America’s Best Racing and handicapper (and avid gambler) Monique Vág team up to provide horseplayers with their best bets of the weekend. Vág will identify her top picks as well as at least one longshot play of the weekend, a nice opportunity to swing for the fences on a win bet or to take a shot with a show bet. She also will occasionally look for strong exacta plays for the weekend or try to spot a nice opportunity for other wagers. This Weekend’s Bets
Month: April 2021
Floroplus DQ’d From Turfway Win For Lidocaine
Floroplus (City Zip), a Turfway Park-based gelding who won three straight races in March, has been disqualified for the second of those victories after post-race testing revealed a 3-hydroxylidocaine (lidocaine) positive.
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has voided the win and redistributed purse money for the Mar. 18 victory by Floroplus in an $18,000 claiming sprint. Trainer Kim Hammond has been penalized with a $500 fine and a 30-day suspension, 15 days of which will be stayed because of “mitigating circumstances (number of violations in relation to overall record).”
The stay is also conditional on Hammond not incurring a Penalty Category A or B medication violation in any jurisdiction within a year of the Apr. 5 ruling.
Lidocaine, a local anesthetic, is classified as a Class 2, Penalty Category B substance on the Controlled Therapeutic Medication Schedule compiled by the Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI). For a first offense, the ARCI's recommended Category B penalties are a “minimum one-year suspension absent mitigating circumstances [and a] minimum fine of $10,000 or 10% of total purse (greater of the two) absent mitigating circumstances.”
According to the ruling, both Hammond and Kevin Brown (who owns Floroplus under the stable name Small Town Paddock), waived rights to formal stewards' hearings.
Small Town Paddock won six of nine races, second in the standings at Turfway's 2021 winter/spring meet, and Hammond won four of 10 starts during that time. Her suspension runs Apr. 6-20.
Floroplus, a 7-year-old, has won nine of 22 lifetime starts.
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Fastnet Filly Flies to ‘TDN Rising Star’-dom
Dispatched at debut odds of 9-1 in Thursday's fourth race from Aqueduct, Lawrence Goichman's Star Devine (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) gave her rivals a bit of a head start after hopping slightly at the break, but she was handled perfectly thereafter by Trevor McCarthy and stormed home down the center of the track to graduate in sharp time to become a new 'TDN Rising Star.'
Spotting the field a couple of lengths after that slow break, Star Devine–a 200,000gns purchase by Mike Ryan out of the 2019 Tattersalls October Sale–Book 1–was allowed to find her feet and settled last but one as the leaders went a good gallop up front. Tracking favored Dovima (Union Rags) through in about the three path on the turn, she was steered out decisively to the grandstand side as they hit the top of the lane and she covered her final two furlongs in a slick :22.53 (per Trakus data) to take it by 1 1/2 lengths.
Star Devine is the second foal for her dam, who was purchased by Mick Flanagan for 350,000gns in foal to Mastercraftsman (Ire) at the 2016 Tattersalls December Mares sale. Stars At Night is a half-sister to 2011 G1 QIPCO 1000 Guineas and G1 Darley Yorshire Oaks winner Blue Bunting (Dynaformer) and a full-sister to MGSP Exemplar (Ire). Star Devine has a 2-year-old full-brother named Poker Face (Ire) and a yearling full-sister. Star Devine is bred on the exact same cross responsible for GI Man o' War S. heroine Zhukova (Ire), G1 Investec Oaks winner Qualify (Ire), G1 Moyglare Stud S. victress Intricately (Ire) and Australian Group 1 winners Personal (Aus), Age of Fire (Aus) and Magicool (Aus).
4th-Aqueduct, $80,000, Msw, 4-8, 3yo/up, f/m, 6fT, 1:07.83, fm, 1 1/2 lengths.
STAR DEVINE (IRE), f, 3, by Fastnet Rock (Aus)
1st Dam: Stars At Night (Ire), by Galileo (Ire)
2nd Dam: Miarixa (Fr), by Linamix (Fr)
3rd Dam: Mrs Arkada (Fr), by Akarad (Fr)
Sales history: 200,000gns Ylg '19 TATOCT. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $44,000.
O-Lawrence Goichman; B-Rockhart Trading Ltd (IRE); T-Jorge R Abreu. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG. Click for the free Equineline.com catalog-style pedigree.
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Daughter Of Talent Steps Out At Kempton
Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Today's Observations features a daughter of Oaks winner Talent.
3.35 Fontainebleau, Mdn, €27,000, 3yo, c/g, 9fT
NINE WEST (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) debuts for the Wertheimers and Andre Fabre and is a G1 Prix du Jockey Club entered half-brother to the operation's star miler Solow (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}). Before Solow managed to bring up a sequence of five Group 1 wins, he broke his maiden in June of his 3-year-old season so time is on this homebred's side.
5.05 Fontainebleau, Mdn, €27,000, 3yo, f, 9fT
STAR GARLAND (IRE) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) is another Fabre representative of note to debut on this card, being Godolphin's daughter of the G1 1000 Guineas, G1 Irish Oaks and G1 Yorkshire Oaks heroine Blue Bunting (Dynaformer). Entered in the G1 Prix de Diane, the February-foaled bay is joined by the stable's Love Child (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), Lady Bamford's 700,000gns Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 1 graduate who is a half-sister to the G2 Prix Niel and G2 Prix Chaudenay winner Brundtland (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and who was disappointing on her sole start at Deauville in July.
5.40 Kempton, Mdn, £5,300, 3yo, f/m, 10f 219y (AWT)
PRETTY FAIR (IRE) (Dubawi {Ire}) is a daughter of the G1 Epsom Oaks heroine Talent (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) who has already produced a classy individual by this sire in last year's G2 Prix Corrida winner and G1 Prix Jean Romanet runner-up Ambition (GB). Simon and Ed Crisford have charge of Mark Dixon and James Rowsell's homebred, who meets nine rivals on this debut.
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