January, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Mischevious Alex, Ny Traffic Breeze Toward Stakes Engagements

Multiple graded-stakes winner Mischevious Alex breezed five furlongs in 1:00.35 Sunday morning at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., accompanied by Grade 1 stakes-placed Ny Traffic.

Mischevious Alex, who came off a five-month layoff to capture a Jan. 10 optional claiming allowance in his first start for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., is likely to race next Feb. 13 in either the $100,000 Gulfstream Park Sprint (G3) or the $250,000 General George (G3) at Laurel Park with an eye toward the April 3 Carter (G1) at Aqueduct.

“Today was a very good breeze and he galloped out strong,” Joseph said. “He finished his last quarter in 23 (seconds) and change, so we're very happy.”

Sunday's workout was the first since Mischevious Alex won his 2021 debut by 3 ¾ lengths while running six furlongs in 1:09.67.

Mischevious Alex, who is owned by Cash is King LL and LC Racing LLC, launched his 2020 campaign with a 9 ¾ length victory in the Swale (G3) at Gulfstream and a two-length score in the Gotham (G3) at Aqueduct before finishing fourth in the Woody Stephens (G1) at Belmont and sixth in the H. Allen Jerkens (G1) at Saratoga.

Ny Traffic, who was also timed in 1:00.35, has been out of action since finishing eighth in the Kentucky Derby (G1) and ninth in the Preakness (G1) at Pimlico.

“The work was really more for Mischevious Alex. It was Ny Traffic's first five-eighths and we let him go easy. Alex was going to gallop out.,” Joseph said. “I thought he got enough out of it. Next week, we'll start picking it up do a little more with him. We'll work him to more times and then make a plan for him.”

Ny Traffic, who is owned by John Fanelli, Cash is King LLC, LC Racing LLC, Paul Braverman and team Hanley, finished second in the Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds, the Matt Winn (G2) at Churchill Downs, and the Haskell (G1) at Monmouth Park. The son of Cross Traffic lost the Haskell by just a nose to Authentic, who went on to win the Kentucky Derby.

Joseph reported the Drain the Clock came out of his dominating victory in Saturday's $100,000 Swale (G3) at Gulfstream Park in good order.

The post Mischevious Alex, Ny Traffic Breeze Toward Stakes Engagements appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Can Horses Recognize Themselves In Mirrors?

Many horses like to look at their reflection in shiny surfaces, whether that's a mirror or the window of a trailer or barn. But do they know what they're looking at? The answer is complicated.

An animal's ability to recognize itself in a mirror is a building block of self-awareness; it highlights the cognitive and emotional skills necessary to develop social relationships and engage empathetic behaviors, say Drs. Paolo Baragli, Elisa Demuru, Chiara Scopa and Elisabetta Palagi.

The scientists acclimated four horses to an enclosure that had a mirror—first with the mirror covered, then with it uncovered. They then conducted a test where, in theory, a self-aware animal would perform a sequence of behaviors that leads them to understand that what the mirror is showing them is not another animal, but a reflection.

If the horse were to respond the way other self-aware animals did, they first would look in the mirror inquisitively, wondering who is in the mirror. They then would inspect the actual mirror, look behind the mirror and then test the mirror by making strange faces to see what the reflection does.

The scientists videotaped each of the horse's responses to the mirror the first time it was uncovered. After the initial exposure, the team placed an “X” on each horse's cheek, which the horse would only see when looking in the mirror. The researchers then observed the horses to see if they tried to remove the mark from their cheek, which would indicate that the horse recognized the reflection as his own.

The results from their study did not confirm that a horse could recognize his own reflection. The research team says this may be because the methodology was designed for primates; they also noted that horses simply may not be motivated to remove a mark from their face.

The team is hopeful that more research, possibly with a different testing format, will allow them to determine if a horse recognizes his own reflection.