June, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Team Puerto Rico Wins World Jockey Challenge

Indiana Grand Racing & Casino hosted the seventh annual World Jockey Challenge Thursday with the team of seven jockeys representing Puerto Rico getting the win over a total of nine countries in the competition. Team Mexico was the runner-up while Team United States came in third.

A special winner's circle presentation honored Team Puerto Rico with the World Jockey Challenge trophy. The trophy is on display in the grandstand.

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Sharjah Trainer Banned For Steroid Positive; Others For Cobalt

Trainer Mujeeb Rahman, based at Sharjah in the UAE, has been banned two years by Emirates Racing Authority stewards after a horse in his care returned a positive test for Stanozolol, an anabolic steroid.

The Rahman-trained Storyboard (Medaglia d'Oro) came on stewards' radar last May when, during an inspection of Rahman's stable medical records, it was discovered the then 6-year-old gelding had been treated with intra-articular injections to both front fetlocks within five days of racing-rules state that the minimum withdrawal period is eight days. Rahman was fined AED10,000 for that offence.

ERA Regulatory Veterinarian Dr. Kieran Finn returned to Rahman's stable last November to inspect Storyboard and clear a steward's embargo placed upon him, at which time he obtained an out-of-competition blood sample from Storyboard and two other horses in the yard. Storyboard's sample returned a positive to Stanozolol, which was confirmed by the split sample of the blood test in the UK. A urine sample obtained by ERA stewards after the blood sample came back positive likewise confirmed the presence of Stanozolol. Dr. Michael Subhahar, chief analyst of the Dubai Equine Forensic Unit, confirmed that Storyboard's level of Stanozolol was at such a concentration that he expected the horse had been treated within seven days prior to the sample being taken. Rahman contended that he had recently agreed with Storyboard's owner to retire the horse from racing and use him as a stable pony, however, as of the date of the inquiry on June 2 of this year, Storyboard was still listed as in training. Rahman pled guilty and has been disqualified for two years, while Storyboard is barred from racing until 12 months after the date the initial blood sample confirming the presence of Stanozolol was taken, and only then after a urine sample returns a negative test.

Also on Friday, former UAE champion trainer Ali Rashid Al Rayhi was banned for 12 months by ERA stewards after a horse in his care returned a pre-race positive test for cobalt. Cobalt was detected in the urine sample of the Mohammed Khalifa Al Basti-owned Resig (Tapiture) prior to the 4-year-old colt running in a Jan. 8, 2021 Jebel Ali maiden race. The result was confirmed by split sample, and Resig was disqualified from that race, where he crossed the wire fifth. Resig's only start since resulted in a fourth-place finish in a Meydan maiden on Jan. 16. Al Rayhi could offer no explanation for the cobalt overage.

Trainer Mahmood Hussain was likewise banned 12 months for a pre-race cobalt overage returned by Pinter (GB) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) from a test prior to a race at Meydan on Jan. 30, 2021.

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Chrono Genesis Defends Title In Takarazuka Kinen

Japan stages a pair of 'all-star' races each season, the G1 Takarazuka Kinen in early summer and the G1 Arima Kinen at year's end, giving fans a chance to vote for their favourite runners. The last four runnings of these events have been won by females–Lys Gracieux (Jpn) completed the double in 2019, while Chrono Genesis (Jpn) (Bago {Fr}) repeated the feat last year. The latter, who scored by six lengths last June, is back to defend her title in the final top-level test of the first half of the season, which offers the winner a fees-paid berth into the GI Breeders' Cup Turf at Del Mar in November.

Winner of half of her 14 career trips to the post, the gray mare was a sound third to Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) in the G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) over 2000 metres last November before taking the 12 1/2-furlong Arima Kinen by a neck Dec. 27. She was most recently beaten a neck into second by Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) in the Mar. 27 G1 Dubai Sheema Classic (2410m), the form of which was franked when Loves Only You (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) returned to take the G1 FWD QE II Cup in Hong Kong.

“She got bumped quite badly last time in the Dubai Sheema Classic and it was an unlucky race for her, but she still ran well,” her trainer Takashi Saito said. “She came back to the stable on June 2, and in her first piece of work after that, she seemed a little heavy, but soon got switched on in her usual way of doing things.”

Further female power comes in the form of Lei Papale (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), who has yet to taste defeat in her six career trips to the post to date. Winner in Group 3 company at the tail end of her 3-year-old season, the bay got the litmus test in the G1 Osaka Hai over a rain-affected turf course at Hanshin Apr. 4, but she proved more than equal to the task in scoring by four lengths from Mozu Bello (Jpn) (Deep Brillante {Jpn}), with the likes of Triple Crown hero Contrail (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and champion Gran Alegria (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) left further back in her wake.

Aristoteles (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}) finished first or second in his first seven starts, then put a real scare into Contrail in the G1 Kikuka Sho (3000m), going down to a narrow defeat in that final leg of the Triple Crown last October. A Group 2 winner to begin this season, he exits a fourth in the May 2 G1 Tenno Sho (Spring) over two miles of this course. Kiseki (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}), winless since the 2017 Kikuka Sho, was runner-up in this event in each of the last two seasons.

Unicorn Lion (Ire) (No Nay Never) cost 850,000gns at Tattersalls October in 2017 and enters the Takarazuka Kinen on a two-race winning streak, including a 19-1 upset of the G3 Naruo Kinen at Chukyo June 5.

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Henderson To Step Down As Ascot CEO

Guy Henderson will retire from his position as chief executive officer of Ascot after next year's Royal meeting, which will be his eighth in that position. Henderson said, “We make this announcement as the process to appoint the next CEO begins. Meanwhile, it remains business as usual as we deliver the remainder of the 2021 racing and events programme and build towards Royal Ascot 2022 in the Platinum Jubilee year. This will be a unique event at Ascot about which we are all very excited.”

Sir Francis Brooke, Her Majesty's Representative at Ascot and Chairman, added, “Guy's leadership at Ascot has been transformational since he became CEO in January 2015. He raised the business to a new level of success and then had to face the enormous challenge of running two successive Royal Meetings in the midst of a global pandemic. Both last year and this, he and the whole Ascot team rose to that challenge magnificently and delivered the best event possible in the circumstances.

“This transition process has been planned and we now look forward to Guy leading the business until Royal Ascot 2022, while the process for the appointment of the next CEO begins.”

Executive Search specialists Spencer Stuart have been appointed to identify Henderson's replacement candidates.

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