March, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Layden, Knuckley Look to Keep the Mojo Going at Gulfstream Sale

James Layden and Kevin Knuckley, who enjoyed a pinhooking home run with their JK Bloodstock partnership at the OBS March sale, will look to keep the momentum going at next week's Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale of Selected 2-Year-Olds in Training. Layden takes a three-horse consignment into the South Florida auction, two of whom–a colt by Ghostzapper and a colt by Speightstown–he owns in partnership with Knuckley.

Layden and Knuckley, who are partners on 12 juveniles to pinhook this spring, got off to a quick start in Ocala when an Uncle Lino filly (hip 416) they had purchased for $6,500 as a weanling at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic December Mixed Sale brought a final bid of $200,000 at OBS following a furlong work in :10 flat.

“She was just a good individual, well-balanced and just a nice-looking baby,” Layden said of the filly's appeal as a weanling. “She just grew up and was the same horse in a bigger size. I knew she could run when she left the farm and I was hoping she would work like she did. She galloped out really big and made a beautiful video. So everything just came together with her. But she's a good individual and nice horses perform when it's their time. I am happy with the result, but she was worth it. You don't have horses like that everyday.”

Layden and Knuckley have been partnering on horses for the past four years and for Knuckley, a native Texan and owner of a Ditch Witch construction equipment dealership, the partnership has been a dream come true for a lifelong racing fan.

“My true passion for racing started at a Class II track called Trinity Meadows in Willow Park, Texas, just west of Fort Worth,” Knuckley recalled. “I was 16 years old and it was just me and my dad going to the track. Naturally, I got to bet illegally and I won a little bit and that really got me hooked. Finally in 1997, Lone Star Park became a reality and we got Class I racing in Texas and I would go out to the track any time I could.”

Knuckley's father Paul eventually got involved in racing partnerships.

“We had middling racing success with some of these older claimers,” the son recalled.

One near-miss for the father-son team still resonates years later.

“Dad had a choice,” Knuckley said. “He had to pick between a horse called Scoot the Goose and Charismatic. And he chose Scoot the Goose. He loves to tell that story.”

Scoot the Goose (Fly Till Dawn) would win twice in 12 lifetime starts and earn just over $37,000 on the racetrack. Charismatic would win the 1996 GI Kentucky Derby and GI Preakness S.

Knuckley eventually found his way into the pinhooking game with Texas-based trainer Michael Neatherlin and while pinhooking a pair of juveniles with another partner at the 2017 Gulfstream sale, met up with Layden.

“We bonded over those few days and really got to know each other,” Knuckley said. “We shook hands after the sale and we walked out of the parking lot that night and [Fasig-Tipton's] Terence Collier walked out with us and congratulated James on the sale. It was a really cool moment. I had met James at a couple sales at Keeneland and I didn't know what his prior success was, but I could tell he was a good horseman.”

The JK Bloodstock pinhooking partnership was born that night in the Gulfstream parking lot.

“We have this system working,” Knuckley said of the partnership. “When I go to sales, I'm not the guy who knows just enough to be dangerous. I know a little more than that. And I'm still dangerous. I would never buy a horse without having a true horseman inspect him and take a look at it. And that's certainly where James comes in on this deal.”

Knuckley describes himself as the research and numbers side of the operation.

“I am really good on pedigrees,” Knuckley said. “I have really studied the breed pretty intensely. And then I'll look back at the Auction Edge and I'll go back and look at True Nicks and I'll do the nerd work, I guess. Because I'm a numbers guy. I can see some things in the physicals–and it's great now that they have the videos–but I can look back at the numbers, at the sales figures, I can certainly look at dosage profiles and how the sales are working–whether it be a sire or the family, certain crosses. Not everything can be about the pedigree, but I do know this, the ones that perform outside of their pedigree are clearly the exceptions and not the rules. So I believe in pedigree, I believe in good crosses, I believe in dosage profiles and the grading systems, especially if you look at the stakes results, you can see many of these are As and A+s.”

While Knuckley wasn't able to attend the Midlantic December sale in 2019, the filly with a light pedigree page impressed Layden, who reported back to his partner.

“James picked out this Uncle Lino filly and it was his first or second crop and he is a Maryland sire who wasn't getting a lot of recognition at that point–I think he was a $4,000 sire,” Knuckley said. “But James said, 'I really like this filly. I really think she can grow into something.' And then I looked and I said, 'She is checking all the boxes on my end, the cross, the dosage. The only thing that wasn't there was the page. Her page was extremely light, but for $6,500, we had a lot of potential. So we were thinking maybe she'll bring $40,000 of $50,000.”

Knuckley wasn't able to watch the filly sell at OBS.

“I was on a flight for a spring break trip with my kids and I knew I was probably going to miss her,” Knuckley said. “James said, 'I think there is a shot she brings $100,000.' And I said that would be great, that's a home run. I get off the flight and the text pops up and he said, 'She brought $200,000.' And I just about flipped. I couldn't believe it. It's the biggest home run–as far as a multiple goes–I've ever had on a pinhook. I mean 30X. That's insane.”

JK Bloodstock will offer a pair of colts at the Gulfstream sale, led off by a colt by Ghostzapper (hip 69) who is the first foal out of Alpine Sky (Indian Charlie), a daughter of graded winner Alpine Garden (Lemon Drop Kid).

“He doesn't have as quick a turn of foot, but he's a really nice colt,” Layden said of the dark bay. “He's going to make a nice racehorse later on. He's kind of a 3-year-old type, it looks like.”

The colt was purchased for $130,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearling Showcase.

The partnership will also be represented at the Gulfstream sale by a colt by Speightstown (hip 124). Out of Holiday Blues (Ghostzapper), a half-sister to multiple graded placed Wine Police (Speightstown), the juvenile was a $90,000 purchase at last year's Fasig-Tipton October sale.

“He's a pretty nice colt and he's doing very well,” Layden said. “He may not be a bullet here, but he'll be in the top 20%.”

Layden's Gulfstream consignment is completed by a son of Mastery (hip 56), who is a half-brother to the speedy Nashville (Speightstown). Layden purchased the colt for $80,000 at the Fasig October sale, just a week before Nashville's record-setting victory in the Perryville S. at Keeneland.

“That's a good update that we got after we got him,” Layden said of the colt. “And he's doing really well right now. I look for him to be pretty good, too.”

Of his Gulfstream trio, Layden said, “All three of these are big, strong colts and when you come down with this kind of competition, you've got to have something pretty substantial to actually hold up.”

Layden will look for his Gulfstream consignment to continue on from the successful result at OBS.

“There are always high expectations with what we've got,” he said. “Because we've got some pretty nice horses, I think, all the way through the sales.”

For his part, Knuckley balances his optimism with a healthy dose of realistic expectations.

“I've been to that Gulfstream sale and had some success there,” Knuckley said. “And I've also had some heartache there. We had two get hurt there and we thought they were going to bring a quarter-million dollars a piece. So, as with any endeavor in this business, you kind of hold your breathe a little bit. Anything can happen, but the two individuals we have there are by proven, prolific sires. Ghostzapper and Speightstown are about as solid as they come.”

As the partnership moves into the second juvenile auction of the year, Knuckley is clearly enjoying the ride.

“We are a small operation,” he said. “James is based in Ehrhardt, South Carolina and I'm back here in Fort Worth, Texas. I'm just an individual owner, I'm not part of a high-powered stable. So for us to hit these kind of home runs, it gives you goose bumps some times. As our little partnership has grown, we've been able to take a little more risk and make some larger buys. When you get to check off that bucket list of going to Saratoga two summers ago for the yearling sale there and to be able to go this Gulfstream sale, I just got to tell you, that's part of the dream. Outside of going to the Derby in this business, it is fulfilling a big part of the dream. And to do it with someone like James Layden, who has taught me a lot and brought me in with this experience, it's really hard to put into words about how much this means to me. James should get all the credit, he does a lot of the work. I'm extremely proud and honored to be his partner.”

The under-tack show for the Gulfstream sale will be held next Monday beginning at 9 a.m. The auction will be held next Wednesday with bidding scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.

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CHRB’s Plans to Overhaul Whip-Violation Penalties Tabled for Now

As anti-whipping rules continue to evolve nationwide, one problem area that has emerged is the fairness of penalization. Do the various systems of fines and suspensions match the severity of the violations?

Or, put more directly, are there ample deterrents on the books to keep a jockey from totally disregarding the number of times and manner in which a Thoroughbred is struck with the whip if the rewards of winning an important graded stakes like a Breeders' Cup race far outweigh the comparatively small dent a penalty might make in a jockey's wallet?

On Tuesday, nine months after the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) enacted its six-strike, underhanded-only, no-more-than-two-hits-in succession rule using whips that meet new standards to soften the blows, the CHRB proposed new tweaks designed to “ensure an adequate financial disincentive in high-value graded stakes races for riding contrary to” those regulations.

But after hearing testimony from both proponents and opponents on the separate ideas to redraw the minimum fine and penalty structures while also giving stewards leeway to penalize jockeys 50% of purse earnings if they violate the whip rule while finishing first, second or third in graded stakes, the CHRB voted 4-3 to table the motion for the time being.

CHRB chairman Gregory Ferraro, DVM, said he was fine with the part of the amendment that would have changed the maximum fine of $1,000 and a minimum suspension of three days to a minimum fine of $500, or, if determined by the stewards to be an egregious or intentional violation, a larger fine, a minimum suspension of three days, or both.

However, Ferraro added that “I am concerned after this discussion that the rule concerning graded stakes races may be a little harsh.”

Shane Gusman, an attorney representing the Jockeys' Guild, argued against both aspects of the proposed amendment. He said in the first instance, the economic reality of mandating a minimum $500 fine (as opposed to the current “up to $1,000” fine that isn't often maximally imposed) would be too much of a hardship for most day-to-day jockeys in the state, especially if their whip violation was not overly egregious.

But Gusman also took umbrage with the half-the-earnings penalty in graded stakes, and he further argued that the CHRB's entire structure of the anti-whipping rule was unfair because it “continues to focus on the jockey” instead of penalizing the entire team that owns and trains a horse.

As soon as Gusman uttered those words, Ferraro interjected. “The jock is the only one with a crop in his hand,” he said. “What's the owner and the trainer got to do with it?”

Gusman replied by way of example: “It wouldn't be absurd to think that an owner and a trainer might say to their jockey, 'Win at all costs. I don't care [how] you use the riding crop. We'll figure it out.”

The last bit of that reference alludes to the connections of a horse offering to pay a jockey's fine if he gets penalized. Ferraro didn't buy that line of reasoning.

“Again, the jockey is the one that has control of the crop,” Ferraro said. “Is his trainer willing to pay the 50% [of the earnings] fine? I doubt it. There's an easy way to avoid the fine, and that's not to violate the rule.”

Two retired Hall-of-Fame riders weighed in on the subject.

The first, Darrel McHargue, now the CHRB's chief steward, argued in favor of the stiff graded stakes penalty. “If you put in a 50% penalty for a jockey's earnings, it disincentivizes that jockey from violating that rule,” he said.

The second was commissioner Alex Solis, who argued against increased penalties by citing three chief reasons: 1) The lack of national uniformity in anti-whip rules; 2) The fact that California riders are vacating the state because whip rules are already too strict, and 3) That the notion of docking a rider 50% of his earnings in a big race was “ridiculous.”

Solis said that, “When they have the whole Racing Integrity and Safety Act [framework put into effect nationally], who knows what they're going to come out with?”

Solis later added, “We just changed these rules not even, what, a year ago? And everybody's struggling [to comply]. They are doing a good job. I've talked to a lot of them, and they don't like it, of course. They say, 'We try. We do our best.' Now we're going to penalize them even more?”

Vice chair Oscar Gonzales said that the CHRB is trying to be “reform-minded” in crafting its anti-whip rule.

“We want to make sure horse racing isn't just hanging on by a thread, that we thrive, and that we are looked at by the public and potential owners as an industry that is in it for the long run,” Gonzalez said. “I agree with commissioner Solis that California jockeys are doing a great job, that they have proven to be resilient and have proven to be understanding of what we are trying to accomplish…”

But, Gonzalez added, he believes it's imperative for the board not to only hone proper day-to-day rules, but to keep in mind the need to “get the big event right,” which in his eyes means the Nov. 5 and 6 Breeders' Cup hosted this year by Del Mar.

“This rule is [about] making sure that the upcoming Breeders' Cup goes off [more] smoothly than anything else,” Gonzalez said, underscoring that with an influx of international riders who could be confused by trying to keep straight varying jurisdictional versions of whip rules, he wants to avoid “creating a wild west type of a situation.”

Commissioner Dennis Alfieri advocated for tabling the measure, noting that Solis made a good point about California's already troubling outflux of owners, trainers and jockeys.

“What's happening here is that we're making it so extreme that horses and jockeys are leaving the state and are planning to leave the state,” Alfieri said. “Enough is enough.”

The commissioners voting in favor of tabling the rule modifications were Ferraro, Solis, Alfieri and Damascus Castellanos.

Commissioners Gonzalez, Wendy Mitchell and Brenda Washington Davis voted against tabling the motion.

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After Close Vote, CHRB Tables Question Of Increased Penalties For Whip Violations

After hearing a variety of opinions on the question of increasing financial penalties for whip rule violations, the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) voted Tuesday to put off making a decision.

The proposed rule change before the board would have required stewards to issue a minimum $500 fine for a whip rule violation and would have given them leverage to fine a rider as much as 50 percent of their earnings in a graded stakes if they finish first, second, or third and have a history of violations. The current rule language caps fines at $1,000 and a minimum suspension of three days.

The reasoning for the proposed change was that riders may see the existing fine structure as either “the cost of doing business” or a worthwhile trade off for a better finish in a prestigious race, reducing compliance in situations with higher earning potential.

Attorney Shane Gusman, representing The Jockeys' Guild in the matter, objected to the proposed rule language, saying that it made the jockeys' behavior the sole subject of criticism and said the proposed fine was unreasonably high for riders who don't earn huge checks regularly.

“The penalty revisions exacerbate what is already an unfair system in our view, which focuses on the conduct of the jockeys, rather than a more equal system that looks at the conduct in racing as a whole,” said Gusman, who points out the rule language would allow for a minimum $500 fine for even one hit over the limit. “There are other penalties under the CHRB rule structure where if there's a violation, the entire team is penalized.”

“The jockey is the one who has control of the crop, sir,” said CHRB chairman Dr. Greg Ferraro. “There's an easy way to avoid this fine and that's to not violate the rule.”

The Thoroughbred Owners of California president Greg Avioli voiced concern about “unintended consequences” of the proposed changes to the rule and urged the CHRB to hold off further rule changes until a national rule regarding the whip can be implemented.

Predictably, non-industry observers used the public comment period to point out incidents of excessive whip use — some of which took pace outside the state — and highlight the negative public perception around permissive whip rules. Industry representatives, including trainers Doug O'Neill and Jenine Sahadi, voiced opposition to the proposed rule, which they thought was unfairly harsh on riders and was designed to address public misconceptions about the use and construction of the modern whip.

There was division within the board, also.

“I'm watching the races here and I feel like all jockeys are doing a great job, riding with the crop down,” said CHRB board member and former jockey Alex Solis. “The other thing is we keep losing riders … We've lost a bunch of riders and I'm afraid we're going to lose more. People think the jockeys make so much money but they don't remember you have to pay 20 percent to your agent, 5 percent to your valet, and your taxes. California is an expensive state to live in. We're really going to add more?”

CHRB board member Oscar Gonzales said he believes California riders have made an effort to change to comply with the new rules and that the board needs to work harder to retain riders — but he is worried about the issue at big events.

“I believe that in protecting the brand of horse racing, we have to continue to innovate,” said CHRB board member Oscar Gonzales, citing the upcoming Breeders' Cup as the main impetus for this potential change.

Commissioners Gonzales, Davis, and Mitchell voted not to table the motion, while commissioners Alfieri, Ferraro, Castellanos, and Solis voted to table it.

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Joseph Derby Dreamin’

A Triple Crown winner in his native Barbados, Saffie Joseph Jr. took his first shot at America's Classics in 2020 with GISP Ny Traffic (Cross Traffic), who failed to hit the board in both the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Preakness S. last fall before heading to the sidelines for the remainder of the season. Fast forward to 2021, Joseph returns to the Triple Crown trail with another exciting prospect in Three Chimneys Farm and eFive Racing's Collaborate (Into Mischief), who is slated to contest Saturday's GI Curlin Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park. The colt debuted with a fifth as the favorite going six panels in the Gulfstream slop Feb. 6 before rebounding to a TDN Rising Star garnering performance when winning by an eye-catching 12 1/2-length margin stretching to a mile at the Hallandale oval Feb. 27.

“Every time we worked him before he ran, he impressed really me,” he said. “He did everything so effortlessly and nothing seemed to phase him. So, when he got beat first time out it was a big disappointment because he had touted himself so much leading up to that. I just didn't think he'd get beat. But that day, he got valuable experience. It was a relief second time out because we always knew he had that kind of talent.”

Joseph's first Grade I victory was recorded by Math Wizard (Algorithms), a one-time $25,000 claimer who went on to annex the 2019 Pennsylvania Derby. And it was the development of lesser pedigreed horses into top-rung winners that earned Joseph Jr. the street-cred needed to usher in flashier stock. Case in point, purchased for the healthy sum of $600,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling sale, Collaborate represents the highest priced sales purchase for the young trainer.

“He's definitely the most talented horse I've ever had,” affirmed Joseph Jr. “He has a lot of ability. We're a little behind schedule, so we're asking him to do things that might be a tall task. But he seems like he as the ability to overcome it. Getting beat the first time, in hind sight, was a blessing because he got a lot of education from that. He got more tired first time out than in his second start. We just hope we can build on that and show up again and run a similar race [in the Florida derby]. If he does, we think we have a horse that is very capable.”

Regarding tactics for the nine-furlong contest, he added, “He's very versatile. I think that's one of his advantages. He has that high-cruising speed and he stays pretty strong late. I think he will be on or near the lead, where he is comfortable. Ideally, he will be in a forward position and can run his race.”

Tyler Gaffalione reunites with the colt Saturday.

Joseph will also be represented by additional Triple Crown hopefuls–Moonlite Strike (Liam's Map) and Awesome Gerry (Liam's Map)–at Turfway Park Saturday in the GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks, which offers 100 Derby points to the winner. The former won second out going seven-eighths at GP West before adding another tally while adding a furlong in a Dec. 10 optional claimer. Fourth in Oaklawn's Smarty Jones S. Jan. 22, he was an improved third last time in the Mar. 6 GII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby.

“In the Tampa Derby, he kind of jumped up and ran above his odds and actually surprised us,” admitted Joseph Jr. “He was third and picked up 10 points and he had one more from his previous race at Oaklawn. [Sonata Stables] wants to give him a chance to continue on and see if he can pick up some more points.”

John Fanelli, Cash Is King, LC Racing, Paul Braverman and Timot Pinch's Awesome Gerry won two of four starts in Southern Florida at two in addition to finishing runner up in the Jean Lafitte S. at Delta last November. Third in Gulfstream's Mucho Macho Man S. in January, the grey finished seventh and sixth, respectively, in the Jan. 30 GIII Holy Bull S. and most recently in the Tampa Bay Derby.

“We feel like if Moonlite Strike finishes one-two-three he can earn a spot and it would be nice for the owner to have a Derby runner,” he said. “We thought the Jeff Ruby was the best opportunity to pick up some points. He has a turf pedigree, so we figured he might light the Tapeta and that might help move him up a little bit. And we hope the Tapeta could also help Awesome Gerry move up, too.”

While having already earned Derby points when winning the Jan. 30 GIII Swale S., Slam Dunk Racing, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables and Michael Nentwig's Drain the Clock is unlikely to pursue a berth the First Saturday in May. He most recently finished runner up behind Florida Derby early favorite Greatest Honour (Tapit) in the Feb. 27 GII Fasig-Tipton GII Fountain of Youth S.

“Drain the Clock picked up 20 points in the Fountain of Youth S. and it was probably easy to pick up a few more points to get him to the Derby, but that ownership group they don't want to go to the Derby if they can't win it,” he confirmed.

Instead, the chestnut will be redirected to shorter distances, beginning with the Apr. 3 GIII Bay Shore S. at Aqueduct. Irad Ortiz Jr. will have the mount.

Although Joseph had spent many of his early years as a trainer dreaming about having a horse good enough to make it into the starting gate on Derby day, his initial attempt during a COVID- plagued season proved anything but usual. So, heading toward this year's race, what was his chief takeaway after tackling the 2020 renewal?

“Last year was the first time, so you obviously learn something,” he said. “Even without a crowd, in the walk over our horse got a bit keyed up. If we get back there this year, we'd probably use earplugs on the horse. But as far as training, you just hope the horses stays healthy enough to get into the race.”

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