October, 2020 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Gift Box Retired To Stand At Lane’s End In 2021

Grade 1 winning millionaire Gift Box has been retired from racing and will begin his new career as a stallion at Lane's End starting in 2021.

The colt retires as a Grade-1 and three-time graded stakes winner with a record of 18-6-6-2 from the ages of two to six. In 2019, Gift Box was among the leading older horses in America after a string of graded stakes performances that included a Grade 1 victory in the Santa Anita Handicap. He retires as the highest-earning colt by his leading sixth-crop sire Twirling Candy. He will join his sire, along with his grandsire Candy Ride, who both also stand at Lane's End.

“Gift Box was an incredibly talented and consistent racehorse,” said John Sadler. “We ran him back-to-back in graded stakes race after graded stakes race and he was only ever off the board once. These are attributes you do not often see in the modern racehorse. He had speed, toughness, sound enough to race on in the handicap division, everything a trainer wants in a two-turn dirt horse.”

As a 2-year-old Gift Box broke his maiden at Belmont posting a 93 Beyer before targeting the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes in his next start, where he was beaten by just three lengths into third. In doing so, he became a graded stakes performer in just his third start as a 2-year-old.

Gift Box opened his 3-year-old campaign with a victory in a competitive allowance race at Belmont by 4 1/2 lengths, posting a 98 Beyer. His next start that year came in the Curlin Stakes where he was defeated by subsequent Grade 1 winner Connect. Just a month later he finished fourth in the G1 Travers at Saratoga to Champion Arrogate, defeating Grade 1 winners Connect, Creator and Exaggerator.

“Gift Box represents so much of what we're about at Lane's End. A Grade 1 winner at a mile and a quarter on the dirt, speed, out of a tremendous mare from a sire line we believe in,” said Bill Farish. “That's what we've been successful with and I'm appreciative of the opportunity Hronis Racing has given us.”

Gift Box's career hit new heights as an older horse when he got a much-deserved graded stakes victory in the Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes at Santa Anita defeating Grade 1 winner Battle of Midway. This race was the first of four further graded stakes starts that only saw Gift Box off the board once. His next start came in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap where he defeated four-time Grade 1 winner McKinzie. In his next start he finished second in the Grade 1 Gold Cup at Santa Anita, posting a 105 Beyer before winning the Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes in his final start by almost 4 lengths, posting a career high 107 Beyer. Gift Box posted four triple-digit Beyers in a career that saw three graded stakes victories.

“Gift Box was always involved in races of the highest level and as owners we could not ask any more than that,” said Kosta Hronis. “John [Sadler] always had a tremendous amount of confidence in him, and time and time again Gift Box proved him right. We are going to stay involved in his next career as a stallion at Lane's End, where they have a proven track record of nurturing a young stallion's career.”

Bred by Craig and Carrie Brogden of Machmer Hall, Gift Box was a $135,000 Keeneland November purchase. He is out of the Unbridled's Song mare Special Me. His pedigree is free of Storm Cat and A.P. Indy which will be appealing to breeders as both have been a proven success with Candy Ride and Twirling Candy, producing the likes of Grade 1 winner Collusion Illusion.

Gift Box will be syndicated and available for inspection in the coming weeks at Lane's End Farm and a stud fee will be determined.

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Vekoma Training Up to Breeders’ Cup

After missing an intended start in the GI Forego S. at Saratoga in late August with a foot abscess, the talented Vekoma (Candy Ride {Arg}) is training up to next month’s Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland.

The chestnut punched his ticket(s) to Lexington with eye-catching victories at Belmont Park in the ‘Win and You’re In’ GI Runhappy Carter H. June 6 (GI Sprint) and GI Runhappy Metropolitan H. last time July 4 (GI Dirt Mile). He kicked off his 4-year-old campaign with a sharp win in Gulfstream’s Sir Shackleton S. Mar. 28.

A perfect five-for-five in starts around one turn, Vekoma earned a career-best 110 Beyer Speed Figure in the seven-furlong Carter, the co-second fastest rating earned up to one mile on dirt in 2020.

So what will it be, the Sprint or Dirt Mile?

“I think we’re leaning toward the Sprint, but that’s not written in stone,” Weaver replied. “It’s not the easiest decision in the world. I think he could win both races. There’s a lot of factors going into it–the competition, what it means for him as far as Eclipse Awards, etc. I kind of lean toward the Sprint right now, but the [owners] Gatsas Stables and Randy Hill and I will get together as we get closer and nail that decision down.”

Vekoma has posted four breezes at Weaver’s Saratoga base since early September, most recently working five furlongs over the Oklahoma training track in 1:02.65 (5/9) Oct. 2.

“The horse is training well,” Weaver said. “He had a nice work [Oct. 2]. He’s really coming along well. Probably got three more breezes and we’ll be ready to roll.”

The $135,000 KEESEP yearling purchase, also the winner of the GIII Nashua S. at two and GII Toyota Blue Grass S. at three, suffered his lone off-the-board finish crossing the wire 13th in the slop in the GI Kentucky Derby. He’s been perfect in three attempts since.

“He’s always been a star,” Weaver said. “He trained like a really good horse before he ever ran. We gave him some time off [following the Derby] to bring him back as a 4-year-old and we were just hoping he’d come back and show how good he really was. He’s a May baby, and he’s really filled out and matured quite a bit. He’s a beast of a horse now.”

It was announced in July that B. Wayne Hughes’s Spendthrift Farm had acquired the breeding rights to Vekoma. Bred in Kentucky by Alpha Delta Stables, he is out of the GISW Mona de Momma (Speightstown).

The post Vekoma Training Up to Breeders’ Cup appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Stronach Five: Four Tracks, Four Turf Races Featured In Friday’s Wager

The popular Stronach 5, featuring an industry-low 12-percent takeout, will feature four tracks and four turf races Friday, including the $75,000 Bert Allen Stakes and $75,000 Punch Line Stakes from Laurel Park.

Along with races from Laurel, Gulfstream Park West, Santa Anita Park and Golden Gate Park, the Stronach 5 will also have a $100,000 guaranteed pool.

The Stronach 5 begins at 3:58 ET with a dozen claimers going 6 ½ furlongs on the main track at Gulfstream Park West before the action moves to Laurel Park and a pair of $75,000 stakes on the turf for Virginia breds.

The Bert Allen, at 1 1/16 miles, features Largent, a son of Into Mischief who won the Edward P. Evans at Colonial Downs and was second in the Lure Stakes Sept. 7 at Saratoga. The 5 ½ furlong Punch Line drew a field of 14 including Embolden, second in the Edward P. Evans and fourth Aug. 29 in the Saranac (G3) at Saratoga.

The Stronach 5 wraps up out west with maiden California-bred or sired 2-year-olds going a mile on the turf, and 2-year-old maidens also going a mile on turf at Golden Gate Fields.

Friday's races and sequence

Leg One – Gulfstream West 8^th Race: (12 entries, 6 ½ furlongs) 3:58 ET, 12:58 PT
Leg Two –Laurel Park 7th Race: (8 entries, 1 1/16-mile turf) 4:20 ET, 1:20 PT
Leg Three –Laurel Park 8^th Race (14 entries, 5 1/2 furlongs turf) 5:02 ET, 2:02 PT
Leg Four –Santa Anita 4^th Race: (9 entries, 1-mile turf) 5:08 ET, 2:08 PT
Leg Five –Golden Gate Fields 3^rd Race: (9 entries, 1-mile turf) 5:23 ET, 2:23 PT

Fans can watch and wager on the action at 1/ST.COM/BET as well as stream all the action in English and Spanish at LaurelPark.com, SantaAnita.com, GulfstreamPark.com, and GoldenGateFields.com.

The Stronach 5 In the Money podcast, hosted by Jonathan Kinchen and Peter Thomas Fornatale, will be posted by 2 p.m. Thursday at InTheMoneyPodcast.com and will be available on iTunes and other major podcast distributors

The minimum wager on the multi-race, multi-track Stronach 5 is $1. If there are no tickets with five winners, the entire pool will be carried over to the next Friday.

If a change in racing surface is made after the wagering closes, each selection on any ticket will be considered a winning selection. If a betting interest is scratched, that selection will be substituted with the favorite in the win pool when wagering closes.

The Maryland Jockey Club serves as host of the Stronach 5.

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NYTHA Announces Board Candidates

The New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (NYTHA) announced the candidates Thursday for its 2020 President and Board of Directors. The NYTHA Board is comprised of five Owner Directors, five Trainer/Trainer-Owner Directors and the President. Candidates are as follows:

PRESIDENT:

– Joe Appelbaum (incumbent)

– Chad Summers

OWNER/DIRECTOR:

– Tina Marie Bond

– Daniel Collins

– Peter Dorsman

– Jonathan Green

– Jeanne A. Liddy

– Robert Masiello

– Edward J. Messina, Ph. D.

– Aron S. Yagoda

TRAINER/TRAINER-OWNER/DIRECTOR:

– Leah Gyarmati

– Patrick J. Kelly

– John Kimmel, V.M.D.

– Linda Rice

– Richard E. Schosberg

All seats come up for election every three years. To vote, a member must currently be licensed as a Thoroughbred owner or trainer in good standing with the New York State Gaming Commission, have started a Thoroughbred in a pari-mutuel race at a NYRA track in 2019-20, and be listed as an owner or trainer in the Equibase owner or trainer records and in an official NYRA track program in 2019-20. Alternatively, a member can own a minimum of 5% of a horse that started in a pari-mutuel race at a NYRA track in 2019-20.

Voting packages will be mailed this month. Votes must be cast in person or by proxy during the Dec. 7 NYTHA Annual Meeting, which will be held virtually. For detailed information on voting and deadlines, please contact NYTHA directly.

The post NYTHA Announces Board Candidates appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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