February, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

MGSW Lady Apple Retired, Booked to Quality Road

Lady Apple (Curlin-Miss Mary Apples, by Clever Trick), third in the 2019 GI Kentucky Oaks, has been retired and will be bred to Grade I sire Quality Road, owner Phoenix Thoroughbred announced on Monday. A four-time Grade III winner-in the 2019 Fantasy S., Iowa Oaks, Remington Park Oaks-and in the 2020 Houston Ladies Classic, the bay was trained by Steve Asmussen for the majority of her career.

Bred by KatieRich Farms in Kentucky, the 5-year-old was a debut second at Keeneland in April of 2018 for trainer Mark Hubley after RNAing for $100,000 during the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Phoenix bought into the mare afterward and raced her with KatieRich in all of her starts barring her final two. They bought out KatieRich when going to $1.2 million during the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Mixed Sale last autumn. Lady Apple was third in December's Joseph E. Spanky Broussard Memorial S. at Fair Grounds and in Sunday's GIII Houston Ladies Classic S. in her final two starts and retires with a mark of 19-6-2-4 and $1,078,324 in earnings.

“She has been a fantastic race mare for us and she'll be an excellent addition to our breeding operation,” Phoenix Thoroughbreds CEO Amer Abdulaziz said in a statement. “She has a top-class pedigree with a race record to match while the cross with Quality Road looks very exciting.”

A daughter of GII Schuylerville S. bridesmaid Miss Mary Apples, Lady Apple is a half-sister to SW and GII Hendrie S. second Dr. Diamonds Prize (Pure Prize) and MSW Miss Red Delicious (Empire Maker). The latter has already thrown GIII Soaring Softly S. heroine Nootka Sound (Lonhro {Aus}); while yet another half-sister has produced GI Maker's Mark Mile runner-up Parlor (Lonhro {Aus}). GI Futurity S. winner Senor Pete (Green Dancer) is also under the fourth dam.

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‘Your Guess As Good As Mine’: Announcer McNerney Gets Creative During Snowstorm At Turfway

Visibility became an issue during a snowstorm Saturday evening at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky. Track announcer Jimmy McNerney was unable to see the horses rounding the far turn in the fourth race due to the snow, and got a little bit creative with his race call.

“They continue to race around the turn, and your guess as good as mine with about a quarter mile to go,” McNerney said on the live feed. “Up top it's somebody who just leads somebody there in second, and a couple lengths back somebody is coming after a quarter in 1:13 and four. They run to the top of the stretch, it's absolutely wide open!”

Watch the race from far turn through the stretch run here:

McNerney laughed about the call when reached by phone on Monday, saying he'd received a lot of positive feedback from racing participants and fans.

“You just try to pick them out, relay what you see, and when you can't see you just don't want dead air,” said McNerney. “I've always had some things in my head, especially if it was football or baseball season or something, but obviously there's nothing going on right now because of COVID, so that's just what came out!”

McNerney is also a jockey's agent, representing Turfway-based riders DeShawn Parker and Rafael Hernandez.

Saturday's race reminded McNerney of a similar issue with visibility at Turfway under retired track announcer Mike Battaglia. On Jan. 22, 2012, a dense fog covered the backstretch of the track, and Battaglia used the time to make up an advertisement for the track's gift shop.

Watch Battaglia's call here:

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Record Handle at Sam Houston During Houston Racing Festival

Sam Houston Race Park set a record for handle during its 10-race Houston Racing Festival card Sunday, Jan. 31. Besides the $300,000 GIII Houston Ladies Classic S. and $200,000 GIII John B. Connally Turf Cup S., the fixture also featured the $200,000 Texas Turf Mil S., $100,000 Pulse Power Turf Sprint S., the $75,000 Stonerside Sprint S. and the $75,000 Jersey Lilly Turf S. A record total of $5.3 million was wagered at the Houston-area track.

“We are thrilled with the success of this year's Houston Racing Festival and setting a record handle of $5.3 million,” said Frank Hopf, Senior Director of Racing. “It was a team effort from everyone at Sam Houston and our thanks go out to all the horsemen and owners for supporting our meet. This would not be possible without our horseplayers, both here in Texas and nationally. It was a great day.”

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New Jersey Horseman John Forbes ‘Embodied Everything Good About This Business,’ Passes At Age 73

John Forbes, a longtime trainer and president of the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, passed away on Sunday at age 73.

Born in Maryland, Forbes spent his entire career in the racing industry, following both of his parents into the training game. He moved his operations to New Jersey in the late 1970s and has been a Garden State mainstay ever since.

“John was New Jersey racing,” said Dennis Drazin, chairman and CEO of Darby Development LLC, operators of Monmouth Park Racetrack. “He was a tireless advocate for the industry, for the horsemen and for Monmouth Park.

“With a boundless capacity for kindness, John embodied everything good about this business – honor, integrity, compassion and selflessness. More than that, John had an infectious energy for racing. I will forever cherish our many years working together and appreciate not just our friendship but our collective effort on behalf of the horsemen to better this industry and the lives of those who work in it.”

From more than 14,000 starters, Forbes won over 2,100 races as a trainer. Among his long list of accomplished runners were graded stakes winners Peanut Butter Onit, Pukka Princess, Jess C's Whirl, Boyce, Amarillo, Get Serious and Tale of the Cat, who went on to be a leading sire.

Forbes gave up training on a daily basis in 2012, but was certainly no stranger to the Monmouth Park grounds. That year he embarked on a new project, Bluegrass Mini Golf, which he oversaw the construction and operation and was instrumental in delivering the US Mini Golf Open in 2014 and again in 2017. His work earned him a spot in the US ProMiniGolf Hall of Fame.

Upon giving up his trainer's license in 2012, Forbes turned the operation over to his longtime assistant Pat McBurney.

“John and I spent decades together experiencing all the highs and lows that this business has to offer,” McBurney said. “It was always a team effort with John. Even after he stopped training on a day-to-day basis he was equally involved as an owner, advisor and most importantly a friend. It's hard to imagine Monmouth Park without John, but Monmouth Park will forever be better because of John.”

Forbes leaves behind his wife Vicki, son John T. Forbes (Director of Operations at Monmouth Park), two daughters, Anne and Carrie, and two grandchildren.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no services will be held.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Forbes's name to the Backstretch Community Assistance Program (BCAP), whose address is 175 Oceanport Ave., Oceanport, NJ 07757. BCAP assists New Jersey horse racing stable employees in the areas of counseling, health, education, recreation and benevolence.

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