April, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Lester Piggott and Frankel Honoured in Inaugural Hall of Fame Class

Legendary jockey Lester Piggott and Juddmonte's undefeated champion Frankel (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) are the inaugural members of the QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame.

Born on Nov. 5, 1935, the 11-time Champion Jockey (1960, 1964-1971, and 1982) began riding at age 10, and booted home his final winner at age 60. Among the champions that Piggott rode was British Triple Crown hero Nijinsky (Northern Dancer) for trainer Vincent O'Brien. Nicknamed the Long Fellow, Piggott is 5′ 7 ½”, and he rode 4,493 winners including 30 British Classics and 116 wins at Royal Ascot during his lengthy career in the saddle. His first winner came at age 12 with The Chase at Haydock Park in 1948.

Of the 30 Classics he won, there were nine victories in the G1 Derby: Never Say Die (1954), Crepello (1957), St Paddy (1960), Sir Ivor (1968), Nijinsky (1970), Roberto (1972), Empery (1976), The Minstrel (1977) and Teenoso (1983). Piggott also claimed the Irish equivalent five times and Derbys in France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Singapore and Slovakia. Eight G1 St Legers went his way, as well as six G1 Oaks, a quintet of G1 2000 Guineas and a brace of G1 1000 Guineas. France's greatest race, the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, was claimed by Piggott three times, two of those titles with Alleged (Hoist the Flag) in 1977-78.

Piggott retired from the saddle in 1985, but returned several years later for a brief comeback before retiring for good. Click here to view a QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame video on the great 85-year-old reinsman.

The highest-rated Thoroughbred in history, Frankel was foaled on Feb. 11, 2008. Named for the late trainer Bobby Frankel, the Juddmonte hombred debuted at Newmarket on Aug. 13, 2010 and promptly earned 'TDN Rising Stardom' for his half-length win over subsequent Group 1 winner Nathaniel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). The Sir Henry Cecil trainee added a win at Doncaster by 13 lengths that September, as well as the G2 Juddmote Royal Lodge S. later that month and the G1 Dubi Dewhurst S. to seal his champion juvenile honours in October.

After a dominant victory in the April 2011 G3 Totesport.com Greenham S., the late Prince Khalid Abdullah's bay colt exploded away to win the G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas by six lengths later that month. He rattled off additional wins in the G1 St James's Palace S, G1 QIPCO Sussex S., and G1 QIPCO Queen Elizabeth II S. that year and was once again named a champion.

Sportingly kept in training at four, Frankel picked up right where he had left off, with a score in Newbury's G1 JLT Lockings S. in May, before another Royal Ascot victory, this time in the G1 Queen Anne S. in June. Another triumph in the Sussex S. in early August of 2012 followed, and he ventured beyond a mile for the first time with a seven-length win in the 10-furlong Juddmonte International S. Frankel's swansong came in the G1 QIPCO Champion S. that October and he once again earned a divisional championship.

Retired to Banstead Manor Stud with a perfect 14-14-0-0 mark and $4,789,144 in earnings, Frankel was named the highest-rated horse on the Longines World Thoroughbred rankings at 140. Ten of his wins were at the highest level and he was the first horse in 60 years to be named a champion at two, three and four.

“I cannot believe in the history of racing that there has ever been a better racehorse,” said the late Sir Henry Cecil, Frankel's trainer, after Frankel had signed off his flawless 14-race career with victory in the QIPCO Champion S. at Ascot in 2012. Click here for a video on the Juddmonte wunderkind and successful sire, who already has 63 black-type winners to his credit.

The post Lester Piggott and Frankel Honoured in Inaugural Hall of Fame Class appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Going High Tech With Online Gambling

There are different kinds of gardens that require different kinds of garden tools. There are shops for garden tools that cater to all kinds of gardens and others specialize in a certain kind of garden. There are also stores for the best gardening tools that offer alternative tools such as natural pest control methods, organic fertilizers and ergonomic garden tools. Most of these shops offer the best gardening tools.

So in your search for the most useful tools for your gardening activities, it is important to note what kind of garden you have.

The best gardening tools that any gardener may have could be the following:

Secateurs are basic pruning tools and one of the most appreciated tools for a gardener. When you buy a secateur make sure that it always stays sharp to avoid damaging the plant. Look for models that have blades that can be sharpened and replaced, models with tension control and with sizes that best fit your hands. Secateurs usually cost around $50 – $130.

Hedge trimmers or shears are also one of the coolest gardening tools that should be always available to a gardener. These tools are best used for pruning hedges and shrubs. There are hedge trimmers that have curved blades to stop branches from sliding out when cut.

Forks are used for turning and aerating compost and breaking up lumps of soil. Forks are one of the handiest gardening tools that have been in existence for a long time. Older designs are recommended. Forks don’t usually have lots of features to sport, so better look for sturdiness instead. Forks usually cost around $30 – $100.

Shovel as opposed to a spade has a scoop blade. It is best used to move around dirt and garden soil.

Spade as opposed to a shovel has a flat blade. It is best used for cutting edges, digging and dividing plants. Always make spades as sharp as possible. Usual cost for spades ranges from $30 – $50.

A gardener will have a hard time completing most gardening activities without a shovel or a spade.

A Pruning saw is used to prune plants like roses. Pruning saws have a blade that fit between stems or branches that easily and cuts them as you pull the prune backwards. Pruning saws usually cost $27- $55.

The best gardening tools don’t have to be so expensive. Flea markets and garage sales can be excellent sources of these useful gardening tools.

Garden tools are a necessity when growing a garden, and for your garden only the best gardening tools are acceptable.

O’Neill Sending Lava Man (aka The Coach) To Assist Hot Rod Charlie In Kentucky

Doug O'Neill is nothing if not confident about Hot Rod Charlie's chances in Saturday's Grade 1 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky,

Of course, that's not headline-worthy information for the trainer who turns 53 on May 24. He already has two victories in the Run for the Roses on his growing resume, in 2012 with 15-1 outsider I'll Have Another and in 2016 with 2-1 favorite Nyquist.

It's also not breaking news that O'Neill generally and refreshingly sees the glass as half full, and such is the case with Hot Rod Charlie, who worked six furlongs in 1:13.68 at Santa Anita Saturday prior to the first race.

It was Hot Rod Charlie's final major breeze for the 147^th Kentucky Derby, and O'Neill was still well-satisfied after he had a chance to sleep on it.

“I'm very happy,” O'Neill said by phone at 7 o'clock Sunday morning as he waited to board a plane that would lead him to the Bluegrass State. “He went very nice, very steady. It was exactly what we had hoped for, and Flavvy was very happy with it as well. That means a lot.”

“Flavvy” would be Flavien Prat, Santa Anita's runaway leading rider with a 93-54 bulge over runner-up Juan Hernandez. Prat was aboard Hot Rod Charlie for Saturday's workout and rides him in the first jewel of the Triple Crown.

“They're all individual horses, but we're optimistic,” O'Neill said when asked if there was a difference approaching Saturday's classic from his previous two experiences.

“But this year the Derby does seem like it's really wide open. It will be interesting to see where we draw (post positions will be announced on Tuesday) and how he settles in. He ships today and we're eager to see him at Churchill Downs and how he does.

“But like Nyquist and I'll Have Another, we're excited about the opportunity. He's a good shipper (having finished second by less than a length at odds of 94-1 to undefeated Eclipse Award champion Essential Quality in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Keeneland last year, and winning the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby at the Fair Grounds on March 20).”

Hot Rod Charlie, a Kentucky-bred son of Oxbow owned by Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing, LLC and William Strauss, will have elite company on his journey.

“His mentor, Lava Man, is going with him,” O'Neill said, referring to the fabled gelding who celebrated his 20^th birthday this year and is affectionately called “The Coach” by stable staff.

“He's funny,” O'Neill said of Lava Man, now a stable pony after a storybook career as a racehorse, once claimed for $50,000, winner of 17 of 47 races, earner of $5,268,706 and elected to the Hall of Fame in 2015.

“With his shirt on and a saddle on, he looks great. But like me, when you see him with his shirt off, you can tell he's 20.”

Not to worry. As Mark Twain once said, “Wrinkles should merely indicate where the smiles have been,” and for Team O'Neill, there have been plenty.

The post O’Neill Sending Lava Man (aka The Coach) To Assist Hot Rod Charlie In Kentucky appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Derby Winning Trainer John Ward Jr Passes at 75

John T. Ward Jr., whose many wins included a victory in the 2001 GI Kentucky Derby with Monarchos, passed away Saturday at age 75.

His death was reported by Churchill Downs, which released a statement from track president Mike Anderson.

“John Ward Jr. personified the phrase 'Kentucky hard-boot,'” Anderson said. “He was a third-generation horseman who worked tirelessly throughout his career, culminating with service as Executive Director of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. The dedication to his craft as a trainer was amplified 20 years ago when he patiently prepared Monarchos to a memorable victory in the 2001 Kentucky Derby. Our hearts and prayers will be with Ward's family and friends throughout Derby Week as they grieve during this difficult time.”

It was not immediately known what the cause of death was.

Ward's grandfather, John S. Ward, his father, John T. Ward Sr. and uncle, Sherrill Ward, were also successful horsemen, who helped pave the way for the University of Kentucky graduate. Sherrill Ward is a Hall of Famer and trained Forego.

Ward sent out his first horse in 1976, but his best years would come in the '90s and early 2000s, when he teamed up with owner John Oxley. The two teamed up to win the GI Kentucky Oaks in 1995 with Gal in a Ruckus. They also campaigned Eclipse Award winner Beautiful Pleasure, the winner of the 1999 GI Breeders' Cup Distaff. In addition to the Kentucky Derby, Monarchos won the GI Florida Derby.

After starting just six horses in 2012, Ward retired from training, but stayed active in the sport. Shortly after his retirement, Ward became the executive director of the Kentucky Racing Commission and also served as the chairman of the Association of Racing Commissioners International. He was also a founding member and past president of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, as well as the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (KTOB). He stepped down from his position at the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission in 2016.

“John Ward was a true gentleman who loved Thoroughbred racing,” the KTOB said in a statement Sunday. “Our deepest condolences to Donna.”

In a statement released Sunday evening, the Breeders' Cup said, “John T. Ward Jr. was a consummate horseman who enjoyed great success as both a trainer and as an industry executive, and engendered enormous respect among his peers throughout his career. From his training victories of Monarchos in the Kentucky Derby and Beautiful Pleasure in the Breeders' Cup Distaff, to his leadership as president of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, chairman of the Association of Racing Commissioners International and executive director of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, John served our sport with honor and distinction. We extend our deepest sympathies to his family and loved ones.”

Ward retired from training with 568 wins and 37 career black-type winners. He also won the GI Hopeful S. in 2002 with Sky Mesa, the 2002 GII Fountain of Youth S. with Booklet and the 2001 GI Acorn S. with Forest Secrets.

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