January, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

NYJICF Maintains Lower Workers’ Comp Costs

The New York Jockey Injury Compensation Fund (NYJICF) continues its high-deductible workers’ compensation insurance plan in 2021 enabling New York’s horsemen to better control their costs.

“The NYJICF is building upon the incredible progress the New York racing community has made on workers’ compensation in the past three years”, NYJICF and New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (NYTHA) President Joe Appelbaum said. The NYJICF was able to secure a 15% premium reduction for 2020 to help offset the weeks of racing lost to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Essentially, the program benefits remain the same for 2021″

The base premium charge will remain at $1,000 for NYRA-based horsemen.
The fees for the first 12 stalls will be free for all trainers for the entire year.
Trainers will continue to receive a $300 per start credit for every off-the-board start at Aqueduct from January through March.

According to the NYJICF, the plan has lowered the cost for jockeys and exercise riders by $4,000 per trainer and $500 per owner in the past two years. In addition, premiums for grooms and hotwalkers have been reduced by 36%.

NYTHA also teamed with the New York Racing Association to approve the use of $2.25 million from the purse cushion as collateral for the high-deductible plan. Provisions in the state budget allow for funds to be used to pay for workers’ compensation for exercise riders and jockeys in New York.

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Jesus’ Team Fires Bullet in Pegasus Prep

GI Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile runner-up Jesus’ Team (Tapiture) worked a bullet five furlongs in :59.75 (1/6) Saturday at Palm Meadows in preparation for the GI Pegasus World Cup Jan. 23.

“He was very sharp. It was an amazing workout and an amazing gallop out too,” trainer Jose D’Angelo said. “I am very happy with the work today. I think we will have a big chance in the Pegasus World Cup.”

Gulfstream Park.

The conditioner added, “He will have two more breezes, six furlongs next week and four furlongs the next week. Then, he will be ready for the Pegasus.”

Third in the GI Preakness S. Oct. 3, Jesus’ Team was second in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile Nov. 7 and won the Claiming Crown Jewel S. Dec. 5.

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Rocketry Enjoying Downtime Before Tackling Another Campaign

Centennial Farms' Rocketry, a last-out winner of the 1 5/8-mile Grade 2 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance on Nov. 6 at Keeneland, is enjoying some downtime at the farm in Middleburg, Va.

Trainer Jimmy Jerkens said the now 7-year-old Hard Spun horse will return for another campaign.

“He had a good season,” said Jerkens. “There's not much for him in the winter time, so we're giving him a couple months off at the farm.”

Centennial Farms' Mihos, a 5-year-old Cairo Prince horse, worked a half-mile in 49.77 for Jerkens on the Belmont dirt training track on December 27.

With a record of 14-3-1-3, Mihos finished fourth in the seven-furlong G3 Bold Ruler Handicap on Oct. 31 on a muddy track at Belmont and was second last out on Dec. 11 in a seven-furlong optional-claiming sprint at Aqueduct.

“There's a mile allowance race next week that we're aiming for. We're hoping for some improvement with him,” said Jerkens.

Jerkens said Shortleaf Stable's Rift Valley will look for additional ground after earning a 69 Beyer when rallying from ninth to score by 1 ½-lengths at second asking in a seven furlong state-bred maiden sprint on Dec. 20 at the Big A.

“He wants to go further. We're looking to stretch him out and then we'll probably try turf when that opens up, too,” said Jerkens.

Bred by Jonathan Thorne, the 4-year-old Pioneerof the Nile colt was a $400,000 purchase at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Preferred New York-Bred Yearling Sale.

Chiefswood Stables' homebred Weyburn, a 3-year-old Ontario-bred son of Pioneerof the Nile, garnered a 67 Beyer when graduating at third asking over a sloppy Aqueduct main track on Dec. 5 when sprinting seven furlongs.

Jerkens said he had considered the Jerome for Weyburn but had to change course.

“We were thinking about the Jerome, but he got sick and that was the end of that,” said Jerkens. “We'll look for the next 'a other than' for him.”

Out of the A.P. Indy mare Sunday Affair, Weyburn is a half-brother to the versatile multiple graded stakes winner Yorkton.

The unraced King James, a sophomore son of Nyquist of the multiple stakes winning Unbridled's Song mare Inspired, worked a half-mile in 49.79 on Dec. 29 on the Belmont dirt training track.

While Inspired was a turf sprint specialist, Jerkens said King James will get his shot on both surfaces.

“He's out of a filly that did all her best running sprinting on the turf,” said Jerkens. “He's doing good but he's still a ways off. We'll see what he can do on the dirt, but I'd imagine the turf will be his thing given his mother. The Nyquists like the turf.”

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WinStar Stablemates Off to a Flying Start in 2021

Coming off a banner year in which its fillies finished one-two in the GI Coaching Club American Oaks, WinStar Stablemates Racing burst out of the starting gate in 2021 going two-for-two on Friday. The victories included a win by Gulf Coast (Union Rags) in the Cash Run S. at Gulfstream.

“It’s nice to get off to such a great start and we are very excited for 2021,” said WinStar CEO and President Elliott Walden. “To be two-for-two is great for our owners.”

The WinStar racing partnership is an offshoot of WinStar Stablemates, a club formed in 2011 that allowed members inside access to all things WinStar. Hoping to attract new owners into the business, WinStar branched out and started WinStar Stablemates Racing in 2018. The stable won with its first-ever starter, capturing the 2018 Wayward Lass S. at Tampa Bay Downs with Well Humored (Distorted Humor). All of the Stablemates horses are fillies.

The partners don’t actually own the horses. Instead, they lease them for racing purposes for the year. At the end of the year, the fillies will either join the WinStar broodmare band, return to WinStar’s regular stable or be part of the next year’s Stablemates stable.

There are 100 slots available and Walden said about 40 have already been sold for this year. The members share in the ownership of all the horses in the stable and the fees they pay go to offset the training costs.

“With the first Stablemates program we had a fan initiative for about 10 years and thought this was the next step to grow more owners and to educate them,” Walden said. “This is a great opportunity for people to get a taste of what it is like to own high-caliber horses without a lot of cost. It gives people an opportunity to get in and share in the ownership without having to be a Kenny Troutt or a B. Wayne Hughes. Hopefully, our owners will graduate and go on and do their own thing, just the same as if they were involved with West Point or a number of other syndicates.”

WinStar Stablemates Racing had its finest hour in last year’s Coaching Club at Saratoga, where Paris Lights (Curlin) defeated fellow WinStar Stablemates runner Crystal Ball (Malibu Moon) by a neck. Paris Lights has not run back since and Crystal Ball returned to finish fifth in the GI Alabama S. Both will run this year and are again part of the racing partnership. Walden said that Crystal Ball could run within the next four to six weeks and that Paris Lights could return shortly after that. Paris Lights is back in training in South Florida with Bill Mott.

“She came up with a little something behind and needed some time off,” Walden said. “She didn’t need any surgery, but we felt like she was worth waiting on and wanted to do the right thing. We wound up having to give her 60 days off and we kept her in light training at the farm and just sent her back down about a month ago.”

Walden has high expectations for the Grade I winner in 2021.

“With Paris Lights being by Curlin, we are really excited about her 4-year-old year,” Walden said. “They tend to get better with age. She’s a filly who has done nothing wrong and improved in all her starts. I think she’s going to be one of the best fillies in the country this year.”

The 2021 roster for the stable consists of 12 horses. Walden explained that they are all fillies because WinStar owns many of its colts in partnerships with other stables, including the China Horse Club, and because well-bred fillies always have the potential to join the WinStar broodmare band when done racing.

WinStar’s big day on Friday began with Signify (Speightstown), the winner of a $15,000 maiden claimer at Turfway Park. About an hour and 20 minutes later, Gulf Coast squared off against seven others in the Cash Run, a one-mile stakes for 3-year-old fillies. It was her third lifetime start after she broke her maiden at Indiana Downs and then finished second in the Sandpiper S. at Tampa Bay Downs. Trained by Rodolphe Brisset, she won by a half-length. She was purchased for $300,000 at the OBS April Sale.

“What’s exciting is that with her win we now have 12 fillies and three of them are stakes horses,” Walden said. “That’s not an easy feat.”

With the Coaching Club win, WinStar Stablemates Racing had its best year ever in 2020. They won nine races, including the Iowa Distaff S. at Prairie Meadows. They have Paris Lights and Crystal Ball coming back and Gulf Coast is an improving horse. Walden is also looking forward to the debut of Seascape (Distorted Humor), a 3-year-old WinStar homebred trained by Dallas Stewart who is part of the syndicate.

“This definitely could be our best year,” he said. “We have two Grade I fillies and Gulf Coast is now a stakes winner. The best thing about this is the passion these owners have for the industry. It should be a very exciting year for us.”

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