May, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

King Fury’s Fever Returns; Lexington Winner No Longer Under Consideration For Preakness

Trainer Kenny McPeek took Lexington (G3) winner King Fury out of consideration for the 146th Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico, reporting Tuesday that the temperature that had knocked him out of the Kentucky Derby (G1) has flared back up.

“There's no way to make the Preakness,” he said. “It's a no-brainer.”

McPeek said that King Fury had a “significant cough” Tuesday morning.

King Fury, who earned his way into the Kentucky Derby with an impressive victory in the Lexington at Keeneland, was withdrawn from the Run for the Roses the day before the race.

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Belmont Festival Tickets on Sale May 6

The New York Racing Association (NYRA) announced Tuesday that a limited number of tickets for the 2021 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will go on sale to the public on Thursday, May 6 starting at 10 a.m. ET via Ticketmaster.com. The three-day festival kicks off Thursday, June 3 and is headlined, of course, by the GI Belmont S. June 5. NYRA will offer advance pre-sale opportunities to 2020 Belmont Stakes ticket buyers, along with NYRA Bets Elite, Preferred and Bronze members, beginning on Wednesday, May 5. Eligible groups will be notified via email. With New York State set to expand capacity for outdoor sports and entertainment venues to 33% starting May 19, Belmont Park will be able to accommodate approximately 11,000 ticketed spectators. Ticketed inventory will be limited to reserved seats and hospitality areas–there will be no general admission tickets sold at this time. All ticketed spectators will be required to submit proof of completed vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result in order to enter Belmont Park.

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A Racing Saddle On The Cross Country Course? Meyerhoff Shows How It’s Done

Bobby Meyerhoff recently finished 16th in the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI4*-S. While his results are impressive, even more awe-inspiring was the saddle in which he rode: Meyerhoff, aboard Lumumba, completed all three phases of competition in a racing exercise saddle.

Meyerhoff first tried riding in the bare bones saddle last fall, on Fortuna, another of his competition mounts. He found that the petite mare, who was often back sore, went much more comfortable in the race training saddle. Meyerhoff says that the saddle allows him to truly feel his horse—all along their back—and forces him to ride better, as there is a very specific area of the saddle where he must ride to stay in balance. He compares riding in the treeless race training saddle to riding bareback, but with stirrups.

Meyerhoff first used the unusual saddle in competition at the Tryon CCI4*-L in both dressage and showjumping, but he competed in the cross-country phase of the Kentucky event in the saddle as well. A formidable cross-country course in a traditional saddle, the weather made conditions even trickier, but Meyerhoff persevered in his unconventional tack to finish with no jumping faults and just 31.2 seconds outside of optimum time.

Arlington Heights Trustees Take Steps That Could Impact Sale of Track

The Arlington Heights Board of Trustees has passed an ordinance that would prevent Churchill Downs from placing any restrictions on what a buyer of Arlington Park can and cannot do with the 326-acre property.

It is feared that Churchill will not sell the track to any individual or group that expresses an interest in opening a casino or even to anyone committed to maintaining racing at the historic Illinois track. Churchill may want to limit competition for the nearby Rivers casino that it co-owns in the town of Des Plaines.

There have been groups aligned with the horsemen that have come forward and said they were prepared to buy Arlington in order to keep it as a racetrack and were set to outbid all others for the property. Those same groups have expressed concerns that Churchill would not be willing to sell to anyone who intended to keep the track operating. The ordinance, which was passed unanimously at Monday night's meeting of the village's Board of Trustees, would prevent Churchill from attaching any conditions to the sale which would rule out a continuation of horse racing.

Throughout the meeting, trustees and other officials with the town made it clear that they would like to see racing at Arlington Park preserved.

“The track is so important to our village for many different reasons, including our identity, that I don't want to see the track go away,” said Trustee John Scaletta. “But it's not up to me. It's up to whoever purchases the property. But I think it's important to keep the door open so that it could possibly remain a track because there are so many people that want to see racing continue, not only in the state of Illinois but across the country. Hopefully, somebody will come to Arlington Heights with a desire to continue horse racing.”

Said Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes: “Everything remains on the table. We are taking these actions this evening to ensure that the possibility of horse racing remains on the table. Nothing is excluded, other than certain uses that we don't want to see.”

In a related development, the board took steps to redefine zoning restrictions for the property that would allow it to keep out certain businesses. The example of Amazon building a distribution center on the site was given as a development the town would block.

The Arlington site is also said to be on the radar of the Chicago Bears, which have been contemplating moving to a new stadium.

Churchill Downs is soliciting bids for the property through the commercial real estate firm CBRE Group, Inc. Bids are due by June 15.

According to Arlington Heights Village Manager Randall Recklaus, the nearby towns of Buffalo Grove, Schaumburg and Chicago have used similar procedures that have kept property owners from placing restrictive covenants limiting future uses for the land.

The problems for Arlington began when Churchill failed to apply for a casino license for the racetrack and then announced that racing would not continue after the end of the 2021 meet. Should Arlington, considered one of the most beautiful racetracks in the world, close, the Chicago area would be left with just one track, Hawthorne. Because Hawthorne is also required to run a harness racing meet, the amount of Thoroughbred racing that can be offered there is limited.

The Arlington meet is scheduled to conclude Sept. 25.

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