February, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

President Lifts Some Travel Restrictions; H2-B Visa Cap Reached For Second Half FY2021

President Biden issued a Proclamation Wednesday to revoke Proclamation 10014 (Suspension of Entry of Immigrants Who Present a Risk to the United States Labor Market During the Economic Recovery Following the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Outbreak) and sections of related Proclamations that added non-immigrants to the travel suspension.

The Proclamation 10014 prevented certain immigrants and nonimmigrants from traveling to the United States. Included in this group were individuals who either were selected to receive the opportunity to apply for visas–including H-2B visas–through the Fiscal Year 2020 Diversity Visa Lottery or who had already received such visas, causing labor challenges for many industries, including the horse racing industry. President Biden's Proclamation revokes these restrictions.

In other foreign worker developments, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it had received enough H-2B worker petitions by Feb. 12 to reach the congressionally mandated H-2B visa cap of 33,000 visas for the second half of fiscal year 2021. In December, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 became law and included a provision that provides the DHS with the discretionary authority to release an additional 64,716 H-2B visas when sufficient need is demonstrated.

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Friday’s Insights: Centennial Debuts Empire Maker Colt

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

5th-Aqueduct, $80K, Msw, 3yo, 6f, post time: 3:25 p.m. ET
ROYAL REALM (Empire Maker) gets his career underway for Centennial Farms and trainer Jimmy Jerkens. A $250,000 Keeneland September acquisiton, the Triple Crown-nominated dark bay is out of an unraced daughter of Golden Sheba (Coronado's Quest), the dam of Godolphin's two-time GISW Wedding Toast (Street Sense), whose son Ya Hayati (Dubawi {Ire}) won the Listed Zabeel Turf at Meydan last month. The colt's third dam includes the recently deceased MGISW Congaree (Arazi) and SW/GISP Sangaree (Awesome Again). TJCIS PPs

A Frosted Firster for the Williamsons…
6th-Santa Anita, $61K, Msw, 3yo, 6f, post time: 6:12 p.m. ET
MARZANNA (Frosted) makes her first trip to the races in the orange-and-yellow colors of her breeder Williamson Racing LLC. The gray is out of Cal-bred SW Excessive Blend (In Excess {Ire}), a daughter of GSW Blending Element (Ire) (Great Commotion), whose other produce include GSW Tiz Elemental (Cee's Tizzy); former 'TDN Rising Star' and GSW Texas Ryano (Curlin); SW & GSP Holladay Road (Street Cry {Ire}); and SW Tiz A Blend (Cee's Tizzy). Just Distorted (Distorted Humor) cost Tommy Town Thoroughbreds $400,000 at KEESEP in 2019 and is out of a Smart Strike half-sister to multiple Canadian GSW Seductively (Thunder Gulch), GSP Pulling G's (Curlin) and MSP Prophetically (Pulpit). TJCIS PPs

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Volcanic Sky on Fire in Nad Al Sheba Trophy

Godolphin's royal blue silks were seemingly everywhere at Meydan on Thursday, as the operation swept four of the five Thoroughbred races on the card and both group stakes with Volcanic Sky (GB) (Street Cry {Ire}) in the G3 Nad Al Sheba Trophy and Star Safari (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in the G3 Dubai Millennium S. The former was coming in off a win in a Feb. 11 2410-metre handicap score locally and gave his trainer Saeed bin Suroor and jockey Frankie Dettori a win on the card.

The bay sat in a tracking second just ahead of Global Heat (Ire) (Toronado {Ire}) past the wire the first time as Corsen (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}) showed the way by daylight. Positions were largely static heading into the final of two turns. Volcanic Sky pounced midway on the bend and was pursued by Away He Goes (Ire) (Farhh {GB}) turning into the lane. Shaken up a bit by Dettori, he clung to his increasingly tenuous lead, as a trio of Godolphin rivals emerged as the biggest dangers close home. The wire came in time for Volcanic Sky, however.

Global Heat, who had been so persistent earlier in the race, re-rallied up the inside and cut the winning margin down to a short head. Brilliant Light (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) was third, another 1 1/4 lengths back, the same margin in front of Group 1 winner Ispolini (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in fourth, giving Godolphin the first four home.

“I took the initiative half way around the turn because the leader dropped away and I kicked on and I got first run on the others,” said Dettori. “He kind of lost concentration in the end, but he has been running well all season and he deserved a big win. He is very honest and wears his heart on his sleeve, and you know he is always going to run in the frame or win like tonight, and they don't come more consistent than him, so well done to the team.”

Added bin Suroor, “He is a tough horse and he always tries very hard. He is a big strong horse and he always improves after his first race. Frankie was in a nice position all through the race, and at the last two furlongs I felt he had a chance to win. The horse finished his race really well and this opens up the options for him and we might think of taking him to Dubai World Cup day.”

First tried above of handicap company only last September, the gelding was fifth in the Listed Eqtidaar Godolphin S. over 12 furlongs at Newmarket. The bay returned off a 118-day break to take sixth in the Jan. 21 Listed Dubai Racing Club Classic to the same horse that had beaten him at HQ in Charlie Appleby's Walton Street (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}). Tried at 14 furlongs, Volcanic Sky responded with a solid effort to be second in the Listed Meydan Cup on Feb. 4.

Pedigree Notes

The winner is the 132nd black-type winner and 79th group winner for his late Darley sire. Volcanic Sky joins Agathonia, who won at the listed level in Germany and was second in the G3 Preis der Mehl-Mulhens Stuftung, as stakes winners by Street Cry out of Diktat (GB) mares. The G1 Australian Derby second Tupac Amaru (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) was also produced by a Diktat mare and that sire now has 31 black-type winners as a broodmare sire.

The first stakes winner for his two-time Group 3 winning dam, Volcanic Sky is also a full to the SP mare Minidress (GB), herself already responsible for the Irish SP Petticoat (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}) and a half-brother to the dam of Japanese listed winner Rose Law (GB) (New Approach {Ire}), who was second in the G3 Unicorn S.

Short Skirt's half-sister, the English/Irish highweight Whitewater Affair (GB) (Machiavellian) foaling Japanese dual champion Victoire Pisa (Jpn) (Neo Universe {Jpn}), also a champion in the UAE after winning the G1 Dubai World Cup, in addition to G1 Yasuda Kinen scorer Asakusa Den'en (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}). G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies heroine and Japanese Champion Juvenile Filly Rose Tissage (Jpn), a rare progeny of the late reluctant breeder War Emblem, is also under the second dam. The winning third dam Short Rations (GB) (Lorenzaccio {GB}) produced G1 Irish St. Leger hero Arctic Owl (GB) (Most Welcome {GB}) and the sire Marooned (GB) (Mill Reef), a winner of the G1 Sydney Cup in Australia.

Thursday, Meydan, Middle East
NAD AL SHEBA TROPHY (SPONSORED BY GULF NEWS)-G3, $195,000, Meydan, 2-25, NH4yo/up & SH3yo/up, 2810mT, 2:56.63, gd.
1–VOLCANIC SKY (GB), 126, g, 6, Street Cry (Ire)
1st Dam: Short Skirt (GB) (MGSW & MG1SP-Eng,
$357,566), by Diktat (GB)
2nd Dam: Much Too Risky (GB), by Bustino (GB)
3rd Dam: Short Rations (GB), by Lorenzaccio (GB)
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. O/B-Godolphin (GB); T-Saeed bin
Suroor; J-Lanfranco Dettori. $117,000. Lifetime Record:
19-4-6-3, $230,334. *1/2 to Minidress (GB) (Street Cry {Ire}),
SP-Eng. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Global Heat (Ire), 126, g, 3, Toronado (Ire)–Raskutani (GB),
by Dansili (GB). (190,000gns Wlg '16 TATNOV; 325,000gns Ylg
'17 TATOCT). O-Godolphin; B-Wellsummers Farm (IRE);
T-Saeed bin Suroor. $39,000.
3–Brilliant Light (GB), 121, g, 4, Sea The Stars (Ire)–Flame of
Gibraltar (Ire), by Rock of Gibraltar (Ire). O/B-Godolphin (GB);
T-Saeed bin Suroor. $19,500.
Margins: SHD, 1 1/4, 1 1/4.
Also Ran: Ispolini (GB), Away He Goes (Ire), Mondain (GB), Yakeen (Aus), Corsen (GB).
Click for the Racing Post chart or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video.

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Laurel Aims for Apr. 17 Start to Turf Season

Although winter weather has delayed a planned aeration project to aid with drainage on the Laurel Park turf course, track management is projecting that with a little help from Mother Nature, grass racing could begin by Apr. 17.

Speaking at the Feb. 25 Maryland Racing Commission meeting, Sal Sinatra, the president of the Maryland Jockey Club, which owns Laurel and Pimlico Race Course, described the turf maintenance as similar to work that is often undertaken on golf courses.

Except that at Laurel, Sinatra said, this “deep drill and fill” involves going down “12 to 18 inches instead of the usual eight inches.”

In a typical drill and fill project, once a drill bit cores out a column that is generally an inch or less wide, the machine inserts new, clean growing media (usually sand) into the soil to improve water movement and oxygen levels without damaging the deep roots that are typical in racecourse grass mixes.

“I think we're hopeful that by mid-April,” the course will be ready for racing, Sinatra said, adding that “we have stakes scheduled on the 17th, and that's our goal.

“The most important thing right now is assisting in drainage, particularly from all the excess rolling [of the course] for a few years that's compacted it,” Sinatra continued. “I think if we can get that done early, we should be okay to run mid-April.”

Sinatra also updated the commission on main-track maintenance performed earlier this winter on a problem area near the five-furlong pole.

“We have pipes under there and it looks like a spring runs directly under there,” Sinatra said, adding that the maintenance crew did a “pretty massive repair,” but that only time will tell if it's a permanent fix.

“I think the best approach is going to be when we get probably to Pimlico and get some good weather to be able to go back and [dig down into the Laurel track to make sure] that it didn't bubble back up,” Sinatra said.

“That's what's happened no matter how much limestone and stuff [we're] putting there,” Sinatra continued. “The water underneath is eroding it, and then we hit that dip. Hopefully [we] got past that. But I know [the maintenance crew] went down quite a bit and we actually had to extend [the pipe] last time. So I'm hoping that this is the time [that the issue is resolved].”

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