March, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘Distance Is Gonna Be His Friend’: McGaughey Confident In Florida Derby Favorite Greatest Honour

Courtlandt Farms' homebred Greatest Honour could become the first horse in history to win all three graded prep races for the Kentucky Derby at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla. Trainer Shug McGaughey believes the 3-year-old is up to the task ahead of this Saturday's Grade 1 Florida Derby.

“I've got a lot of confidence in him,” McGaughey said on Tuesday's NTRA media conference call. “I think with him winning here (at Gulfstream) going a mile and a sixteenth, over a speed favoring racetrack, with a short stretch, that says a lot about him, because I don't think that's what he wants to do.

“A mile and an eighth should suit him a lot better than this mile and a sixteenth with a short pole… Distance is gonna be his friend.”

The Tapit colt took three tries to break his maiden, but hasn't lost a race since. Greatest Honour was impressive winning January's G3 Holy Bull Stakes by 5 3/4 lengths, but was arguably even more impressive last out in the G2 Fountain of Youth. Well behind his rivals early with a slow pace ahead of him, and still 8 1/2 lengths behind the leader with five-sixteenths of a mile to run, Greatest Honour surged late win by 1 1/2 lengths.

“In the Holy Bull everything went right, and in the Fountain of Youth, everything went wrong,” quipped McGaughey. “I thought it was a good learning experience for him, and he was still able to win.”

Even before Greatest Honour broke his maiden, McGaughey had been plotting a Florida path to the Kentucky Derby for the colt. It's the same route the trainer took with Derby winner Orb ahead of the 2013 Run for the Roses.

“I kind of had in my mind that if he's this kind of horse he's gonna need racing, so we got him down here and that's what he's done,” McGaughey said. “My philosophy is unless we think we deserve to be (in the Kentucky Derby), we won't be there.”

McGaughey has been training for Donald and Donna Adams' Courtlandt Stable for just shy of 10 months now, with Kentucky-based Ernie Retamoza managing the stable. The new clients have been easy to work for, McGaughey said, and there are several nice horses he's looking forward to running in 2021.

“I predict that we're gonna have a good, long, meaningful relationship, and it started off pretty good with Greatest Honour,” the trainer summarized.

The post ‘Distance Is Gonna Be His Friend’: McGaughey Confident In Florida Derby Favorite Greatest Honour appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Broodmare Prospects Co-Toppers at Keeneland Digital Sale

A pair of broodmare prospects consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency brought co-topping final bids of $50,000 during Keeneland's March Digital Sale Tuesday.

Bloodstock agent Andre Lynch purchased Shockingly (Nyquist) (hip 19), a 3-year-old half-sister to Japanese Group 1 winner Apollo Kentucky (Langfuhr) and to multiple stakes-placed Beau Ravelle (Tiz Wonderful). She was a late-closing second in her lone start to date at Fair Grounds Feb. 20.

Motown Girl (Uncle Mo) (hip 18), a 4-year-old full-sister to Grade III winner Name Changer, sold to Randy Coker. The filly is out of the multiple stakes-winning Northern Afleet mare Cash's Girl and from the family of champion Afleet Alex.

Of the 22 head catalogued for the on-line auction, six sold for a total of $128,000.

Keeneland will host its next Digital Sale May 25. Additional digital sales are scheduled for June, July, August, October and December.

The post Broodmare Prospects Co-Toppers at Keeneland Digital Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Dual Guineas Hero Cockney Rebel Passes at 17

English and Irish 2000 Guineas hero Cockney Rebel (Ire) (Val Royal {Fr}-Factice, by Known Fact) passed away on Tuesday afternoon, owner Phil Cunningham announced on Twitter. He was 17.

“It is with great sadness that I advise the death of Cockney rebel this afternoon,” Cunningham tweeted. “He gave myself, my family and all of those connected with him such great memories that I could only have ever dreamed of. The horse of a lifetime, you changed my life.”

Bred by Oak Lodge Bloodstock, the March-foaled bay was a 14,286gns weanling at Tattersalls November before bringing £30,000 as a Doncaster September yearling. Put into training with Geoff Huffer, he broke his maiden at first asking in July of his juvenile year and ran second at York later that summer. Cockney Rebel signed off his 2-year-old year with a third in the G2 Champagne S., but resumed in 2007 with a victory in the G1 2000 Guineas. After winning the Irish equivalent later in May, his final start was a fifth in the G1 St James's Palace S. at Royal Ascot. He was retired with a mark of 6-3-1-1 and $885,544 in earnings.

Standing at the National Stud from 2008 to 2013, he moved to Haras de Saint Arnoult in France for two seasons in 2014/15 and then Haras du Thenney from 2016-2018. He returned to Great Britain in 2019 to stand at Batsford Stud and stood for £1,000 there this season. His best runner was G3 Fred Darling S. hero Redstart (GB), while he also sired French listed winner Monette (Fr), who was third in the GIII Matron S. Stateside.

The post Dual Guineas Hero Cockney Rebel Passes at 17 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Scientists Discover A Genetic Anomaly In European EHV-1 Outbreak

The EHV-1 outbreak in Europe and the United States has many horse owners on high alert. As there is no definitive reason why some horses become ill and others don't, it's imperative that all horse owners manage their barn as though an outbreak is possible.

Multiple European laboratories testing recent samples of the equine herpes virus have found an anomaly with the positive samples: the virus doesn't contain the N752D amino acid substitution in the DNA polymerase, which has previously been associated with neurological disease.

Lab employees are working to identify which genetic group these samples belong to. This will assist in tracking virus spread and differentiating it from the other EHV-1 strains in circulation. Past research has shown that there are 78 strains of EHV-1 that have been isolated over the last 35 years and most neurological isolates had the N752D substitution.

The FEI Veterinary Epidemiology Working Group reported that the virus is expected to remain in circulation as EHV-1 spreads more slowly than other equine diseases like equine influenza. The group also advised that to safely conduct equestrian events, event organizers and competitors take certain extra precautions. Event size should be restricted, pre-travel health certificates should be issued, and events should encourage health monitoring and separation between horses.