April, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

By My Standards Returns From Layoff In Saturday’s Oaklawn Mile

The 2021 goal for By My Standards is straightforward, trainer Bret Calhoun said Tuesday afternoon. It's a Grade 1 victory.

The first step comes in the $400,000 Oaklawn Mile for older horses Saturday at Oaklawn. A four-time Grade 2 winner and millionaire, By My Standards will be making his first start since finishing seventh in the $500,000 Clark Stakes (G1) Nov. 27 at Churchill Downs. He is the 5-2 program favorite for the Oaklawn Mile, which has drawn a field of nine.

“It's kind of a starting point,” Calhoun said. “Obviously, our main objective this year is to win a Grade 1. A lot of Grade 1s aren't until a little later in the year, so we've got to find us a roadmap, the best possible way to win a Grade 1. We just wanted to get a race under his belt, get him started and then see where our options are from there.”

A 5-year-old son of Goldencents, By My Standards won the $1 million Louisiana Derby (G2) in 2019 at Fair Grounds. Sandwiched around a victory in the $600,000 Oaklawn Handicap (G2) for older horses last May at Oaklawn were scores in the $400,000 New Orleans Classic Stakes (G2) at Fair Grounds and the $400,000 Alysheba Stakes (G2) Sept. 4 at Churchill Downs. Prior to the Clark, By My Standards ran eighth in the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) Nov. 7 at Keeneland.

“Not really sure why he didn't perform up to our expectations the last couple of races,” Calhoun said. “The Breeders' Cup, you can kind of throw that out a little bit. The track was a little strange, extremely biased, speed-biased, so I don't know what to make of that. The last race he didn't fire, either. Honestly, he couldn't have been training better. I would have never pointed toward those spots if he wasn't just training fantastic, which he was. We were a little puzzled by it.”

Calhoun said By My Standards underwent a “complete physical” and checked out fine.

“We decided to give him a little break and that brought us to this point,” Calhoun said.

That would be a return trip to Hot Springs. Calhoun said he'd been shopping some time for a comeback spot and the Oaklawn Mile was “about the first race we could make it to.” Most of By My Standards' races have come at 1 1/16 miles or farther.

“You've got to play it week-by-week,” Calhoun said. “The weather plays a part in it. Obviously, we all got hit hard with some weather this winter and we lost a little bit here and there. But, actually, at the end of the day, everything fell into place to make this race. I know a flat mile is probably less than ideal for him, but it's actually ideal for his comeback race, I believe, so we're really looking forward to that. Flat mile, good purse and the fact that we're able to run on Lasix. We think that's important for an old horse coming off a long layoff.”

By My Standards was based this winter at Fair Grounds before joining Calhoun's Oaklawn division March 29. By My Standards had an easy half-mile breeze (:51.60) last Sunday. A winner of 6 of 14 starts and $1,829,430, By My Standards races for Allied Racing Stable LLC (Kentuckian Chester Thomas) and Spendthrift Farm, which stands Goldencents.

The projected Oaklawn Mile field from the rail out: Long Range Toddy, Jon Court to ride, 117 pounds, 20-1 on the morning line; Gun It, Ricardo Santana Jr., 117, 8-1; Wells Bayou, Florent Geroux, 124, 4-1; Rushie, Joel Rosario, 124, 3-1; Blackberry Wine, David Cabrera, 121, 5-1; By My Standards, Gabriel Saez, 124, 5-2; Pioneer Spirit, Ramon Vazquez, 124, 6-1; Home Base, Francisco Arrieta, 117, 15-1; and The Sound, Martin Garcia, 121, 12-1.

Long Range Toddy (first division of the 2019 Rebel at Oaklawn), Wells Bayou (2020 Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds) and Rushie (2020 Pat Day Mile at Churchill Downs) are also Grade 2 winners.

Probable post time for the Oaklawn Mile, which goes as the ninth of 13 races, is 4:49 p.m. (Central). Last year's Oaklawn Mile runner-up, Improbable, went on to capture three Grade 1 events and was named the country's champion older dirt male.

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Concert Tour Arrives At Oaklawn For Saturday’s Arkansas Derby

There's a concert tour stopping late Saturday afternoon at Oaklawn and if it's anything like March 13, it will be another virtuoso performance.

That's because unbeaten Concert Tour, a homebred for Gary and Mary West, will be heavily favored to enhance his credentials as a leading Kentucky Derby candidate in the $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1) at 1 1/8 miles.

Probable post time for the Arkansas Derby, which will be televised live by NBC Sports Network, is 6:41 p.m. (Central). It goes as the 12th of 13 races. First post Saturday is 12:02 p.m., with the infield open, weather permitting.

The Arkansas Derby is one of four stakes Saturday at Oaklawn, the others being the $500,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3) for older horses at 6 furlongs, $400,000 Oaklawn Mile for older horses and the $250,000 Carousel for older fillies and mares at 6 furlongs.

The projected six-horse Arkansas Derby field from the rail out following Tuesday's post-position draw: Super Stock, Ricardo Santana Jr. to ride, 122 pounds, 6-1 on the morning line; Caddo River, Florent Geroux, 122, 7-2; Hozier, Martin Garcia, 118, 3-1; Get Her Number, Francisco Arrieta, 122, 6-1; Concert Tour, Joel Rosario, 122, even money; and Last Samurai, Jon Court, 118, 15-1.

Concert Tour is coming off an eye-catching 4 ¼-length victory in the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) at 1 1/16 miles March 13, the final major local prep for the Arkansas Derby.

Concert Tour, in his two-turn debut and first start outside Southern California, zipped to the lead under Rosario, turned back Caddo River at the quarter pole and coasted home to remain unbeaten in three starts. It marked a record eighth Rebel victory for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who has owned Oaklawn's four-race Kentucky Derby prep series the last decade.

Since the Arkansas Derby also brings back the 2-4-5-7 finishers from the Rebel, it means Concert Tour will be facing essentially the same group he dominated a month ago. Baffert trains Rebel runner-up Hozier, too.

“Those two horses, both are doing really well,” Baffert said. “It's a short field. I'm surprised it was with all the horses that were up there this year, trying to get points.”

The Arkansas Derby will offer 170 points to the top four finishers (100-40-20-10) toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Derby May 1 at Churchill Downs. The 1 ¼-mile race is limited to 20 starters, with starting preference given to the top 18 point earners in designated races like the Arkansas Derby. The top point earners on the European and Japan Road the Kentucky Derby will receive invitations.

Concert Tour earned 50 points for his Rebel victory and ranks No. 11 on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard compiled by Churchill Downs. Hozier (20 points) is No. 24, Grade 1 winner Get Her Number (10) is No. 29, Rebel fifth Caddo River (10) is No. 30 and Rebel fourth Super Stock (9) is No. 31. Get Her Number finished seventh in the Rebel.

Concert Tour has been on the same path as the Baffert-trained Nadal was in 2020, winning his career debut in January at Santa Anita, $200,000 San Vicente (G2) at Santa Anita in his second start and the Rebel in his third.

Nadal, like Concert Tour, was a front-running winner of the Rebel but used stalking tactics to capture the second division of the $500,000 Arkansas Derby (G1). Five years earlier, Baffert's American Pharoah was a wire-to-wire winner of the Rebel before coming from off the pace to claim the Arkansas Derby en route to sweeping the Triple Crown.

Caddo River was a front-running 10 ¼-length winner of the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes Jan. 22 at Oaklawn, but chose not to engage Concert Tour early in the Rebel. Asked if believed Concert Tour would be tracking Caddo River in the Arkansas Derby, “Baffert said, “I don't know.”

“Concert Tour's very fast,” Baffert said. “He's quick, really fast. I think the break is important, how you leave there. You never know what's going to happen. You don't know what the strategy's going to be. I just worry about my own horses. If he (Caddo River) goes, he (Rosario) will just ride his own horse and see what he does. My other horse has speed, too. Going a mile and an eighth, it's a different story.”

Caddo River was favored over Concert Tour in the Rebel and looks to turn the tables Saturday with a more aggressive approach early, trainer Brad Cox said. Caddo River is again drawn inside of Concert Tour.

“Little more of a free-running horse, we think,” Cox said. “It (Rebel) was just his fifth start and he was coming off a little bit of a freshening, I guess you could say, being seven weeks between races. We're just hoping that he can kind of get a little bit more of a forward run and maybe the jock drops his hands and kind of let him do his thing and get in a big rhythm and see if that works a little better than it did last time. If it doesn't, were in trouble – bottom line.”

In addition to American Pharoah and Nadal, Baffert won the Arkansas Derby in 2012 with Bodemeister, who rolled by 9 ½ front-running lengths. Baffert also won the last year's first division of the Arkansas Derby with the speedy Charlatan, but he was disqualified because of a medication violation. The case is under appeal. Overall, Baffert has 16 victories in Kentucky Derby prep races at Oaklawn – all since 2010. Baffert has won the Kentucky Derby a record-tying six times.

“I just feel fortunate that I have these two after losing Life Is Good,” Baffert said, referring to an injury that knocked his unbeaten colt off the Kentucky Derby trail. “It's pretty tough, you know, but that's why everything works itself out for the Derby. The horse will get you there.”

The Wests won the 1993 Arkansas Derby with Rockamundo, who paid $218.

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Laurel Park Live Racing Schedule Adjusted for April 17-19

As an equine herpesvirus (EHV-1) quarantine nears its end, the Maryland Jockey Club has modified the upcoming live racing schedule at Laurel Park.

Next week, Laurel Park will race Saturday through Monday, April 17-19, before returning to the usual Thursday through Sunday schedule for the 16-day spring meet that ends May 2.

For horsemen, races in the current condition book for Thursday, April 15 will be used Saturday, April 17, while races in the book for Friday, April 16 will be used Monday, April 19.

Positive cases of the equine herpesvirus caused MJC to cancel the final three days of Laurel's winter meet, March 26-28, and delay the start of the spring meet from April 1 to Thursday.

Saturday, April 24 is Laurel's Spring Stakes Spectacular program featuring seven stakes worth $750,000 in purses led by the $125,000 Federico Tesio for 3-year-olds and $125,000 Weber City Miss for 3-year-old fillies.

The 1 1/8-mile Tesio is a 'Win and In' qualifier for Triple Crown-nominated horses to the 146th Preakness Stakes (G1) May 15 while Weber City Miss is a 'Win and In' race for the $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G2) May 14, both at Pimlico.

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Six Semi-Finalists For Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award Announced

Even as a deadly pandemic stopped the world in its tracks, the business of horse racing continued — and thankfully, so too did the art of writing about it. The year 2021 brings with it the 15^thannual Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award, once again recognizing the best long-form writing the world of racing has to offer. Despite strict limitations set by COVID-19, authors continued to ply their trade, as evidenced by the exciting crop of racing-themed books that arrived last winter in the offices of Book Award sponsor Castleton Lyons.

As always, submissions represented multiple genres, from story collections to biographies, to works of fiction. Remarkably, nearly half of the 2020 submissions fell in the latter category, a strong group that served up mysteries and romance, misfits and second chances, crime, heartache, and equine greatness. Several of the titles represented excellent efforts by first-time authors.

After reading steadily through early spring, the Book Award judges selected six semi-finalists, including four fictional volumes and two stand-out biographies of trail-blazing women in racing.

A by-invitation reception has been held at Castleton Lyons' Kentucky farm each April since the award's inception in 2006. It had become a rite of spring until last year when the pandemic upended everything. The 2020 winner's announcement was by necessity moved back to November and was conducted remotely for the first time, via Zoom conference. That will likely be the format again this year, with a tentative target date of late April.

Below are the semi-finalists for the Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award for excellence in thoroughbred racing literature published in 2020:

A Hole Through the Wind, by Alan Patterson.

This improbable but engaging semi-autobiographical tale of twin colts—one, big and handsome, the other a tiny castoff—is revealed through the diary and reminiscences of an old horseman. Written by an ex-jockey, the story centers around a young black man, the kindly farm manager and his daughter who take him in, and the undersized colt with an outsized heart they all believe in. It is a simple, feel-good tale for troubled times.

Diane Crump, A Horse-Racing Pioneer's Life in the Saddle, by Mark Shrager.

This exceptional biography follows the life path of Diane Crump from a horse-crazy child to the courageous young woman who forever altered the course of racing. Crump's dream was to be a jockey at a time when that was not considered possible for a female. She fought back hard against discrimination while enduring boycotts, insults, and even threats of violence. In 1969 Crump became the first woman to ride in a pari-mutuel race in the U.S., the first to win a stakes, and the first to compete in the Kentucky Derby. Crump blew doors wide open for future generations of horse-loving girls to live their dreams at the racetrack.

First-Time Starter, by Stan D. Jensen.

This charming novella, penned by a former owner, jockey's agent, and published author, reminds one how wonderful racing can be. It centers around a beautiful but seemingly incorrigible filly, her old-school trainer, a loving groom, and a has-been jockey. As the story develops, the filly transforms from an angry, vicious, untrusting animal into the glorious racehorse she was meant to be. First-Time Starter is a short, quick read encompassing a single day in the life of its cast of characters, and it leaves you wanting more.

Good Things Come, by Linda Shantz.

Mixing together hope, heartbreak, and romance, a dash of rivalry, and a great deal of excitement, Good Things Come delivers all the goods in terms of top-notch racing fiction. Set in the world of Canadian racing, the story is that of an intense young woman, a troubled young man, and the quirky but talented filly they both love. This is the first book written by an accomplished equine artist and former backside worker who knows her subject well and tells it with a master's hand.

Ruffian, by Precious McKenzie.

This fictionalized account of the life of Ruffian as seen through the eyes of a young girl is a well-penned read for older children and young adults, as well as a broader audience. No one who lived through the brilliant career and untimely death of this immortal filly could forget Ruffian. And those who came later will learn from these pages of her all-too-brief life and those of the people who surrounded and loved her.

Sylvia Rideoutt Bishop Had a Way With Horses, by Vicky Moon.

Sylvia Rideoutt Bishop is not a widely familiar name, but she was a true racing pioneer. She climbed a mountain of adversity growing up in the Jim Crow South, and later fought relentless battles against sexism and racism to become the first black woman in the United States to obtain a trainer's license. Journalist Vicky Moon's meticulously researched work tells the story of America while tracing the life of this most remarkable woman—from her blue-collar childhood in West Virginia, to her start as a racetrack groom during the Great Depression, to the saddling of her final winner at age 80.

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