April, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

What’s In A Name: Joan of Arc

Racing success makes the name of a horse just right in most cases, and this is likely to happen with very promising 3-year-old filly JOAN OF ARC, a winner at The Curragh Mar. 21, the first day of spring. Still, this beautiful name seems so appropriate even now, because of the underlying historical connection between the French heroine Joan of Arc and the great scientist Galileo Galilei. In fact, both Joan of Arc and Galileo got in trouble with the Inquisition–to put it mildly. It was, and it was not, the very same Catholic Inquisition. There is a time difference of almost exactly two centuries. Joan, prisoner of the English, had to face the Church court of the Bishop of Beauvais (1431), while Galileo was summoned and tried by an inquisitory tribunal in Rome, with the Pope almost looking on (1633). Both were accused of heresy and of contradicting the Scriptures. Joan was charged because of her testimony of hearing the voices of Saints and wearing men soldiers' clothes, while Galileo's crime was to have declared that the earth moves around the sun, and not the other way around. Both had moments of weakness in the face of unfair clerical persecution, and retreated for a while, but not for long. They were found guilty. Joan, at 19 years of age, faced the harsher fate and was burned at the stake, while Galileo was put to house arrests until his death. They were colossal figures. Joan practically won the 100 Years' War for the French and liberated her country. Galileo is the father of modern physics and astronomy. The very last words of “Saint Joan,” George Bernard Shaw's play about Joan of Arc, seem a fitting tribute to both: “O God that made this beautiful earth, when will it be ready to accept thy saints? How long, O lord, how long?”

3rd-Curragh, €12,000, Mdn, 3-21, 3yo/up, f, 7fT, 1:33.26, s/h. JOAN OF ARC (IRE) (f, 3, Galileo {Ire}–You'resothrilling {GSW-Eng, GSW-Ire, $219,415}, by Storm Cat) Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0, $11,747. O-Derrick Smith, Mrs John Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien.

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American Freedom Gets First Winner at Keeneland

3rd-Keeneland, $60,000, Msw, 4-2, 2yo, f, 4 1/2f, :52.01, ft, 1 1/2 lengths.
AMERICAN BOUND (f, 2, American Freedom–Grace Abounds, by Stormy Atlantic) provided a further push for her first-crop sire (by Pulpit), becoming the Airdrie inmate's first winner Friday at Keeneland. The victory came just two days after another daughter of American Freedom sold for $550,000 at Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream to go with three six-figure sellers at OBS March. Let go at 12-1 while breaking from the rail, American Bound broke on top and edged away around the turn with Wesley Ward-trained favorite Magniloquent (American Pharoah) in hot pursuit. American Bound stiff-armed that foe in upper stretch despite struggling with her leads, and had built up enough of an advantage to hold off Bode by You (Munnings) by 1 1/2 lengths at the wire, stopping the clock in :52.01-:0.14 faster than the other division of juvenile fillies in race one. The winner's dam, from the family of MGSW Souvenir Copy (Mr. Prospector), is also represented by a Daredevil filly of 2020. Sales history: $20,000 Wlg '19 KEENOV; $15,000 Ylg '20 OBSWIN. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $36,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O-Terry Hutto; B-Sandra Sexton & Silver Fern Farm (KY); T-Joe Sharp.

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COVID Lockdown Threatens Opening Day at Woodbine

The Ontario government has put in place new COVID-19 restrictions that will last a minium of four weeks and include a ban on horse racing. What is being called an “emergency brake” went into effect Saturday, putting the Apr. 17 opener at Woodbine in doubt. Its sister track, the harness facility Mohawk Park, was not able to run on Saturday and will be shut down indefinitely.

There were 2,557 reported cases of COVID-19 Thursday in Ontario, the most in a single day since Jan. 22.

While understanding the serious of the pandemic, Woodbine CEO Jim Lawson has been frustrated by the government's efforts and said that people are not looking at the facts when it comes to horse racing. According to Lawson, there was only one case of COVID reported in 2020 between both Woodbine and Mohawk and none on the backstretch of either track.

“There wasn't enough thought and consideration given to a very large industry with a very large economic impact and a very stellar safety record,” Lawson said. “No one has really given any thought to racing because if they had, they never would have included racing in this lockdown. It's an outdoor activity with as near perfect safety record. No one is giving the industry its due.”

To back his point, Lawson questions why, during the four-week lockdown, NHL games will be allowed to continue and that golf will also be permitted.

“I am a golfer and am happy to go golfing,” Lawson said. “But I know that when I go out to the golf course, no one will stop me, no one will require me to wear a mask and no one will take my temperature. There will be no safety measures and protocols to speak of. If the government would come here and see what we are doing they'd have a completely different view.

“Here we are in our own little bubble with a perfect safety record and it is an outdoor activity. They say hockey, an indoor activity, has great safety measures in place. I don't say this wishing anyone any ill will, but there are NHL games being postponed and now the Vancouver Canucks have eight players with COVID. They've had more COVID in three days than we had in a year.”

Lawson said he has heard from several trainers who, because of the uncertainty, are delaying shipping into Woodbine. If the lockdown goes on too long, Lawson fears some of the stables may remain in the U.S. throughout the year.

“We've got trainers in Florida and Louisiana who are calling me, asking what do I think?” Lawson said. “My honest answer is I can tell you that we are having discussions but can't guarantee you we will open Apr. 17. I'm not going to tell them to come or to stay away. I just tell them the facts.”

Lawson said he has been working to convince public officials that racing should not have been included among the list of businesses that will not be allowed to operate during the emergency brake period. He said he has had productive discussions with health officials representing Ontario. He added that what is needed at this point is for the Toronto Health Department to consider the facts and allow racing to resume.

“I have spoken to [the Ontario Health Department] directly three or four times,” he said. “The province is telling me if you can get the local health authority on your side they will support live racing opening up. Will that happen in the next week or two weeks? With Toronto public health, we don't know for sure. I can tell you that we have delivered a huge package of documents that make our case.”

Lawson said he remains hopeful that the Woodbine season will start on time.

“I am still optimistic and that is based on my discussions with Toronto Health,” he said. “We need things to stabilize over the next week or two and we must continue to to have a good safety record on our backstretch.”

Lawson said that there are already 1,300 horses on the Woodbine backstretch, their trainers waiting for racing to resume.

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Jerkens ‘More Apt’ To Aim Gotham Winner Weyburn At Belmont Than Kentucky Derby

Trainer Jimmy Jerkens gave Grade 3 Gotham winner Weyburn a stiff three-eighths blowout on Wednesday morning over the Belmont Park training track in preparation for his nine-furlong debut in Saturday's Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino.

After two easy works following the Gotham, Chiefswood Stables' son of Pioneerof the Nile covered the three furlongs in :36.20 – the second fastest of 18 recorded works at the distance. Weyburn worked six-furlongs 1:16.60 five days earlier.

“If I'm running a horse that's going further than they ever have, I like to give them a little something close to the race just to open up their lungs a bit,” Jerkens said. “It was pretty close to his work before that, but he didn't go all that fast that day, so I didn't think it was a big deal with the five days, plus we had a lot of rain the next day.”

In upsetting the Gotham at 46-1 odds, Weyburn displayed tactical speed and fought gamely along the rail to get a nose to the better of fellow Wood Memorial aspirant Crowded Trade. He also earned 50 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, currently standing 10th on the leaderboard.

Despite qualifying for the “Run for the Roses,” Jerkens said he might be more inclined to train Weyburn up to the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes on June 5. His best finish in the 12-furlong “Test of a Champion” was Thomas Jo, who finished third behind a thrilling stretch run in 1998 where Victory Gallop infamously spoiled the Triple Crown bid of Real Quiet.

“We kind of have that in the back of our head that we'd more apt to aim for something like that than the Derby,” Jerkens said. “He's a horse that takes some time to get used to new places. He's high maintenance in that regard. We'd like to stretch the year out a little more.”

Jerkens seeks a second Wood Memorial triumph, having saddled Centennial Farms' Wicked Strong to victory in the 2014 edition.

Centennial Farms, graded stakes-winner Rocketry has been back to the work tab since getting some winter rest at the outfits Middleburg, Virginia facility. The veteran son of Hard Spun is possible for the $100,000 Flat Out on April 30 at Belmont Park.

After going three furlongs in 38.21 on March 21, he went an easy half-mile in 50.09 seconds.

“We'll try to make the Flat Out,” Jerkens said. “We were debating on whether to keep him here all winter because he always does well when he's with the rest of us. Sometimes when he gets turned out, he can get a little bored and then he comes back, and it takes a while to get into the rhythm of things.”

Rocketry, a three-time stakes winner, was last seen ending a nine-race slump when coming from ten lengths off the pace to win the 1 5/8-mile Grade 2 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance on November 6 at Keeneland.

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