Midnight Storm Filly Fastest At OBS June Under Tack Opener

Hip No. 107, a daughter of Midnight Storm consigned by Scanlon Training & Sales, Agent, worked an eighth in :9 4/5 to post the fastest work at the distance at the opening session of the Under Tack Show for Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's 2021 June Sale of 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age.

The bay filly is a half sister to stakes winner Miss My Rose out of Ava G, by Afternoon Deelites, from the family of Grade 1-placed stakes winner Winter Treasure.

A pair of youngsters shared honors for the session's fastest quarter, stopping the timer in :21 1/5.

  • Hip No. 5, a chestnut filly by Uncaptured consigned by Ocala Stud, is a half sister to stakes winning OBS graduate Seismic Jolt out of Valid Concorde, by Concorde's Tune, a full sister to stakes winning OBS graduate Rocky River.
  • Hip No. 18, a bay colt by Candy Ride (ARG) consigned by Wavertree Stables, Inc, (Ciaran Dunne), Agent, is out of Viva Malala, by Malibu Moon, a half sister to Grade 1-placed stakes-winning OBS graduate Icabad Crane.

Two horses worked quarters in :21 2/5.

  • Hip No. 98, I'm a Cutie, consigned by Dynasty Thoroughbreds, is a gray or roan filly by Cupid out of Arc Angel, by Bodemeister, from the family of Grade 1 winner Shared Account.
  • Hip No. 155, a bay filly by Practical Joke consigned by Top Line Sales LLC, Agent, is out of Bustle, by More Than Ready, a half sister to graded stakes winner Takeover Target.
  • Hip No. 162, a dark bay or brown colt by Into Mischief consigned by White Lilac, Agent, is a half brother to stakes winner Little Nick V. out of Campionessa, by A.P. Indy, a daughter of grade one stakes winner Pacific Squall.

Eight horses breezed eighths in :10 flat.

  • Hip No. 22, Treasured Glory, consigned by Hidden Brook, Agent for Patricia Generazio, is a bay colt by Treasure Beach (GB) out of stakes placed Wave of Glory, by Midshipman, a half sister to stakes placed Pomeroy's Package.
  • Hip No. 30, a bay filly by Gone Astray consigned by AVP Training and Sales, Agent, is out of White Hands, by Exchange Rate, from the family of graded stakes winner Control System.
  • Hip No. 46, Midnight in Alaska, a bay filly by Almasty consigned by Dark Star Thoroughbreds (Stori Atchison), is out of stakes placed Working At Night, by Tiznow, a daughter of stakes winner No Reason.
  • Hip No. 82, Little Afrodite, consigned by Silvestre Chavez Thoroughbreds, Agent, is a chestnut filly by Shackleford out of Aly Pie, by Gold Case, a half sister to graded stakes winner Spelling Again.
  • Hip No. 122, a chestnut filly by Gormley consigned by Hemingway Racing and Training Stables, LLC, Agent, is out of graded stakes winner Beat the Blues, by Great Pyramid (IRE), from the family of stakes winner Dedicated Queen.
  • Hip No. 135, a dark bay or brown filly by Anchor Down consigned by Top Line Sales LLC, Agent, is a half sister to stakes placed Desanctus out of Bint Elusive, by Elusive Quality.
  • Hip No. 170, a chestnut filly by Central Banker consigned by Envision Equine, Agent, is out of Casablanca Babe, by Horse Chestnut (SAF), a half sister to graded stakes winner Musket Man.
  • Hip No. 185, consigned by Goldencents Thoroughbreds, is a chestnut filly by Flat Out out of Chasida, by North Light (IRE), a half sister to champion Private Zone, from the family of champion Chief Bearhart.

Hip No. 61, Cupids Dream, a daughter of Cupid consigned by Dynasty Thoroughbreds, Agent, turned in the day's fastest three eighths, stopping the timer in :33 2/5. The bay filly is out of About a Dream, by Bodemeister, a half sister to graded stakes winning OBS graduate Leah's Secret.

The Under Tack Show continues Thursday morning at 7:30 a.m. with Hip No.'s 186 – 370 scheduled to breeze.

To view the day's full results, click here.

The post Midnight Storm Filly Fastest At OBS June Under Tack Opener appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Rock Your World Reloads for Belmont

ELMONT, NY — After a forgettable run on the first Saturday in May, the previously unbeaten Rock Your World (Candy Ride {Arg}) will get his shot at redemption in the 153rd renewal of the GI Belmont S.

Off as the 9-2 second-choice in the GI Kentucky Derby following a jaw-dropping, front-running tally in the GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby at third asking, the dark bay's race was over well before his well-documented trouble at the start that day, per co-owner Kosta Hronis.

“I think he showed a lot of immaturity,” Hronis said. “The walkover, I'm not sure how kind he was about that and all those people on the racetrack with him. I don't think he was happy then and he wasn't happy in the paddock getting his saddle on, either. He just wasn't a happy camper. It's not his fault. He had three races. It proves that old adage about needing to run as a 2-year-old to win the Derby. I can see why they say that now. His immaturity definitely came to the surface in those couple of hours before the race.”

Off a step slowly from post 15 in the Derby, jockey Joel Rosario briefly lost his right iron aboard the Hronis Racing and Michael Talla colorbearer after getting bounced around between rivals at the start. From there, it didn't get all that much better. In the end, Rock Your World reported home a disappointing 17th, beaten 24 1/2 lengths.

“He didn't break out of the gate,” Hronis said. “And they blamed the horses for bumping us, but you know what? I blame us. The horse didn't break. I knew when he got that third bump on the first turn he was done at that point. Those things happen, it's horse racing.”

Hronis Inc., a family-run business based in California's San Joaquin Valley, has been raising table grapes since 1945. Launched in 2010 by brothers Kosta and Pete, Hronis Racing quickly reached the top of the sport with 2018 GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner and champion older male Accelerate (Lookin At Lucky) and was also recognized as outstanding owner at that year's Eclipse Awards.

Other GISWs campaigned by Hronis Racing include: Stellar Wind (Curlin), Higher Power (Medaglia d'Oro), Hard Aces (Hard Spun), Lady of Shamrock (Scat Daddy), Gift Box (Twirling Candy), et al. Having a first runner on the Triple Crown trail, however, has been a different ball game for the operation currently boasting approximately 60 head in training.

“We've won a Breeders' Cup Classic, and, to me, that's the pinnacle of horse racing,” Hronis said. “But to be in the Kentucky Derby, that's really an honor. We really feel privileged to be a part of these special days. If anything, it's made me thirsty to try to get back. I don't think I had that before. But now that we've been there and experienced it, I'm ready for another Derby. I just haven't had Triple Crown fever up until now.”

Like his owner, the Belmont's potential controlling speed, ahem, is coming into the Big Apple hot. Produced by a MSW & MGISP daughter of 2003 Belmont hero Empire Maker, Rock Your World fired a five-furlong bullet in :58 2/5 (1/34) at John Sadler's Santa Anita base May 28.

“Now that he's been through that once–he got to come back home and take a breath–he's worked really well,” Hronis said. “Let's just hope that he breaks out of the gate and gives himself a chance. The 1 1/2 miles [of the Belmont] seems to be right up his alley. We're going in very optimistic that he's going to run good race.”

A stud deal to stand Rock Your World at Spendthrift Farm at the conclusion of his racing career was previously inked prior to the Kentucky Derby.

“They're born to be racehorses and we'd like that to continue as long as they want do that,” Hronis said. “Horses do let you know. I love Rock Your World, and as long as he's happy and competing well, we've all agreed that's what we want to do. And Spendthrift, I thank them. They reached out and took a chance on him and I'm hoping it pays big dividends for them.”

Bred in Kentucky by Hall of Fame trainer Ron McAnally and his wife Deborah, Rock Your World brought $650,000 as a Keeneland September yearling. Partnering up to go after some flashier offerings was a new approach employed by the Hronis family in 2019.

“This was an expensive horse,” Hronis said. “We had our eye on a few expensive horses, so instead of just tackling it by ourselves and picking one, we did three partnerships with some yearlings that were a little bit pricey. It lessens the risk. It's kind of like the stock market. You don't want all your stock in one thing. It's the first time that we've done that and I'm not sure if we'll do anything like that in the future again. It was a good idea to minimize our exposure on these really fancy horses. It's becoming a popular thing now, you see it more and more.”

In addition to Rock Your World, another one of those “fancy horses” posted one of the more impressive debut victories in recent memory at Santa Anita in late April. Flightline (Tapit) earned a gaudy 105 Beyer Speed Figure–the second highest on the year among sophomores–in a no-brainer 'TDN Rising Star' performance, romping by 13 1/4 lengths. The $1-million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga buy is campaigned in partnership along with Siena Farm LLC, breeder Summer Wind Equine and West Point Thoroughbreds.

“We're just trying to be really cautious with him because that may be the most talented horse that we've ever had in our barn,” Hronis said. “He is a special special horse.”

Flightline has yet to return the worktab, but remains in light training with Sadler at Santa Anita.

“I would've loved for him to come with Rock and run in the [GI] Woody Stephens [S. on the Belmont undercard],” Hronis said. “After his maiden win, that's what we were talking about. Then he told us, 'No.' We just have to keep everything spaced out for him. I'm sure when he's ready, we'll find a nice race for him. I'm honored to be partnered with that group.”

Rock Your World still didn't make the cross country trip from California alone. Hronis and Sadler will also be represented during this week's Belmont S. festival with GI Churchill Downs S. winner Flagstaff (Speightstown) in Friday's GII True North S. The duo also teamed up to capture the 2019 renewal with Catalina Cruiser (Union Rags).

“My daughter worked for NBC in New York for about four years, so we did experience the city a few times,” Hronis concluded. “It's a beautiful city. Being a California boy that lives out in the country, the big city is really not something we're used to. We live out on a ranch. I don't have a neighbor for two miles and that neighbor is my brother! I've never been there before on Belmont day. You see that lineup of races and they're all so historic. We're really looking forward to it.”

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Minimum Fine for Mandella’s 4C Positive in San Simeon

Trainer Richard Mandella has been fined $500 by the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) for a Class 4 and Penalty Category C methocarbamol positive that turned up in the post-race test of Jolie Olimpica (Brz) (Drosselmeyer) after the MGSW mare ran third in the GIII San Simeon S. at Santa Anita Mar. 13.

The stewards' ruling was issued May 29. According to the original May 7 complaint, split-sample blood testing had confirmed the presence of the skeletal muscle relaxant.

Methocarbamol's 4C categorization is on the least-severe side of the scale on the Uniform Classification Guidelines for Foreign Substances list published by the Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI).

Mandella, a Hall-of-Fame conditioner who has been training since 1974, shows three other low-category medication fines of $500 each in the ARCI's rulings database: One for phenylbutazone and flunixin in 2018 at Santa Anita, one for methocarbamol at Santa Anita in 2011, and one for naproxen at Arlington Park in 2007.

In California, a trainer's first violation within a 365-day period for a Category C drug violation can result in a minimum fine of $500 to a maximum fine of $1,000 (absent mitigating circumstances).

CHRB spokesperson Mike Marten confirmed that Mandella paid the fine the day after the ruling was issued.

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HISA Board Chair: We Will Be Tough

Addressing the media Wednesday through a Zoom call, Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority Chair Charles Scheeler said that the authority will go to great lengths to clean up the sport and its efforts will include increased out-of-competition testing and investigative work that goes beyond the standard methods of drug testing.

When asked whether or not rules and penalties under the authority may be stricter than they are currently with state racing commissions, Scheeler replied: “It's certainly a possibility in some areas.”

He continued: “We need to make it so there is a sufficient deterrent so that the people who would violate these rules will think twice or three times and ultimately won't do it. My firm belief is that no matter how robust the drug testing system is it's not going to be sufficient in and of itself to deter the sort of doping that we want to deter. What we want to add in a very powerful way is an investigative unit to enforce the anti-doping rules. You see in sports that the greatest deterrents all came out of non-test cases, like Balco and Biogenesis and the recent work of Five Stones in horse racing. We intend to have a vigorous component to follow up on the rumors or the syringe that is found in the stall. What you have to come up with is comprehensive package that will significantly decrease usage. Some folks just look at it as, not if I should play fair or not, but through a very cold blooded cost-benefit situation. The costs have to be greater than the rewards.”

To achieve those goals, out-of-competition testing will be increased under the authority.

“There is definitely going to be more emphasis on out-of-competition testing,” Scheeler said. “I would not necessarily assume that it will happen at the expense of after-competition testing, which will remain in a fully robust form.”

During the 30-minute session with the media, Scheeler touched on a number of subjects:

(*) He said that racing will become more popular with the general public once the sport has been cleaned up.

“A cleaner and fairer sport is also going to be a more popular sport,” he said. “Quite frankly, one of the reasons horse racing has lost popularity is that many have been turned off by the fact that you have so many horses breaking down during the course of a racing season.  It is our job to make racing safer for the horses and for the jockeys. It is our premise that if we do so then horse racing will have chance to regain some of the popularity it used to enjoy. It is essential for the long term viability and popularity of the sport that we show we are doing whatever we can to make this sports safer for the participants.”

(*) Lawsuits questioning the constitutionality of HISA are pending and could delay the implementation of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act. Scheeler said those lawsuits have not kept the authority from moving forward. HISA is supposed to go into effect July 1, 2022.

“The lawsuits are not stopping the work from going forward,” Scheeler said. “We have started our work and we fully intend to meet the deadlines that are set forth in the act. Not only do we need to be up and running by July, 2022 but also we have to get a whole slew of proposed rules to the Federal Trade Commission so they can provide the public with an opportunity for review and for comment. We have every intention of being up and running in July, 2022 and meeting the deadlines in the act.”

(*) Scheeler cited the ongoing story with Medina Spirit (Protonico) as an example of what's wrong with the current system of policing the sport and enforcing the rules.

“I do think that the situation with Medina Spirit is instructive in a couple of areas,” he said. “One of the problems is that you have different types of penalties in different states for betamethasone and we really need to have a uniform system. It is very confusing to the public that certain levels of different medications are allowed in some jurisdictions and not in others. In this era, horses travel and compete in any number of jurisdictions. What we will bring to the table that will be very helpful in this type of situation is a system whereby the public is going to know what the rules are and that they are going to be the same in every Triple Crown race. The tolerances will be the same, the permitted substances will be the same and that there will also be testing in the same fashion. If there is a sanction it will be applicable across the board and not at some racetracks and not others. What this particular situation really speaks to is importance of having a uniform results management and enforcement structure.”

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