May, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘More Than A Client’: Imperial Hint Owner Raymond Mamone Passes At Age 88

Trainer Luis Carvajal, Jr. announced via Twitter on Tuesday that his longtime owner and friend Raymond Mamone had passed away at the age of 88. According to bloodhorse.com, Mamone died after complications of COVID-19 on May 3, in his hometown of Somerville, N.J.

Mamone and Carvajal teamed up to win multiple Grade 1 races with their “Little Rocket,” Imperial Hint. The small-of-stature horse had an enormous heart and incredible speed, setting a track record for six furlongs at Saratoga when he won the G1 Vanderbilt in 2019 in a final time of 1:07.92.

Imperial Hint would have been a fourth generation homebred for Mamone, but that he gave the colt's dam, Royal Hint, to the facility that houses his breeding stock, Shade Tree Thoroughbreds, when she failed to produce much in her first several years. He later saw Imperial Hint as a 2-year-old at the farm, and paid $17,500 for the eye-catching youngster.

Imperial Hint would go on to compete on the international stage and in two editions of the Breeders' Cup, retiring with a record of 14 wins from 25 starts and earnings of $2.2 million. Mamone sold him privately to stand at stud in Louisiana.

“My heart is breaking,” Carvajal told bloodhorse.com. “To me, he was much more than a client. He was a friend, an uncle, and a dad. Mr. Mamone was a very special man. He gave me opportunities I'd never had before, and he gave me the horse of a lifetime.”

Pair Of Maiden Races Key To Thursday’s Rainbow 6 At Gulfstream Park

Live racing returns to Gulfstream Park Thursday with an eight-race program highlighted by a guaranteed pool in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 of $500,000.

First race post is 12:50 p.m.

There could be two key races in the Rainbow 6, both maiden claiming events.

The third leg of the Rainbow 6 is a $50,000 maiden claiming race for fillies and mares at five furlongs on the turf. The race drew a field of seven led by a tepid 3-1 morning-line favorite in Shea On a Mission, a Carlos David-trained daughter of Mission Impazible making her career debut. Bettabe Swift draws the rail after finishing second in her career debut at the same distance and surface for trainer Kathleen O'Connell. Uncaptured Heart will try the turf for the first time for trainer Ralph Nicks.

The eighth race, the final leg of the sequence, will also be a five-furlong turf event for 3-year-olds and up. Unlonely is a 7-5 favorite off a pair of second-place finishes for trainer Joseph Saffie Jr. Nketiah drops from maiden special weight company after a fifth-place finish in his debut on the dirt at Tampa. Gilberto Zerpa is the trainer.

The Rainbow 6 is only paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day's pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners, while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.

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Indiana Grand Donates Funding, Materials To Morning Dove Therapeutic Riding

Morning Dove Therapeutic Riding Inc., located in Zionsville, Ind., provides an essential service to many children and adults with disabilities in Central Indiana. Equine-assisted therapy gives these individuals the opportunity to participate in activities that complement daily routines and standard therapeutic services. Indiana Grand Racing & Casino began a three-year partnership with the organization in 2020 and recently provided a $10,000 donation along with 20 tons of materials and a new drag for the indoor riding arena.

“While doing a site visit to Morning Dove in 2020, we noticed the indoor arena had some dips and was in need of additional footing for the riding classes,” said Eric Halstrom, Vice President and General Manager of Racing at Indiana Grand. “We specialize in dirt appropriate for riding services, and it was an easy fix for us to donate 20 tons of material utilized on our racing surface so Morning Dove can earmark the funding directly to the individuals who participate in their therapeutic riding services.”

A team of three Indiana Grand individuals, Dillon Simpson, Justin Gabbard, and Austin Johns from the Track and Backstretch Maintenance crew, spent the day at Morning Dove to prepare and spread the indoor riding arena with the additional materials. The end product will provide more cushioning for the horses, riders, and assistants that walk alongside the horses during therapeutic sessions. In addition, Indiana Grand donated an arena drag to help keep the surface smooth for future classes in the enclosure.

Like a lot of organizations, Morning Dove was affected by COVID-19 restrictions last year. However, they worked diligently to get the services back to their clients last June and, with additional security and safety protocols, have continued their work.

“Ninety percent of what we do is outside, so being able to provide this to our clients and their families was crucial,” said Brad Schleppi, Executive Director at Morning Dove. “This is their outlet, and approximately 15 percent of our kids are immune-compromised, so we took extra precautions for the safety of everyone to ensure they were back enjoying their equine therapy.”

Sessions for clients come at a price tag of $150 per hour, which includes the assistants, horse care, equipment maintenance, and facility upkeep. However, due to donations, clients are only charged $45 per session thanks to support such as the $10,000 contribution from Indiana Grand.

“We are very appreciative for the continued partnership and support by Indiana Grand, because it gets kiddos on horseback,” added Schleppi. “For many, this is their social and physical interactions for the week, and thanks to organizations like Indiana Grand, we are able to continue these services to those who depend on Morning Dove for a major part of their routines.”

In addition to the funding from Indiana Grand, Harrah's Hoosier Park in Anderson, Ind. has also committed to a three-year agreement with Morning Dove for $10,000 annually.

For more information or to assist Morning Dove, go to their Website at www.morningdovetrc.org.

The 19th season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing is now in progress and continues through Monday, Nov. 8. Live racing will be conducted at 2:25 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, with first post on Thursday set at 3:25 p.m. In addition, six all-Quarter Horse racing dates are set on select Saturdays starting June 5 at 10 a.m. A special Indiana Champions Day highlighting the state's top Thoroughbred and Quarter Horses will be held Saturday, Oct. 30, beginning at noon. More information about the 2021 racing season is available at www.caesars.com/indiana-grand.

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Derby Winner Medina Spirit ‘Moving Very Well’ On First Day Back To The Track

Zedan Racing Stables' Medina Spirit returned to the track pre-dawn Wednesday morning for the first time since winning Saturday's Kentucky Derby (G1), jogging a mile around Churchill Downs under exercise rider Humberto Gomez. Jimmy Barnes, Bob Baffert's assistant who is overseeing the training of the horses at Churchill Downs while the Hall of Fame trainer tends to business at his California base, was on the pony accompanying Medina Spirit around the track.

“Very pleased with what we saw,” Barnes said. “He was moving very well and very happy. That's the main thing. It's kind of a cool morning, so that's a good training day for a horse.”

Barnes also expressed pleasure with Baffert-trained Concert Tour's morning gallop around the Churchill track under Gomez.

“He was strong,” Barnes said. “I like what I'm seeing. I've always liked Concert Tour. By not running in the Derby, he's real fresh now. He's had plenty of time between races.”

Gary and Mary West's homebred son of Street Sense, who impressively captured the Rebel Stakes (G2) at Oaklawn, was kept out of the Derby after sustaining his first loss while finishing third in the Arkansas Derby (G1).

Barnes said both horses will train Thursday following the 7-7:30 a.m. track renovation break at Churchill Downs.

Trainer Robertino Diodoro said a final decision will be made by Saturday but that Cypress Creek Equine, Arnold Bennewith and Spendthrift Farm LLC's Keepmeinmind is likely to run in the May 15 Preakness at Pimlico as long as he continues to do well in the aftermath of his Kentucky Derby (G1) seventh-place finish.

Keepmeinmind closed from last of 19 horses, rallying from about 20 lengths back and being forced eight-wide, to lose by a total of 8 1/2 lengths behind triumphant Medina Spirit.

Keepmeinmind resumed training at Churchill Downs Wednesday morning, jogging two miles.

“We'll give him a couple of days of going back to the track to make sure everything is OK and we'll discuss it with the owner group and make a decision by Saturday,” Diodoro said by phone from Hot Springs, Ark. “A guy never wants to be happy with seventh. But if you really watch the replay close, he was one of the few horses, maybe the only one, running at the end. He did get fanned out into the middle of the racetrack at the top of the lane. I think the track was starting to get very dry, and I think that's why he was one of the few horses running at the end. And he had a strong gallop-out.

“We were happy to get him back to his old running style, where we got the blinkers off and got him to relax the first part of it,” he added. “We just want to make sure we do right by the horse. So far, he's ate up and he's doing good, so we'll just give him a few more days to make sure he's 100 percent. If he's not 100 percent, we'll just take a step back. But right now, we're moving forward. But again, we want to make sure we do what's right by him, and not what we want to do. We want to let him tell us what he wants to do.”

Diodoro said David Cohen will be back aboard if Keepmeinmind runs in the Preakness.

Keepmeinmind showed last year that he can be competitive with the best of his generation. The son of Laoban started his career with a pair of seconds, the latter at 52-1 odds in Keeneland's Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1), won by beaten Derby favorite Essential Quality.

Diodoro added blinkers for Keepmeinmind's next start, a third-place finish at 30-1 odds behind Essential Quality and Hot Rod Charlie in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1). In the Kentucky Derby, Essential Quality was fourth, losing by a total of a length, while Hot Rod Charlie was third.

Keepmeinmind's Derby prep schedule was hampered by inclement weather and postponed races in Arkansas. He finished sixth in his 3-year-old debut in Oaklawn's Rebel Stakes (G2), won by Preakness contender Concert Tour, and then was fifth in Keeneland's Blue Grass (G2). The blinkers subsequently came off for the Derby.

“His running style is another thing I like about coming back in two weeks,” Diodoro said. “He really only runs the last three-eighths of a mile. That's the comment Cohen made, too. He just gallops. The other day he got back to his old running style where he just gallops along the first part of it, was nice and relaxed and takes one run at them the last three-eighths. I think his running style is more suitable when you have to come back in two weeks.”

Asmussen 'Happy' with Midnight Bourbon's Return to Track

Winchell Thoroughbreds' Midnight Bourbon, sixth in the Kentucky Derby (G1) after taking second in the Louisiana Derby (G2), resumed training early Wednesday morning. The son of Tiznow jogged around the Churchill Downs track under exercise rider Wilson Fabian for a possible start in the May 15 Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico.

Trainer Steve Asmussen said it was premature to make a final decision on the Preakness but that he's pleased with what he's seen so far from Midnight Bourbon since the Derby.

“I'm happy with how he went back to the track,” said the Hall of Fame trainer, who won the 2007 Preakness with two-time Horse of the Curlin and in 2009 with the filly Rachel Alexandra, also voted Horse of the Year. “The racetrack is a little bit wet this morning, but he handled it nicely. There's no reason to make the decision today. There's no upside.”

If Midnight Bourbon runs in the Preakness, he'll need a new rider with Mike Smith riding Concert Tour for trainer Bob Baffert. That is not among Asmussen's worries.

“There are six less riders in the Preakness than there is the Derby,” he said. “Somehow you figure it sorts itself out.”

Rombauer, Unbridled Honor and France Go de Ina are also expected to run in the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown. Mandaloun, Caddo River and Ram are on the list of possibles.

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