February, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘Navy’ Conquerors the ‘Seas’ at Meydan

Before the gates flew, all of the attention was focused on Godolphin's Master Of The Seas, a winner of the G2 Superlative S. and fourth in the G1 National S. at two, however, his stablemate Naval Crown had other ideas and fended off that rival's late charge to win the Listed Meydan Classic over 1600 metres on Thursday.

Breaking better than his fellow Charlie Appleby yardmate, Naval Crown was content to make the running through the early going and opened up on the field before the far turn. Master Of The Seas, however, had been noticeably fired up and very keen from fifth. The son of Come Alive traveled beautifully at the head of affairs as Master Of The Seas still tugged in fourth entering the straight.

Saving all of the ground at the fence, Naval Crown had built up enough cushion that despite Master Of The Seas's best efforts once tipped out to make his run in midstretch, the final margin was 1 3/4 lengths. The latter's earlier exertions undoubtedly blunted his finishing punch. Yurman was a distant third, 9 3/4 lengths back.

“The horse was fit today and that's the reason he won,” said hoop Michael Barzalona. “Today we had a nice rhythm, and I think I was pretty well in front and the horse was confident, and it was better to be in front. I am sure Charlie will be able to drop the horse in trip, and the horse had done well today.”

“Naval Crown–we pitched him in at group level as a 2- year-old, and he was well-placed twice there,” said Appleby. “We were not planning to run him in the 2000 Guineas, but he was working nicely in the dirt and therefore we felt we would give him a chance, and he ran a very solid race. Returning to turf was always going to favour him. He came into the race race-fit with conditions to suit, and he has gone and done it nicely. Personally, I think the horse will come back in trip when we get back to Europe.”

Regarding the heavy favourite Master Of The Seas, “With Master of Seas–he is fresh and well, and he showed that this evening. William [Buick] said he will come on a bundle for that. At least he learnt something this evening, William got him into a rhythm, he was here to win his race, but he got tired down the straight, but I am happy we got him out. He is very much a work in progress for Europe.”

Third at second asking in the Listed Pat Eddery S. at Ascot last July, the colt saluted in a York maiden over seven furlongs and then improved further to take third in both the Sept. 6 G3 Prix la Rochette at ParisLongchamp and the G3 Prix Thomas Bryon Jockey Club de Turquie at Saint-Cloud on Oct. 2. Shelved for the year, Naval Crown was third after tracking the pace in the G3 UAE 2000 Guineas on Feb. 4.

With his victory, Naval Crown is the 197th black-type winner for his Darley sire, who now has five stakes winners-three at the group level–out of Dansili mares led by G1 Pretty Polly S. heroine Nezwaah (GB). Come Alive, who scored her biggest win in the Listed Prix Amandine and was also second in the Listed Prix Lilas, threw Naval Crown as her first foal. Her latest produce is a Lope de Vega (Ire) filly. The daughter of Dansili is out of English listed winner Portrayal (Saint Ballado), who also filled the frame in the G2 Prix Robert Papin, G2 Prix d'Aumale and G3 Middleton S.

The extended family is flush with black-type winners, all tracing to fourth dam and G3 Prix de Royaumont conqueress Truly Special (Ire) (Caerleon). G1 Irish Oaks heron Moonstone (GB) (Dalakhani {Ire}), as well as G1 Prix Saint-Alary winner Cerulean Sky (Ire) (Darshaan {GB}) are both among their number, as is boom G1 Australian Oaks victress Colette (Aus) (Hallowed Crown {Aus}) among many others.

MEYDAN CLASSIC (SPONSORED BY AGNC3)-Listed, $88,000, Meydan, 2-25, NH3yo & SH3yo, 1600mT, 1:36.52, gd.
1–NAVAL CROWN (GB), 121, c, 3, by Dubawi (Ire)
1st Dam: Come Alive (GB) (SW-Fr), by Dansili (GB)
2nd Dam: Portrayal, by Saint Ballado
3rd Dam: True Glory (Ire), by In The Wings (GB)
1ST-BLACK-TYPE WIN. O/B-Godolphin (GB); T-Charlie Appleby;
J-Mickael Barzalona. $52,800. Lifetime Record: SP-Eng, MGSP-
Fr, GSP-UAE), 7-2-0-5, $116,231.
2–Master of the Seas (Ire), 121, c, 3, Dubawi (Ire)–Firth of
Lorne (Ire), by Danehill. O/B-Godolphin (GB); T-Charlie
Appleby. $17,600.
3–Yurman (Arg), 131, c, 3, Asiatic Boy (Arg)–Qilaada, by
Bernardini. O-Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum;
B-Phalaris SRL (ARG); T-Mike de Kock. $8,800.
Margins: 1 3/4, 8, 1 1/4.
Also Ran: Mayehaab (GB), Nibras Passion (GB), Sharp Spun (GB).
Click for the Racing Post chart or Video.

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Citing Need to ‘Chase Profitability,’ CDI Outlines Different Paths for IL, KY Tracks

An earnings conference call with investors Thursday morning underscored that Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI), intends to sell Arlington International Racecourse near Chicago for “non-horse racing” purposes.

The gaming corporation with six Thoroughbred tracks in its portfolio also announced Feb. 25 that the previously halted reconstruction project at Turfway Park has resumed now that a Kentucky bill to legally redefine historical horse race [HHR] gaming has been signed into law.

But pandemic-delayed flagship property plans for a hotel, HHR facility, and track amenities expansion at Churchill Downs itself all remain on hold.

Bill Carstanjen, CDI's chief executive officer, said that the corporation will “revisit” and “reimagine” whether or not it wants to follow through with that Louisville project at its previously announced price tag of $300 million.

Those items were the Thoroughbred track-specific topics covered in Thursday's conference call. Per usual, the prepared remarks by CDI officials skewed heavily toward finances and gaming-specific initiatives, with a strong emphasis on CDI's desire to achieve corporate profitability.

Carstanjen said that “what we need to do for our company is demonstrate a very quick pathway to profitability. [That means] don't chase [market] share, and don't chase size–chase profitability. So everything we do in this company is built on a short time frame and a conservative time frame on when we think we can demonstrate profitability. And that'll be our model designed to keep us in the game long-term.”

Carstanjen kept his comments brief and in general when discussing Arlington being put up for sale for redevelopment. That announcement was made on Tuesday, but it was a decision that had been feared for several years by the racing community in light of CDI's ownership interest in one competing Chicago-area casino and plans to bid on a second, and potentially more lucrative, casino license in that region.

“We announced this week that we have initiated the sales process for the Arlington Park racetrack land,” Carstanjen said. “We will conduct racing in 2021 at the track while moving forward with the transaction to sell this highly desirable land for other non-horse racing, mixed-use options.

“It is our intention to work constructively with state and local authorities to find a solution to continue Thoroughbred operations in Illinois, and we look forward to further constructive dialogue as we explore alternatives,” Carstanjen said. “I am optimistic that state and local authorities are interested in finding a path forward with us.”

The news on CDI's two Thoroughbred properties in Kentucky came across as a split decision for racetrackers. The greenlighting of the Turfway build signaled welcome news that the torn-down grandstand and clubhouse won't linger in an unfinished state. But Carstanjen's hints at possibly scaling back the Churchill project came across as cryptic, with few specific details divulged.

“We have already restarted the construction process for our Turfway Park racing and [HHR] facility and are targeting a grand opening for the summer of 2022,” Carstanjen said. He added that CDI anticipated spending $145 million to finish the project, which CDI halted back in October when the legal status of HHR in Kentucky was unclear.

The Churchill construction pause is not new. It's been halted since April, just after the onset of the pandemic, when Carstanjen said in another CDI earnings call that the $300-million project would be on hold “until after we have completed” the 2021 GI Kentucky Derby.

On Thursday, Carstanjen gave the first update since October on that paused project, and it contained the new twist that it might not be built to the specifications that were originally outlined when CDI budgeted $300 million for it in October 2019.

“Before suspending activity when the pandemic hit, we had completed all of the underground utilities and a handful of site-prep projects,” Carstanjen said. “We spent approximately $15 million of the $300 million of capital that we had approved for this project. We are finalizing our revised plans that we believe will be just as impactful…. We believe that we can and should do the project more cost-effectively as we reimagine each of the three elements of the overall project–the hotel, and [HHR] facility, and expanded permanent seating and hospitality.”

Carstanjen continued, “There is really a fourth element to consider as well, which is the potential future expansion of Derby City Gaming. This facility has really performed well since opening…”

At a later point, when corporate investors were allowed to ask questions, Carstanjen was reluctant to directly answer to what extent a potential satellite outbuild of the Derby City Gaming HHR facility in Louisville might have on the overall Churchill Downs project.

“Derby City Gaming has just become this juggernaut,” Carstanjen said. “And we have to make sure we maximize that and make it everything that it can be. So watching its performance over the last year has really been, you know, fairly stunning. And we want to make sure that that property is everything in and of itself that it's supposed to be before we rush forward with an idea of what else we should do at the racetrack.”

Another corporate investor wanted to know additional details, like what factors CDI would be paying the most attention to as it reconsiders the Churchill Downs project.

Carstanjen again declined to provide specifics. But he did note that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the hotel industry was one issue that CDI would be examining.

“There's not a lot more that we can say on today's call, because we're not ready to say it,” Carstanjen said. “But some of the factors we're looking at really go to the robustness of the [HHR] product and how best to deploy, here in Louisville; what the best hospitality offering is at the racetrack itself [and] how to think about the hotel with some of the disruption that we've seen in the hotel industry across the United States over the last 12 months. Those are all things we're looking at, and we have a really good handle around those things. We're just not ready right now on this call to get into them.”

As for the May 1 Derby, Carstanjen said ticketing plans are coming into focus but remain fluid because of COVID-19.

“We are currently planning to sell our seated areas at approximately 40 to 50% capacity, and may offer some amount of general admissions tickets when we are a little closer to the date,” Carstanjen said. “We may adjust our ticketing plans as we see further improvement in the circumstances surrounding the pandemic.”

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Second Chances: Collaborate

In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar.

After holding his own with his Saffie Joseph, Jr.-trained stablemate and last year's narrow GI TVG.com Haskell S. runner-up Ny Traffic (Cross Traffic) in a weekend breeze, the highly regarded Collaborate (c, 3, Into Mischief–Quiet Temper, by Quiet American) will look to earn his diploma going a mile at second asking at Gulfstream Park Saturday.

The Three Chimneys Farm and e Five Racing colorbearer, a $600,000 FTSAUG yearling, was working up a storm at Joseph's Gulfstream base heading into his debut and was off as the 7-5 chalk in a deep-looking maiden special weight going six furlongs in the slop in Hallandale Feb. 6 (video).

Off a beat slowly from post 10, Collaborate was immediately outfooted and under a ride beneath Tyler Gaffalione in the early stages. He began to find his stride and advanced some while hung out about four wide down the backstretch and got into the race a bit more from sixth with a quarter of a mile to go. He continued with a steady grind in the stretch and rallied between horses to finish a close fifth–beaten just 1 1/4 lengths–in a blanket finish. The race was won by the Todd Pletcher-trained, first-time starter Democracy (Quality Road). Collaborate earned a 72 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort.

“He had a really strong work with Ny Traffic the other day [five furlongs in 1:00.29 (2/28) at Gulfstream Feb. 21], and since the race, he's done well,” Joseph said.

“We're going to stretch him out to a mile Saturday–it looks like the track is going to be fast this time–and, hopefully, we get to see the horse that we think he is.”

Collaborate will face 10 rivals–including first-time starter Bennyfromthebronx (Tapit) from the Chad Brown barn, a half-brother to the talented Charlatan (Speightstown)–in the fifth race on the GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. undercard. He will exit from post four with Gaffalione back in the irons.

The son of leading sire Into Mischief is out of 2010 GII Fair Grounds Oaks heroine Quiet Temper and hails from the extended female family of Phipps GISWs Furlough, Dancing Spree, Fantastic Find, Heavenly Prize and Oh What a Windfall. The Triple Crown nominee was bred in Kentucky by Three Chimneys.

“Obviously, we wanted to win first time out and there was some disappointment, but having said all that, I thought he gained valuable experience and a lot of education from it,” Joseph said.

“Hopefully, we can build on it this Saturday and get a much better result.”

Previous standouts featured in 'Second Chances' include: GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby winner Honor A. P. (Honor Code), GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint winner and Royal Ascot G2 Norfolk S. runner-up Golden Pal (Uncle Mo), MGISW and 'TDN Rising Star' Paradise Woods (Union Rags), GII Los Alamitos Futurity winner and MGISP Spielberg (Union Rags), GSW Backyard Heaven (Tizway), and MSW and 'TDN Rising Star' Gidu (Ire) (Frankel {GB}).

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Major Purse Increases for Del Mar’s Summer Meet

With purses to exceed $700,000 per day and “Ship and Win” incentives to double, the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club is substantially increasing all overnight purses and offering record incentives for its upcoming Summer Meet, which opens Saturday, July 17, and runs through Labor Day, Sept. 6. Among the increases for overnights from last year, maiden special weight races will jump from $55,000 to $70,000, with a number of maiden claiming and open claiming purses also increasing. In addition, purse levels will be raised for several summer stakes races with the stakes schedule to be released in the coming weeks.

Average daily overnight purses for the 2021 season will be increased by over 30% as compared to 2019 levels. Del Mar's total handle for 2020 was above initial projections–despite a unique year due to the COVID-19 pandemic that allowed no spectators on site–which added funding to the purse increases for 2021.

Owners and trainers that ship out-of-state horses to race at Del Mar through the “Ship and Win” program will see significant boosts as well, with the participation fee for owners doubling from $2,000 to $4,000 and a purse bonus from 20% to 40% for all eligible races. The purse bonus will be upped to 50% for dirt races in the “Ship and Win” program. For example, a maiden special weight race on the main track this summer will carry a purse of $105,000 ($70,000 with a 50% bonus), plus a $4,000 starter bonus for out-of-state horses that qualify.

“We've got some real momentum in California as we prepare for the 2021 season and, based on the inquiries we're receiving, owners and trainers are taking notice,” said Del Mar's executive vice president for racing, Tom Robbins. “Our partnership with the Thoroughbred Owners of California [TOC], TVG, and The Stronach Group [TSG] has us on track for one of the most lucrative seasons in Del Mar history, which will be a boost for California racing and help set the stage for us to host the Breeders' Cup here again in November.”

The 2021 purse enhancements are partly due to a partnership with TOC, FanDuel Group's TVG, and TSG's 1/ST Racing. The agreement is expected to inject up to $15 million into California Thoroughbred purses and programs over the next two years.

Del Mar will offer a 31-day summer racing season this year. It will open with Saturday and Sunday cards (July 17-18), then switch to a Thursday through Sunday schedule. Keeping with tradition, the 2021 summer season will close on Labor Day.

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