May, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Draw Favours Gran Alegria in Victoria Mile

Having run with credit when fourth trying the 2000-metres for the first time in the G1 Osaka Hai last month, champion Gran Alegria (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) returns to a much more manageable trip as the warm favourite for the G1 Victoria Mile at the Fuchu Racecourse in Tokyo. The race serves as a 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Del Mar in November.

After taking down the colours of 2020 Victoria Mile heroine and former Horse of the Year Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) for a female 1-2 in the G1 Yasuda Kinen over this course and distance last June, the daughter of US MGISW Tapitsfly (Tapit) bested future G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint winner Danon Smash (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) in the G1 Sprinters' S. (1200m) in October. The bay closed out a magnificent season with an eye-catching success in the G1 Mile Championship and, having passed on the G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen, was first-up in the Osaka Hai, in which easy underfoot conditions blunted her otherwise stinging late run and she could do no better than a meritorious fourth to the unbeaten Lei Papale (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}). She is drawn nicely in gate six, with Christophe Lemaire back in the boot.

“The horse is calm and has done what I expected,” commented trainer Kazuo Fujisawa. “Last time the distance and the ground went against her, but she still ran pretty well. She'll be back at Tokyo and over a mile, where she's had success.”

Terzetto (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) carries the Silk Racing colours same as Almond Eye and is the 1600-metre doppelganger of Lei Papale. Five-for-six in her career, with her only defeat coming over 10 furlongs, the bay has won four on the trot, including a fast-finishing tally against the boys in the G3 Lord Derby Challenge Trophy going this distance at Nakayama Apr. 3.

“She's looked good in training, moving well, and she displays her natural ability,” said trainer Shoichiro Wada. “It won't be easy against the strong horses here, but she handles challenges well, and it will be interesting to see what she can do. She'll be going into the race in good condition.”

Terzetto is out of a half-sister to Loves Only You (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), recent winner of the G1 FWD QE II Cup at Sha Tin in Hong Kong.

Des Ailes (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), a daughter of 2014 G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and Prix de Diane winner Avenir Certain (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), found the Oaks distance of 2400 metres a task too tall last season, but has found her niche over shorter trips and enters this return to Group 1 company off a neck defeat of Magic Castle (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the se-restricted G2 Hanshin Himba S. going the metric mile Apr. 10.

Resistencia (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}), an unlucky runner-up in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen at the end of March, fits with these on class, but drew miserably in stall 18 and is accordingly double digits in the market

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Hold’em Poker Has It All

It’s obvious to everyone that Texas Holdem is the most popular form of poker in the world today. It’s unthinkable to have a brick and mortar or online poker room that doesn’t spread Holdem in one form or another. It’s also the chosen game for the biggest poker cash tournaments in history, including the main event of the World Series Of Poker which decides the world champion each year.

The reasons for Holdem’s success as a game are numerous, including it’s easy to learn rules, complex advanced strategies, quickness of play and well proportioned balance between luck and skill. It’s inherent properties seem to offer something for all types of poker players. Action junkies will love the quickness play and sophisticated bettors can enjoy learning the endlessly debated advanced strategies possible. Another big part of the games growth comes from the actuality that the cards and odds often allow for rookie players to win a session or tournament against practiced players. Achieving results, even just occasionally, always encourages new hobbyists to continue playing without intimidation.

Will Holdem always be the poker game of choice, or is it possible another game will become the new favorite? Older poker games like Stud and Draw could possibly regain some momentum however this is an unlikely scenario as these games are currently being shunned by many new action players for their naturally slow pace of play. Other known games like Guts (3 card poker) seem a little too wild and precarious for most players and Pan (a form of chinese poker) is immediately seen as being just too complicated.

It is more likely that a newer game like Crazy Pineapple or Badugi would take over as the number one. Pineapple is essentially a spin-off from Holdem and Badugi is a fun new form of 4-card poker that is played triple-draw for low. These new games can be exciting poker alternatives when a bit of variety is needed in our playing sessions.

Keeping Holdem as a foundation to their poker activities, most players seem to learn the rules and dabble in the other poker games after a year or two of play. Regardless of these tendencies, it’s certain that the Holdem craze is not going to end anytime soon since it has been the introductory game for the biggest wave of new players in history.

Churchill Downs Racing Club’s Warrior’s Club To Join TRF At Chestnut Hill Sanctuary

The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF) will welcome graded stakes winner Warrior's Club to the TRF Sanctuary Farm at Chestnut Hall through a generous $30,000 donation from the Churchill Downs Racing Club.

“The Churchill Downs Racing Club has been a real thrill and has generated hundreds of new Thoroughbred owners,” said Gary Palmisano, Churchill Downs Racing Club Director. “Warrior's Club has taken his members and the club on an incredible journey and he deserves, like all Thoroughbreds, to live out his days in a place where people can visit him and he can enjoy his retirement.”

Warrior's Club was the first horse for the Churchill Downs Racing Club which was started in 2016 and the son of Warrior's Reward took the 200 partners involved in his group on a whirlwind ride over the course of four years winning races at marquee tracks across the country with victories at Churchill Downs, Saratoga, Oaklawn and Keeneland. Trained by Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas, Warrior's Club amassed earnings of over $850,000 including a victory in the Grade III Commonwealth Stakes at Keeneland Race Course and competed at the sport's highest level, even participating in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (GI).

The Churchill Downs Racing Club has a commitment to aftercare. Through the success of Warrior's Club on the racetrack, the group was able to purchase several other horses, all of whom have gone on to second careers and homes after racing. To date, the club has either claimed back or purchased back all but two horses, both of whom are actively still racing, to ensure safe and happy retirements.

On behalf of Warrior's Club and the Churchill Downs Racing Club donations also were made to Second Stride, New Vocations, the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund and Thoroughbred Charities of America.

The TRF Sanctuary Farm at Chestnut Hall opened in April 2021. The farm, a first-of-its kind, was designed to give the Louisville community and fans from around the world a direct connection to the horses at the heart of horse racing. The new TRF Sanctuary Farm at Chestnut Hall will be the permanent home of 11 horses from the organization's national herd of 500 retired Thoroughbred racehorses. These “herd ambassadors” will serve as educators to tell the story of the long life and diverse second careers that await these equine athletes when their racing days are done. Located on nearly 30 acres of historic farmland in Oldham County and featuring a beautiful farmhouse restored to serve as an event venue, Chestnut Hall has been created for the express purpose of connecting Thoroughbred horses to the people of Louisville, the Commonwealth of Kentucky and beyond. Starting mid-May, the farm will be open to the public for tours through Visit Horse Country and will be available as a unique venue for educational events and fundraisers for nonprofits across the Louisville community.

Sea the Stars Colt a New Rising Star At Newmarket

Friday's Betfair Novice S. at Newmarket looked a strong heat on paper, but Juddmonte's Derab (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) turned the mile contest into a procession as he registered a 6 1/2-length success in the style almost demanded of a half-brother to Clarehaven's stellar Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}). Just over an hour after the filly that beat him at Newbury last time, Snow Lantern (GB) (Frankel {GB}), had proven such a disappointment at York the John and Thady Gosden-trained homebred was intent only on moving forward at a rate of knots. Always happy racing towards the front up the centre of the track under Martin Harley, the 10-11 favourite was left in control of affairs well before the two-furlong pole and hardly had to come out of second gear to set his seal on the race. Shaken up to put the result beyond doubt heading down into the “dip”, the bay was amply generous as he inflicted the heavy defeat on the well-regarded William Haggas-trained Fireworks (Fr) (Kingman {GB}), in turn a head in front of the newcomer Injazati (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire}). Derab does hold an entry in the G1 Epsom Derby June 5, but John Gosden is not entertaining that great leap. “We will either keep him at a mile or go a mile and a quarter and look at options over those trips,” he said. “He has made big bounds, as he has always wanted to be in a hurry about life but he is doing things in the correct rhythm now.”

Second on debut over seven furlongs behind TDN Rising Star and subsequent G3 Tattersalls S. winner and G3 Craven S. runner-up La Barrosa (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) at Ascot on his sole juvenile start in September, Derab was 1 3/4 lengths behind Snow Lantern upped to this more suitable trip at Newbury Apr. 18 but was a different proposition this time. Ultra-professional throughout, the stoutly-bred blueblood has the world at his feet with all the indications that he will progress markedly when upped in trip. “He ran very well at Ascot first time out, then we ran into a problem in the autumn,” Gosden explained. “He came back and he was a bit fresh. We were very keen to settle him at Newbury and we were more interested in settling him than anything else. He was much more sensible today and he has run a lovely race. He has grown up a lot.”

Derab's half-sibling Enable needs little introduction, with her brilliant haul including a record-setting three G1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth S. and two renewals of the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, as well as the G1 Epsom and Irish Oaks, a G1 Eclipse S. and a GI Breeders' Cup Turf. The dam Concentric (GB) (Sadler's Wells), who was successful in the Listed Prix Charles Laffitte and runner-up in the G3 Prix de Flore at or around 10 furlongs, has also produced the useful Contribution (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) who was third in the G2 Prix de Pomone and G3 Prix Allez France, and Entitle (GB) (Dansili {GB}) who was second in the G3 Musidora S. Her 2-year-old full-brother to Enable is named Lenient (GB), while she also has a 2021 full-sister to Derab.

The second dam Apogee (GB) (Shirley Heights {GB}) was successful in the G3 Prix de Royaumont before producing the G3 Prix du Chemin de Fer du Nord and G3 Prix Thomas Bryon winner Apsis (GB) (Barathea {Ire}) and Dance Routine (GB) (Sadler's Wells) who took the G2 Prix de Royallieu and also the Royaumont and was runner-up in the G1 Prix de Diane. She in turn produced Flintshire (GB) (Dansili {GB}), whose exploits included two victories in the GI Sword Dancer S. and wins in the G1 Grand Prix de Paris and GI Manhattan S. as well as two second placings in the Arc. The third dam is the Epsom Oaks runner-up Bourbon Girl (GB) (Ile de Bourbon) whose best performer was the G2 Grand Prix de Chantilly winner and G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud runner-up Daring Miss (GB) (Sadler's Wells) and who is the ancestress of the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud hero Spanish Moon (El Prado {Ire}) and his G2 Ribblesdale S.-winning full-sister Spanish Sun.

5th-Newmarket, £8,050, Novice, 5-14, 3yo, 8fT, 1:38.85, g/s.
DERAB (GB), c, 3, by Sea the Stars (Ire)
1st Dam: Concentric (GB) (SW & GSP-Fr, $117,776), by Sadler's Wells
2nd Dam: Apogee (GB), by Shirley Heights (GB)
3rd Dam: Bourbon Girl (GB), by Ile de Bourbon
Lifetime Record: 3-1-2-0, $14,216. O-Juddmonte; B-Juddmonte Farms Ltd (GB); T-John & Thady Gosden. Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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