May, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

NAARV Calls for Revision of Medication Thresholds

In a release authored by its Executive Director Erica Minks, the North American Association of Racetrack Veterinarians (NAARV) is calling on the racing industry to adopt “rational thresholds” as they relate to post-race testing of racehorses. The release comes in the ongoing aftermath of Medina Spirit's positive test for betamethasone, which registered 21 picograms per milliliter.

“The North American Association of Racetrack Veterinarians has advocated for rational and common-sense thresholds for therapeutic medications in racing horses since its inception in 2014,” the release says. “As recently as December 2020, NAARV, with the support of both the Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association and United States Trotting Association, proposed a 100 pg/mL threshold (more than four times the level identified in Medina Spirit) for betamethasone. That's because research has recently been published demonstrating that positives below this level can readily be achieved with the simple exposure of the horse to urine from a treated horse, or the many betamethasone-containing creams and sprays for topical use that are available for both humans and horses.

“There is no evidence that this level of betamethasone has any effect on horse performance, nor on the masking of pain. Picogram thresholds and zero-tolerance for therapeutic medications in this current environment, where a thousandth of a picogram can be detected by state-of-the-art testing equipment, are not relevant.

“It is time for the racing industry to follow the science and adopt rational thresholds. By focusing on insignificant levels of therapeutic medications, the regulators of our sport are depriving the industry of appropriate veterinary decision making, alarming the public and fans of horse racing, and creating an erroneous impression of dishonesty and exploitation. This must stop before it collapses the industry. It must stop for the sake of the horse.”

The post NAARV Calls for Revision of Medication Thresholds appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

GFS Round Table Discussion – Part One

by Clodagh Kavanagh

The 2020-2022 Godolphin Flying Start trainees have been tasked to use their knowledge and creativity to come up with proposals for a new look U.S. Graded Stakes Program for 3-year-olds. These four round table discussions will be published in TDN on May 15, 17, 19, and 21.

First up we have England's George Broughton, England's Tommy Lyon-Smith and France's Marine Moussa who will be focusing on 3-year-old colts.

Click here for Part One.

Please send feedback and suggestions to the trainees via Kate Hardy at khardy@godolphinflyingstart.com.

All feedback will be correlated and responded to by the trainees in the TDN next week.

The post GFS Round Table Discussion – Part One appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Army Wife Completes Big Day For Maker With Black-Eyed Susan Victory

A half-hour after Last Judgment gave him his first victory in the Grade 3 Pimlico Special, trainer Michael Maker was standing in Pimlico's winner's circle alongside Three Diamonds Farm's Army Wife following the Declaration of War filly's off-the-pace triumph in Friday's 97th running of the Grade 2 George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes.

The Black-Eyed Susan, highlight of a 14-race card that kicked off Preakness weekend, was renamed to honor the legacy of George E. Mitchell, a community organizer in the Park Heights neighborhood surrounding Pimlico. Mitchell, who died in July 2020, was instrumental in efforts to keep the Preakness at the Baltimore, Md., track.

Ridden by Joel Rosario, Army Wife finished 2 3/4 lengths ahead of Willful Woman, with Lady Traveler another 1 1/4 lengths back in third. It was 10 lengths back to the fourth-place finisher, Forever Boss, who was followed across the line by Miss Leslie, The Grass Is Blue, 2-1 favorite Beautiful Gift, 3-1 second choice Adventuring, Iced Latte and Spritz.

Army Wife paid $11 and earned $150,000 from the winner's share of the $250,000 purse. She covered 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1:49.63.

Breaking from the inside post position, Rosario kept Army Wife close to the rail in sixth position early as Lady Traveler raced off to the lead while being pursued by the two horses with the outside post positions in the field of 10 3-year-old fillies, Adventuring and Beautiful Gift. Fractions were :23.71 for the opening quarter mile and :46.71 for the half.

Approaching the far turn, with the first six furlongs clocked in 1:10.92, Rosario asked Army Wife to close the gap on the leader, but then had to take ahold of the filly while lacking room around the turn.

Adventuring and Beautiful Gift gave up the chase at the top of the stretch, and Rosario swung Army Wife off the rail, drawing alongside Lady Traveler. After a mile split of 1:36.79, Army Wife drew off to win going away.

The victory was the first in a stakes for Army Wife, a $190,000 purchase at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co.'s spring sale of 2-year-olds in training in 2020. Bred in Kentucky by J.D. Stuart and AR Enterprises, Inc., the filly out of the Arch mare, Tread, races for the Three Diamonds Farm of Kirk and Debra Wycoff.

Army Wife needed four starts to break her maiden, winning for the first time at Churchill Downs last Oct. 25 in a seven-furlong maiden race. After a second-place finish versus allowance company at Churchill the following month, Army Wife was given a break, returning three and a half months later to win a one-turn mile allowance contest at Gulfsteam Park on March 13. She finished third behind Search Results in her stakes debut in the Grade 3 Gazelle at Aqueduct on April 3 in her most recent start.

“She's been a hard-luck horse her whole career,” Maker said. “She's been a filly I've been excited about since she was 2.”

The victory improved Army Wife's record to three wins, one second and two thirds from eight starts.

The post Army Wife Completes Big Day For Maker With Black-Eyed Susan Victory appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Army Wife Takes Black-Eyed Susan

Sent off at 9-2 following a troubled third last out in Aqueduct's GIII Gazelle S., Army Wife (Declaration of War) came from off the pace to collect her first graded victory in Friday's GII George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan S. at Pimlico. Lady Traveler (Quality Road) went to the front, leading Adventuring (Pioneerof the Nile) and 2-1 choice Beautiful Gift (Medaglia d'Oro) as Army Wife settled in a rail-skimming sixth early. Eagerly pulling herself into contention exiting the far turn, she checked slightly when trying to find room between the front-runner and Willful Woman (Nyquist), but quickly recovered. Swung out for the stretch drive, the Three Diamonds Farm runner produced the strongest turn of foot late, rolling home by 2 3/4 lengths over Willful Woman. Lady Traveler took third. It was 10 lengths back to Forever Boss (Tapiture) in fourth. Favored Beautiful Gift was seventh.

Army Wife gave Maker his second consecutive stakes win of the day following Last Judgement (Congrats)'s front-running win in the GIII Pimlico Special S.

“They looked like they had a good pace in the beginning,” said winning rider Joel Rosario. “I thought was going to be forwardly placed, but the way they were moving, I was a little farther back.”

He added, “It was a decision that I had to make because they were coming back a little bit in front of me and I had horse. I decided I needed to go because I had some room to go and just let her run her race like she always does.”

When asked about the beaten favorite, Bob Baffert assistant Jimmy Barnes said, “Obviously, we are disappointed. We thought she would run a little better than that. Johnny [Velazquez] said that when he needed horse he just didn't have it. We'll wrap things up and probably head back to California with her.”

Army Wife finished fifth sprinting on the turf at Belmont last October before closing from off the pace to score by 3/4 of a length while stretching to seven panels at Churchill Oct. 25. Runner-up behind subsequent Trapeze S. winner Oliviaofthedesert (Bernardini) in a one-mile optional claimer at the Louisville oval in November. Given a freshener after that, she returned with a nose win at Gulfstream Mar. 13 prior to the nine-furlong Gazelle.

Pedigree Note:

Army Wife gives her sire Declaration of War his 19th graded winner. The winner's dam Thread is a half-sister to Grade I winner Furiously and to Dancinandsigin, dam of Grade II winner and Scherzinger (Tiz Wonderful). Subsequent to the Black-Eyed Susan victress, she produced her most recent live foal, a Jimmy Creed filly, in 2019.

Friday, Pimlico
GEORGE E. MITCHELL BLACK-EYED SUSAN S.-GII, $250,000, Pimlico, 5-14, 3yo, f, 1 1/8m, 1:49.63, ft.
1–ARMY WIFE, 120, f, 3, by Declaration of War
1st Dam: Tread, by Arch
2nd Dam: Scoot Yer Boots, by Seeking the Gold
3rd Dam: Whirl Series, by Roberto
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($50,000 Ylg '19 FTKFEB; $190,000 2yo '20 OBSAPR). O-Three Diamonds Farm; B-J D Stuart & AR Enterprises Inc. (KY); T-Michael J Maker; J-Joel Rosario. $150,000. Lifetime Record: 8-3-1-2, $288,972. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Willful Woman, 120, f, 3, Nyquist–Foxy Danseur, by Mr. Greeley. ($400,000 Ylg '19 FTSAUG). O-Alex & JoAnn Lieblong; B-Clearsky Farms (KY); T-Steven M Asmussen. $50,000.
3–Lady Traveler, 120, f, 3, Quality Road–Ask the Question, by Silver Deputy. ($350,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-West Point Thoroughbreds, John A Ballantyne, William T Freeman & Michael Valdes; B-Hidden Brook Farm, Candy Meadows LLC & Chris Swann (KY); T-Dale L Romans. $25,000.
Margins: 2 3/4, 1 1/4, 10. Odds: 4.50, 13.30, 18.30.
Also Ran: Forever Boss, Miss Leslie, The Grass Is Blue, Beautiful Gift, Adventuring, Iced Latte, Spritz. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

The post Army Wife Takes Black-Eyed Susan appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post