October, 2020 | Horse Racing Free Tips

CHRB: Justify, Hoppertunity Scopolamine Hearings Set For Thursday, Oct. 29

The stewards at Santa Anita Park will conduct hearings Thursday, Oct. 29, beginning at 10 a.m. to consider two complaints filed by the California Horse Racing Board seeking the disqualifications of two horses, Justify and Hoppertunity, from their victories in races run in 2018. The complaints also seek redistributions of the purses from those races.

The CHRB will not be filing a complaint against trainer Bob Baffert, due to substantial evidence that the scopolamine positives resulted from environmental contamination from jimson weed.

The hearing for disqualification is a condition of a settlement agreement between the CHRB and Ruis Racing LLC, the owner of Bolt d'Oro, the horse that finished second behind Justify in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 7, 2018. In that matter, the CHRB is represented by counsel from the Office of the California Attorney General.

In addition, the CHRB is seeking the disqualification of Hoppertunity, winner of the Tokyo City Cup at Santa Anita on April 8, 2018, and the redistribution of that purse based on laboratory findings that his post-race sample for that race tested positive for scopolamine. While not the subject of current litigation, this medication positive was similar to the one involving Justify. Baffert trained both horses.

Due to COVID-19, all witnesses are expected to testify remotely. The public will not be allowed to attend the hearings in person but can hear and view the proceedings through the following link: http://www.chrb.ca.gov/Live.html

Clicking the link will bring up a “Register” screen asking for the guest's name and e-mail address. A confirmation link granting both audio and visual access to the hearings will be sent to the e-mail address provided. Registration will begin at 9:45 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time.

The two hearings will be conducted concurrently. Depending on the number of witnesses testifying and presenting evidence, the hearings could last more than one day. The stewards likely will issue their decisions at some later date.

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Magical, Mogul Top O’Brien’s 2020 Breeders’ Cup Brigade

Ballydoyle master Aidan O'Brien has a total of 10 horses under consideration for the trip to Keeneland to compete in the Breeders' Cup World Championships, reports the Thoroughbred Daily News.

Leading the way are his two hopefuls for the Breeders' Cup Turf, the well-traveled multiple G1 winner Magical and promising 3-year-old Mogul. Each will try to give O'Brien his sixth win in the 1 1/2-mile Turf.

Magical, the 5-year-old daughter of Galileo, has had a strong 2020 campaign. She boasts wins in the G1 Pretty Polly, G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup, and the G1 Irish Champion, the latter by three-quarters of a length over Ghaiyyath. Most recently, the mare finished third over soft ground in the G1 British Champion Stakes on Oct. 17.

In her most recent trip to the United States, Magical ran a very game second to the since-retired superstar Enable in the 2018 edition of the Breeders' Cup Turf.

“(Magical is) an unbelievable filly,” O'Brien told the TDN. “She has run at the top level from when she was a 2-year-old. She's danced every dance and traveled everywhere. She is very comfortable from a mile to a mile and a half, which is very unusual. She is very brave, stays well, and has a good mind. She is an incredible mare. She ran very well the last day in very bad ground at Ascot, which wouldn't have suited her.”

Mogul, meanwhile, won his first top-level race on Sept. 13 in the G1 Grand Prix de Paris. The 3-year-old son of Galileo had to be scratched from the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe due to the feed contamination scandal.

O'Brien's other Breeders' Cup hopefuls are as follows:

Mile: Circus Maximus, Lope Y Fernandez, Order of Australia
Filly & Mare Turf: Peaceful
Juvenile Turf: Battleground
Juvenile Fillies Turf: Mother Earth, Snowfall
Juvenile Turf Sprint: Lipizanner

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

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Breeders’ Cup Classic Contender Higher Power To Stand At Darby Dan Farm Upon Retirement

Higher Power, a Grade 1-winning millionaire by Medaglia d'Oro, will retire to Darby Dan Farm at the conclusion of his racing career and stand in partnership with Matt Bowling Bloodstock, the farm announced today.

The Hronis Racing colorbearer, trained by John Sadler, is pointing to the Breeders' Cup Classic Nov. 7 at Keeneland. His 2021 fee will be $10,000 S&N for nominations done prior to the Breeders' Cup.

A dominant 5 1/4-length winner of the 2019 Grade 1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar, Higher Power recorded a career-best 107 Beyer in the scintillating victory, running away from a contentious field that included three Grade 1 winners. A five-time winner of more than $1.5 million heading into this year's Breeders' Cup, Higher Power has been a gem of consistency competing strictly in top company since his Pacific Classic triumph with graded stakes placings in the Breeders' Cup Classic, G1 Hollywood Gold Cup, G1 Awesome Again Stakes, and G2 San Diego Handicap.

“He is all class. He showed his talent and his impressive turn of foot in winning the Pacific Classic in the manner that he did,” said Ryan Norton, Darby Dan's stallion director. “He descends from an outstanding Pin Oak family, has a stallion's pedigree, and physically, he is a superb individual.”

While his greatest success has come at the Classic distance of 1 1/4 miles, Higher Power was precocious. He broke his maiden at two for trainer Donnie Von Hemel and owner-breeder Pin Oak Stable and won his 3-year-old debut at Oaklawn Park, defeating subsequent graded stakes winner New York Central.

Purchased by David Ingordo on behalf of Hronis Racing for $250,000 from the 2019 Keeneland April Sale Horses of Racing Age session, Higher Power on Sunday turned in his final major work before the Nov. 7 Breeders' Cup Classic, working seven furlongs in 1:25.40 at Keeneland.

By the elite sire Medaglia d'Oro, Higher Power was bred in Kentucky by Pin Oak Stud. He is out of the multiple stakes-winning Seattle Slew mare Alternate, who has also produced multiple graded stakes-winning Alternation, winner of the G2 Peter Pan Stakes and G2 Oaklawn Handicap, and sire of 2019 Kentucky Oaks winner Serengeti Empress. Alternate is also a half-sister to 1995 Canadian Horse of the Year and multiple Grade 1 winner Peaks and Valleys, from the female family of Grade 1 winner Mucho Gusto.

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1.8-million Guineas Kingman Colt Debuts at Dundalk

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Today’s Observations features an expensive son of Kingman (GB).

5.30 Dundalk, Mdn, €14,000, 2yo, 7f (AWT)
Coolmore’s BLUE PLANET (GB) (Kingman {GB}) became the fifth-highest priced lot when knocked down for 1.8-million guineas at last year’s Tattersalls October Book 1 fixture and the April-foaled bay is handed a low-key introduction at this floodlit Co. Louth venue. From the family of MG1SW sire Royal Academy (Nijinsky II), he is the first surviving foal produced by G3 Blue Diamond Prelude victress One Last Dance (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}) and one of two for Aidan O’Brien in this fully-subscribed heat. Rivals include stablemate Jeroboam (War Front), who is a once-raced son of stakes-winning GI Belmont Oaks Invitational third Outstanding (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), coming back off a debut sixth at Cork last month; and Chantal Regalado-Gonzalez’s £240,000 Arqana-at-Goffs breezer Alessandro Algardi (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}), who is out of a winning half-sister to GI Spinster S. second Tamweel (Gulch), opening up for the Joseph O’Brien stable.

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