March, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Dubai World Cup: ‘Underdog’ Sleepy Eyes Todd ‘Tries His Eyeballs Out Every Time’

Thumbs Up Racing's Sleepy Eyes Todd continues to grow his fanbase heading into the toughest test of his career, the 10-furlong, $12 million Dubai World Cup (G1) on March 27. While his propensity to pose for the morning racing media and genuine nature around the barn have earned him points with onlookers and horsemen, alike, it is his grit and consistency that flock favor to those only aware of his performance record. All of the above will likely come into play if the roan warrior is to be successful on the big day.

“He's a gentleman,” said trainer Miguel Angel Silva. “He feels really good to be around. Even though he's a stallion, he acts like a good friend. He's just gentle with everyone and he doesn't like to do anything bad or stupid to the groom or gallop-people. He's a cool guy and he likes the (media) cameras.”

A five-time stakes winner who has shown marked versatility in trip and track, the photogenic son of Paddy O'Prado is not considered a favorite in the market for the Dubai World Cup, but is respected by many as one they know will have a say in the outcome. He exits a strong-closing fifth in the $20 million Saudi Cup in Riyadh, suffering traffic issues, and has won graded stakes at nine furlongs and seven furlongs.

“We didn't get the trip we wanted in Saudi,” Silva explained. “It's just racing luck and hopefully he can have better luck this time and maybe we can get the win. This time, like last time, I would like to see him five or six lengths behind the speed, but you never know what's going to happen during the race. That was the plan last time and all of a sudden we were dead-last and had to come running.”

The eight-time winner from 17 starts will be reunited with jockey Alexis Moreno, who was aboard in the Saudi Cup. While he has yet to prove himself at the G1 level, he has been successful against G1 horses with the proverbial world watching.

On the Breeders' Cup World Championships undercard at Keeneland in November, he defeated a talented Lafayette Stakes (Listed) field, including next-out Cigar Mile (G1) winner True Timber and Burj Nahaar (G3) victor Midnight Sands. In December's Mr. Prospector (G3), he turned back G1 winners Diamond Oops and Mind Control, as well as multiple G2 winner Firenze Fire. Those efforts have been par for the course for a runner who has consistently and successfully taken his show on tour, including winning last year's Charles Town Classic (G2) over nine furlongs. He will have to stretch another furlong in Dubai, attempting 1 1/4 miles for the first time.

“I would love to see him finish the way he did on Breeders' Cup day,” Silva said. “He tries his eyeballs out every time. He's a hard-working horse who's always the underdog and we just love him. He's had issues in the races, but always managed to come back and perform well.

“He's training amazing right now and he really likes this track. The transition from Saudi to here has been great and we've had no issues so far. It's a little more similar to a U.S. track and he loves to train and gets over the track. The works have been a little bit longer with him (to build stamina), but I don't see any problem with the distance. He has been, in the last couple races, one of the only horses who is finishing in the race. In Saudi, he was the only horse really closing in on the frontrunners. If anything, the distance will be good for him.”

The ride Sleepy Eyes Todd has taken the Mexico City native on has undoubtedly been a memorable one. A second-generation horseman who has worked his way from hotwalker to head trainer, Silva is not quick to take any part of this experience for granted.

“It is an amazing experience to have him and I've been trying to take it all in,” Silva said. “Hopefully we will get more horses who have this kind of quality of racing in them after this, but we'll see. We are trying to enjoy it and are going step by step with the horse heading into the race.

“I have climbed the ladder and found my own path. It has been like a family business to work with horses, from my grandfather to my dad and to me and my brothers—we all belong to these beautiful animals.”

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Friends Of Ferdinand Launches New Broodmare Pilot Program

Friends of Ferdinand, Inc. (FFI) is thrilled to announce the launch of their new pilot program called Broodmare Bunch. This program is an expansion of FFI's current mission to rehab, retrain, and rehome Thoroughbreds directly off the track after their racing careers. Broodmare Bunch will be open to Thoroughbred mares who have been pensioned from broodmare duty as part of the horseracing breeding industry. The program will assist potentially at-risk broodmares in finding homes after their breeding careers have ended.

“While there are many organizations that assist horses fresh from the racetrack, there are very few that have a program dedicated to the broodmares. This is an unmet need,” says FFI President Sara Busbice. “Anything from fertility issues, difficulty foaling, lack of successful racing offspring, or downsizing a herd can cause a broodmare to be removed from a breeding farm, often at a young enough age that she could go on to have a terrific 'third' career after her jobs on the racetrack and as a mother are over.”

Trainer Lori Miller, who runs Greenstone Stables where many of FFI's horses live during their retraining, expressed her excitement about FFI expanding into this new realm of the Thoroughbred industry.

“We would certainly be fulfilling an industry need by adding broodmares to our roster,” she said. “Diversifying our herd will give us the ability to have more horses available for different levels of potential adopters. We are looking forward to expanding our existing program by bringing these new horses into our barn!”

The pilot program for FFI's Broodmare Bunch is launching in March 2021. Individuals or farms interested in submitting a broodmare for consideration into the program can do so by filling out a “Donate a Horse” form on the Friends of Ferdinand website. A limited, select number of broodmares will be accepted into the program initially. Preference will be given to horses with connections to racing or breeding in Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky.

As the only Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance-accredited program in Indiana, FFI is dedicated to assisting off-track Thoroughbreds transition to their second or third careers. The program has TAA-accredited farms around Indiana and Ohio as rehabilitation and retraining facilities for Off-Track Thoroughbreds, and these will also be available for mares that are part of the Broodmare Bunch.

The Broodmare Bunch is funded in part by groups and individuals donating to FFI. One of the first, and largest, benefactors of the Broodmare Bunch is the Indiana Thoroughbred Alliance (ITA). ITA is a collaboration of breeders, owners, trainers, and horse-racing enthusiasts dedicated to the continued success of Thoroughbred breeding and racing in the state of Indiana. Their donation of $5,000 will help to launch the program. The money was raised from ITA's first stallion service auction in December.

“As passionate breeders in Indiana, we know how important it is to not only find second careers for our racehorses, but also for our broodmares,” says Christine Cagle, owner of Springcliff Farm and ITA board member. “The ITA is not only dedicated to the promotion of horseracing in Indiana, but also to the transition of second, or third, careers for our Thoroughbreds. This partnership was a no-brainer.”

To learn more about the Broodmare Bunch program, visit the Friends of Ferdinand website. If resources for these broodmares are important to you, and you want to support Broodmare Bunch or get involved, you can direct your questions and comments to contact@friendsofferdinand.com. If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to support this new program, you can do so securely through the Friends of Ferdinand website.

For more updates on this exciting new expansion of Friends of Ferdinand's retraining program, and to learn about the mares that will be accepted into the pilot program of Broodmare Bunch and eventually listed for adoption, follow FFI on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay in the loop.

Friends of Ferdinand, Inc. (FFI) is a 501c3 nonprofit equine organization that is dedicated to retired racehorses, and the only organization in Indiana that is accredited by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA). Graduates from the FFI program have gone on to have success in eventing, dressage, calf-roping, western riding, trail riding, as hunter/jumpers, and as therapy horses.

The post Friends Of Ferdinand Launches New Broodmare Pilot Program appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Firepay Payment Option

To play at any casino you need to buy some chips. There are a variety of ways to make transactions on the internet and online casinos accept the popular methods. Here I will discuss one of my favorite methods, using Firepay. Firepay works just like a debit card that you can use online enabling you to make both deposits and withdrawals. Because it is so easy to use it is a popular among many online gamblers and casinos alike. Opening an account with Firepay is free and at moment only available for bank account holders in the US, the United Kingdom, and Canada. You transfer cash in and out of your account directly and you can even withdraw into different currencies although you will pay a commission to do that.

With your Firepay account setup you can use it to fill in the registration form for an online casino. The whole process only takes a few minutes. There is no fee for making a deposit into a casino using Firepay and likewise there is no fee for making a withdrawal either. The only surcharge is for making deposits into your Firepay account. The best part is that there are no restrictions on making a withdrawing your funds and no charges for making a withdrawal. If you make a big win in a casino you can cash out your winnings!

Transferring cash into your Firepay usually takes about 2-3 days although you can sign up for their ExpressFund service that makes instant transfers. There is a $2 charge for each transaction and it is limited to $500 a week but it is a great way to play right away if you don’t want to wait for the transfer to go through. Bear in mind that to use Firepay you will need a valid social security number and to validate your bank account. This is done by a retrieved deposit made by FirePay into your account. Once you have opened your account you must keep it active by making a transaction at least once every 150 days. If you don’t you will be charged $50 every quarter. Also, if you balance drops down to zero the account it deemed inactive.

Firepay is very secure and uses top end encryption and security procedures to protect your details. One advantage of using a system like this is that you only give your bank details to Firepay and that means that your bank details stay with Firepay and are not transferred over to any casinos. They also have a 24 hour tech support service in case of any problems. I’ve been using Firepay for a while now and it is smooth and simple. It has a good reputation as a no hassle way to gamble online and that is why it is so popular.

Toast To Vino Rosso: Colt Out Of War Relic Brings ‘A Lot Of Leg, A Lot Of Quality’

Throughout the breeding season, the Paulick Report will be sharing photos of foals from the first crop of Spendthrift Farm's Breeders' Cup Classic winner Vino Rosso in the “Toast to Vino Rosso” series.

Over the past few weeks, we've seen just how well Vino Rosso has stamped his first foals, and we've got another fine example here.

This time around, we visit a colt out of the winning Pulpit mare War Relic, bred in Kentucky by Elm Tree Farm.

The dam is a half-sister to Grade 2 winner Rush Bay, and the extended family features names including Grade 2 winner Itsaknockout and Grade 3 winner Chorwon.

Jody Huckabay of Elm Tree Farm said his operation has bought in to Vino Rosso with both fists.

“We are extremely excited about him,” Huckabay said. “We've got two of them on the ground and I've got three more coming. We just couldn't be any more pleased with what we've got so far. We've bought a couple more seasons in the horse due to what we've seen. I just think he's got a real big shot, as far as what we're seeing on the ground here so far; a lot of leg, a lot of quality. Just a lot of positive things.”

While the cross worked well on paper, Huckabay said it was the physical matchup between Vino Rosso and War Relic that sold him on the mating.

“Anymore, you certainly have to have some stretch,” he said. “You have to have some leg on these horses to get the leg in the commercial arena, and he certainly is throwing that. More than that, he's just throwing a lot of quality in these foals, in their head and their eye. The two that we have are very intelligent. They're just smart foals, which we also like.”

Vino Rosso, a 6-year-old son of Curlin, stands at Spendthrift Farm for an advertised fee of $25,000.

Vino Rosso won won six of 15 starts and earned $4,803,125 on the racetrack. In addition to his signature Breeders' Cup Classic score, the stallion picked up victories in the Grade 1 Gold Cup at Santa Anita Stakes, and the G2 Wood Memorial Stakes.

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