March, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Connections Confirm Helium To Go Straight to Derby

Helium (Ironicus), an impressive winner of the Tampa Bay Derby Saturday, will not have another Kentucky Derby prep and will go straight to the race in Louisville the first Saturday in May, according to Jon Green, the general manager of DJ Stables, the owner of the colt.

Green announced the news on the TDN Writers' Room podcast Wednesday.

“I'm pleased to make the formal announcement on our podcast that I sat down with the owners, my parents and Mark Casse, who between them have a collective 80 years of experience in the horse industry,” said Green. “We're going to go an unconventional route and bypass the rest of the Kentucky Derby preps and train him in Florida at Palm Meadows, and then ship him to Churchill Downs three weeks before.”

Green admitted that it was an unconditional route to the race, but said, “It's not unreasonable in history to give a horse eight weeks off and ask him to run in a big race like this. Is it perfect? It's not perfect. Are there risks? Yes. But we feel what's best for the horse is to give him the time and slowly peak him into the Kentucky Derby, which is our primary goal.”

Green said that unlike other horses looking to peak in May, that DJ Stables hoped to race the horse after the Derby and throughout the summer with a focus on the Haskell at Monmouth, which is held near their home in Monmouth County, New Jersey.

“Our goal is not to run him in the Blue Grass, or a race like that because we think he doesn't need it,” said Green. “Running in a prep, so many things could go wrong, and our main goal is to run him in the Derby and then the races afterwards. We're looking at it through a different prism.”

While Jose Ferrer won the Tampa Bay Derby aboard Helium, Green also said that the Derby riding assignment was currently up in the air.

“Jose did a great job on him and won the Tampa Bay Derby on him, but we are looking for other options with jockeys,” said Green. “For the same reason riding Jose at Tampa Bay made sense, you have to have somebody who has the experience in big races and the experience at Churchill Downs. That's no disrespect to Jose, but I would think we would need to explore other opportunities.”

The complete discussion on Helium will be available on the TDN Writers' Room podcast which will be posted tonight.

The post Connections Confirm Helium To Go Straight to Derby appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Friday Racing at Laurel Cancelled Due to EHV-1

As Laurel Park continues to face lock downs due to EHV-1, the Maryland track cancelled Friday's nine-race program as a number of horses entered on the Mar. 12 card are now under quarantine. The Maryland Jockey Club will try to have the remaining horses–that aren't under quarantine–from Friday's program fill cards on Saturday and Sunday. Laurel will remain open for simulcasting Friday. The Stronach 5, Friday's national wager, was to feature two races from Laurel. It has been postponed to Mar. 19 with a carryover of $154,931.

Statement issued by 1/ST RACING's Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr. Dionne Benson, Regarding EHV1 at the Maryland Jockey Club Laurel Park:

“As reported, late in the day on Mar. 8, the Maryland Jockey Club was notified that a horse stabled at Laurel Park tested positive for equine herpes virus (EHV1). As per our standard veterinary protocols, the affected horse was immediately removed from the barn and is currently being treated at Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center.

Upon notification of the diagnosis, the Maryland Jockey Club, again per standard veterinary protocol, immediately closed the backside prohibiting horses from leaving the stable area.

Thanks to the contact tracing efforts of the veterinary team, I can confirm that the ill horse had recently been in two different barns and other horses in those two barns had contact with horses in two additional barns. Out of an abundance of caution for all other horses on-site, the Maryland Jockey Club quarantined barns 1, 4, 10 and 11. These barns are now under strict monitoring and quarantine requirements, including separate training from other horses at Laurel Park, prohibition from racing for horses from these barns, and increased biosecurity protocols. The team at the Maryland Jockey Club is working with the Maryland State Veterinarian, the Maryland Racing Commission, and the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association to ensure all mandated biosecurity protocols are strictly followed.

As has been reported, the backside at Laurel Park will remain closed to horses shipping out for at least two weeks from the notification date, Mar. 8, and live racing is cancelled for Friday, Mar. 12. Pimlico Race Course will also be subject to the same restrictions on horses leaving the stable area.

As of this morning, no additional cases of EHV1 have been identified at the Maryland Jockey Club. The 1/ST RACING veterinary team will continue to monitor this situation closely and will provide additional updates as they become available and are relevant.

Given the current high prevalence of EHV1 in the equine communities, our teams at all of our 1/ST RACING venues have been instructed to increase health check monitoring for all horses on our premises.

The health and safety of the horses who are race, train and stable at 1/ST RACING venues is top priority. The Maryland Jockey Club will continue to follow the requirements and recommendations of the Maryland State Veterinarian until the individual barn and backside quarantines can be safely lifted.

On behalf of the Maryland Jockey Club and 1/ST RACING, I would like to thank the horsemen for their ongoing cooperation and patience.”

The post Friday Racing at Laurel Cancelled Due to EHV-1 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Feature Slots – Slots With A Twist!

For the person who lives to play the slots, the advent of bonus slots and feature slots online have opened up a world of exciting gambling opportunity and fun. Will thousands of online sites; you’re sure to find several feature slots that will become your favorites.

The great thing is that you don’t have to go anywhere except to your computer to play these exciting feature slots or bonus slots. You just sit back in your favorite chair and have fun. There’s plenty of challenges and exciting moments as the tension rises.

For example, there are feature slots that have a gamble feature that give you the chance to double or quadruple your prize after a win. Who could ask for more? Well, doubling or tripling your wins is not the only feature slots online. There’s also the second screen feature, where you get another opportunity to win.

Then there are the feature slots, like the option to hold the reels. In fact, there is too much of a variety of feature slots online to list them all here. Investigate the online casinos and you’ll be blown away at how many feature slots there are to help you with your winning.

Feature slots closely resemble the slot games you’ll find in the land casinos, with the difference being that they offer you even more chances to win. Things like free spins, reel freezing, and bonus screens. It’s a great opportunity to quickly grow your winnings.

Just as in playing standard slots, when you’re playing feature slots the goal is to select a game to play with the highest payout rate and opportunity for winning. You’ll find lots of these opportunities on many of the online gaming sites. Almost every site has feature slots.

Many say that one way to increase your chances of hitting the bonus slots with a higher payout is to always bet the max. Of course, there’s tons of strategies to improve your chances of winning. One thing for sure is that when you’re playing feature slots, or bonus slots your chances are already improved. There is simply just more ways to win, so your chance improves. You’ll feel the excitement rise as you play your bonus, or hit the feature screen of the feature slots.

If you’re searching for all the varieties of online feature slots, there are several sites dedicated to providing you with the information about which online casino has what feature slots or bonus slots currently running. It can be a great time-saver to check out some of these sites. You’re sure to quickly find a site that takes your interest. Just play smart and don’t let it take all your coins. Have fun!

Auctav Launches Online Sales Platform

Auctav has launched its strictly online auction platform for flat, National Hunt and trotting horses. With a team largely based in France, Auctav allows the seller the opportunity to offer their horse at the optimum time based on racetrack performance or pedigree updates, and is accessible to bidders from around the world. Auctav inspects the lots on offer to assure quality and offers secure transactions. The first Auctav sale will be held on Mar. 31 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Auctav is headed up by president Louis Baudron, who simultaneously trains both trotting and Thoroughbred horses and has won five Group 1s as a driver and seven as a trainer. Former trainer/driver Arnaud Angeliaume serves as the company's general director of trotting bloodstock, while pinhooker and National Hunt consignor Katie Rudd is bloodstock consultant for National Hunt and the flat. Bloodstock consultant Cecile Adonias is Auctav's administrative and communication consultant.

The post Auctav Launches Online Sales Platform appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post