosemide withdrawal time regulations on the books: four hours pre-race, 24 hours pre-race, and 48 hours pre-race. Bayly will hope to have at least 60 or possibly more horses sampled from each set of conditions.

“We feel this study is integral part of understanding EIPH evaluating the impact changes in furosemide administration may have,” said Howard.

Bayly may expand the number of horses studied to improve the strength of data.

Howard is hopeful the data could help provide the commission with useful comparisons to other jurisdictions. Earlier this year, Kentucky enacted the first step of a partial phaseout of furosemide, backing up pre-race administration time to 24 hours for 2-year-olds.

Howard said Keeneland began scoping 2-year-olds post-race at its July meet and has continued to do so in October, and Churchill Downs had expressed interest in gathering similar data. This proposal will provide the funds for those efforts to become part of a bigger scientific picture.

Earlier this year, the Maryland Jockey Club and Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association announced a similar survey of 2-year-olds racing there beginning Aug. 7. The cut-off time for furosemide administration for 2-year-olds in Maryland is now 48 hours pre-race.

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Copa Bullrich Stages October Sale

Argentine sale company Copa Bullrich staged its October sale of 2-year-olds on Oct. 6 and 8, with 16 stud farms offering members of their crops. The live auctions at La Pasion Stud Farm, which were also streamed live, followed a four-day online pre-sale. For the first time since lockdown began, a select group of buyers was welcomed in-person.

Topping trade was La Leyenda’s Orpen filly out of the Group 2-winning Suska (Arg) (Exchange Rate), who brought a price of $50,000.

The top-priced colt was Santa Ines’s Catcher In The Rye (Ire) son of the Orpen mare Magnetic Filly (Arg), who brought $48,500. Magnetic Filly is a half-sister to dual Group 1 winner Magnetic Eyes (Arg) (Sky Classic). Orpen and Catcher In The Rye accounted for the top five prices at the sale.

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