October, 2020 | Horse Racing Free Tips

2020 Monmouth Meet Ends on a High

Monmouth Park showed increases in both the daily transmission of its signal and in total average handle compared to 2019 during the combined 44-day meet that concluded Saturday. Monmouth Park’s average daily simulcast handle increased 27.09% to $3,604,413 daily compared to $2,836,148 last year. The overall average handle was up 20.81% to $3,807,082 daily compared to $3,151,201 last year.

“We are so grateful to everyone for supporting this extraordinary meet and, more specifically, the Governor’s Office and the New Jersey Racing Commission for allowing us the ability not only to race, but to do so with fans,” said Dennis Drazin, Chairman and CEO of Darby Development LLC, operators of the racetrack. “And once we were green lit for racing, the entire Monmouth Park staff worked tirelessly to ensure not just great racing, but a safe environment for everyone. We couldn’t be more proud to report zero cases of COVID-19 over the course of our entire meet, and the credit goes to the horsemen and fans who not only followed the necessary guidelines, but collectively cooperated to ensure each person’s safety.

Drazin continued, “[Track Medical Director] Dr. Angelo Chinnici and his entire team deserve special recognition for their efforts and, literally, around the clock work. Our success this season is rooted in their dedication and Monmouth Park is better off because of Angelo.”

The Monmouth Park meet that ran from July 3 to Sept. 27 consisted of 36 racing days after one live card was lost due to weather. The Meadowlands-at-Monmouth in the month of October provided an additional eight days of racing after one was canceled to weather as well. Last year’s racing season was 68 days.

The track operated with attendance restrictions throughout the 2020 season under COVID-19 guidelines. Opening day was delayed from its original starting date of May 2 to July 3 due to the coronavirus, with racing calendar reduced from 56 days to 37 as a result.

During the abbreviated Meadowlands-at-Monmouth Park meet jockey Jose Ferrer was the leading rider with 11 winners over the eight live racing cards. Wayne Potts topped the trainer standings with seven winners.

Trainer Kelly Breen, who captured his third Monmouth Park training title during the summer meet, ended the New Jersey racing season with a flourish by winning three races on Saturday’s 11-race card, including two of the three Jersey-bred stake races.

The post 2020 Monmouth Meet Ends on a High appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Into Mischief Firster Overcomes Trouble To Become a ‘Rising Star’

Juddmonte Farms homebred Mandaloun (Into Mischief) took the lion’s share of the pari-mutuel activity at 11-10 and the bay managed to overcome an eventful trip to graduate at first asking in the Saturday finale from Keeneland, good for the ‘TDN Rising Star’ designation.

Away in good order from the middle of the gate, Mandaloun raced in and among rivals down the backstretch, never looking entirely comfortable in transit and lost several spots into the turn. Under a ride fully 3 1/2 furlongs from home, the colt was taken hold of while short of room and with only two rivals beaten at the quarter pole. Hard-ridden into the final furlong and a half, Mandaloun brushed on a couple of occasions with Americanrevolution (Constitution) at the eighth pole, but he was ultimately steered down to the inside by Florent Geroux and fought his way past a game Bob’s Edge (Competitive Edge) to score by a hard-fought half-length.

Mandaloun is bred on the same Into Mischief cross over Empire Maker as Juddmonte’s late MSW ‘Rising Star’ Taraz and is bred similarly to fellow ‘Rising Star’ Honest Mischief, whose dam Honest Lady (Seattle Slew) is a half-sister to Empire Maker. Mandaloun’s female family also includes G1 Matron S. winner Emulous (GB) (Dansili {GB}) and the globetrotting German Group 3 winner Alounak (Fr) (Camelot {GB}), runner-up in the GI Canadian International S.

Brooch, a dual group winner while under the care of Dermot Weld in Ireland, produced a full-brother to Mandaloun in 2019 which sadly passed away this year and is represented by a weanling Into Mischief colt. She was most recently bred to War Front.

10th-Keeneland, $65,949, Msw, 10-24, 2yo, 6f, 1:11.76, gd, 1/2 length.
MANDALOUN, c, 2, by Into Mischief
1st Dam: Brooch (MGSW-Ire, $217,059) by Empire Maker
2nd Dam: Daring Diva (GB), by Dansili (GB)
3rd Dam: Aspiring Diva, by Distant View
Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $42,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. Click for the free Equineline.com catalog-style pedigree.
O/B-Juddmonte Farms Inc (KY); T-Brad H Cox.

The post Into Mischief Firster Overcomes Trouble To Become a ‘Rising Star’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

BC Announces Safety Protocols for ’20 World Championships

Breeders’ Cup Limited outlined a detailed set of health and safety protocols put in place to mitigate the risks associated with COVID-19 for the limited staff, participants and essential personnel who will be onsite at the 2020 Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Keeneland Race Course Nov. 6-7.

This plan was developed in consultation with Keeneland, local and state government officials, and public health experts, including Dr. Richard Greenberg–Professor of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, at the University of Kentucky School of Medicine. The plan closely follows the guidance established by the Healthy at Work requirements for venues and event spaces, bars and restaurants established by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Last month, Breeders’ Cup announced that the event will be run without spectators and attendance would be limited to racing participants and essential personnel only.

“The health and safety of our participants, employees, athletes, associates and the broader Lexington community are our top priorities,” said Breeders’ Cup President and CEO Drew Fleming.

Dr. Greenberg added, “The important health and safety measures and capacity restrictions that Breeders’ Cup and Keeneland have put in place for this year’s event, including testing, face coverings, physical distancing and medical screening requirements, will go a long way in protecting the wellbeing of the limited number of attendees.”

For the detailed outline of protocols for the 2020 World Championships, click here.

The post BC Announces Safety Protocols for ’20 World Championships appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Lemon Drop Kid’s Belichick Upsets Mighty Heart in Breeders S.

Heading into Saturday’s final jewel in Canada’s 2020 Triple Crown, trainer Josie Carroll appeared poised to collect the 129th renewal of the Breeders’ S. And while most thought that Queen’s Plate S. and Prince of Wales S. hero Mighty Heart (Dramedy) was the most likely to accomplish the feat as even-money choice, it was his stablemate Belichick (Lemon Drop Kid) who landed the Canadian Classic in fine style.

Given a 3-1 chance here, Belichick raced two wide in mid-pack as his favored barnmate-prompted by longshot Kunal (Temple City)–blazed through swift early fractions of :23,69, :47.45 and 1:13.02. The field began to converge on the leaders, with Contreras steering Belichick to the outside to take aim at the tiring front-runners. Just before the turn for home, Belichick took command as Mighty Heart began to fade to the inside. Full of run from there, the $300,000 KEESEP buy struck the front in early stretch and charged clear to win by an easy four-length margin over 54-1 longshot Meyer (Singing Saint) and English Conqueror (English Channel) back in third. Mighty Heart tired through the lane, finishing seventh.

“They kind of broke early in the race so I just tried to see them and relax my horse as much as I can,” said winning rider Luis Contreras of the early speed up front. “He was very uncomfortable; this horse has a different style to run, so I just let him be happy wherever he wants to be.”

“Turning for home, I was just in hand all the way to the quarter pole and I asked him to run from the stretch home and he did. I was just watching, just feeling my horse at the same time. And he was doing great the whole way. He came into this race very ready, good thing for Josie and all the crew.”

Third on debut sprinting on the local lawn July 4, the NK Racing and LNJ Foxwoods representative was second next out in a nine-panel maiden special weight on the synthetic here Aug. 1. Most recently, he finished second–beaten 7 1/2 lengths-to Mighty Heart in the Queen’s Plate Sept. 12.

“I’ve said from the very start that Belichick is a very, very special horse that’s just coming into his own and I think he showed that today,” said Carroll. “He’s a powerful horse. The Queen’s Plate was a breakout race for him and we couldn’t come back that quickly in the Prince of Wales. A horse needs a little time to regroup from something like that, a young, inexperienced horse. And regroup he did.”

As for the beaten favorite who was looking to become the first Canadian Triple Crown winner since Wando in 2003, Carroll said, “I told him [jockey Daisuke Fukumoto], ‘Let’s see how this falls out. If you make the lead, watch your fractions..it’s a long, long race.’ The horse broke well, he found himself up there, unfortunately, another horse dogged him the whole way and he couldn’t get the horse to come off the bridle and relax.”

Pedigree Notes:
Belichick, a $300,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase, is a full-brother to the stakes-winning filly Season Ticket and a half to Broken Game (Broken Vow), a listed winner and group placed filly in Peru. Game produced a colt by Distorted Humor in 2019 followed by a full-sister to Belichick earlier this season. The French-bred mare was returned to Flintshire (GB) this year.

Saturday, Woodbine
BREEDERS’ S., C$401,200, Woodbine, 10-24, (S), 3yo, 1 1/2mT, 2:32.51, gd.
1–BELICHICK, 126, c, 3, by Lemon Drop Kid
                1st Dam: Game (Fr), by Montjeu (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Pretty (Ire), by Darshaan (GB)
                3rd Dam: Lady Nessa, by Al Nasr (Fr)
($300,000 Ylg ’18 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. O-NK Racing
& LNJ Foxwoods; B-Sean Fitzhenry (ON); T-Josie Carroll; J-Luis
Contreras. C$240,000. Lifetime Record: 4-1-2-1, $357,666.
*1/2 to Broken Game (Broken Vow), MSW & MGSP-Per; Full to
Season Ticket, SW, $280,171.
2–Meyer, 126, g, 3, Singing Saint–Malibu Sunrise, by Malibu
Moon. O-Bruno Schickedanz; B-Gabe Grossberg (ON); T-Martin
Drexler. C$80,000.
3–English Conqueror, 126, g, 3, English Channel–Regal
Conqueror, by Sky Conqueror. O/B-JWS Farms (ON); T-Darwin
Banach. C$40,000.
Margins: 4, 3, HF. Odds: 3.35, 54.65, 12.50.
Also Ran: Deviant, Clayton, Enchant Me, Mighty Heart, Muskoka Giant, Told It All, Glorious Tribute, Kunal. Scratched: Olliemyboy.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

The post Lemon Drop Kid’s Belichick Upsets Mighty Heart in Breeders S. appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post