May, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

A Stinky Situation: Horses Can Smell Human Fear

A study from Poland has shown that horses are able to smell human emotions – including fear.

Dr. Agnieszka Sabiniewicza and her research team collected body odor samples from 10 people who were either happy or fearful to see if the emotional states elicited different responses in horses exposed to them.

The researchers asked the people involved in the study to avoid smoking, smelly foods, exercise, and alcohol for multiple days. They also asked them to wash their clothes in a perfume-free detergent. The scientists then showed the people a cartoon or a horror video while they were wearing sterile pads in their armpits. The pads were collected and frozen to preserve their odor.

The team exposed 21 adult horses to the pads that the fearful or happy humans had worn; the horses were also exposed to pads that were not worn at all, which served as the control.

For the test, two people stood in different corners of the stall while each horse was shown the pads. One person was familiar to the horse and the other was unknown. Neither person interacted with the horse. A pole with four odor pads (either all fearful, all happy or all control) was shown to the horse.

The team found that the horses exposed to the fearful odor raised their heads more frequently and for longer periods of time. These horses also touched the familiar person in their stall more frequently and for longer than they did when exposed to the control or happiness odors.

The team concluded that human body odor alone can serve as an indicator of human emotion and can cause horses to behave differently.

Five Takeaways From the 2021 Preakness

Tom Pedulla presents five takeaways from the 146th Preakness Stakes on Saturday at Baltimore’s Pimlico Race Course:

Bye Bye Makes Stakes Debut A Winning One In Soaring Softly

A class boost and increased distance did not faze Bach Stables' Bye Bye, who won by a neck in the fifth running of Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Soaring Softly for 3-year-old fillies going seven furlongs over the Widener turf course at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Bye Bye came into her stakes debut off a sharp debut on grass, where she broke her maiden at second asking by 2 ¾ lengths going five furlongs at Gulfstream Park. The talented bay handled a test in company and distance with class for trainer Christophe Clement.

Exiting the outermost post in the 11-horse field, Bye Bye broke on top, but took back slightly in the compact field as 64-1 longshot Lexinator commanded a swift opening quarter in 22.61 seconds over the firm turf with Star Devine to her outside in second.

As the field entered the far turn, a keen Bye Bye moved into third to the outside of the two frontrunners through a half-mile in 45.62. As Lexinator dropped out of contention, first-out maiden winner Star Devine found herself on the lead as jockey Eric Cancel was on an all-out drive aboard Bye Bye with Candace O launching her bid in between horses. At the eighth pole, Bye Bye took command and held off a late rally from multiple stakes-placed Invincible Gal to win by a neck in a final time of 1:21.19.

It was another neck back to third-place finisher Candace O, who garnered more black type after finishing third in the Bourbonette Oaks last out over the synthetic surface at Turfway Park.

Completing the order of finish were Star Devine, Tobys Heart, Can't Buy Love, Hit the Woah, La Libertee, Sleek Lynx, Lexinator and No Ordinary Time.

Clement, who earned his second stakes win of the meet after saddling She's My Type to victory in the April 30 License Fee, expressed some concern with the outside post.

“I'm a firm believer in saving ground, but there's only so much we can do,” Clement said. “She was wide all the way, but she was good enough to overcome it. Eric did the best he could. We knew she was nice and now we know she is very nice. She went from five to seven-eighths very well. This was a very good performance. It's exciting.

“We might try to make her a miler but not too much further than that,” Clement added. “I'll need to think about it a little bit. Let's enjoy the moment and go on from there.”

Cancel said he was impressed with the winning effort from Bye Bye.

“This filly is talented. I wasn't expecting this type of performance for her first time going seven furlongs,” Cancel said. “She kept on trying and never gave up on me, so as long as she was there for me, I was going to still be there for her and it just worked out well. I think she'll just keep on improving. Christophe knows what he's doing with her, and I just hope everything keeps on going the right way.”

Bye Bye rewarded her backers in $2 win payouts of $19 and racked up $55,000 in victory, which over tripled her bankroll to $82,400. Her record now stands at 3-2-0-0.

Bred in Kentucky by Malibu Farm, Bye Bye is out of the Smart Strike mare Garnet, whose third dam was Grade 1-winner Dream Supreme. She comes from the same family as recent turf stakes-placed World Tour.

The Soaring Softly is named in honor of the inaugural winner of the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf in 1999. Owned by Phillips Racing Partnership and trained by Jimmy Toner, Soaring Softly was a three-time graded stakes winner at Belmont Park, with all triumphs against graded stakes company. The Kris S. mare captured the Grade 2 Sheepshead Bay, Grade 2 New York and Grade 1 Flower Bowl Invitational, all in 1999, en route to a Breeders' Cup win and, subsequently, Champion Grass Mare honors.

Live racing continues Sunday with a nine-race card beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern. Sunday's Pick 6 will have a carryover of $36,011, starting in Race 4 at 2:32 p.m.

Starting on May 1, Belmont Park re-opened to a limited number of spectators. All admission must be purchased in advance at nyra.com/belmont/tickets/.

For comprehensive information on health and safety protocols in effect for the Belmont Park spring/summer meet, please visit: https://www.nyra.com/belmont/visit/plan-your-visit.

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Bob Baffert Releases Statement

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who has been embroiled in controversy this week after the news broke May 9 that his GI Kentucky Derby win with Medina Spirit (Protonico) may be in jeopardy after the horse reportedly tested positive for betamethasone, released a statement via attorney Craig Robertson prior to the GI Preakness S. Baffert did not attend the Preakness and Medina Spirit finished third in the second leg of the Triple Crown behind Rombauer (Twirling Candy).

The statement appears below in its entirety:

“As Medina Spirit prepares to run in the Preakness Stakes today, I want to keep the focus on this amazing equine athlete and not me, which is the primary reason I will not personally be in attendance. I do not want to serve as a distraction to what has always been of paramount importance–the joy of this great sport and the horses that make it possible.

“As I have stated from the beginning, there was never any attempt to game or cheat the system and Medina Spirit earned his Kentucky Derby win. While the presence of 21 picograms of an allowable therapeutic medication has yet to be confirmed by the split sample analysis, it would have nothing to do with Medina Spirit's hard-earned and deserved win. That win was the result of the horse's tremendous heart and nothing else.

“Notwithstanding the foregoing, I acknowledge that I am not perfect and I could have better handled the initial announcement of this news. Medina Spirit's Kentucky Derby win was so personally meaningful to me, and I had such a wonderful experience on May 1 at Churchill Downs, that when I got the news of the test results, it truly was the biggest gut punch I had ever received and I was devastated. That, coupled with the fact that I always try to be accommodating and transparent with the media, led to an emotional press conference on May 9 in which I said some things that have been perceived as hurtful to some in the industry. For that I am truly sorry. I have devoted my life's work to this great sport and I owe it, and those who make it possible, nothing but an eternal debt of gratitude.

“For those who want an explanation for what transpired with Medina Spirit, I have tried to be open and transparent from the beginning. Our investigation is continuing and I don't have definitive answers at this point. What I do know is that neither my barn, nor my veterinarians, directly treated Medina Spirit with the anti-inflammatory medication betamethasone. Even though it is allowable, it is just not something we have ever used with this horse. The only possible explanation that we have uncovered to date–and I emphasize the word possible–is that betamethasone is an ingredient in a topical ointment that was being applied to Medina Spirit to treat a dermatitis skin condition he developed after the Santa Anita Derby.

“I have been deeply saddened to see this case portrayed as a “doping” scandal or betamethasone labeled as a “banned” substance. Neither is remotely true. Betamethasone is an allowable and commonly used medication in horse racing. Further, 21 picograms would have zero pharmacology in a horse. All I ask is that everyone not rush to judgment and allow all of the facts, evidence and science to come to light.

“Lastly, while this has been extremely hard and emotionally draining on me and my family, today is not about Bob Baffert. Instead it is about Medina Spirit and all of the other equine athletes in our tremendous sport. I hope that everyone will direct their attention to them and give them the love and respect they so richly deserve.”

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