June, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Study: Cover Crops Like Ryegrass Extend The Grazing Season, Meet Horses’ Nutrient Requirements

In the Midwest United States, cover crops are fall planted annuals that can provide several environmental benefits and can extend the fall grazing season for many livestock. The objectives of this study, conducted at the University of Minnesota, were to determine forage yield, nutrient composition, and horse preference of five cover crops in a horse pasture.

Annual ryegrass, winter rye, berseem clover, purple top turnip, and daikon radish were grazed by four horses. Cover crops were seeded in August and grazed by the horses in September and October. Cover crop yield and nutrient composition were sampled prior to grazing and forage samples were analyzed for digestible energy (DE), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC). Turnip and radish were separated into leaf and root components and analyzed separately.

Berseem clover produced the least amount of forage yield; however, it was also the most preferred cover crop. Although daikon radish and purple top turnip produced the highest yield, horses did not consume the leaf or root components. When fed at 2% of the horse's body weight in dry matter per day, all cover crops met or exceeded the DE and CP requirements of an adult horse at maintenance. Although there are no recommended dietary levels of NSC for a healthy, adult horse, turnip and radish roots had considerably high NSC concentrations, which may be a concern when ingested in high quantities. However, horses did not consume turnip or radish roots during this study.

Based on horse preference, berseem clover, annual ryegrass, and winter rye appear to be suitable cover crops to extend the grazing season in horse pastures. For more information on this research, the abstract can be accessed from the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science.

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Essential Quality Draws Post Two in Belmont

Godolphin's Essential Quality (Tapit) will break from post two and was installed as the 2-1 morning-line favorite when post positions were drawn Tuesday morning for Saturday's GI Belmont S. The Brad Cox trainee suffered the first loss of his career when fourth in the GI Kentucky Derby, but had previously been undefeated in five starts and was named last year's champion 2-year-old male.

“He ran what I thought was a winning race in the Derby; he didn't have the trip, but he showed up and he's been improving in every start,” said Cox, who will be saddling his first Belmont Stakes runner. “I'm confident that he can handle the mile and a half. Just based off his works and his races, he's very steady and doesn't seem to get tired. He has a tremendous amount of stamina that I think he was just blessed with based on his pedigree. Luis [Saez] has a ton of confidence in the colt and he's confident Essential Quality can get the distance. We're hopefully set up for a big race Saturday.”

Breaking just to the outside of the morning-line favorite in the eight-horse Belmont is John and Diane Fradkin's Rombauer (Twirling Candy). Winner of the May 15 GI Preakness S., the colt will break from post three and is 3-1 on the morning line. One stall further out in the four-hole is Derby third finisher Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow), who was installed as the 7-2 third choice. The fourth choice at 9-2 is expected pacemaker GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby hero Rock Your World (Candy Ride {Arg}), who drew post seven.

“In an ideal world, we wanted to be to the outside of Rock Your World since he figures to be leaving there pretty hard, but that didn't happen,” said Doug O'Neill, trainer of Hot Rod Charlie. “We're just grateful to be in the gate and to have [Flavien] Prat and to have the horse doing well … I think it's a very evenly-matched crop. You could throw a blanket over about 10 of them on any given day that could jump up and leave the group. I'm biased of course, but I think 'Charlie' is top-tier.”

Todd Pletcher will saddle three of the eight in the 1 1/2-mile Classic, with rail-drawn GII Wood Memorial S. upsetter Bourbonic (Bernardini, 15-1), GI Curlin Florida Derby scorer Known Agenda (Curlin, 6-1) in post six and Overtook (Curlin) widest out in the eight-hole at 20-1. Japanese hope France Go de Ina (Will Take Charge) is the longest shot on the morning line at 30-1 and will break from post five.

“I don't think the post positions matter so much with my three,” said Pletcher. “I think, of all the Triple Crown events, post position is least important here, especially in an eight-horse field. I was happy with all the posts. I think the real key is we need an honest pace and there are three of four horses in here who will try to be prominently placed early and if they set an honest pace, I think that will help all three of mine.”

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Essential Quality Draws Post Two, Installed As 2-1 Favorite For Belmont Stakes

Godolphin homebred Essential Quality, just a length from being undefeated in his career, drew post position two and was installed as the 2-1 morning line choice for Saturday's Belmont Stakes. Trained by Brad Cox, the 3-year-old son of Tapit suffered his first loss in six starts when fourth in the Kentucky Derby, but the juvenile champion and jockey Luis Saez are all set to return for the third jewel of the Triple Crown.

Preakness Stakes winner Rombauer returns for the Belmont, albeit with John Velazquez picking up the mount for trainer Michael McCarthy. Flavien Prat was aboard Rombauer for his victory at Pimlico, but Prat opted to remain with Derby third-place finisher Hot Rod Charlie (Doug O'Neill) for the Belmont Stakes.

Other Grade 1 winners in the Belmont field include Known Agenda (Florida Derby) and Rock Your World (Santa Anita Derby). Wood Memorial winner Bourbonic is back for the Belmont, as is the graded stakes-placed Overtook, both trained by Todd Pletcher.

The wildcard in the field remains France Go De Ina, the Japan-trained colt who ran seventh in the Preakness Stakes.

Another expected foreign entry, UAE Derby winner Rebel's Romance, was removed from consideration early Tuesday morning by trainer Charlie Appleby due to an infection in the colt's hind leg.

The full field for the Belmont Stakes is as follows:

Bourbonic – Kendrick Carmouche, Todd Pletcher – 15/1
Essential Quality – Luis Saez, Brad Cox – 2/1
Rombauer – John Velazquez, Michael McCarthy – 3/1
Hot Rod Charlie – Flavien Prat, Doug O'Neill – 7/2
France Go De Ina – Ricardo Santana, Jr., Hideyuki Mori – 30/1
Known Agenda – Irad Ortiz, Jr., Todd Pletcher – 6/1
Rock Your World – Joel Rosario, John Sadler – 9/2
Overtook – Manny Franco, Todd Pletcher – 20/1

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Noon Star Out of Cazoo Oaks as Field Takes Shape

Juddmonte homebred Noon Star (Galileo {Ire}) has had a “temporary setback” and will not run in the G1 Cazoo Oaks on the first day of the Cazoo Derby Festival, Juddmonte Racing Manager Teddy Grimthorpe announced. Third on debut at Salisbury on Sept. 3, the bay graduated in a Nottingham maiden on Oct. 14 and was put away for the season. She made her 3-year-old bow with a 2 1/2-length win at Wetherby on Apr. 25 and was last seen finishing second in the G3 Tattersalls Musidora S. at York on May 12.

“This filly has had a temporary setback so [she] will not run in the Cazoo Oaks on Friday,” he said. “All being well, she could head to the G2 Ribblesdale S. at Royal Ascot.”

Juddmonte homebred Noon Star (Galileo {Ire}) has had a “temporary setback” and will not run in the G1 Cazoo Oaks on the first day of the Cazoo Derby Festival, trainer Sir Michael Stoute announced on Tuesday.

“Noon Star will not now be running in the Cazoo Oaks on Friday, due to a blood disorder,” Stoute said in a statement.

Third on debut at Salisbury on Sept. 3, the Sir Michael Stoute-trained bay graduated in a Nottingham maiden on Oct. 14 and was put away for the season. She made her 3-year-old bow with a 2 1/2-length win at Wetherby on Apr. 25 and was last seen finishing second in the G3 Tattersalls Musidora S. at York on May 12.

Added Juddmonte Racing Manager Teddy Grimthorpe, “This filly has had a temporary setback so [she] will not run in the Cazoo Oaks on Friday,” he said. “All being well, she could head to the G2 Ribblesdale S. at Royal Ascot.”

Aidan O'Brien Quintet Sitting On Go
Aidan O'Brien still has five fillies in Friday's feature race, however, including ante-post favourite Santa Barbara (Ire) (Camelot {GB}). The daughter of Senta's Dream (GB) (Danehill) won her maiden impressively at The Curragh on Sept. 26 and was a solid fourth in the G1 QIPCO 1000 Guineas on May 2.

“Santa Barbara is very well and this was always pencilled in to be her second run this year,” said O'Brien. “We were delighted with her run in the Guineas and everything has gone well with her since. That was a big ask for her. She passed every test we put in front of her with flying colours and probably to ask for any other result wouldn't have been right.

“We were always going to go into the Oaks not knowing if she stays a mile and a half–I suppose we're going to find that out. She's by Camelot, which is a big help, and we know she's got a lot of class.

“She's only had the two runs, which is not a lot going into the Oaks, but we're excited and looking forward to seeing her run.”

Another Coolmore partners/O'Brien filly is the upwardly mobile Snowfall (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}). The February-foaled bay already has eight starts under her belt and was an impressive winner of the G3 Tattersalls Musidora S. at York on May 12.

“We were delighted with her [Snowfall] in York and she's come out of that very well. We think maybe going up in trip on better ground and maybe having a year under her belt to get stronger has all been a help to her,” O'Brien said. “She's always been a very good home worker and always worked like a filly that had loads of class.”

Rounding out the fivesome is G3 Kilcarn Stud Flame Of Tara Irish EBF S. heroine Divinely (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), the SP La Joconde (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and Willow (Ire) (American Pharoah), who broke her maiden at Leopardstown in October and was third in the G3 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Blue Wind S. at Naas on May 8.

“We always liked Divinely a lot,” O'Brien added. “She's a sister to Found who won a Group 3 last year and has had the one run in Lingfield this year. Ryan said he was delighted with the run. He said they went very slow and that didn't suit her, but he was really happy with her.

“Her homework has been very nice since and all her figures from her works have been coming out very high– that's usually a very good sign.

“La Joconde is another filly we always thought more of than she showed. We think there's plenty to come from her–she's a very solid filly and we think that she has loads of quality.

“Willow is out of Peeping Fawn and has progressed with every run and will progress more. She'll love the trip and if there is any ease in the ground, that won't bother her. Physically she's done very well as well.

“We just think and feel that they're all bred to be Oaks fillies and it might be very wrong to stop them from taking their chance.”

Smooth Sailing For Ocean Road
Qatar Racing's Ocean Road (Ire) (Australia {GB}) is in fine fettle prior to a start in the G1 Cazoo Oaks on Friday. The Hugo Palmer-trained filly was second in a Nottingham maiden race, before saluting over the Lingfield all-weather on Dec. 2. Her latest start was a third in the Listed Novibet Oaks Trial Fillies' S. at Lingfield on May 8.

“We're all systems go for Epsom on Friday,” Palmer said of his filly, one of 15 left in at this stage. “Oisin [Murphy] sat on her this morning and did a little bit of stalls work with her. She was too slowly away at Lingfield and ended up sitting last, it was all a bit of a mess on ground that was too soft for her.

“We've always seen her as a good-moving filly that should be better on the top of the ground. We just felt that on debut at Nottingham she got away with the ground, she wanted a bit quicker but she handles it, and the same also when she ran at Lingfield.

“She ended up on the worst bit of the track as well. She's got a great turn of foot and loads of speed and we feel that the ground blunts her speed. We're very hopeful that we will see her to much better effect on top of the ground.”

Palmer added, “She's going to have to show considerable improvement on what she's done to date to win the Oaks, but I believe she has improved a huge amount at home. As we see year in, year out, these fillies can improve 20lb from one run to the next. My two best fillies that I've had prior to this were Covert Love (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}) and Architecture (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), over this trip, and they improved massively from this time of year.

“It can happen, but we're obviously very conscious about the fact that it has to.”

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