April, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Gamine Looks Long Gone in Derby City Distaff

'TDN Rising Star' Gamine (Into Mischief) is the 1-5 morning-line favorite for Saturday's GI Derby City (ex Humana) Distaff, and, facing just five other rivals that lack anything near her front-running prowess, she could go off an even shorter proposition than that.

Now six-for-seven lifetime as her once-disputed Oaklawn allowance victory has now been reinstated, Gamine was other-worldly at trips around one turn during her championship season in 2020, winning the one-mile GI Longines Acorn S. by 18 3/4 lengths last June and the seven-furlong GI Longines Test S. by seven lengths in August. The $220,000 KEESEP yearling, who topped the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-olds in training sale at $1.8 million, simply did not stay the nine furlongs of the GI Kentucky Oaks, finishing third (subsequently disqualified) to Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil) and Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil), but she righted the ship in no uncertain terms, besting the fleet Serengeti Empress (Alternation) by 6 1/4 lengths in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint Nov. 7. The champion female sprinter galloped around on a loose lead when supplemented to the GIII Las Flores S. at Santa Anita Apr. 4, and Saturday's race could play out identically.

Bell's the One (Majesticperfection) is the defending champ of the Derby City Distaff, a race that marked her first career top-level success. The seven-furlong specialist, also winner of the GII Lexus Raven Run S. at three, outbobbed Serengeti Empress to win this last year, then ran with credit to be third, beaten a nose for second, in the Filly and Mare Sprint. At her best when there is a good pace ahead of her, the bay dead-heated for second with Estilo Talentoso (Maclean's Music) in the GI Madison S. at Keeneland Apr. 3, as the victorious Kimari (Munnings) raced closer to a moderate pace and held sway late.

Sconsin (Include) earned her way into the F/M Sprint courtesy of an off-the-pace success in the GII Eight Belles S. on Oaks day last year. Fourth at Keeneland in November, she exits a seventh in the Madison.

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Commission Will Not Ban Sheikh Mohammed, Essential Quality From Kentucky Derby

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission announced late Thursday that Sheikh Mohammed and his morning line favorite for the 147th Kentucky Derby, Essential Quality, will not be sanctioned over findings of human rights abuses by a British High Court, because “the complaint does not articulate a violation of KHRC regulations,” according to the New York Times.

Earlier this week, human rights attorneys filed a formal complaint with the KHRC, asking the state agency to ban Sheikh Mohammed and his runner from the Kentucky Derby. The attorneys claim Sheikh Mohammed is guilty of human rights abuses in the cases of two of his adult daughters who allegedly tried to leave his household and were forcibly returned to Dubai.

In 2019, Sheikh Mohammed's wife Princess Haya fled Dubai with her two children and sought a divorce through a British High Court. Court proceedings, which Sheikh Mohammed attempted to keep out of the public record, determined in 2020 that the ruler of Dubai had indeed kidnapped his two daughters and also that he “conducted a sustained campaign of fear, intimidation and harassment” of Princess Haya, who was granted a divorce.

The same legal team, which includes the University of Louisville Human Rights Advocacy Project, filed a similar complaint last year but was denied since it was based on media reports rather than findings of a court.

State racing commissions can and do consider a licensee's criminal history at the time of a license application. Writing for the Lexington Herald-Leader earlier this week, columnist Linda Blackford questioned whether the commission should get involved in such a complaint, which the attorneys filing the complaint admitted was designed mainly to draw attention to the plight of the sheikh's family.

“Thoroughbred horse racing has always been full of princes and potentates, scoundrels and scam artists; where would the racing commission even begin to start turning away the morally compromised?” wrote Blackford. “And speaking of that, do we really think the racing commission should even get close to geopolitical power plays?”

Godolphin representatives had already indicated the sheikh has no plans to attend this year's Derby.

Read more at the Lexington Herald-Leader.

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Colonel Liam Favored In Ultra-Competitive Turf Classic

Saturday's GI Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic brings together this country's best turf runners currently in training, and Robert and Lawana Low's Colonel Liam (Liam's Map) has an opportunity to cement his status at the top of the heap in a race with several winning chances.

The $50,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $1.2-million OBS April breezer is four-for-five on the grass, his lone defeat coming at the hooves of Domestic Spending (GB) (Kingman {GB}) when beaten a half-length into fourth in the Saratoga Derby last August. Given some rest following that hard effort, the immaculately bred gray colt has been untouchable since, with victories in the Tropical Park Derby, the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf–with Lasix off, by rule–and a latest success in the GII Muniz Memorial S. at the Fair Grounds Mar. 20. He races without Lasix again Saturday, but the waters are considerably deeper.

Domestic Spending would go on to frank the form of his Saratoga success in his lone other sophomore appearance, a fast-finishing defeat of the re-opposing Smooth Like Strait (Midnight Lute) in the GI Hollywood Derby at Del Mar Nov. 28. With Irad Ortiz, Jr. sticking with Colonel Liam, trainer Chad Brown has reached out to Flavien Prat for the ride.

Digital Age (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) is the defending champion, having returned a juicy 8.60-1 when closing from ninth of 10 to score by 3/4 of a length in September. He is best forgiven for his 11th in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile in November, as the trip was likely on the short side and he found himself last early with too much to do against Grade I milers. Whereas he had the benefit of race fitness last summer, he races first off a six-month absence here.

Like Domestic Spending, Ride a Comet (Candy Ride {Arg}) is a Hollywood Derby winner, having scored in 2018, and has since returned from a 2-year vacation to win three of five starts. The 6-year-old beat recent Elusive Quality S. winner Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed) in the GIII Tropical Park Turf S. at Gulfstream Jan. 9, but was bumped at the start of the GI F.E. Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita Mar. 6 and was seventh, though not beaten far, behind the talented Hit The Road (More Than Ready). Ride a Comet rallied from last of nine to round out the exacta underneath Raging Bull (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}) when last seen in the GI Maker's Mark Mile at Keeneland Apr. 9, but he clearly handles this trip and is sneaky here at a price. A Grade I victory would be very meaningful for this half-brother to GI Belmont S. winner Tapwrit (Tapit).

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‘So Many Stars Have To Align’: Graham Motion Looks Back At Animal Kingdom’s Kentucky Derby

Trainer Graham Motion has two vivid memories from watching his star pupil Animal Kingdom win the 2011 Kentucky Derby.

“I had run horses in the Derby before and I always said, 'Right around the 3/8ths pole you start sorting out the men from the boys.' My other horses had always started backing out at the 3/8ths pole, whereas Animal Kingdom seemed like he was really getting rolling,” Motion said.

“At the 16th pole, my feelings switched to, 'This would be really cruel if they took this away from me now.' It looked like he was home free… I've had it happen to me so often, but never in a race of that scale. I just was thinking, 'This would be so cruel.' I think that's the way trainers look at things.”

Motion said what made Animal Kingdom a champion was the horse's generosity.

“He was very generous,” the trainer said. “I don't think he ever ran a bad race for me that was his fault. He, basically, did everything we asked him to do and he was just an extremely talented and generous horse.

“There's plenty of horses out there that have the ability, but you've got to be prepared to give that ability… That's not something that every person or every animal can do.”

Ten years on, Motion has deep memories of the day he won his first and, so far, only Kentucky Derby.

There was the security guard that initially blocked him from entering the paddock before the race — “the poor gentleman that stopped me has never forgiven himself and he always apologizes profusely whenever I see him” — the fact Motion and his family needed fellow trainer Dale Romans' help to find the winner's circle and the “remarkable” trophy reception afterward in the Kentucky Derby Museum.

“We have plenty of pictures. We have half of the garland of roses that we put away in a frame. and (Animal Kingdom's owner) Team Valor have the other half. Obviously, the trophy is extraordinary. It's just something I never anticipated that I would have,” Motion said.

Yet, it's something no one can ever take away.

“People probably don't appreciate quite how hard it is to get there and what it takes to get there,” Motion said. “So many stars have to align in order to win that race on that given day because you only get one shot with each individual horse.

“It took a really special horse to do it the likes of which I'm unlikely to have again. He was an extraordinary animal.”

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