October, 2020 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Old Friends Joins Forces with Senior Living Community

Old Friends, the non-profit organization that cares for over 200 retired racehorses near Georgetown, Ky., has formed a unique arrangement with Georgetown’s new Ashton Grove Senior Living Community, which is located a few miles from the Old Friends property. Equine retirees from Old Friends will live at Ashton Grove, which is positioned on approximately 40 acres of former Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm land. Ashton Grove has eight fenced paddocks, a 12-stall barn, and run-in sheds under construction. Old Friends hosted a grand opening of the new location Friday.

“This is a dream come true,” said Old Friends founder and president Michael Blowen. “Retired horses. Retired people. A match made in heaven.”

The new partnership will combine Thoroughbred retirement with a senior retirement community. Old Friends has already moved seven horses to the new location, with more to follow in time. Eventually, when pandemic protocols ease, Ashton Grove will be open to a small number of visitors by appointment only.

The Old Friends residents currently at Ashton Grove are MGISW Daytona (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}), GI Preakness S. runner-up and GSW Magic Weisner (Ameri Valay), Chilean champion and MGSP-US Porfido (Chi) (Mash One {Chi}), MSW and MGSP Secret Getaway (Skip Away), and GISP Massone (Menifee), as well as hard-knocking winners Ireland’s Eye (Cowtown Cat) and Bo’s a Ten (Patton).

“Ashton Grove is excited and honored to have Old Friends horses in our backyard,” said the senior living community’s executive director, Davonna Saeir. “I am so happy that our beautiful property will provide a sanctuary for these majestic creatures, and I know their presence will give our residents great joy. Having these retired thoroughbreds at Ashton Grove is a win-win, and we are grateful for our partnership with Old Friends.”

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Golden Gate Cancels Live Racing Card

Golden Gate Fields in Berkley, California, cancelled the Oct. 2 live racing card due to poor air quality stemming from the widespread fires in the state.

“Due to unhealthy air quality unsuitable for racing, Golden Gate Fields is cancelling live racing today,” according to a Tweet posted by the track. “We will be monitoring this situation on a daily basis.”

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John Fielding: ‘I Think The Future Is Going To Be Very Bright For Horse Racing In Ontario’

Although John Fielding remains modest in speaking of his time on the board at Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG), the contributions he made are quite the opposite.

One of horse racing's most passionate supporters, Fielding, who owned his first Standardbred at the age of 16, recently announced he was stepping down from the board he served on for 16 years.

“I think any good board needs fresh ideas, fresh faces and younger ideas,” said Fielding, who retired as Director and Chair of the Standardbred Racing Committee. “I thought it was a good time to give someone else a kick at the can.”

Throughout his time on the WEG board, Fielding, one of the highest profile and successful names in harness racing, a two-time owner of the year, whose star Standardbred pupils include Father Patrick and 2018 Hambletonian Oaks winner, $2.2 million earner, Manchego, worked in concert with other board members to navigate the industry through difficult periods.

Most notable of all, Fielding recalled the 2012 cancellation of SARP, the Slots At Racetrack Program, that plunged horse racing in Ontario into peril.

While plenty of questions surrounded the future of the sport, Fielding felt confident the sport wouldn't simply survive, but would one day thrive.

Coming up with the right answers was hardly an easy task, but the board, Fielding included, worked diligently to find them.

“After the SARP cancellation, making our way through that was a real challenge,” noted Fielding. “It was a challenging time for the horsepeople and everyone connected to the industry because we were all caught so off-guard. The rebuilding to healthiness I think has been a great feat for everyone on the board and for Woodbine, and its management team as a whole. It's been a long road, but I think we're really on the right path now. I thought we'd get to where we are today. There was enough clout in the industry and I thought the industry was strong enough to come together and do the right thing to get to the place where we're at now.”

Jim Lawson, CEO of WEG, (who shared a story about how his family and the Fieldings share a connection dating back to WWI, see below) has high praise for Fielding's many contributions on the WEG board, and to racing itself.

“From my perspective, at the end of the day, what Woodbine is all about is horse racing,” said Lawson, chair of the Thoroughbred Racing Committee on the WEG Board, and a member of the Standardbred Racing Committee. “When you have strong, passionate horsepeople on the board, it really helps with the mandate because it brings back into focus that horse racing is what we are. That can manifest itself in a couple of ways. All of the opportunities and different things we look at – we have to be mindful that it's horse racing owners, breeders, and wagering customers that we need to serve. We have this wonderful set of real estate assets and other things we can be pursuing, but at the end of the day, when you have a strong horseperson on your board – as a CEO, I certainly didn't need the reminder – it sure helps when you have people like John who are focused on racing.”

Lawson also noted Fielding's ability to approach issues in racing with a fair and open mind, someone capable of seeing varying perspectives through a unique lens.

“John wore both hats, being a Standardbred owner and being on the board,” started Lawson. “He could be objective about things. He could give an objective answer wearing both hats. I truly appreciate that. I've come out of a Thoroughbred background – everyone knows that – and I always remind myself to wear both hats. John naturally wears both hats, which is a great foundation for me looking at things. One critical move was moving the Standardbreds out to Mohawk permanently. Everyone looked at me a little cross-eyed when I first mentioned it. Immediately the question came up, 'So, Jim, you're doing all of this real estate development at Woodbine and you're ultimately going to generate proceeds. Hopefully, as CEO, you're not going to produce all these proceeds for Thoroughbreds, are you?' I don't think that way. Anything we make on real estate is to the benefit of our business, which means both breeds. Having John there as a person who could easily and naturally wear two hats was important for me, someone that I could consult with. Occasionally, as you might expect, conflicts come up between different races, different nights, events, expenditures… it was good to have John as a sounding board. He was kind of my go-to guy when I needed consultation. He knew horse racing. He wore those two hats well. That was important.”

For Fielding, it was important to play his part in seeing horse racing thrive in Ontario.

It was a hallmark of his time on the board, and it remains one to this day.

His personal horse racing road to success was forged well before his time on the WEG board.

Growing up in Toronto, he rode the streetcar with his brother to Greenwood Raceway where their passion for the sport first began. Introduced to harness racing by his father, Fielding rose up the ranks to become one of its most celebrated owners. He has over 20 Breeders' Crown titles to his name, and has also enjoyed success with Thoroughbreds. In the late '90s, Fielding met Standardbred and Thoroughbred breeder Fred Hertrich at a Standardbred sale at Woodbine. They recorded their first win as breeders in the 2017 Thoroughbred World Championships when 'TDN Rising Star' Rushing Fall won the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Just the type of person – and horseperson – tailor-made to sit on the WEG board.

“John led the Standardbred Committee for years and he did that in a very balanced way,” said Lawson. “Even as chair of the committee, he knew he had a larger fiduciary duty. I think that stands out for me, the manner in which he led that Standardbred Committee. He never forgot that he had a larger responsibility to the corporation, and I admired him for that.

“Secondly, much like [accomplished Thoroughbred trainer] Mark Casse – I'll throw that out there – they're great ambassadors for the Woodbine brand, internationally, and in particular, North America. John is very much in the mix, given the level of his investment in both breeds. Thirdly, I'm reminded of the recent Mohawk Million. He stepped up and bought a slot himself, but he was, in no small way, in that ambassador role, letting people know about the race. He encouraged people to buy slots. We need to thank him for his involvement in the Mohawk Million, too.”

Fielding, founder of Array Marketing, a leading global provider of retail merchandising solutions, is thankful himself, appreciative of his time on the board and for the friendships he made because of that role.

“I've met some wonderful, wonderful people and made some fantastic friendships that will last the rest of my life. I'm proud of what we've accomplished thus far. I'm proud to have been associated with it, and I'm proud of both breeds. We still have a ways to go, but we're on real level footing now. It's been a pleasure working with the different chairs I have, including Jim Lawson, and the different management teams. I think the management team we have now is the strongest I've ever seen it. It's a great team and I think we're in good hands.”

While he'll be dedicating more time to his business interests and family, one thing that won't change is Fielding's enduring bond with horse racing.

“I'm so busy with my business interests that you have to try juggle your life around this business. I'm involved in horse racing quite extensively, in both breeds, but that, in addition to all of the other business interests I have, you kind of run short of time when you want family time, and other things. You have to simplify things the older you get.

“But this sport, it gets into your blood and it got into my blood at a very young age. I always dreamt of being involved in the industry, both Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds. I was a huge fan of E.P. Taylor, and I think the board and everyone involved in horse racing could always look at him as the key figure, the one who bought all the land where we are at Woodbine today. He had the vision. The job of the board is to be the custodian of that property and those wishes. And I think we've done a very good of that. Horse racing is alive and well.”

Another big reason why Fielding believes the board, and industry, is in good hands.

“As we move into the next phase of trying to make horse racing fully self-sustainable, I think we're doing all the right moves. I think the future is going to be very bright for horse racing in Ontario.”

Thanks, in no small part, to the efforts of John Fielding.

From Jim Lawson:

“My great uncle, who my dad [Mel] was named after, went to war in World War I, and died on the battlefield right near the end of the war. Ultimately, what was recovered was his diary, and then after that, some letters, when my dad did some family tree searching. It turned out that my great uncle had been corresponding and had intended to marry a woman named Grace Fielding. That wasn't her maiden name, but that was John's grandmother. When my dad found out that his great uncle who he was named after – my dad and I visited his gravesite in France and followed his battle route form his diary – he tracked down Grace Fielding who was in a nursing home in Hagersville [ON]. Starting around 1985, my dad started visiting Grace and talking with her. She had saved those letters from my great uncle from Word War I in the battlefields.

“Early on, the Fielding family became aware of this man – who was in the horse racing business – that was visiting their mother and grandmother. Around that time, John was becoming a big investor in horse racing. When my dad had some good horses like Eternal Search and Let's Go Blue, John's grandmother was cutting out clippings from the newspaper and sending them to John. We have this family connection going back to then.

“Going back 35-40 years, I found out that John was a huge fan of racing through this unusual connection between the Lawsons and the Fieldings, a story that dates back to World War I. I knew about John and John knew my dad. He approached my dad back in the 1980s.

“I was asked to join the board of Woodbine and John was already on the board. I had heard about him, and when I walked into the first board meeting, he gave me a hug. He said, 'I know you! We should have been relatives.' Then we both recounted the stories of my great uncle and his grandmother.”

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‘The Pressure’s On’: Bob Baffert Has Never Lost Preakness With A Derby Winner

Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Authentic is favored at 9-5 in the morning line for Saturday's 145th Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico Race Course, providing Hall of Famer Bob Baffert an excellent opportunity to become the most successful trainer in the storied history of the 1 3/16-mile classic.

Authentic, who registered an impressive front-running victory in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, is scheduled to face 10 other 3-year-olds, including Thousand Words, who, at 6-1 in the morning line, figures to give Baffert a solid second chance to saddle his eighth Preakness winner.

Authentic is owned by Spendthrift Farm LLC, MyRaceHorse Stable, Madaket Stables LLC and Starlight Racing. Spendthrift Farm LLC also owns Thousand Words, who was scratched from the Derby after rearing and falling while being saddled in the paddock, in a partnership with Albaugh Family Stable LLC.

The Preakness, traditionally the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown, will conclude the series on Saturday after being postponed from May 16 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Maryland Jockey Club's signature event will be run without fans in attendance, as were the Belmont Stakes (G1) on June 20 and the Kentucky Derby Sept. 5.

Fans can watch and wager on the entire 12-race Pimlico program at 1st.com/bet/ and xpressbet.com.

The Preakness will be broadcast live on NBC from 4:30-6 p.m.

“Without the fans, it sort of takes away from it. It didn't feel like the Derby until the gates came open. Once the gates came open, I felt like it was on. Once he hit the wire, it felt like the Derby,” Baffert said. “It makes you forget about everything else.”

Should Authentic or Thousand Words prevail Saturday, Baffert will surely be hit with that old Preakness feeling to which he has become all too accustomed.

When Baffert saddled Triple Crown champion Justify for a victory in the 2018 Preakness, he tied the record for most wins by a trainer with Robert Wyndham Walden, who saddled seven winners between 1875 and 1888. From his seven Preakness winners, all five of Baffert's Kentucky Derby winners won at Pimlico two weeks later. Authentic, however, will seek his second leg of the Triple Crown with four weeks between classics.

“He would have been ready to roll in two weeks. I feel pressure now because I never lost a Preakness with a horse I won the Derby with,” Baffert said. “Now the pressure's on me.”

While he is well aware of his accomplishments at Pimlico, Baffert is making an effort to focus on the 2020 Preakness without reliving his past successes or his chance to become the winningest trainer in Preakness history Saturday.

“The reason I've won it so many times is I've always had the best horse. That's why I won. I've won the Derby with the best horse and I've lost the Derby with the best horse. The losses bother me. I think about the losses more – the ones that got away from me,” Baffert said. “The Preaknesses have never gotten away when I'm here with the best horse.

Authentic will once again be guided by Hall of Famer John Velazquez, who has ridden three Derby winners and two Belmont Stakes winners, but will be seeking his first Preakness success. Thousand Words will be ridden by Florent Geroux for the first time Saturday.

Bruce Lunsford's Art Collector, who was scratched from the Kentucky Derby in the days leading up to the race due to a minor foot injury, is scheduled to join the Triple Crown fray Saturday.

“We were going to miss a few days of training and that's just not the way you want to go into the Kentucky Derby. I've been waiting for 30 years for this horse to come into my life. I'm sure not going to do anything to jeopardize his future for just one race,” trainer Tommy Drury said. “It certainly stung a little bit, but having this race right behind it, you kind of had to turn the page pretty quickly and start thinking about the next one.”

Art Collector, who is rated second at 5-2 in the morning line, has finished first in his last five races (by a combined 23 ½ lengths), including four straight victories since being turned over to Drury this year.

Art Collector, who won the July 11 Blue Grass (G2) at Keeneland and the Aug. 9 Ellis Park Derby in his two most recent starts, has shown the ability to set the pace or stalk the pace under jockey Brian Hernandez Jr.

“He knows this horse like the back of his hand. I don't think I've ever given him instructions on this horse,” said 49-year-old Drury, who celebrated his first career graded-stakes success in the Blue Grass. “I've just told him to ride as it comes to him. By doing that he's gotten several different trips. That's where having a horse that's versatile enough that he will allow you to do that is very beneficial.”

Drury has been impressed with the son of Bernardini's preparation for the Preakness.

“The Derby was disappointing because he was training so well leading up to it, but, gosh, I feel like he's doing equally as well right now,” he said. “We're ready to take our best shot.”

Peter Callahan's Swiss Skydiver, who is rated at 6-1 in the morning line, is scheduled to clash with the boys for a second time in her career. The multiple graded-stakes winning daughter of Daredevil finished second as the favorite behind Art Collector in the Blue Grass. She will make a bid to join a group of five fillies who have captured the Preakness: Rachel Alexandra (2009), Nellie Morse (1924), Rhine Maiden (1915), Whimsical (1906), and Flocarline (1903).

“I don't know if we have to differentiate genders. In Europe, fillies run against colts all the time. I don't think Enable has run straight fillies [more than a few times] in several years,” trainer Kenny McPeek said. “Here it seems to be more of a big deal, but for the most part when you bring a good one into the game, it doesn't matter.”

Swiss Skydiver captured the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) March 29 before going on win the Fantasy (G3) at Oaklawn Park and the Santa Anita Oaks (G2). She set a pressured pace in the Blue Grass before being overtaken by Art Collector, losing by 3 ½ lengths but finishing 4 ¾ lengths clear of the third-place finisher and next-out winner Rushie. The McPeek trainee bounced back to score a dominating 3 ½-length victory in the 1 ¼-mile Alabama (G1) at Saratoga before finishing second in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs.

Swiss Skydiver is the latest in a long line of McPeek-trained Grade 1 stakes-winning fillies and mares, topped by Take Charge Lady, who earned nearly $2.5 million.

“It seems to me I've had better fillies than I've had colts. Maybe it's just a coincidence. If you look back on my career I've had some good colts,” said McPeek, who saddled Sarava for an upset victory in the 2002 Belmont Stakes. “We try to treat them all as individuals, but maybe my program does fit fillies better. I'm not sure.”

Swiss Skydiver will have her sixth different jockey aboard for the Preakness when McPeek gives veteran Robby Albarado a leg up on his ultra-consistent filly. Albarado rode Curlin to a Preakness victory in 2007.

Allied Racing Stable LLC's Mr. Big News, who finished third in the Kentucky Derby at 46-1, is slated to take on Authentic again Saturday. The late-developing son of Giant's Causeway broke his maiden Jan. 20 at Fair Grounds in his fourth career start. He earned a 'Win & In' berth in the Preakness when he won his first stakes in the Oaklawn Stakes April 11 before disappointing with an off-the-board finish in the Blue Grass.

“Mentally, he's always been a great-minded horse. He's done everything the right way his whole career. Physically, he just wasn't as strong as he is now. He had to fill out and get stronger. That's what he's done gradually,” trainer Bret Calhoun said. “It's been a continuous development over the past five, six months to get where he needed to be. To be strong enough to be at the top of his game.”

Calhoun never lost faith in Mr. Big News.

“The trainer has to be patient. The owner needs to be patient to allow the trainer to be patient. It's kind of a team effort,” Calhoun said. “This horse showed talent early on. I know not everybody was a believer. I think a lot of people were wondering, 'What do you see in him?' We saw something in him in his early works. He was getting better and better, making big leaps forward in his development. I told some people, 'You're going to read about this horse someday.'”

Gabriel Saez, who was aboard for the Oaklawn Stakes win, has the return call on Mr. Big News, who is rated at 12-1 in the morning line.

Trainer Steve Asmussen, who saddled Rachel Alexandra and Curlin for their Preakness scores, is scheduled to saddle three starters Saturday in his bid for No. 3 – George Hall and Sport BLX Thoroughbreds Corp.'s Max Player, Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC's Pneumatic and Calumet Farm's Excession.

(Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, in 2013, was the last trainer to saddle three starters, including Calumet's victorious Oxbow),

Max Player is the only horse entered in all three Triple Crown races this year. The son of Honor Code, who finished a non-threatening third in the Belmont for trainer Linda Rice, was never able to get into the race in his first start for Asmussen in the Derby, in which he finished fifth after breaking from the rail post.

“Obviously, I was a little bit disappointed in his race in the Derby but his post cost him considerably, just getting covered up early and being way too far back to be effective,” Asmussen said.

Pneumatic, who finished fourth in the Belmont, is coming off a 2 ¼-length victory in the ungraded Pegasus at Monmouth Park; while Excession will make his first start since finishing second in the Rebel (G2) at Oaklawn Park March 14.

Asmussen expressed gratitude to the participating Triple Crown tracks for making adjustments to make Triple Crown 2020 a reality.

“They're only 3 once and they deserve this opportunity. I'm glad the tracks got together and made sure the races were run,” Asmussen said. “We're very excited to have three talented horses in such an important race.”

Paco Lopez is scheduled to ride Max Player for the first time Saturday, while Joe Bravo and Sheldon Russell will have the mounts on Pneumatic (20-1) and Excession (30-1), respectively.

Ny Traffic, who faded to eighth after attending the early pace in the Kentucky Derby, will seek a rebound effort in the Preakness for owners John Fanelli, Cash is King LLC, LC Racing, Paul Braverman and Team Hanley.

The Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained son of Cross Traffic had finished second, beaten by a nose, behind Authentic in the Haskell (G1) at Monmouth.

“And that's probably what gives us the hope probably to give it a try again,” Joseph said. “Sometimes in racing you don't come up with reasons why horses don't perform and then they come back and they run the race that you were hoping for the time before.”

Maryland-based Horacio Karamanos is set to ride Ny Traffic, who is rated at 15-1 in the morning line, for the first time Saturday.

William H. Lawrence's Liveyourbeastlife (30-1), who finished second in the Jim Dandy (G3) at Saratoga last time out; and Grupo Seven C Stable's Jesus' Team (30-1), who finished third in the Jim Dandy; round out the Preakness field.

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